Hoops Rumors Originals

The frenzy that is the NBA free agency period has largely come to a close, with 48 of our 50 top-rated 2018 free agents now having either agreed to sign or signed a new deal. Only Rodney Hood and Dwyane Wade remain free agents.

Out of those 48 free-agent signings, Chris Paul signed the largest deal, both in terms of total and per-season value, while Nerlens Noel (per-season value) and Isaiah Thomas (total value), who was ironically expected to sign a large deal not too long ago, signed the least lucrative deals.

LeBron James‘ deal with the Lakers was a close second in value to Paul’s contract with the Rockets. Widely considered to be the best player in the world, it’s hard not to consider James’ contract with the Lakers the best offseason deal.

However, one could realistically argue that Paul George re-signing with the Thunder, after last summer having so clearly iterated his intentions to go to L.A. when he became a free agent this summer, or Clint Capela‘s team-friendly deal with the Rockets, to be better overall deals that James’. Moreover, the defending champion Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins – a bonafide star when healthy – to a one-year deal for the mid-level exception, which is generally reserved for role-type players.

So that leads us to our topic of discussion: Which summer signing/reported signing do you think was the best deal of the summer? Was it clearly James’ heading to L.A. or does another situation exceed that signing?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

A year ago, Paul George and Kyrie Irving were the highest-profile stars to push their way out of their longtime NBA homes, asking for trades to new teams and having those requests granted. During the 2018 offseason, Kawhi Leonard followed suit.

Now that Leonard has been dealt to the Raptors in a trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio, there are no marquee names still out there on the trade market.

Kevin Love looked like a possible trade candidate in the wake of LeBron James‘ free agency departure, but the Cavaliers opted to lock up Love to a long-term extension rather than shopping him. Kemba Walker was also viewed as a potential trade chip, but both he and the Hornets have been saying all the right things as of late about keeping their relationship going beyond his 2019 free agency.

With offseason roster moves slowing down, there doesn’t appear to be a star player out there who is unhappy enough in his current situation to request a trade before the season begins. Still, based on recent NBA history, it’s likely only a matter of time before the next star player becomes available.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tackled this topic on Tuesday, speculating about a few All-Stars who might be among the next group of disgruntled veterans to seek a change of scenery. Kyler named Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, and Anthony Davis as possible candidates, though he acknowledges that it would take a disaster scenario for some of those names to show up in the rumor mill.

A player’s contract situation and his team’s success – or lack thereof – generally goes a long way toward determining how stable his situation is. A player like Butler is a candidate for this list because he can become a free agent next summer and the Timberwolves aren’t necessarily a lock to make the postseason in a hyper-competitive Western Conference. If Minnesota gets off to a poor start and whispers about supposed tension between Butler and his younger teammates persist, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear his name involved in trade rumors before the 2019 deadline.

Still, Butler is hardly the only candidate to be the next star player traded. Besides Kyler’s choices, newly-acquired stars like Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins could find themselves back on the trade block at some point in 2019 if things don’t go well with their new teams. Maybe the Wizards underperform again and decide to break up their All-Star backcourt. Perhaps a healthy Celtics roster creates playing-time problems for certain players and makes one of the team’s veteran stars unhappy.

Some of these situations are, of course, less likely than others, but it’s hard to rule anything out entirely — after all, we never thought the Leonard/Spurs situation would become as toxic as it did.

What do you think? Who will be the next NBA star who is traded, either as a result of a trade request or his team deciding to make a change?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

The early returns on the Raptors’ gamble by trading for Kawhi Leonard have been promising.

No one was quite sure how Leonard would react to playing in Toronto next season after his acrimonious feelings toward the Spurs convinced San Antonio to trade him. Leonard met recently with new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and seemed to be genuinely excited about Nurse’s plans for him.

“It was fun to listen to his take,” Nurse told the Toronto Star about his 45-minute meeting with Leonard. “He asked me, ‘How are you going to use me? Where are you going to get me the ball? What do you see?’ And I told him, ‘Listen. To me, you can do pretty much everything. You can post. You can drive. You can handle it up the floor. You can play screen and roll. You can come off pindowns.’ I said, ‘Did I miss anything?’ He’s like, ‘No, that’s about it.’ I said, ‘You’ll probably be doing all that stuff.’”

The ultimate goal for the Raptors is to convince Leonard to stay long-term. Leonard can opt out of his contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent. It’s well-known that he longs to play in Los Angeles and could join forces with LeBron James on the Lakers.

However, the Raptors have nearly a year to change his mind, just like the Thunder did after trading for Paul George. OKC’s roll of the dice paid off, as the Thunder organization made such a positive impression on George that he opted to stay put.

The Raptors are more dangerous team with a healthy Leonard but that, too, is a big unknown. Leonard played just nine games last season due to a nagging quad injury and he could easily miss a large chunk of the season if he re-injures it. The path to the Finals should be easier for Leonard in the Eastern Conference, especially with James out of the picture.

That leads us to our topic of the day: How do you think Toronto will fare next season with Kawhi Leonard? Do you think he’ll stick around or leave for Los Angeles or another destination next summer?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

On Thursday, we opened up a discussion on the Western Conference, asking for your early predictions on the playoff race in the NBA’s more competitive conference. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the East.

Three Atlantic teams appear poised to enter the 2018/19 season as the odds-on favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. According to the early odds at sports betting site Bovada.lv, the Celtics are the clear frontrunners, as they re-add Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to a roster that came within one game of the NBA Finals.

Boston is followed by the Raptors and Sixers. While the Raptors have continually come up short in the postseason, they racked up 59 wins last season, and probably increased their ceiling by replacing DeMar DeRozan with Kawhi Leonard. The 76ers, meanwhile, will bring back a roster similar to last year’s, but will be banking on further improvements from young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

No other Eastern team has better than 15-to-1 odds to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, but there are a few interesting clubs worth keeping an eye on.

The Pacers didn’t lose any major pieces, and have added Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott to a squad that finished fourth in the East last season. The Bucks may have the best player in the conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a new head coach should create more stability in Milwaukee. The Wizards underperformed last season, but have a pair of All-Star guards and a newly-added eight-time All-Star center in Dwight Howard.

The Pistons and Heat are both strong candidates to earn playoff spots as well. Detroit will have a full year of Blake Griffin, health permitting, and brought aboard Dwane Casey, the reigning Coach of the Year. Miami has one of the deepest teams and most talented coaches in the conference.

Those eight teams may enter the year as the favorites for playoff spots, but there are several other contenders. The Cavaliers don’t have LeBron James, but there are still plenty of solid players on their roster, including All-Star forward Kevin Love. The same is true of the Hornets, who have a handful of solid role players surrounding their lone All-Star, Kemba Walker.

Young teams like the Knicks and Nets could make a little noise in 2018/19, as could the Bulls, who have added Jabari Parker and Wendell Carter to a group that already featured Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn.

The Hawks and Magic still appear lottery-bound, but perhaps new head coaches can spark an unexpected run in Atlanta or Orlando.

What do you think? Which eight teams do you expect to earn postseason berths in the East? Are the Celtics your early pick to come out of the conference, or can the Raptors, Sixers, or another team upend them?

Jump into the comment section below to give us your early thoughts on the new-look Eastern Conference.