What to Watch For in NBA Free Agency

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The NBA free agency period will begin on July 1, and there are some many intriguing storylines heading into the first day of July. There are many players on the open market that could change the complexion of many franchises. A lot of teams will be looking to build their teams for next season, while some teams will be looking to start the rebuilding process. We’ve got so many storylines heading into free agency, and here are some of the top things to watch out for heading into the month of July.

1) Where will Kevin Durant sign in free agency?

Durant is the biggest name on the free agent market, as pretty much every team in the NBA is targeting the superstar small forward. Right now, it seems the favorite for to land Durant is the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is the team he’s played on his whole career.

The Thunder already have star point guard Russell Westbrook, and they have a solid young core which contains Andre Roberson and Steven Adams. They also have a great head coach in Billy Donovan, who was an upgrade over former head coach Scott Brooks. The Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are also teams that Durant could potentially play on.

2) What do the Boston Celtics have in store after a disappointing draft?

After the Boston Celtics had an underwhelming draft, we can all expect Danny Ainge to make a shocking move in free agency. Boston has the cap space to sign players like Kevin Durant, Al Horford, and Hassan Whiteside. Boston is also going to meet with Dwight Howard, so it seems like the Celtics will be swinging for the fences during the free agency period.


3) Will Hassan Whiteside leave the Miami Heat?

Whiteside is looking for a big pay day, and while the Heat really want to keep him, they might not think he is worth a max contract. Whiteside also wants to be the best player on a team, and he isn't that guy on the Heat. Whiteside seems to be interested in the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, if he decides to leave South Beach. If he leaves Miami, then the Heat will no doubt make a run for Kevin Durant. 

4) Will the Golden State Warriors add more to their lethal core?

After just missing out on a second championship ring, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he’ll be very aggressive this offseason. Golden State is one of the front runners to potentially land Kevin Durant if he leaves Oklahoma City. According to the Mercury News, Golden State is also interested in adding future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki in free agency. The Warriors had the best regular season in NBA history last year, and they are looking to add to a core that includes three All-Stars, one of them being back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry. Whether its via trade or in free agency, Lacob will be very aggressive in trying to add to his team.

Winners and Losers of the 2016 NBA Draft

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The 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday had its fair share of teams and players that had a great night, and there were a lot of teams and players that didn’t have the best nights. The draft saw players take tumbles down the draft boards, and one fall down the boards lasted so long that the player decided to actually leave the green room. Some people had worse nights than others, while some had great nights as they realized their dream of playing basketball at the highest level. Below are the biggest winners and losers from the 2016 NBA Draft.

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Winner- Thon Maker

The biggest wild card coming into the draft, Maker didn’t play basketball in college or professionally overseas, which made him a question mark for some teams. Making things worse for Maker, scouts started to question whether his presumed age of 19 was actually correct, as some teams starting taking him off their first round draft boards. One of the shockers of the night was pulled by the Milwaukee Bucks, when they selected Maker with the 10^th overall pick in the draft. That means that Maker went from a likely second round pick to a lottery pick in the blink of the eye. Maker comes out a winner, as he took a dramatic jump from second rounder to lottery pick.

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Loser (s)- Skal Labissiere & Deyonta Davis

Both of these freshman centers were projected to go in the top ten, or they were at least expected to go in the lottery. However, the night suddenly got uncomfortable for Labissiere and Davis. Labissiere fell all the way to the Sacramento Kings at 28, and he is now on a team that is full of turmoil, and they are a team that already have centers in Demarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein. Davis at one point left the green room, as he didn’t even get drafted in the first round. Davis was the first pick in the second round by the Boston Celtics, before eventually being shipped to Memphis in a trade.

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Winner- Minnesota Timberwolves

As if the Timberwolves didn’t already have a stacked young nucleus, they made it significantly better in the draft on Thursday. The team selected Providence point guard Kris Dunn with the fifth pick, as Boston passed on him and allowed the T-Wolves to take Dunn. The T-Wolves now have Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn all on the same roster. All four of these players were lottery picks, with two of them being number one picks. With a young core that consists of these players, Minnesota is set to be a playoff contender for a long time in the future.

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Loser- Boston Celtics

After having acquired a myriad of assets over the last two seasons, the Celtics had a chance to really assert themselves as a championship contender after this draft. Boston could’ve done this by trading for an established veteran, or simply drafting a great prospect. Boston couldn’t pull off a trade, as they selected Jaylen Brown with the third pick. While Brown is a very talented prospect, many think he was a reach at number three. With their next two picks, they selected international prospects Guerschon Yabusele, and Ante Zizic. These picks left Celtics fans booing, and many others wondering why the Celtics chose to draft this way. The Celtics draft is by no means a failure, but it is quite underwhelming considering all the hype coming in.

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Winner- Indiana Pacers

While the Pacers didn’t make many picks, they made a lot of draft related trades that immediately improved their roster for next season. The team acquired point guard Jeff Teague in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks, just a couple days before the draft. Then on the day of the draft, the team acquired established power forward Thaddeus Young from the Nets in exchange for the 20^th pick in the draft. Also, for a little bonus, the Pacers drafted college standout Georges Niang in the second round.

