NBA off-season is on
Teams shake up rosters in a big way
It feels pretty fitting that the most condensed NBA off- season ever has begun with a bang. The NBA only opened for business on Monday, but already there has been a league- shaking move, several other impactful transactions and strong buzz that James Harden, winner of three- straight scoring titles, is angling for an exit out of Houston.
Here’s what’s happened so far and what it means:
❚ 1. Milwaukee Bucks to acquire New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first- round picks, option to swap two other firsts.
❚ 2. Bucks to acquire restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic from Sacramento Kings for Donte Divincenzo, D. J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova.
Wow. Holiday is a great player, somehow an even better and more versatile defender than Bledsoe, who has made the first or second all-defensive team in each of the past two seasons. He’s a much better offensive player too, both in terms of being able to run a team and as an overall shooter. Holiday is also one of the most respected players in the league.
That said, he’s 30, a year away from unrestricted free agency and not the offensive solution to Milwaukee’s playoff execution woes ( unlike, say, Malcolm Brogdon, who while a worse player than Holiday, was let go and dearly missed for his offensive prowess in the post-season).
Picking up Bogdanovic on the cheap was a brilliant bit of business and made me once again question what the Kings are doing. He’s really good.
Of course, all of this is about Giannis Antetokounmpo, winner of two- straight MVP awards. Everybody knows Giannis can sign a super- max extension with the Bucks, sign another deal in a year, or simply leave. There is a lot riding on that since he’s the best two- way talent around and a generational player who is still somehow only 25 years old.
The Bucks needed to make something happen and they sure did. At what cost? That all depends if Antetokounmpo sticks around for at least
two to three more seasons. For now, though, Miami and Toronto likely lose their grand dream of landing Giannis and will have to adjust accordingly should he sign his super-max deal.
The Bogdanovic heist makes the Holiday overpay make more sense, but the Bucks won’t have a lot of options to upgrade further.
They need to hope ring-chasing veterans will sign up on the cheap, because there is precious little depth behind the new imposing starting lineup.
For New Orleans, and basketball boss David Griffin, this was brilliant work. Griffin and Oklahoma City counterpart Sam Presti are having an interesting battle to see who can build up the biggest arsenal of future draft assets pro sports has ever seen. Holiday’s age didn’t make him a long-term fit with young stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Now the Pellies can either grab a complement or two via the draft, or open the war chest to add another young core piece in the next few years.
Back to Sacramento: Divincenzo is a viable player, far younger than Bogdanovic and kept for much cheaper for a couple more years. Plus Bogdanovic (like Buddy Hield) reportedly wasn’t thrilled with life with the Kings and might have wanted out. Still, Bogdanovic is a really good offensive player. This feels like way too little in exchange, especially since the Kings could have matched any offer for the restricted free agent. Oh well. Maybe Hield will be happy now.
❚ ❚ 3. Portland Trail Blazers acquire forward Robert Covington from Houston Rockets for Trevor Ariza, two first- round picks ( 2021 pick is protected).
Let the Houston teardown begin. Covington wasn’t the biggest name ( see Harden and Russell Westbrook) in Houston, but my, how fast can things change. He was brought in back in February as part of a massive, 12-player trade sending out centre Clint Capela as the Rockets went ultra- small. It didn’t work and now a couple of likely middling picks come back in return and Houston gets out of a longer contract. If Harden somehow stays, this will look bad, but that’s believed to be highly unlikely, so, we’ll give this a shrug emoji.
It’s smart work by Portland. Offence isn’t a problem there, but defence is. Covington will help with that. He covers a ton of ground.
❚ ❚ 4. Phoenix Suns acquire Chris Paul, Abdel Nader from Oklahoma City Thunder for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, 2022 first-round pick, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque.
Phoenix keeps franchise player Devin Booker happy ( and possibly committed long term) as it looks to end a decade- long playoff drought. The hope is Paul helps Booker get even better and brings centre Deandre Ayton along and doesn’t get hurt. If so, it’s a good deal for both sides.
The Thunder went from being gifted a bunch of picks to take on Paul’s then- scary contract ( for Westbrook), to getting a pick, a nice young piece in Oubre and a solid veteran in Rubio for an aging player.
❚ ❚ 5. Los Angeles Lakers acquire Dennis Schroder from Oklahoma City for Danny Green, 2020 first-round pick.
Oklahoma City might have sold low here on Schroder, perhaps the best reserve in the NBA and a perfect fit for the Lakers. But they probably move Green again for another late- first down the line. Schroder will make the defending champions even scarier, but they’ll miss Green’s defence.
❚ ❚ What could come next:
Resolution on Harden’s situation. Scorers this lethal, with resumés this thick, don’t often become available. If Holiday and even Covington commanded all those draft picks, what would Harden fetch? Would Philadelphia offer the much-younger Ben Simmons?
Would Brooklyn, having seen another big deal blow up so spectacularly ( a million first- rounders and pick swaps for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce) years ago, offer up a bevy of picks, in addition to talents like Caris Levert, Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie?
The league will be waiting on that one.