League stars change teams, major extensions reshape franchises, and LeBron James' next destination looms as the biggest story still unfolding
Some of the NBA’s biggest moves of the summer have occurred prior to the start of free agency.
On June 22nd, the Milwaukee Bucks traded star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, and five additional draft picks. Then, on June 24th, Austin Reaves signed a four-year, $185 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, the largest contract ever given to an undrafted player in NBA history. Just a day later, another massive trade took place, with the Charlotte Hornets trading star guard Lamelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves, receiving Naz Reid and seven draft picks in return. If that wasn’t enough, on June 30th, the Los Angeles Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard back to his former team, the Toronto Raptors, in exchange for Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, and five draft picks.
After an eventful week of trades and extensions, the NBA free agency period kicked off on June 30th and is off to a fast start after the first two days. The Los Angeles Lakers have made the most moves so far, following Lebron James’ announcement that he will be moving on from the team after eight seasons. This resulted in them signing free agents Sandro Mamukelashvili on a four-year, $52 million deal, Quentin Grimes on a four-year, $60 million deal, and Collin Sexton on a two-year, $19 million deal. The Lakers also completed a major trade, as they traded four first-round picks to the Utah Jazz to get young center Walker Kessler. This trade leaves Deandre Ayton's future with the Lakers in question, as it is unlikely he will want to fill their backup center role. They also have had two major losses, as Jaxson Hayes signed with the Jazz and veteran Marcus Smart signed a deal with the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers' cross-conference rivals, the Boston Celtics, have also had an interesting free agency so far. They signed 38-year-old veteran Mike Conley to a one-year contract. He is set to play in his 20th season in the NBA. Another notable signing for the Celtics is the addition of Mitchell Robinson, who agreed to a three-year, $47 million contract following his championship run with the Celtics’ division rival, the New York Knicks. The most notable move the Celtics made occurred on July 1st, when they traded All-Star forward and former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to their division rival, the Philadelphia 76ers, in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. This comes after the Celtics were reportedly trying to trade Brown in a potential deal to get Giannis Antetokounmpo to come to Boston. Not only is this move surprising due to the 76ers being one of the Celtics' biggest rivals, but also because the 76ers just eliminated them from the first round of the playoffs back in May.
The Detroit Pistons are another team making headlines recently, as their contract negotiations with Jalen Duren continue to stall out. Two teams he was reportedly interested in going to, the Lakers and Celtics, both signed centers to large deals, leaving the Sacramento Kings as the only other team said to be interested in him. The Pistons are unwilling to sign Duren to a max contract following a poor showing from him during their playoff run. Now, he will either have to sign a one-year contract, which will allow him to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, or sign a long-term contract with the Pistons for less than he is hoping for. Detroit has also made it clear that they plan to match any offer another team makes for him. The Pistons also picked up a key free agent, signing forward John Collins to a three-year, $51 million deal.
Shortly after this signing, they also had a big free agency loss, with starting forward Tobias Harris deciding to sign with the San Antonio Spurs on a two-year, $31 million contract.
A few other big moves so far include the Chicago Bulls signing All-Star Norman Powell to a two-year, $45 million contract, the Heat signing veteran Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year, $6.5 million deal, as well as 35-year-old Nikola Vučević signing a one-year minimum contract with his former team, the Orlando Magic.
As free agency continues, there are bound to be more big moves made before the period is done. That being said, there is no bigger move to be made than Lebron James choosing the team he wants to play for during his 24th NBA season.
