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The 2″
Every time the buzz of the NBA starts to stir, the eye emoji returns to the NBA Twitter. This offseason, Mikal Bridges brought the infamous emoji to Twitter, probably in response to the News from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that the Phoenix Suns have had conversations with the Oklahoma City Thunder about Chris Paul.
In the past week, one NBA star has been at the center of more business rumors than any other. Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook reportedly wants to be traded. And since news broke that he is unhappy with his team, the All-Star and former MVP has been linked to a wide range of teams throughout the league.
Rumored destinations for Westbrook range from blatantly funny: New York Knicks, to utterly pointless: Los Angeles Clippers, to something interesting: Orlando Magic, and understandably sad: Charlotte Hornets.
Westbrook has a huge contract, and any of the 29 teams that don’t currently have one would be foolish to accept that. But even as his terrible shot continues to worsen, Westbrook remains an elite talent in the NBA.
It can help a team win games. And aside from the contract, it can be incredibly fun to watch. That could be enough to make the Knicks, Magic or some other team jump in a trade for him.
The other potentially big name on the go is Westbrook’s superstar teammate James Harden. Harden has a rocky relationship with the Rockets, and if the team passes Westbrook, they probably won’t have a strong enough supporting cast for Harden.
With few assets, the Rockets could outrun their two best players, and Harden is rumored to be a destination in Brooklyn. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the way, the Brooklyn Nets could assert themselves as the top contender in the Eastern Conference with a trade for Harden.
Frankly, it doesn’t seem like the Nets have enough assets to replace Harden’s value. But sometimes, the stars move in less-than-ideal exchanges for one of the parties involved. That the Rockets settle for a Nets package for Harden might be exciting, but unfortunately it would also undermine some of the league’s growing parity.
The 3″
Every year the New York Knicks are the subject of some of the wildest trade and free agency rumors. Dont have much sense. They last won a championship in 1973. They last made the playoffs in 2013. They have the worst owner in the entire NBA. But because they are in New York, some people like to assume that the stars want to go there.
This year is not very different. The Knicks have been related to Westbrook, Chris Paul and even Gordon Hayward. Some analysts have argued that the team should hold its own this offseason to maintain an open salary cap space for the charged free agency class of 2021.
But the Knicks are by no means real players in the market, and they’re not really an interesting team. So all the Knicks-related rumors are simply a symptom of the constant chaos plaguing the NBA offseason.
Unlike the Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs have been a model franchise for the past two decades. But the Spurs are also providing a certain level of chaos this offseason.
They are at an odd point with their current staff. They have some budding young talents, like Derrick White and Dejounte Murray. And they have two former All-Stars in DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge.
If the Spurs are leaning toward rebuilding, one or both of DeRozan and Aldridge could be on the move. In a new setting, one of those two mid-range masters could shake up the contenders’ landscape enough to be noteworthy.
The recent stream of leaked jersey images has also been a wonderful part of this NBA offseason. We’ve seen new jerseys announced, but a lot was leaked across the league as well.
Some of them have been sensational. the The uniforms of the new edition of the city of Spurs are vibrant, while those of the Phoenix suns they are sizzling and ridiculously beautiful. The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic have also announced some new yarns with unusual colors.
But the just announced retro look for the nets it’s disappointingly pretty ugly. Fortunately, the Nets have given us a lot to laugh about during an offseason filled with a lot of stress-inducing chaos.
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