The NBA free agency market officially opened on July 1, Beijing time, and in the past 1 day, many NBA teams have opened their own team reinforcement plans in the free market. Especially among Eastern Conference teams, the Knicks have already started to bring in reinforcements before they even open free agency. In the deal with the Nets, the Knicks launched an epic 8-for-2 trade, from which they acquired Bridges, the league's No. 1 iron man, and completed a $200 million contract extension with top 3-and-D player Anunoby.
After trading Bridges and signing Anunoby, the Knicks will be stronger in the East next season. In particular, the addition of Bridges gives the Knicks a level comparable to that of the Celtics, and they will be one of the favorites in the East next season. And another team in the East has also started a crazy recruitment operation in the NBA free market, and they are the Philadelphia 76ers! After missing out on the second round of the playoffs last season, the 76ers went on a hiring spree this offseason to replenish the team.
On the first day of free agency, the 76ers signed five people in a row in the free market! In the first signing, the 76ers and former All-Star center Drummond completed a two-year, $10 million contract. Immediately afterward, they completed a two-year veteran base salary contract with Gordon, the Rockets' veteran sixth man. After completing Gordon's signing, they completed a two-year, $16 million contract with team forward Oubre, keeping the small forward who averaged 15 points + 5 rebounds per game with the team.
In addition to Drummond and Gordon in the free market, the 76ers also completed a four-year, $200 million contract with All-Star forward George, and after George joined, he will replace Harris's position, and the 76ers' forward line will be upgraded. After completing George's signing, the 76ers once again completed a five-year, $200 million contract extension with the team's All-Star guard Maxey. So far, the 76ers have completed the roster upgrade of the entire team, not only getting the starting All-Star forward from the free market, but also getting the sixth man to join, while retaining the team's guard core Maxey.
After completing Maxey's signing, the 76ers also broke a record of 78 years in NBA history. The 76ers will be the first team in NBA history to have three 200 million contracts at the same time. And after George's arrival, their odds to win the championship have skyrocketed on American sports betting sites, reaching the third place in the odds to win the championship, behind the Celtics and Nuggets. After signing five players in one day and making up four All-Stars, the 76ers' crazy offseason isn't over.
Now that the main framework of the 76ers has also been built, the 76ers only need to make small repairs to the lineup. But on paper, the 76ers already have what it takes to compete for a championship. After all, the team has a lineup of Embiid + Maxey + George, which is luxurious enough to look at the entire league. It's just that under the crazy attack of the Celtics and the Knicks, it is not a simple matter for the 76ers to fight their way out. Coupled with Embiid's attribute of pulling his hip as soon as he arrives in the playoffs, the 76ers' road to winning the championship will become even more confusing.