On July 1, Beijing time, the door to the NBA free market officially opened, and many teams have been strengthened today, but some teams have become weaker, the most typical example is the Nuggets, who may withdraw from the championship next season.
The Clippers signed 2 people in a row
According to a report from Shams, the Clippers and Harden have reached a contract extension for two years, $70 million, with a player option for the next year, meaning that Harden can play for the Clippers for at least one more year. It should be said that this contract is more in line with Harden's current strength, unlike George who has been tossing, Harden in the offseason is very quiet, we can hardly see news about him, it can be seen that Harden wants to renew his contract with the Clippers from the beginning, no surprise, George should not come back, next season's Clippers will be Leonard + Harden's dual-core team, maybe from a certain point of view, it is a good thing, without George by his side, Harden will increase the ball next season, and the data will definitely improve, I believe that the beard will not let us down.
In addition to Harden, the Clippers also signed Kevin Porter Jr. on a two-year contract with a minimum salary, and Rockets fans are familiar with him, Porter was the 30th pick in 19, and the last time he played in the NBA was in the 22-23 season, when he averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists per game, and shot 44.2% from the field. Porter's scoring ability is still good, and his body is strong, but he was a bit unique at the time, plus he was a problem teenager, so the Rockets did not keep him, and now that he has joined the Clippers, Porter will change his mind and be a new person, as long as he is willing to play seriously, it is definitely a strong instant combat power.
Wei Shao wants to be traded
Unlike Harden, Wei Shao's situation is very bad, some time ago he exercised a player option of $4.03 million for next season, Wei Shao's move is obvious, he wants to stay with the Clippers, but the Clippers don't think so, according to the latest news, Wei Shao will not appear in the Clippers' roster next season, the Clippers' current plan is to trade Wei Shao, if it doesn't work out, then the Clippers will cut Wei Shao mercilessly before the start of next season. I have to sigh that Wei Shao, as a former MVP and triple-double king, is currently in an embarrassing situation, with a serious decline in competitive status, coupled with poor shooting ability, Wei Shao is displaced, I don't know where he will play next, according to statistics, if Wei Shao is traded, he will be transferred to 6 teams in the past 7 seasons.
The Nuggets weakened
Since the Nuggets won the championship last year, their strength has been gradually weakening, last offseason lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, resulting in no one available on the bench, the result is that the second round of this year's playoffs was eliminated by the Timberwolves, it is not over, Pope also left the team today, he joined the Magic for 3 years and 66 million US dollars, and the third year is a player option, I can't understand what the Nuggets think, Pope's contract extension is not big, and the Nuggets can't give it? It can only be said that the Nuggets boss is short of money. Without Pope, the Nuggets will have a serious regression next season, and there is no doubt that they will no longer be the favorites for the championship, and it is unknown whether they can even beat the Lakers.
The Lakers were born in great trouble
Despite the absence of the Nuggets, it is still extremely difficult for the Lakers to hit the playoffs next season, for the simple reason that the Pelicans' strength has been greatly improved, and they acquired Dejounte Murray through a trade some time ago, just imagine that the Pelicans' main players next season are Murray, Zion, Ingram, Herbert Jones, McCollum, Murphy, Hawkins and Alvarado, Valanciunas has not yet renewed his contract, and he may also return. Last season, the Lakers defeated the Pelicans in the playoffs, and James became Zion's nemesis, and the two sides will meet again next season, and the outcome may be unpredictable. Overall, the West is getting wilder, and we can't ignore the Rockets, and the pressure on the Lakers has increased dramatically.