The first round of the NBA draft is in the books.
The Kings skipped on Luka Doncic, who is headed to Dallas.
We still have the LeBron lottery and Free agency imminent.
Excited for another year of the Golden State Warriors steadily winning another finals. But who will they beat? The rising 76ers? Lebron and the Celtics? A massive flu epidemic destroys most of the US, except for the island of Manhattan, and the Knicks?
Update: LeBron is a Laker, and I am still waiting for that flu to end it all.
GSW are a dynasty, no doubt. Regardless of where LeBron winds up, I’ll still take them over the field to win it all in 2018-2019.
That said, as a Raptors fan, I’ll still watch every game and enjoy the season, knowing Kyle and DeMar will flame out in the playoffs again. I hold no grudges, though. Winning that chip is hard, man.
As for who comes out of the East, it’s too early to tell. It really does depend on where LeBron takes his talents. I don’t think he’s going to leave the East, as he will want to maintain his Finals run. I think, given the dominance of the Warriors, that run might wind up being the hook on which he hangs his GOAT hat.
You hear all kinds of things, but one thing that sounded “right” to me is that LeBron wants to come to Philly but the family would prefer to go somewhere familiar so either staying in Cleveland or going to LA. I think both those options (all three if you include the Clippers) are going to put LeBron in a situation where he cannot win another Championship, but guys make decisions based on family like that all the time. I know I did myself years ago and kind of regretted it ever since.
He needs to stay in the East.
I wouldn’t touch Kawhi with a ten foot pole. He seems determined to get to LA and I think his uncle in the catalyst for all of this mess with the Spurs. I just don’t see the Spurs trading him to LA because of the in-conference issue of not wanting to face him. This story slipped by last week…
Who wasn’t paying the former agent? Kawhi’s uncle, the head of the agency.
There was also this from back in March…
The uncle has Kawhi convinced that the Spurs are holding back his marketability IMO. People refer to him as Top 5 player in the NBA and he’s getting zilch for it. He doesn’t even have his own shoe! I’m sure that all this is at the root of the “quad injury” that kept him out and his now obvious disinterest in playing for San Antonio again as well as his want to go to LA.
Free agent LeBron!
I know, this stuff cracks me up. I mean, no one has heard of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant when he was in OKC, right? And Paul George is this unknown guy that randomly showed up in Gatorade commercials. Maybe if he makes it to LA people will know he who he is.
I’m sure being in a small market doesn’t help, but it’s an international game these days. Kawhi’s inability to get a big shoe contract probably has more to do with him having less of a personality than the shoe he wants to sell.
Yeah, his personality, IMO, is the type that Philadelphia fans eat for lunch and spit out at record pace. Aloof is never a good combo with fans here. It also isn’t a good combo when selling shoes.
I really hope they figure out a way to keep him in San Antonio for a year. I really don’t want to lose Saric for this guy.
I hear you. I don’t want him anywhere near my team. He’s getting paid millions and millions of dollars. I don’t care if you’re unhappy, you play out your damn contract and go elsewhere when you’re a free agent. Or you work with the front office to work out a trade. You don’t sit out the season and leave your teammates hanging while collecting a paycheck.
I can totally see Popovich leaving him with no choice but to stay for a year. I don’t know why James would want to team up with this guy either? He doesn’t seem like the type that fits well next to Lebron. It’s a locker room argument waiting to happen.
When it’s all said and done, I think Lebron stays in Cleveland because his family won’t want to move and LA isn’t ready to win anything and won’t be for awhile yet.
I am pretty sure LeBron’s family lives in LA, as he owns multiple homes there.
Nope. Bronny played for James’ alma mater in middle school last year. Akron, OH. They own a house out there and Gary Payton was saying they committed him to a high school in California for this fall, but they have been living in Cleveland. The school refuted that and said “It’s news to us.”
They own 2 houses in LA though. 2 is more than 1
The Deadspin article is clickbait. Lebron has routinely declined his player option on the back end of 1+1 contracts with the Cavaliers, as it allows him to get more money. This is normal, thus far. That’s not to say he isn’t going, but the declining of the option isn’t an indicator one way or another.
The issue is the maximum raise allowed (which was baked into the player option) was based on the old maximum contract. Meanwhile, a new max deal actually nets both more cash and security (whether it’s another 1+1 or anything longer).
The chances of him returning to Cleveland seem slim to me. If he was going to return, he would have declined his player option in the same annoucement as him announcing his intent to stay. It isn’t like this deadline was a suprise for either party. If he really wanted to stay they could have probably come up with something prior to the deadline. Obviously they are still heavy in negotiations at this point. Not a done deal, but with no opt-in or annoucement so far. The guy is a free agent fully.
FWIW, Durant was also expected to opt out of his contract with the Warriors, and then re-sign.
I’m not completely sold that LeBron won’t end up back in Cleveland for one more year. I think it depends on what happens with Chris Paul, and maybe Kawhi Leonard. If the Lakers can land Kawhi without giving up the farm, I think he ends up there.
Rumor also has it that he reached out to KD to see if he was interested in a (different?) super team (but I think KD is happy with the setup with the dubs).
So much for chaos
Without doing more research, I could definitely see George’s contract not including a no trade.
Oh, man. That CP3 contract is bananas.
I guess we’re doing this again
That tells me he’s resigning with Cleveland.