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Loser- Sacramento Kings

The Kings had a gift fall into their lap at number eight, when talented forward Marquese Chriss from Washington was available for the Kings to take. Sacramento took Chriss, but then immediately traded his rights to the Phoenix Suns. In the trade the Kings acquired the 13^th and 28^th overall picks in the draft. Their 13^th pick was the ultimate head scratcher, as they selected Georgios Papagiannis with a lottery pick. Not many people have heard of the Greek big man, as it just clutters up the Kings front court. The team also took Skal Labissiere with their 28^th pick, who has good potential, but another big man wasn’t necessary for the Kings. They had really good picks in Malachi Richardson and Isaiah Cousins, but they ultimately didn’t have an overall successful draft.

Oklahoma City Thunder Trade Serge Ibaka to Orlando Magic

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The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic have agreed to the first blockbuster trade on NBA Draft night.  According to reports by Adrian Wojnarwoski of The Vertical, the Thunder have traded power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando in exchange for guard Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova, and the rights to big man Domantas Sabonis, who was drafted with the 11^th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Magic.

 Ibaka was selected in the first round by the Thunder in 2008, who at that time were still the Seattle Supersonics. Ibaka signed a four-year contract extension with the Thunder in 2012. The deal was worth $48 million, and he is due to make $12.25 million in the 2016-2017 season. Oklahoma City likely traded Ibaka in order to create cap space for Kevin Durant, who will become a free agent on July 1, and Russell Westbrook who is set to become a free agent in 2017. 

Ibaka is a three-time NBA All-Defensive Player, as he led the league in blocks for four straight seasons, until he finished fourth in the category in 2014-15. Ibaka has also added some long-range shooting to his game, averaging 1.7 three-pointers last year, which was tied for second on the Thunder. Last season, Ibaka averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Oladipo was selected with the second pick in the first round by the Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft. 

Oladipo averaged 16.0 points, 3.9 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. Oladipo will likely start at shooting guard, as he brings more offense to the table than current shooting guard Andre Roberson. Ilyasova, the eight-year NBA veteran, averaged 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds with the Magic last season. The Thunder also acquired the rights to Domantas Sabonis, who was the 11^th overall pick in the NBA Draft. In his sophomore season with Gonzaga, 

Sabonis averaged 17.6 points a game with the Bulldogs last season. Sabonis will likely replace Ibaka in the starting lineup, as he will join Steven Adams in the Thunder frontcourt. Sabonis is the son of Arvydas Sabonis, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers, and he is a Hall of Famer.

Atlanta Hawks Trade Point Guard Jeff Teague to Indiana as Part of Three-Team Trade With Utah

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The Atlanta Hawks are sending starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers as part of a three-team deal with the Utah Jazz. Pacers point guard George Hill will be traded to Utah, and the Jazz are sending the 12^th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft to the Hawks. 

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Hawks are shopping the 12^th and 21^st pick in order to create flexibility to sign free agents Al Horford and Kent Bazemore. ESPN reported that Horford is being heavily pursued by other teams, as the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Detroit Pistons are all targeting Horford. Teague posted on Instagram earlier this month that he played the entire season with a torn patellar tendon in his knee. Teague didn’t require surgery following an MRI taken after the Hawks were eliminated from the postseason. 

Teague, 27, played in 79 regular season games this year, averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. However in 10 postseason games, he averaged 14.5 points per game, while shooting 38% from the field. Hill averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists per game after playing 74 regular season games for the Pacers. 

Hill, 30, averaged 13.6 points and 2.1 assists in the Pacers seven-game series loss to the Raptors. Teague and Hill are both scheduled to make $8 million next season, and they will both be unrestricted free agents after the season. Teague significantly upgrades the Pacers backcourt, as he will bring more offense to the table then Hill did.

 Hill will add defense and depth to the Jazz backcourt, as nobody knows the status of Dante Exum for the upcoming season. With Teague being traded, the Hawks will likely be starting Dennis Schroder in his place. He averaged 15.3 points and 4.8 assists in a second round defeat to the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Chicago Bulls Trade Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose to New York Knicks

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The Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks agreed to a trade that would send three time All-Star Derrick Rose to the Big Apple. According to reports by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago sent Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second round pick to New York in exchange for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant. ESPN reported last week that the Knicks were very interested in trading for Rose. 

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, and general manager Steve Mills expressed interest in upgrading the point guard position. Once Rose heard that the Bulls wanted to trade him, he immediately listed the Knicks as his first choice. According to sources close to Rose, he said he was emotional about leaving his hometown team, but he was excited to play in the bright lights of New York. 

The Bulls selected Rose out of Memphis with the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose enjoyed success in his rookie season, as he won the Rookie of the Year for the 2008-2009 season. Rose became the youngest player in NBA history to capture the NBA MVP award during the 2010-2011 season. Rose led the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference during that season, as the franchise was enjoying success for the first time since the Michael Jordan era. Rose and the Bulls made it to the conference finals that year, but they lost to a LeBron James led Heat team. 

