In just one night, the NBA free market officially opened, 9 signing deals were reached, Klay George's departure was a foregone conclusion, Paul was cut by the Warriors, and Harden's contract extension with the highest salary ushered in the expected ending!
Text: Lao Kan Kanqiu
Editor|Lao Kan Kanqiu
NBA2024 annual free agent trade market officially opened, with the passage of time, the league's teams trade confidence has also followed, especially in the West teams that did not perform well last season and the playoffs, the owners and management have long been gearing up and began to clean the team lineup, among which the most representative teams, such as the Warriors who were unexpectedly eliminated in the play-offs, the Lakers and Clippers who lost the first round, etc., in just one night, there were 9 signing deals in the free market, Let's take a look at the specific transaction information.
The Warriors cut Paul and Klay left
According to the latest report from Shams, a famous reporter from ESPN, Paul, who has reached the age of 39, was cut for the first time in his career, and his Warriors career officially came to an end, becoming a complete free agent, or signing with other championship teams with a veteran's base salary to continue to pursue the first championship of his career.
After the Warriors were out of the play-offs, they have been actively peddling Paul, and negotiated with Paul to postpone the $30 million guaranteed contract date for a few days, even so, no team is willing to take over the 30 million salary of Paul, and finally in the face of the deadline, the Warriors reluctantly announced the elimination of Paul to reduce the team's salary pressure.
According to previous reports by Shams, both the Los Angeles duo Lakers and the Clippers intend to use a one-year, $3.3 million veteran base salary to recruit this excellent traditional point guard. It is worth mentioning that the Lakers' James and Paul have a close relationship and are Paul's ideal next home team. In contrast, the Clippers are Paul's old club, and the two sides have worked together for six years, and they are also strong contenders for his next home.
In addition, the Lakers are not just interested in Paul Sr. for the Warriors, Klay Thompson is their focus. According to the latest report from Warriors reporter Tim Kawakami, the Warriors and Thompson will not start contract extension discussions again, and Thompson has officially become a free agent and has begun to contact other teams in the league. According to reliable sources within the team, there has been a 'friendly' farewell ceremony between the Warriors' top management and Thompson, and Thompson's departure is a foregone conclusion.
The only suspense at the moment is whether Thompson will choose to enter the free agency or complete a sign-and-trade with the Warriors. According to the latest news from ESPN, Klay plans to meet with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers, and 76ers in the near future to seek a suitable next home team.
According to Los Angeles reporter Brad Turner, Klay Thompson is very interested in playing with James, and James has also publicly stated recently that he can accept a salary cut, provided that the team needs to cause a third superstar.
George left, the Clippers kept moving, and Harden ushered in the expected ending
Just today, the Clippers officially announced that the team has agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $70 million with James Harden, of which the second year is still a player option, somewhat similar to the contract offered by the 76ers. Harden returned to Los Angeles, stayed with the Clippers, and continued to team up with Leonard to challenge for a championship.
Previously, Wei Shao had announced a $4 million player option for next season. However, the Clippers still do not intend to keep the triple-double king and are actively looking for an opportunity to trade and send away Willis. According to reporter Joey Linn, the Nuggets have begun to look at Willis and are interested in bringing in the former MVP guard. However, there have been no substantive contacts between the two sides.
According to the data, Wei Shao averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game last season, including 27.3% three-point shooting and 68.8% free throw shooting.
In addition, George also publicly announced that he chose to jump out of the final year, $48.7 million option contract and officially become a full free agent. Moreover, the Clippers management has clearly informed George that the team and according to a joint report by a number of well-known NBA reporters, George has decided to join the 76ers, and the new contract amount has also been revealed, which is about a four-year contract worth $212 million with a maximum salary.
Clippers reporter Farbod Esnaashari later confirmed the news, and Esnaashari said: George and other teams are on a walk-and-go basis, and he has decided to go to the 76ers.
So far this season, George is averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and in the playoffs, George has averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Other Transaction Information
1. The Clippers signed Porter Jr. with a 2-year base salary contract of 3.02 million;
2. The 76ers signed center Andre Drummond to a two-year, $10 million contract;
3. The 76ers agreed to a contract extension with Eric Gordon;
4. The Magic signed Pope of the Nuggets on a three-year, $66 million contract;
5. The Heat agreed to a new two-year, $8 million contract with Love;
6. Celtic and Cornet agreed to a one-year contract extension;
7. The Lakers agreed to a four-year, $32 million contract with Christie.