In the wake of one of the biggest moves in NBA free agency this summer, I felt inspired to share some of my thoughts and reactions.
NBA free agency has controlled the sports world for most of this summer. With social media and technology where it is today, news spreads like wildfire, and Wojbombs have been touching down on twitter left and right.
Free agency around the league is as wild as it’s ever been, and it seems to be because agents, interestingly enough, don’t have as much a say in how player’s make their decisions in free agency. The best example being Kyrie and KD heading to Brooklyn. A plan that apparently was set in stone long before the rest of the world found out. And as this new generation of players comes into the league, loyalty has seemingly gone out the window. Again, with Kyrie being a prime example of that.
The days of superstars settling down in a city and trying to build something special are long gone. It’s the era of the super team, and owners around the league are willing to risk it all to have one of their own.
With so much talent around the league, this upcoming season is bound to be full of excitement, and will feature a completely different set up in comparison to last year.
In the East… For the Celtics, we get to see if character and chemistry can out perform raw talent that doesn’t fuse well. The Sixers have decided to take a different path, with a line up full of height and power. Milwaukee proved itself last season as a team with the capability to go deep in the playoffs. The Pacers get back Victor Oladipo, the Raptors try to cope with the loss of Kawhi Leonard while dealing with a championship hangover. And finally Kyrie will return home, “where his heart is” where he will be joining another young team, with less talent, and a front office with less experience than Boston.
On the West Coast, LeBron’s attempt at building his second super team fell a little short, he still has Anthony Davis, but it felt like the Lakers gave up a lot in that trade, and gave the Pelicans fuel to create something in New Orleans. Golden State is 1-2 in the Finals without Durant who will now be in Brooklyn, and have Klay Thompson out for a while with a torn ACL. The Nuggets will come back with a strong roster that flourished last season and ended second in the west. Rockets will start again with Harden and company. And most recently, coming as something of an aftershock to an earthquake in Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard will be joining the Clippers next to another max player in Paul George.
So many things happening in such a short amount of time is part of what makes NBA free agency so great. Yeah it’s too bad that players are losing loyalty and integrity, but it sure does make things entertaining. One thing for sure, when things do kick back up in October, it’s sure to be a very different, but more so entertaining season for fans all across the league.