After that season, Rose started to get ravaged by injuries. In the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Rose tore his ACL against the Philadelphia 76ers, which prompted him to miss all of the 2012-2013 season. The point guard then only played 10 games during the 2013-2014 season. Rose has played in just 39% of Bulls games since the 2012-2013 season, but he managed to play 66 games this year. The six-year veteran averaged 16.4 points last year, as he played the most games in a season since the 2011-2012 season.

 Rose hasn’t been to an All-Star game since 2012, as he has seemingly slowed down from all of the injuries. However, Rose will significantly improve a Knicks backcourt that saw its point guards average a league low 7.6 points per game last year. Rose, 27, is owed $21.3 million in the final year of his contract. He will become a free agent after the 2016-2017 season.

 Lopez started all 82 games for the Knicks last year, as he averaged 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.57 blocks per game last season. Calderon started 72 games last year, as he averaged 7.6 points and 4.2 assists per game last season. Grant was selected 19^th overall in last year’s NBA Draft, as he averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 assists last year. The Knicks will be holding a news conference on Thursday at 6 P.M. ET.

Warriors Interested in Dirk Nowitzki

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According to reports by Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, the Golden State Warriors are interested in pursuing Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki during free agency. Nowitzki will be high on the Warriors free agent list, but their biggest priority will be trying to sign Kevin Durant. Nowitzki has a player option on his contract, and it could pay him $8.7 million if he decides to take the option. 

However, Nowitzki is expected to opt out to test the free agent market, and potentially negotiate a new contract with the Mavericks. The 38-year-old forward has spent all 18 years of his career in Dallas. Nowitzki led the franchise to an NBA title in 2011, and his fantastic performance earned him Finals MVP. Nowitzki has been voted into 13 All-Star games, and he won the NBA MVP award during the 2006-2007 season. 

Golden State got poor performances from all of its centers during the NBA Finals, so they could turn to Nowitzki to be their next center. Dallas is in a very tricky situation, as they are always in the playoff hunt, but they don't seem like championship contenders right now. 

Nowitzki may want to leave Dallas, so he can get one last run at a championship with the Warriors. Nowitzki has averaged 22.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game over his career. Last season, he averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. The free agency period will begin on July 1.  

Cleveland Cavaliers Should Trade Kevin Love

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In the 2014 offseason, The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love in exchange for Andrew Wiggins. This past offseason, the team signed him to a five-year $115 million extension. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Love sustained a concussion, after getting elbowed in the back of the head.

He was not available to play in Game 3 of the Finals, and the Cavs seemingly did better without Love. After losing by a combined 48 points in the first two games of the series, Cleveland defeated the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors by 30 last night, without the services of Kevin Love. This sparked the question of, are the Cavaliers better without Love?

Also, many people are asking if the Cavs should trade away the 27 year old power forward. This season, Love averaged 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Love averaged 26.0 points per game in his last season in Minnesota, meaning he’s averaging seven less points per game since being traded away from the T-Wolves. While Love is still one of the better power forwards in the game, it seems that he isn’t the right fit for the Cavaliers.

One of the bigger problems with Love, is when he isn’t the main star on the team, he is usually just a space eater on offense. Love can shoot the three, especially from the baseline, but other than that, Love usually is just taking up space on the Cavaliers offense. That is why when the Cavaliers go small, we see the team scoring more points, and moving the ball in a more efficient way. Love is also a defensive liability, as he can’t defend guys the way other players on the team can.

This means, that the Cavs are basically playing 4 on 5 on defense, because Love can’t guard anyone. When Love isn’t playing, it allows for stars like Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to have more touches. To top things off, Love has had some chemistry issues with the team, as he has struggled to find his role on the Cavaliers.

Cleveland does not have a first round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but they can fix that problem if they trade Kevin Love. Despite his struggles during the playoffs, many teams will still be aggressive in order to acquire Love. The Cavs can easily get one first round pick in this year’s draft, and they can accumulate many more picks by trading Love. The draft this year is loaded with talent, and if Cleveland trades Love, they have a chance to nab a young player that fits the Cavs system more than Love. 

NBA Finals Preview: Warriors vs Cavs

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For the second straight season, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers will meet in the NBA Finals. Last season, the Warriors defeated the Cavs in six games.

This time around, both teams are different. The Warriors are chasing history as the first team in NBA history to win 73 games in a season. For Cleveland, the Cavaliers had lost both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving before the season ended.

Kevin Love was lost in Game 4 of the first round against the Boston Celtics with a separated shoulder. Kyrie Irving was injured in Game 1 of the NBA Finals last season and he never returned. 

This season, both Love and Irving are on Lebron James' side. Last season, James led the Cavaliers to play the Warriors to six games. This season, with the big three in Cleveland and the three point shooting powerhouse in Golden State, this series could easily go seven games.