NBA waits on Leona rd after Nets add big guns
So now we know what happens when close to 40 per cent of a league’s players become free agents at the same time.
The first couple of days of the NBA’s version of free-agency frenzy were more exciting and action packed than most summer blockbuster movies. Especially Sunday.
When the market officially opened at 6 p.m. ET, you likely missed something if you blinked.
In the end, with more moves to come, a dynasty fell, a onceproud franchise cemented itself as the league’s laughingstock, while a longtime punchline in that same city made a major statement.
Meanwhile, stars found new homes and their former franchises adapted as best as they could. Some better than others.
And a major domino remained on the board, with Kawhi Leonard taking his time to figure out his next move after bringing the Toronto Raptors their first hoops title.
“Some men just want to watch the world burn,” Alfred the butler (played by Michael Caine) famously said in The Dark Knight, and one could imagine the inscrutable Leonard simply sitting back and pondering as the NBA world was blown up to varying degrees.
Most importantly, the dynastic Golden State Warriors now belong to the past and no longer the present. Three championships in five years is the final tally, likely fewer titles than most expected.
Kevin Durant has taken his talents to Brooklyn, fellow former finals MVP and team leader Andre Iguodala was shuffled aside in order for the Warriors to acquire young all-star guard D’Angelo Russell via a sign-andtrade deal, and the team will likely have to shed even more of its roster to make all of the math work.
Plus Klay Thompson will miss much of the 2019-20 season due to his torn ACL (the injury didn’t stop the Warriors from rewarding Thompson with a five-year, $189.6-million contract, keeping the Splash Brothers together long term).
With the Warriors down and seemingly out, Western Conference rivals worked to power up. Utah made some solid moves, adding stellar outside shooter Bojan Bogdanovic (21 points per game after the all-star break) and underrated ex-Raptors big man Ed Davis to a mix that also now includes star point guard Mike Conley.
Meanwhile, LeBron James and Anthony Davis (and presumably Kyle Kuzma and Troy Daniels, the only other two players under contract at the moment) patiently waited to see if Leonard would make the Lakers the overwhelming favourites for years to come with perhaps the best Big Three in NBA history.
Staying in the West, New Orleans continued to excel under new general manager David Griffin. The Pelicans might not be ready to contend yet, since No. 1 pick Zion Williamson will need some time to adapt to the league and the Davis bounty from the Lakers is still so young (Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, etc.), but adding veterans J.J. Redick and Derrick Favors to the mix with Jrue Holiday makes them at least a playoff squad.
In the East, Brooklyn made the biggest statement in landing Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The team should be competitive this year and a contender when Durant returns in 2020-21.
Philadelphia did a solid job of recalibrating after losing Jimmy Butler to Miami and Redick to the Pelicans. Josh Richardson isn’t a household name and didn’t take the leap many expected last season, but he’s a good, young two-way guard. Adding Al Horford is a bit odd in terms of fit (he played 92 per cent of his minutes at centre last season), but he’s played power forward in the past and will allow Joel Embiid to rest more often in the middle, while also complementing him on offence. Retaining Tobias Harris was costly, but had to be done.
The defection of Butler helped Toronto on two fronts, with the Sixers losing the team’s biggest Raptors killer and the Clippers simultaneously being denied the chance to pair Butler with Leonard, one of the most talked-about potential scenarios for months.
Toronto continues to wait on Leonard and Danny Green, while Boston lost the mercurial Irving, the former all-star Horford and backups Terry Rozier, Aron Baynes and likely Marcus Morris, but brought in all-star guard Kemba Walker and centre Enes Kanter, and should still be solid on offence at least.
Milwaukee still has MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and paid through the nose to keep all-star forward Khris Middleton. They united Brook Lopez with twin brother Robin, but lost underrated guard Malcolm Brogdon in the process.
That loss was Indiana’s gain as the Pacers brought in Brogdon to replace steady floor general Darren Collison, who is retiring.
Indiana actually lost Collison, Cory Joseph, Thaddeus Young and Tyreke Evans, too, but brought in Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb from Charlotte and T.J. Warren from Phoenix.
Scoring shouldn’t be an issue anymore, especially when top player Victor Oladipo works his way back from a leg injury later in the year.
Best not to talk about the Knicks, who dreamed for years of making a huge splash and got rid of former franchise pillar Kristaps Porzingis only to see Durant and Irving make Brooklyn the real show in New York City. Charlotte’s a tire fire, too.
After all of that, one more shoe has yet to drop. The one all of Canada and much of the United States is waiting on. At some point, Leonard will get around to making a decision.