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Last Sunday was the start of NBA free agency where this year’s class was limited with big names but there were some moves that happened and here are a couple of things that I liked, did not like, and was confused by.
PG & Philly
Might as well start with the big domino that was Paul George who after 5 years in LA left to go east to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to bring a championship to Philadelphia. But this was the only move that the Sixers could do to restore some faith in their fanbase along with being in the mix a top of the east next season but was this a good move by George? certainly, in LA where he was paired with Kawhi Leonard whose injury history certainly derailed any hopes for clipper fans and the franchise, so is going to Philly going to be different?
Especially with Mr. Process himself Joel Embiid who has just as bad or worst injury history/luck than Leonard going to come into the season differently with summer games. This is now Paul George third time joining another team which leaves a lot to be answered especially with his own injury history and playoff performances. As much as I thought and would have loved if PG went to Orlando instead, George better be ready for the passion Philadelphia fans have for the 76ers especially if things go wrong or fall short but Nick Nurse as coach is certainly a silver lining in this situation with George being in his thirties hopefully ages gracefully.
The Clippers Bad Luck
The other team involved in Paul George movement was the Los Angeles Clippers who certainly went all in back in 2019 when they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George hoping to usher in a new time for basketball in LA where the Clippers would be the top team but that did not happen and ended being one of the more disappointing times in Clipper history not surpassing the Lob City era or even the early 2000s era with Darius Miles, Lamar Odom, and Quentin Richardson. Constant injuries to Leonard and George and other roster changes did not fulfill that destiny for Clipper’s governor Steve Ballmer.
Building a new arena, they are set to open next season the Clippers at the moment roster wise leaves a lot to desired for those fans, add to that the continuing mystery of Kawhi Leonard’s health who I am a fan of, but this has become impossible to defend and is vital to the future of the team. Now they have attempted to fill in the gaps with Derrick Jones Jr from Dallas and a surprise signing of the troubled young talent Kevin Porter Jr are steps in the right direction but as far as being contending teams out west maybe out of the question.
An End of an Era
I would be lying if I said I am not enjoying the end of the Warriors dynasty which has been happening for a few years but how it is happening does sort of sucks, especially for people who are Klay Thompson fans. Never thought I would type this, but Klay Thompson was for the most part shoved out the door by Golden State which was happening all last season from the front office that did not take care of Thompson’s next contract immediately like they did with fellow Warrior’s pillar and lighting rod Draymond Green and former warrior now wizard Jordan Poole was insulting to Thompson.
Yes, the past few seasons Thompson’s decline has been obvious certainly last season when Thompson had to come grips with being sixth man of sorts and not the number two offensive option behind Stephen Curry. Thompson’s pride certainly was hurt which led to news of him leaving the bay area this summer. Honestly, I thought that the Lakers, Nuggets, and Magic were the teams with the best chance and landing him, but the western conference champion Mavericks came out of nowhere and got Thompson who hopefully will help them get back to the finals.
So now what do the Warriors do from here? With Thompson gone via a sign and trade and waiving Chris Paul who went to San Antonio has left the Golden State with nothing to show from trading Jordan Poole last summer. There is the potential they can get in on the Lauri Markkanen sweepstakes before it is too late but there is a lot that needs improvement on this team to maximize the rest Curry’s good years to prevent the unthinkable that is Curry becoming disgruntled and asks out, simply some sad times in the usually vibrant bay area.
As the Lake Show Turns
Of course, I got to talk about the Lakers who have to be news cycle in some fashion. Whether it is the mess of the coach hiring that ended with the choice most of us knew was going to happen with J.J. Redick as their new coach, or the polarizing chaos around drafting Bronny James, to the new status quo of LeBron James staying or going while pressuring the front office to do something.
At the time of this writing the Lakers have not landed a name of any sort but had a good draft with getting Dalton Knecht who was one of the steals in the draft to go with Bronny James giving some hope for a future core, but Laker nation expects more. Hopefully they find a way to get Compton native DeMar DeRozan finally home in the purple & gold seems to be the only move that would spark some hope and interest for the team but a lot of things happening in Laker land that need fixing if they believe they can be real threats in the west next season.
The Second Apron: The Owners Gift and Curse
Right away I will say I am not an expert on the NBA’s salary cap situation and this second apron has teams scared of it, has already destroyed some contending teams’ immediate futures, and absolutely looms other contending teams and what they do next. Of course, this is something the owners wanted as so to have the old built in excuse they cannot go all in spending wise to contend for a title but now has put some strong and stiff restrictions on teams making roster changes even on the fringes.
Denver certainly was a victim of that this summer where Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for Orlando making their depth issue that was exposed this postseason even worse now and limited, then there are teams like the Suns, Bucks, Cavs, and Hawks potentially staring down the new boogeyman that is this second apron. Hopefully before the new TV rights situation is official the NBA and the owners/governors go back to table and fine tune these restrictions especially if the teams get a bump in the caps from the new rights deal.
Ending on Positive Note!
I was not planning on this much for a “quick” review, but I had to end on something positive and that will be with what the Hawks and Spurs did/did not do so far this summer. The Spurs continue to get some kind of good luck their way with having Chris Paul fall into their laps at discount who should raise the team’s floor while being the perfect mentor to rookie Stephon Castle and French phenom Victor Wembanyama helping their development go in the right direction while possibly getting Spurs in the play-in scenario next season at least.
Then there is my second favorite team the Hawks who had a mixed reception with their number one pick in this draft, but the larger question was what is going to happen with Trae Young and DeJounte Murray? Well, there was a trade with the Pelicans that sent Murray to New Orleans in exchange for Larry Nance Jr and the promising prospect Dyson Daniels which is a good thing for Atlanta.
The Trae Young situation reminds unclear but hopefully he returns and they perhaps move other players out like Clint Capela, DeAndre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to create cap space and more opportunities for the younger foundational pieces like Kobi Bufkin, Jalen Johnson, and Oneyeka Okongwu to give Quin Snyder the team that fits his vision that has been fairly successful back in Utah and give hope to the fans and the city of Atlanta.
