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The free agency is running, and it's already weird: Paul George stays with the Oklahoma City Thunder longer than planned, Trevor Ariza goes to the Phoenix Suns and the Spurs of San Antonio apparently refuse to rebuild.
Here are 20 taken on the league landscape:
1. Is anyone outside of OKC excited about this partnership with George? I was very high on the Thunder during last season, but they have never managed to maintain a level of play beyond "pretty good". I can buy that a trio of Russell Westbrook, George and Steven Adams can do some damage, and I love that the front office has paid Jerami Grant, but I'd like to see the dynamics of the company. team change. They need more of a consistent system and more two-way players, and I'm not sure what we should expect to be different next season, aside from a healthy Andre Roberson improving the defense.
2. Let's not call this free agency a disappointment for the moment. Yes, it is possible that no new superteam is formed and that a group of high level free agents is content to sign again with little fanfare, but it is still extremely early. The Lakers and Sixers are still trying to get both LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Kemba Walker and Kevin Love could be traded. Raptors, Blazers and Wizards could do anything. Kings could do something crazy. There are a lot of maneuvers to do.
PLUS free agency
3. If there is even a whiff of agitation or discontent among Warriors next season, Kevin Durant's speculation is going to be annoying. There is nothing to prove to Golden State! Does not he want to run his own team? Warriors fans do not really like it * ! And if he teamed with [insert 2019 free agent here]? It's the cost of a one-plus-one agreement rather than something more in the long run.
4. DeAndre Jordan gives meaning to the Mavericks. I am well aware that his age means that he may not be fit in the long run – and this is surely one of the reasons he has only agreed to sign for a year – but this Team needed someone like him. If Dirk Nowitzki sits on the bench, a top five of Dennis Smith, Luka Doncic, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes and Jordan allows everyone to play a role corresponding to his abilities. If Dirk wants to start at 4, Matthews can get out of the bench. The presence of Dwight Powell means that Dallas can play a good rim runner for 48 minutes every night if that is what Rick Carlisle wants, and Jordan will be the defensive anchor that Nerlens Noel was supposed to be. The West is way too hard to project the Mavs as a playoff team, but they should at least be competitive and provide a plan for success at the time of Doncic. (Related point: We say this every year, but the holy shit of the West is going to be ridiculous, no one is playing, and even the lottery teams seem to be a lot more entertaining than they have been last season.)
5. If I had a front office, I would stay as far as possible from DeMarcus Cousins. He is recovering from an injury that can ruin his career, and the risk is not worth it. There is one exception: if the Lakers have reason to believe that entering into a short-term contract with him would increase their chances of signing LeBron, they should do so.
6. Trevor Ariza could regret it. The Houston Rockets of 2017-18 have been one of the best teams in the recent history of the NBA, and rather than trying to dismantle the Warriors – or join them – he decided to to call in … Phoenix? I will never blame a player for doing what is best for himself financially, but I wonder what was the best offer from Houston and how Ariza will feel it once the season is over. While it's possible that he loves to be the adult in the room with a team of Suns on the rise, the opportunity cost here was quite significant: the chance to play at the same time. significant basketball games in May and maybe in June.
8. The Fred VanVleet affair was a boon to the Raptors. Happy Canada Day! A smart team should have come in and tried to pay VanVleet as a starter, and I wonder if Ariza's deal has eliminated his best landing point outside of Toronto . (Phoenix does not even have a playmaker in his lineup after releasing Tyler Ulis, unless you count Brandon Knight as a playmaker.) Despite the buzz of the sixth man of the year and the favorite player of all basketball players last season, still feels like VanVleet is a bit underrated. He is one of the best defenders of his position despite an almost always high disadvantage, and he is an astute and astute offensive player who can play with and without a ball. From the point of view of the Raptors, this type of contract was an ideal result because of both money and years – it will come out in 2020, so they will still have all kinds of financial flexibility this summer.
9. One thought that I always come back to: Is there a chance for Isaiah Thomas to return to the Suns for a season?
10. The Spurs do not act like a team about to blow everything up. Paying $ 12 million for two years of service Marco Belinelli seems to be a little too paid and pay $ 10 million for a year of Rudy Gay, it's ok … as long as you're a playoff team. Maybe San Antonio really thinks he can bring back Kawhi Leonard. Maybe he's watched his 47-35 record last season, with Leonard barely playing, and decided that it will be fine, even if it's traded. I guess the fact that these are not long-term deals means that the management office could theoretically decide to demolish everything at any given time. It's just a little odd that the Spurs are in the midst of trouble with the NBA right now.
11. Shoutout at the Brooklyn Nets, which quietly did two good deals with Ed Davis (one year, $ 4.4 million) and Joe Harris (two years, $ 16 million). They are both quality spinners, and the loss of the reliable Davis will hurt the Portland Trail Blazers next season – Damian Lillard is heartbroken . Considering how desperate the league is for the wings, it's a little surprising that Harris has not found a richer and longer offer. The best part of this for Brooklyn is that Davis and Harris can be helpful in two different ways: they will help the team to continue to grow as long as they are on the list, and their contracts favor the ## 147 ## The team mean that they could be both the candidates will be exchanged against teams vying for draft picks.
12. Of course, Tom Thibodeau's office immediately signed Derrick Rose. Considering that the Timberwolves will lose Jamal Crawford and perhaps Nemanja Bjelica in free agency, I am officially worried about their lack of shooting. Minnesota looked smart when he caught Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop and in the repechage, but he still has a few things to understand in terms of balancing the list.
13. Ersan Ilyasova returning to the Bucks (for three years and $ 21 million) is essentially a gift to Mike Budenholzer, who enjoys shooting as much as any other league coach . This also seems to be a bad sign for Jabari Parker's future in Milwaukee – not only is Ilyasova's best position advanced, but it seems the Bucks are about to be eliminated ].
14. On Twitter Zach LaVine laughed at the idea of re-signing in Chicago four years and $ 60 million, so his restricted free agency is already interesting. Among LaVine, Parker, Marc Smart, Dante Exum, Julius Randle and Jusuf Nurkic, the free agent market is extremely unpredictable. Aaron Gordon should get his money, and Clint Capela will certainly get his, but beyond that some players will have to take less than they want or bet on themselves by taking the qualifying bid.
15. Speaking of restricted free agents, how much does a team have to pay to Showzl Harrell to steal the Clippers? They like it, but they try to keep their hood clean in 2019 and 2020.
16. If you wonder why the Indiana Pacers are going to invest $ 22 million in Doug McDermott, come back see what he did in Dallas. McDermott has his McDeficiencies, of course, but he is the kind of player who can boost an attack. He never stops moving, and he was crazy 49.4% of his 3 with the Mavericks. Indiana had no one with his kind of gravity on the list.
17. Omri Cbadpi joining the Memphis Grizzlies (for a year on a veteran minimum contract) is in agreement with their plan to try to return to the playoffs next season. Let's just hope that he is more willing to shoot 3s than in his 53 games with the Warriors.
18. The Pistons take a lot of blows with young wings. Their deal with Glenn Robinson III (two years, $ 8.3 million) brings them out of the evening with Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown. There is no guarantee that any of these players will become the player that Detroit hopes to become, but if there is one type of player that NBA teams should try to develop, then Is the long, athletic and versatile wing.
19. A theoretical replacement of Ariza: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. If he can not get another balloon payment for a year, why not take the mini-middle with a competitor? In basketball, it would be difficult to build a better situation than the Rockets could provide. Caldwell – Pope should simply sacrifice money to prove to the league that he can be an important part of a big team.
20. A free agent under the radar who could help many teams offensively: Seth Curry.
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