With a big offeason looming once the 2017/18 NBA regular season comes to an end, several ESPN writers spoke to NBA players to get their predictions on where they expect some of this summer’s top free agents to land. In total, 48 players weighed in. Here are some highlights from the results of ESPN’s survey:
- LeBron James is considered likely to return to the Cavaliers, with 59% of the respondents picking Cleveland as his free agency destination, while 22% chose the Lakers. “He won’t leave after all the moves they made last week,” one Eastern Conference forward said of LeBron, referring to the Cavs’ trade-deadline deals. Asked where James should sign, even more respondents (66%) voted for Cleveland.
- If James does decide he wants to join the Lakers, the LaVar Ball show won’t be a deterrent, according to 89% of the players surveyed. “If LeBron comes to L.A., then it’s the LeBron show. Not the Ball show,” said one Eastern Conference center.
- Most of the survey respondents (80%) believe DeMarcus Cousins will re-sign with the Pelicans.
- Only 33% of the players surveyed expect Paul George to be in the Thunder‘s opening-night lineup for 2018/19.
- The respondents are slightly in favor (59%) of maximum salary contracts existing in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. “LeBron, Steph and KD, all those guys bring a lot more than what they’re getting paid,” said one Western Conference guard. “But being a lower-tier salary guy myself, if you pay those guys even more, the lower guys on the totem pole don’t really get anything.”
- Asked which teams make the best pitches to free agents, players chose the Celtics (27%), Heat (15%), Lakers (12%), and Warriors (9%), with nine other clubs receiving votes. One Eastern Conference guard on Boston: “If you bring Tom Brady? That’s pretty damn cool.”
Well the lower tier guys don’t get much because they’re usually not good or are too much of unknown to commit a larger salary to. The max works off a percentage of the cap so while the value of the max contract went up when the salary cap skyrocketed, that also opened up more space for the secondary players. You had good role players or secondary players getting max or near max contracts these past 2-3 offseasons when prior years would’ve seen those guys getting offered some sort of midlevel exception or one of those other exception-type of contracts.
I am surprised that LeBron to Houston didn’t get a higher percentage.
I’m not. CP3s a free agent as well. If the Lakers can fit CP3 and Paul George along with LeBron I can c him heading to LA. But def not without atleast 1 other star joining him. The only thing the Cavs did at the deadline was protect themselves from LeBrons departure. If they truly thought he was going to definitely stay they would of traded that Brooklyn pick for a couple more young guys maybe Kemba, Malik Monk and got a guy like Dwight Howard for Tristan Thompson, JR and that pick. Or Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon for JR, Thompson and the pick.
Obviously didn’t research the salary matches. That was snowballing. But, just for example
As unlikely as it is that all 3 of Bron, PG, and CP3 will sign with the Lakers, that would be pretty cool considering the Lakers CP3 trade that got turned down all those years ago.
Lakers wouldn’t sign CP3 since that would block Ball. Adding PG13 and LeBron would also end up blocking one of, if not both, of Ingram and Kuzma. I don’t think CP3 is leaving Houston since he wanted to go there, he seems to have meshed well with Harden, and the team is playing well.
NBA max salaries are absurd, just like QB salaries and what Harper and Machado will get. 40 M for 1 season? Absurd.
I last predicted 60% chance of staying and Spurs as a second choice. More from that 48-player survey:
Where will LeBron sign in the offseason?
Cavaliers: 59%, Lakers: 22%, Heat: 7%, Other: 12%: Grizzlies, Rockets, Sixers, “Not the Cavs”
Which coach do you think LeBron should sign up with?
Gregg Popovich: 46%, Tyronn Lue: 18%,
Other: 36%: Brett Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Billy Donovan, David Fizdale, more; “LeBron coaches himself anyway”, “LeBron should be a player-coach.”
Which rumored team should LeBron NOT sign with?
Sixers: 31%, Warriors: 28%, Lakers: 16%,
Rockets: 16%, Other9%
“LeBron is a competitor. He’s the type of guy who comes in and lays his hat on the line every night. If he went to Golden State, that would cut his competitive edge out. It would take something away from the type of player that he really is.” — Western Conference center
Now, hmm. How is Lebron going to be coached by Popovich without signing with the Spurs? Anyway. ESPN should have asked the coach question first, then the team question!
And I wonder why the Sixers are so rejected… does “the process” not have an end date?
How about the fact that at least one player said LeBron would sign with the Grizzlies. That would be some dark horse lol.
Love the fact nba players wanna meet Brady and think Boston is best fa destination.
It didn’t say they think Boston is the best FA destination, just that they make really good pitches. Too many other factors come into play to call one team the best Fa destination.
Their baked beans are wicked pissah !
They have to have somebody to pass the ball too