During the NBA playoffs and the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting 16-1 run to the title, many fans and sports personalities bemoaned how the Warriors’ “super team” was ruining the NBA. However, the dominance by the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers over the past three seasons has sent other franchises scrambling to improve their ball clubs. If anything, super teams have helped make the NBA offseason great again.
The 2017 NBA offseason is off to a bang. Last week’s draft featured a staggering 15 trades. Four deals stood out.
First, the Boston Celtics (No. 1) and Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) swapped first round picks for a future first-rounder to the Celtics. Next, the Atlanta Hawks traded Dwight Howard and the No. 31 pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee and the No. 41 pick.
Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers made a splash by dealing former No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell and the terrible contract of Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick. The deal paved the way for Johnson to draft Lonzo Ball to usher in the next era of the Showtime Lakers.
The headliner though was the Chicago Bulls sending All-Star forward Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 7 pick, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn.
Jackson moonwalks his way out of New York
If the wheeling and dealing of the NBA Draft wasn’t enough, the free agency period is also off to a bang. The first big news story of the post-draft offseason is New York Knicks owner James Dolan gave Phil Jackson his walking papers after a miserable three-year run as team president. For a normal franchise, the move would be shocking. Dolan picked up Jackson’s two-year, $24 million option in April.
Dolan is known for flushing money down the toilet with terrible contracts. Ultimately, firing Jackson was the right move. The man known as the “Zen Master” publically feuded with Carmelo Anthony during the season. The last straw though was when he reportedly put rising star Kristaps Porzingis on the trade block before the draft.
Porzingis is arguably the Knicks best draft pick since Patrick Ewing. Putting him on the block after two successful seasons was not only foolish, it was suicide. Maybe Jackson realized that he was in over his head and wanted out.
Jackson is the greatest NBA coach of all-time, but his philosophies of running a team are stuck in the 1990s. Jackson tried to force the triangle offense on the Knicks despite the obvious fact that there’s no Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to anchor it. He also is not a fan of the three-point shot, despite its overwhelming importance in today’s game. Knicks fans are undoubtedly celebrating Jackson’s departure.
CP3 to Houston
A surprising post-draft trade occurred Wednesday morning. The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers for Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Louis Williams and a (top-three protected) 2018 first-round draft pick.
Paul was expected to opt-out of his contract to become a free-agent. However, he agreed to a sign-and-trade to Houston due to his desire to play alongside James Harden.
For the Clippers, the move was a no-brainer. The team was going to lose Paul for nothing in free agency. Acquiring Beverley, Williams and a first-rounder must be considered a win.
The Rockets remaining offseason moves will determine whether the deal is a win. Adding a perennial All-Star is always a good thing. However, both Harden and Paul are very ball-dominant players. The Rockets thrived this past season because the team brought in a bunch of complimentary shooters.
Coach Mike D’Antoni allowed Harden to push the pace and attack the basket at-will. When double-teams inevitably came, he found the open shooters. Though Paul is extremely unselfish, he works best when he’s facilitating the offense with the ball in his hands.
As of now, the move doesn’t do much to close the gap between the Warriors and the Rockets in the West. Acquiring a player of Paul’s caliber is never a bad thing. The Rockets are hoping Paul and Harden can co-exist. Otherwise, Paul will be a one-year rental since he can become a free-agent again next season.
Melo to Houston?
There is talk that Anthony could obtain a buyout from the Knicks and head down to H-Town to join Harden and CP3. Though the deal would give the Rockets three perennial All-Stars, Anthony would be another ball-dominate player added to the mix.
If any coach can make it work, it’s D’Antoni. The reigning NBA Coach of the Year’s “seven seconds or less” offense would ensure that Harden and Anthony get their shots. From a talent standpoint, the Rockets would be a formidable threat. From a team chemistry standpoint, it seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Hayward and PG-13 to Boston?
Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is on a role. The author of The Vertical broke the stories about the Jackson firing and the Paul trade. He’s also reporting that the Boston Celtics are expected to make a push to sign Utah Jazz G/F Gordon Hayward in free agency and make a strong play to acquire Paul George via trade from the Indiana Pacers.
Pairing Hayward and Paul together in the Eastern Conference would be huge, especially if the team is able to keep Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum. The idea of netting George without losing any of its most valuable players may seem preposterous, but the Celtics’ plethora of first-round draft picks in the next two years means that it is not impossible. The Pacers realize that if George is not moved by the trade deadline, the franchise will lose him for nothing.
If the Celtics can’t make magic happen with Hayward and George, Blake Griffin may be on his way to Boston. That’s one heck of a contingency plan.
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