NBA Free Agency Thoughts
The NBA free agency isn’t even over and there has been enough shock moves to save a life time. From big name signing to trades that just boggle the mind and the best part is; there’s still time for more.
The Trade from Outta Nowhere
The OKC pulled off the signing of the off-season so far by snagging All-Star Paul George from the Pacers in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. In all honestly, the Thunder got a franchise player for an absolute steal here. Oladipo has never really showed that he could be any more than a 3rd best offensive player and Sabonis has only been in the league a year and no one knows how good he can be. If this was the asking price for George; you’re doing it in a heartbeat. So now OKC can pair up him with the reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. Props to GM Sam Presti for pulling this trade off, he managed to pick up PG from under the noses of teams Boston and Cleveland who were open to trading for him. There is a chance that PG can leave OKC after next season when his contract runs out but it’s worth taking the risk to see if you can convince him to stay long term. Reports in the media say that George made it known to the Pacers that he wants to sign for the Lakers when he hits free agency, even if he does leave the Thunder haven’t given up a lot to get him. Westbrook reportedly will delay signing an extension, worst case scenario that he and George leave next summer and join the Lakers, watch out Thunder fans.
The Bulls Go Full Tank Mode and T-Wolves Benefit
Chicago traded their best player Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the 2016 number 7 overall draft pick. The T-Wolves even managed to acquire the Bulls number 16 pick from them without even asking for it. The Wolves drafted Lauri Markkanen for the Bulls at 7 and the Bulls took Justin Patton at 16 for Minnesota. For me this is a great trade for the T-Wolves as they clearly get the best player involved in this, an All-Star player in Butler. The Wolves lost so many games last season by one or two possessions as they had problems scoring down the stretch. In getting Butler, they have a go-to scorer who can get you buckets when you need to put the ball in someone’s hands. They now have their own version of a Big 3 with Butler, Andrew Wiggins and KAT. They also added Jeff Teague (With the departure of Rubio) and Taj Gibson in free agency to further improve the roster. There are no excuses this time; they need to end that playoff drought. Side note, a big year for Wiggins, he was terrible on defence last year and his offensive usage will go down with the arrival of Butler and the increasing scoring prowess of KAT. Will be interesting to see how he adapts. This is his 4th season in the NBA and if you want to be a superstar player the 4th year is usually where they make the most improvement.
CP3 Walks Out of LA
Chris Paul left a lot of money on the table in LA and walked straight from the Clippers and into the hands of the Houston Rockets. CP3 could have signed a new 5 year deal with the Clippers but chose to opt in to his player option for next season so he could be traded to the Rockets. The Rockets managed to acquire Paul from the Clippers in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker and a load more. They needed to shift all those players be shift salary to be able to afford Paul. This gives the Rockets one of the best back courts in the NBA with James Harden. I am just not just sure that getting another ball dominant guard was a smart move as Harden was moved to Point Guard last season and had an MVP calibre year. They were onto something and now getting Paul will move Harden off the ball which will diminish some of his great abilities. Does this move make the Rockets any closer to beating the Warriors? Nope.
Blake Buys Back In
After opting out of the last year of his contact, Blake Griffin re-signed with the LA Clippers for $173 million for the next 5 years. This is a massive gamble if you ask me. Blake has not been able to stay healthy for the last 3 years with a series of injuries. Back in 2015, Blake was the 3rd best player in the playoffs. Unfortunately, he is not the player he once was. Do you really want to pay Griffin $40 million in 4 years’ time? Count me out.
Hayward Picks His College Coach
Gordon Hayward was another sort after free agent this summer. After taking meetings with several teams, Hayward announced that he would be signing with the Boston Celtics. Ultimately, the pull of working with his old College Coach Brad Stevens was too much to pass up. This is a great upgrade for Boston; Hayward is an All-Star Forward who averaged 22 points a game last season shooting 47% from the floor. This solidifies Boston’s position as the 2nd best team in the East.
Everybody’s Heading West
People are asking why the Cleveland Cavaliers have not signed any new players and are looking to keep pretty much the same roster as this year. The majority of this summer’s free agency class have all gone to Western Conference Teams. This leaves the Cavs as the clear favourites once again to reach the NBA Finals next season. There are a plethora of teams out West that have tried to make moves to compete against the Warriors. As for LeBron out East; you win again sir.
