NBA Free Agency Madness
The NBA didn’t even wait until 11:59 EST on June 30 to start the madness that is the free agency period of the offseason. There were some big signings announced which included:
- CLE guard Darius Garland signing 5-year/$193M extension
- NYK center Mitchell Robinson signing 4-year/$60M extension
- MEM guard Ja Morant signing 5-year/$193M rookie max extension
- DAL guard Jalen Brunson signing 4-year/$105M deal with the NY Knicks
- MIL guard PJ Tucker signing 3-year/$33.2M deal with the Philadelphia 76ers
- PHX guard Devin Booker signing 4-year/$214M super max extension
- WAS guard Bradley Beal signing 5-year/$251M super max extension
- MIN forward Karl-Anthony Towns signing 4-year/$224M max extension
- 2-Time NBA MVP & DEN center Nikola Jokic signing 5-year/$263M super max extension
- IND guard Malcolm Brodgon traded to the Boston Celtics
- UTA center Rudy Gobert traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
In the midst of all these moves the NBA world is still waiting on what will happen with the Brooklyn Nets. Nets guard Kyrie Irving picked up the player option for $37M to stay in Brooklyn with the hopes of signing an extension. The Nets ownership balked at Irving’s request given his injury issues and his decision to sit out half the season due to the mask mandate in New York City. That decision was seen as Kyrie turning his back on the team and what ultimately led to the implosion of the Nets. With the Nets not looking to keep Kyrie long term, forward Kevin Durant is now asking for a trade… and it’s something the Nets are willing to do. Two years ago, the Nets had a ‘Big 3’ of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden with the hopes of getting an NBA title in a relatively short window however injuries, lack of conditioning and lack of commitment have resulted in one playoff series win in those two years. Harden pouted and complained his way into a trade to the 76ers while KD & Kyrie were swept out of the playoffs this year by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in the 1st Round. Where those two land will alter the landscape for the upcoming season.
What About The Bulls?
With the NBA rooted in free agency madness Bulls fans were left wondering if the team would make any significant moves. There were rumors of the Bulls looking at Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and possibly taking a stab at trading for Jazz center Rudy Gobert. When the reports of Kevin Durant seeking a trade erupted, the KD to Chicago wishes were mighty on social media. At the end of the day, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley would stick to their guns and move forward with their plan. That plan started on NBA Draft Night by drafting Arizona forward Dalen Terry. An athletic, long wing defender, Terry hopes to shore up a Bulls bench that was lacking especially in their playoff series this year against the Bucks. Terry made his excitement and determination known about his future in the NBA:
The next, and most critical step, was figuring out what to do with Zach LaVine. The Bulls made no secret in their desire to keep the 2-time All-Star shooting guard but LaVine also needed to look at his options. Bulls fans were sweating a bit when the team didn’t immediately announce an extension when free agency started. That delay, and the Bulls’ lack of depth and moveable pieces more than likely led to the Bulls not being a bigger player in free agency. The deal would get done a day after the free agency period opened with LaVine signing a 5-year/$215M max extension. With LaVine in place, AKME could now focus on adding depth to the team and started that process by signing free agent center Andre Drummond to a 2-year/6.6M deal. With a healthy LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso and an emerging Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls’ backcourt could be one of the better backcourts in the league. Demar DeRozan won’t have the near MVP season like he did last season but he will still be solid as will center Nikola Vucevic. The X-factor will be Patrick Williams. The former #4 overall draft pick will have to show why he was worthy of that draft pick. If he can, the Bulls could be one of the top 4 teams in the East. If not, this AKME experiment could blow up before it even gets started.
While the lack of free agent splashes may not make most Bulls fans happy, they also have to understand the hole AKME had to dig themselves out of. GarPax left the organization in shambles both from a player and league-wide perception. Players didn’t want to come to Chicago and the Bulls had become a laughingstock to league GMs and insiders. Karnisovas & Eversley have done a good job restoring some legitimacy to a worldwide brand and now the next step is to turn this team from just a playoff team into a championship contender. The honeymoon phase is over for AKME and now the real work begins.
The Fallout From Money In The Bank
WWE had its annual Money In The Bank PPV in Las Vegas last night and while Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Charlotte Flair were not in attendance, it didn’t stop the talent from putting in the work to put together some memorable moments. Here were a few moments from the show:
A few observations and thoughts:
- The Usos & The Street Profits put on an absolute CLINIC. If this match is not added as a contender for Match of the Year then throw the whole thing away.
- Austin Theory winning the Men’s MITB briefcase is fine with me. He can use it to further his character but ultimately the end result will be a failed cash in on either Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar.
- I get trying to build up stars but there was no reason for Carmella to get in as much offense as she did against Bianca Belair. No reason.
- Bobby Lashley is OVER. There… I said it. Lashley not being in the WWE title picture is criminal.
- No one was really interested in seeing Ronda vs. Nattie no matter how hard they worked. Natalya has never been given any real material to work with and has never been properly pushed. Ronda Rousey is not a babyface and her mic work is terrible. Her return to WWE this year has been one of the more underwhelming things to happen in wrestling this year. The fact WWE took the strap off of Rousey lets you know they failed in attempting to build her as a babyface champion.
- Liv Morgan got two thunderous pops last night. The first was for winning the MITB briefcase while the second pop was when she successfully cashed in and won the SmackDown Women’s title from Rousey. Time will tell if WWE uses this momentum and if Liv can make the title and not let it make her or if she is just a transitional champion until Charlotte Flair returns or they repackage Rousey as an arrogant, butt-kicking heel.
Final Thoughts
- While Coco Gauff lost in the 3rd round at Wimbledon yesterday the future is still very bright for her. There is some fine tuning she still needs in her game but she will be a grand slam champion sooner rather than later
- Speaking of Wimbledon, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams lost in the 1st round of her match to unranked Harmony Tan 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(10-7). Williams looked rusty as she hadn’t played competitive tennis in a year. Up 2 games in the 1st set she lost focus and dropped the set. She rebounded nicely in the 2nd set and appeared on closing it out in the 3rd set when a slew of unforced errors and sloppy play doomed her. While Serena was happy to be back out on the court, one has to wonder if we have seen the last of the greatest women’s tennis player of all-time.
- Baseball still frustrates me. The White Sox are still struggling to get to .500 and that is making for a maddening summer. I would like to think the Bears would come to save the rest of the year… but we all know how that’s going to turn out.
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