It’s a hot summer in the NBA, characterized by telenovelas about Lillard and Harden that continue to rule the court, and multiple signatures that have revived leeway and changed the face of several teams.
TWO DISCONTINUED SUPERSTARS. The dissatisfied and eager star who asks for a trade is now a “must have” for the NBA market, and the film is on repeat this summer, even doubling the lead actors: Damian Lillard and James Harden. Portland and Philadelphia point guards requested a move to their clubs, listing their favorite destinations with the Heat and Clippers. However, teams in Florida and California don’t seem to have the packages available to meet the Blazers’ and 66ers’ demands, so they have to look for a third team that can help them ease the negotiations. If the Blazers have already defended themselves (in the event of a farewell to Lillard) by drafting Scoot Henderson on draft night, the same cannot be said for the Sixers. Daryl Morey, Philadelphia’s general manager, has a possible natural replacement for James Harden (Tyrese Maxey) on the roster, but he’ll have to try to get another star from the former Houston Rockets – or at least a couple of high-level role players. – side by side with Joel Embiid, who no longer seems to believe in a future for living in the city of brotherly love. With summer camp and training camp approaching, a solution should be found quickly for both Lillard and Harden.
THE STARS HAVE ALREADY CHANGED. For the two stars still waiting to be sold, there are others who have already changed their minds: Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Chris Paul. Now Former Key Washington Wizards Player Names Himself
leaving the capital towards Arizona to go and form a new wonder trio with Durant and Booker (to whom Ayton is also being added) in Phoenix. The Suns had to take “all” of Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, five picks in the second round, and four pick exchanges to put Beal in the corner. Even DC and CP3’s arrival times were not immediately sent by the Wizards to the Golden State Warriors, in an exchange in which the Gulf welcomed Jordan Poole and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to be part of Washington’s new young core ready to go into recovery mode, also selling Porzingis Celtics. From the big Latvian, new Wizards general manager Will Dawkins got the blues Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala of Boston, plus Tyus Jones of Memphis, in a three-team trade that saw Marcus Smart leave the field after nine seasons. wear the Grizzlies jersey from next October.
MAIN CHARACTERS. NBA free agency is always a special appointment that allows some teams to change their position in the league with an affordable salary. This year, the protagonists were the Houston Rockets, who, by hiring Ime Udoka as their new head coach, invested more than 80 million cap slots. So Fred Van Vliet (three-year-old, $130 million), Dillon Brooks (four-year-old, $80 million), Jock Landale (24 million in 4 years) and Jeff Green (16 million in 2 years) landed in Texas. With these signings and the selection of Amen Thompson on draft night, the Rockets are candidates for a playoff comeback as they look to secure a place to play in the West. The absolute protagonists of free will were also the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. The former bolstered a shallow line-up with the arrival of Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop, Drew Eubanks and Chimezi Meta, as well as the return of Damion Lee. Instead, the Lakers confirmed Rui Hachimura and Austin Raves, the greats of the last yellow-and-purple playoffs, with two new contracts, and introduced a trio of Gabe Vincent, Jackson Hayes, and Cam Reddish to the LBJ.
WINNERS AND WINNER. As is often the case with higher salary caps, the real free agent winners are the players who manage to secure better contracts than in the past. Van Vliet is the prime example, but Desmond Bain and Jerami Grant also boast contract extensions that aren’t bad at all ($207 million over 5 years for a Grizzlies player and $160 for a Blazers player). Another winner of this free agency is undoubtedly Draymond Green, who, despite speculation all season long about his possible move to the Lakers, signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors, also seeing the packaging and delivery. at Washington Pool, whom he fought earlier this season. Jaylen Brown and Anthony Davis can also point out who with signed contract renewals will earn more than 60 million a year. The Dallas Mavericks breathed a sigh of relief to see that Kyrie Irving stayed in Texas, renewing her contract with the Mark Cuban franchise, instead of thanking and saying goodbye, leaving her in canvas pants. Completing the list of winners, one cannot fail to mention the San Antonio Spurs, who, with the first draft pick (later transformed into Victor Wembanyama), made bingo for the third time in their history. The Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors smile least of all. The defending champions have lost Bruce Brown (who married the Indiana Pacers on a two-year, $52 million contract) while the Canadians remain in limbo, and Masai Ujiri has not been able to muster the courage to re-franchise Scotty Barnes, who got rid of OG Anunobi and Pascal Siakam.
FROM EUROLEAG TO NBA. Among the many free agent moves, we also have to point out the jump from Europe to the United States of the last two Euroleague MVPs, namely Vassily Micic and Sasha Vezenkov. The Serb put an end to a telenovela that recurred every summer by signing a three-year, $23.5 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who bought his rights in 2020 from the Philadelphia 76ers (the team that drafted him with the 52nd pick). . back in 2014), and the Bulgarian (selected in 2017 with the 52nd pick by the Brooklyn Nets) landed with the Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $20 million contract. The Californians, a real surprise last season, with the signing of former Olympiacos want to add danger from the perimeter with a 40-percent three-point shot in the latest Euroleague campaign. The Thunder, on the other hand, would put Micic at the helm of the second quintet, using him as both a main creator and his teammates, something that was lacking last season for a young OKC who was one step away from the playoffs.
FREE AGENTS ARE STILL FREE. The best have already found a home, but some interested players are still available on the market, including Christian Wood, PJ Washington, Kelly Aubre Jr., T.J. Warren and Hamidou Diallo.