Let’s read the league’s tea leaves with regard to what’s brewing with the Sixers, Nets, and Wizards as well as several other situations heading into 2022 NBA free agency.
- Philly still eyeing P.J. Tucker — Several rival teams remain convinced that the Sixers are going to sign Tucker to a three-year, $30 million deal this summer and while the franchise doesn’t have the cap space to make such a deal, it feels like they are going to find a way to make it happen. That could be via sign-and-trade, possibly involving other teams. There were rumors that Tobias Harris was on the trade block leading up to the draft, though Philadelphia is having a tough time finding a taker.
- Most likely scenario for Daryl Morey & Co. — Trading Matisse Thybulle for a future draft pick (and likely a valuable one) seems to be in the cards. Moving Furkan Korkmaz to further carve out room to make Tucker an offer appears to be on the path as well (and depending on what happens with Miami, perhaps the Heat simply add the shooting guard, something that may unlock Korkmaz’s true potential).
- Latest on Harden — All signs point to Harden opting into his $47.1 million option and then executing a contract extension with the franchise.
- Kyrie Irving rumblings — I trust Kristian Winfield’s report that the Nets have allowed Irving to seek a sign-and-trade and I believe Sam Amick’s report that Irving wants to go to the Lakers and the talk of him having several teams on his desired wishlist is just “noise.”
- So Russell Westbrook is coming to Brooklyn? — Unlikely, as sources tell Winfield. It seems like a third team would have to be involved in any Kyrie-to-the-Lakers trade.
- Westbrook thoughts — If the Hornets trade for Westbrook and it helps LeBron James to win another title with the Lakers, would Jordan stans point to how Michael Jordan is partially responsible for LBJ’s next title?
- More RW thoughts — Westbrook is likely to be in L.A. next season, though some offseason dominos could change the Westbrook landscape. If the Bradley Beal were to leave the Wizards, I could envision a return to DC for the former MVP—even at his current salary.
- But what’s likely to happen with Beal? — “The outside noise is just noise,” Tommy Sheppard said last summer and the front office has remained in lockstep with Beal as his free agency approaches. Beal re-signing with the Wizards on a five-year deal is one of the things most certain to happen this summer.
- Kevin Durant update — There’s less chatter now about Durant forcing his way out of Brooklyn because of Irving potentially leaving than there was right before the draft. Durant has four years left on his contract and it’s not as if the Nets are in a horrible situation from a basketball standpoint even if Irving leaves.
- Anything is possible, right? — Nekias Duncan’s piece on the best landing spots for a potential Durant trade is interesting. Duncan lists the Suns as a team that jumps out to him while also mentioning the Heat as a possibility. I like the Miami fit better, though the franchise will have to make a hard decision about which player to include to make the salaries work. It’s no secret that Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler have a strong relationship, though I wonder if the worry about breaking them up is overstated. Still, if we get to the point of a Durant trade, it’s likely to come down to what Brooklyn wants in return and value-wise a Tyler Hero-Bam Adebayo package is likely the cost (It’s worth noting that Durant, Lowry, and Butler won a gold medal together during the 2016 Olympics while Bam Adebayo had a chance to win one with Durant last summer in Tokyo).
- My favorite Durant scenario — Not listed in Duncan’s piece or practically anywhere on NBA Twitter is Durant joining San Antonio to give Gregg Popovich a magnificent last dance. No intel here on Popovich’s future other than what’s already out there but if this is his last season or heading toward that, the feel-good ending to Pop’s career would be KD (and possibly another star) giving it at least one season in San Antonio. It’s also worth noting that the Spurs have salary-cap flexibility to make some pretty interesting things happen.
- Durant to the Knicks possibilities — It would be cool. But it’s hard to envision a scenario where playing with the Knicks is a more attractive outcome than playing with the Nets sans Irving.
- Quick Jalen Brunson note — Why are some up in arms about Brunson’s potential 4-year, $100 million deal? He’s 25 years old and heading into what should be the prime of an NBA point guard’s lifecycle. And the moving of the No. 11 pick at the draft gives New York some possibilities for future sign-and-trade scenarios.
- Durant prediction — He stays with the Nets and gets someone else to come to join him at some point after Irving departs. It’s a desirable spot to be in. Durant brought Kyrie there, then he anchored Harden to his spot. It’s not like he’s unable to find other stars who would want to play alongside him in the greatest city on earth.
- Best case scenario for Durant staying in Brooklyn — It’s unlikely to happen and don’t bring it up at Ben’s Chili Bowl but if Bradley Beal were intent on leaving DC this summer, he’d be a great fit next to Durant in Brooklyn. Beal and Durant have similar work ethics and I mean that based on what people around the league echo. Scott Brooks compared the two as the only players he’s seen get better five offseasons in a row.
- More likely options for Brooklyn — I trust Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson’s intel on the Ty Lue-Irving relationship, meaning that a sign-and-trade to the Clippers has one less hurdle. Would the Nets be willing to take back Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, and a future pick as they build around Durant and Simmons? Depth was a major concern for the club, even post-Harden trade and the Clippers are on Irving’s reported shortlist of teams he’d be interested in playing for. Still, Robinson also notes that the door is far from closed on Irving returning to the Nets.
- Parsing out the truth in Irving rumors — Multiple things can be true at the same time: Irving wanting to go to the Lakers and not being able to find a feasible path that gives him a contract at the market rate. Woj reports that the Nets have no interest in what the Lakers are offering in a sign-and-trade and other clubs aren’t putting offers on the table as of right now.
- What makes sense for Brooklyn? — With the path to the Lakers clogged, the Nets might seem to be willing to let the market dictate what kind of offer they make Irving in free agency. Irving returning will come down to whether the Nets have enough trust in him to offer him a long-term max deal and just reading the tea leaves, that seems unlikely. Could we see something in the three-year, $110-120 million range for Irving to remain in Brooklyn? Certainly.
- Back to the Sixers — Philadelphia was one of six teams listed on Irving’s list of teams he’d be interested in playing for (along with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, and Mavericks). While Irving makes sense for Philadelphia in a lot of ways, it’s extremely difficult to envision a scenario where the Sixers and Nets come to terms on another trade. What would Philadelphia’s offer even be? Tobias Harris and another pick? Would that be best for Brooklyn? What would the best-case scenario be for the Nets in such a proposal? Tyrese Maxey most certainly isn’t on the table in any sort of Irving deal.
- Ultimate Nets prediction — Brooklyn makes an offer to Irving for less than the maximum he’s eligible for in free agency (and that offer ultimately has a player option in it to give Irving some value in the deal). If it’s not to Irving’s liking, he departs in a likely sign-and-trade that brings Brooklyn depth. If Irving does re-sign on that kind of deal, I believe Brooklyn pivots to a Ben Simmons trade that offers depth. Either way, I don’t envision the Durant-Irving-Simmons trio leading Brooklyn to begin the 2022-23 NBA season but that’s just me reading the league’s tea leaves.
