NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The NBA’s free agency period kicked off this week with a flurry. Here are highlights of some of the league’s biggest moves and how they may shape the season to come.
Winners: The 76ers and Paul George
Philly are big winners here, in that they’ve added Paul George to franchise cornerstones Joel Embiid at center and Tyrese Maxey at guard. George, who signed a four-year, $212m deal after opting out of a player option, will be a valuable wing piece for the 76ers. He moves from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he failed to live up to the loftiest expectations in his pairing with Kawhi Leonard and, later, James Harden. But that wasn’t all on George; he and the Clippers were not always healthy, and not all pairings of stars have excellent chemistry or supporting casts.
The mix in Philadelphia is a potent one, though. George is 34 but remains one of the NBA’s better two-way athletes, and the Sixers will hope that he can be a more stable (and less ball-dominant) part of their core than Harden was during his tumultuous stopover in Philly a few years ago. He should at the least be a veteran help to the freshly extended Maxey, the fifth-year point guard who was a revelation last season and made his first All-Star game. The 76ers will revolve around Embiid, and getting George may not be enough. But with an extra star, they should be an Eastern Conference contender.
Losers: Klay Thompson and fans of the Splash Brothers
Thompson is a bit of a loser here, in that his legendary career with the Golden State Warriors has arrived at the opposite of a fairytale ending. The Warriors found themselves dramatically reduced and staring down an eternity in salary cap hell, and Thompson, one of the greatest shooters of all time, had looked for weeks the most likely odd man out. Thus it ends in the Bay Area for a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star who teamed with Stephen Curry to form the “Splash Brothers”, the most entertaining backcourt ever. To add insult to injury, in Dallas, Thompson will no longer be able to commute to the arena in his boat. He’ll also make about a third as much money as he did with Golden State…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-winners-losers-090005223.html
Author : The Guardian
Publish date : 2024-07-03 09:00:05
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
