NBA offseason winners and losers: Nuggets among few contenders who got worse, Warriors trying to rebound

Paul George is going to Philadelphia. Klay Thompson is going to Dallas. LeBron James is heading back to the Lakers (but maybe only for one season). Free agency is more than off and running — it’s darn near over. Only a few obvious offseason questions remain: Where will DeMar DeRozan end up? Will Lauri Markkanen and/or Brandon Ingram be traded? If so, where?

Looking at everything we’ve seen so far, below are the offseason winners and losers. Understand: This is a fluid list. Things can change quickly. But here’s how it looks at the moment. 

The Sixers are winners by landing George, who fits neatly in their starting lineup between fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who signed his own $204M extension. George will almost certainly be the best player to change teams in free agency, and his addition makes the Sixers one of the NBA’s top title contenders behind the reigning champion Celtics. 

A report in recent weeks indicated the 76ers’ interest in George was cooling, but that never made much sense. The fit here is obvious. The Sixers needed an impact wing and had no issue giving George a fourth year on his contract, something the Clippers apparently refused to do.

In addition, the Sixers add Eric Gordon for shooting and Andre Drummond as an Embiid backup, and they re-signed Kelly Oubre, who was terrific for them last season and could be even better this season without as much required of him offensively with George on board. 

Loser: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers lost Paul George to the 76ers because they were unwilling to max out his contract for the full four years. In the end, they were more fearful of the second apron, and the roster-building penalties that it carries, than they were of losing George for nothing. 

The Clippers reportedly had a trade opportunity for George with the Warriors that would’ve at least brought back some valuable stuff, including a first-round pick and Jonathan Kuminga — but it would’ve come with a $30M Chris Paul commitment that would’ve probably put them over the second apron…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-offseason-winners-and-losers-nuggets-among-few-contenders-who-got-worse-warriors-trying-to-rebound/

Author : Brad Botkin

Publish date : 2024-07-03 18:06:48

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