With the draft and the most important part of free agency behind us, NBA teams are already lined up for next season. NBA experts answer the most important questions.
With the draft and the most important part of free agency behind us, NBA teams are already lined up for next season.
The Boston Celtics are looking to repeat as champions, while their biggest rivals are looking to dethrone them.
ESPN experts break down the biggest questions facing the NBA right now.
1- Who was the big winner of the East in free agency?
By name, it seems that the Philadelphia 76ers hit the jackpot by securing the services of Paul George, to whom they gave a four-year, $212 million contract plus a player option for the final season (2027-28).
PG13 will add his talents to MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who returned to the Sixers in another big management move that locked him up for 5 years and $205 million.
Paul George could be the element that the 76ers needed to have a ‘Big Three’ (Embiid, Maxey and PG13) that combines experience, youth and quality and places them as contenders in a conference where the champions, Boston Celtics, are now favorites.
Despite being a shooting guard, due to his size he can fill the small forward spot left by Tobias Harris, who left for the Detroit Pistons, and of course, help Maxey move the ball.
The nine-time All-Star averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 263 games with the LA Clippers over the previous five seasons; his contributions will be greatly appreciated by a Sixers team that decided to keep most of its roster.Rolando del Bosque)
2- Who was the big winner of the West in free agency?
Oklahoma City Thunder. Without a doubt. Sam Presti continues to shine by further strengthening a serious contender for the championship. To the young structure, he added two pieces of winning character. On the perimeter, Josh Giddey left, but Alex Caruso arrived. An excellent defender, a player of character, an ideal partner for the pure talent that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And in the paint, they took one of the most coveted free agents on the market: Isaiah Hartenstein, the heart in the paint of the brave Knicks in the past postseason.
Great defender as well and elite passer compared to other big men. He can pair very well with Chet Holmgren, given that he is a different kind of big man who spreads the floor and plays very well as a versatile four.
Honorable mention in the West: San Antonio Spurs. The arrival of Chris Paul to train Victor Wembanyama first and Stephon Castle later, for one year and $11 million dollars, is a huge success. And it will give us a whole year of seeing CP3 with Gregg Popovich in the same boat. Wonderful. (Bruno Altieri)
3- Who were the biggest losers of free agency?
There are several candidates. The LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors for losing two big players from their rosters. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers for not being able to add any reinforcements also apply. But the Denver Nuggets not only did not add anyone but also lost two important pieces in their rotation like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (signed by Orlando Magic) and Reggie Jackson (to Charlotte to reduce payroll). They still have to complete three pieces to complete the roster. Instead of strengthening themselves, they weakened, which is why I understand that they are the big losers.Marcelo Bousquet)
4- Sixers or Knicks: Who has a better chance of unseating Boston?
New York: Even though the 76ers traded Paul George to build a powerhouse trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Knicks boast a more stable roster with a similar amount of talent. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Julius Randle are a formidable trio, and the growth of players like Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo in the playoffs showed that the Knicks have the weapons to compete with Boston. If injuries spare both of them, the Knicks still have more arguments against the champions. (Eric Gomez)
5-Are the Dallas Mavericks becoming the team to beat in the West?
Until they reached the NBA Finals, no one expected the Dallas Mavericks to be the winner of the Western Conference.
With the symbiosis achieved by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving late in the 2023/2024 season, and especially in the playoffs, Jason Kidd’s team eliminated two teams that had shown greater solidity and breadth of resources: Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. However, one question remained that was impossible to answer: how would they have fared against the Denver Nuggets?
The addition of Klay Thompson strengthens the Mavs, especially on offense and more specifically in three-point shooting. The winner of four titles in 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors could be a leap in quality if he manages to fit into the team and does not seek a leading role that he no longer had in San Francisco. In fact, last season he averaged 17.9 points per game, his lowest average since 2012-2013, which, in any case, would be a highly valued contribution in Dallas.
With Thompson, Dallas should be better than it was. And with what it had, it reached the Finals, although it was not the team to beat. Will they be able to shoulder the goal of reaching that high again? The ball holds the answer.Pablo Cormick)
6- Fact or fiction: the Sixers now have the best Big 3 in the NBA.
Fiction: On paper, having Maxey, Embiid and George promises victories, but the reality is that both the Cameroonian and PG13 are players who constantly battle injuries. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon in Denver, or Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic and Klay Thompson in Dallas are positioned to have more success than Philadelphia’s “Big 3.” Rather, the 76ers’ trio is comparable to Phoenix’s: extremely talented, but fragile. (Eric Gomez)
7- Which under-the-radar move will have the biggest impact?
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who signed a three-year, $66 million deal with the Magic. This man always flew under the radar, but we must not forget that he was part of the 2020 bubble-champion Lakers and the 2023 champion Nuggets. He arrives in Orlando as the glue between the perimeter and the center players.
At 31 years old, he will be the voice of command for a locker room that has a lot of talent but needs to learn what is necessary to transform it into victories. Especially in the postseason. Caldwell-Pope has shooting, defense and character. For rivals, this man is like a moisture leak: you never see him coming, but when they sense his presence, the disaster is absolute. His arrival on the Florida Peninsula is an excellent move. The Magic will grow day by day in silence. Everyone is duly notified. (Bruno Altieri)
8- Fact or fiction: Denver Nuggets are candidates to reach another final.
Fiction. Not only because their rivals in the West like the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves and OKC Thunder have strengthened, but because Denver looks more fragile than two seasons ago when it was champion and there was talk (with valid reasons) of the possible birth of a dynasty. The departure of Bruce Brown last season and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson this season, impoverished the bench. Without a replacement center capable of giving Jokic a rest (DeAndre Jordan only averaged 11 minutes on the court), the loss of good perimeter defenders and a bench full of players with little experience in the NBA, I don’t see it possible for this short roster to maintain the pace of 82 regular season games and arrive fresh to the playoffs.Marcelo Bousquet)
9- Bronny James’ impact on the Lakers will be…
At least during his rookie season, though he should give us one of the best moments when he gets to share the court with his father. Bronny is a gamble, no doubt; he projects as a three-point shooting perimeter defender, and if so, he’ll have a place in the NBA long after LeBron has said goodbye. The key words here are development and patience. Bronny is a long-term project who could develop into a role player with the franchise, and frankly if you found that in the second round of the draft, you deserve a pat on the back.
What is certain is that no second-round pick will be as scrutinized as Bronny will be. The spotlight will follow him on his journey as he learns from his father. If he has half of LeBron’s mental toughness and work ethic, I think Bronny can have a long NBA career.Victor O. Lopez)
10-Are the Warriors doomed to miss the playoffs?
Yes. I already thought Steve Kerr’s crew would have trouble qualifying because of the depth of the West, and that was before Klay Thompson took his shot to Dallas, marking a turning point for the franchise. Sure, Steph Curry is still there to lead the offense so it’s not like we can automatically rule them out. However, Golden State has missed the playoffs in three of the past five seasons and their projection for 2024-25 isn’t the most encouraging unless they pull off a dramatic last-minute move. (Victor O. Lopez)
2024-07-05 12:00:00
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