Blog

Let’s quickly recap what we’ve learned so far this offseason in the NBA.

1. Brian Windhorst is electric
2. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both want out of Brooklyn
3. The Pelicans have full faith in Zion Williamson
4. The Utah Jazz are blowing it up
5. And somehow this is all Ben Simmons fault

The NBA never fails at providing unnecessary drama at all times. Am I complaining? Absolutely not. In this article we are going to take a look at some moves/rumors that might change the course of this league. Let’s get into it.

1. The Washington Wizards are a hilarious organization

Honestly at this point, I have to respect it. This tweet below perfectly describes this situation.

I mean he is STRICTLY about his bag. He hasn’t played over 60 games in a season since 2018, but the Wizards decided to give him a five-year $251 million deal. Beal played in 40 games last year averaging 23.2 PPG and 6.6 APG. In the 10 years that Bradley Beal has been a Wizards player, they have made the playoffs five times. They haven’t made the second round since the 2016/17 season. I don’t know what the Wizards plan is here, but if they want to continue with Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Monte Morris and Kristaps Porzingis they are going to have a fun time struggling to get into the play-in. Pray for Wizards fans.

2. The Knicks threw Jalen Brunson the bag

After the Kemba Walker experiment didn’t turn out the way Knicks organization wanted, so they needed a true playmaker at the point guard position. Now a healthy Derrick Rose could fit that role, as we saw in the first round series against the Atlanta Hawks two seasons ago, but they needed some security for the future. Jalen Brunson provided exactly that. Brunson is a little bit of a risk considering he truly only came into his own this past year, but the potential and bag is there. Brunson can attack the rim with pace and has insane footwork. He is a good scorer who can shoot with efficiency and he’ll be able to learn even more from Rose. However, you’re not paying a player $26 million to sit and learn. Brunson is going to be thrust into the spotlight so we’ll see how it will work out. Shout out to the Knicks for also re-signing big man Mitchell Robinson on a team-friendly four-year, $60 million deal. I just don’t know if he’ll be able to reach his full potential if Thibs is still running Julius Randle iso-ball. Only time will tell.

3. The Boston Celtics will be back

Now that is how you start off an off-season. The Boston Celtics traded for 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. While the former Pacer may be getting a little up there in age (he turns 30 in December) he still can be a crucial piece for the Celtics as they attempt to reach the NBA Finals once again. He is coming off two straight years of averaging 19+ PPG and just under 6 APG. The Celtics are also expected to sign Danilo Gallinari once he clears waivers. This team just won the Eastern Conference and decided to get even stronger. While they do have to face the loss of assistant coach Will Hardy to the Utah Jazz, this team will have a bench unit with Gallinari, Brogdon, Grant Williams and Derrick White. That puts a smile on any Celtics fan’s face. The Boston Celtics will be back.

4. Rudy Gobert is heading to Minnesota

Like I said previously in this article, the rebuild in Utah has begun. The day after trading away Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets for future pick compensation, the Utah Jazz traded their defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves sent over Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolamaro, 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and four future first round-picks for the Frenchman. Are you SERIOUS??? I can respect Rudy Gobert’s defensive presence, I mean you don’t win three Defensive Player of the Year awards by accident. However, FOUR first-round picks and five players is borderline insanity. I don’t know what to say honestly besides good luck defending small ball in the playoffs with both KAT and Gobert on the court.

5. Dejounte Murray traded to the Atlanta Hawks

Dejounte Murray and Trae Young will be teaming up down in the A for another all-star backcourt in the NBA. The Hawks sent over Danilo Gallinari, three future first-round picks and a pick swap for the 25 year-old guard. Murray is coming off a career year with San Antonio where he averaged 21.1 PPG, 9.2 APG and a league-leading 2 SPG. All three of those stats were career-highs for Murray. His defensive presence will greatly help the Hawks, who struggled to slow down Jimmy Butler and the Heat without Clint Capela in the first round this past season. To be able to trade for Murray while keeping John Collins and Capela is something that I’m truly impressed with. Meanwhile, the Spurs will be heading into a massive rebuild pretty soon. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see how this duo will fare in an ultra competitive Eastern Conference this year.

6. John Wall is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers

John Wall has played 40 games over the past three years. In those 40 games with the Houston Rockets during the 2020/21 season, Wall averaged 20.6 PPG, 6.9 APG and 1.1 SPG. Wall and the Rockets finally agreed to a buyout on June 27th, making him an unrestricted free agent. The former first overall pick signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $13.2 million deal. This a great deal for both sides, the only concern is Wall’s availability. However, when Wall is healthy he is truly a force on both offense and defense. A starting lineup consisting of John Wall, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris and Ivica Zubac will earn a playoff spot. I truly believe that.

7. Christian Wood is going to play for another team in Texas

Losing Jalen Brunson is going to be a big blow for his team. However, acquiring big man Christian Wood will definitely ease some of the pressure for Luka Doncic & Co. Wood is coming off a great season for the Rockets, averaging 17.9 PPG and 10.1 RPG while shooting 50% from the field. Wood will look to contribute to an already fast-paced offense with Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dwight Powell. There is one issue for this Mavericks team though. They included the almighty Boban Marjanovic in the deal. The bromance with Luka will forger live on, Boban 20 PPG season on the way for Houston.

8. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant want out of Brooklyn

What a weird saga this has been for these two. In their first year on the Nets they played a combined 20 total games. And those 20 games were all Kyrie, as Durant missed the whole year due to his achilles injury recovery. The next year, the 2020/21 season, was the James Harden experiment. After completing his move from the Rockets in January, Harden only suited up 36 times for the Nets. To summarize this tenure, the “Big 3” of Harden, Durant and Irving only played a total of 16 games together. And after the total fiasco of this past year ending with a first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, the Boston Celtics, the Nets have found themselves getting ready to lose both of their stars. Kevin Durant submitted an official trade request to owner Joe Tsai on June 30th and Kyrie is at the center of talks for a trade package to the Lakers. So what does this mean for Brooklyn going forward? Durant’s two preferred destinations are the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns. However, if Rudy Gobert was valued at five first-round picks, then what in the hell is KEVIN DURANT going to be worth? Can the Nets even get the right value back for their players at this point? This is something that we are going to have to wait and see. Irving seems to already have one foot out of the door and honestly it’s probably for the best. The media circus that has harassed Kyrie throughout his whole career, a change of scenery can do nothing but good at this point. All I’m thinking about is imagining a team of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The bigger question is, are we really about to see a Brooklyn backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons? Lord have mercy on us all.

Today is July 6th, the day where previously agreed contracts and trades become official in the eyes of the NBA. Summer League is currently going on as Chet Holmgren put on an absolute clinic last night for Oklahoma City and Keegan Murray is getting himself some buckets as well for Sacramento. There are 105 more days until the start of the NBA season. Until then, get ready for your yearly fix of absolute madness also known as the NBA off-season. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.