1 of 30 Yes, neither can I. All hell has already erupted with the kindness of the relentless mill of rumors of the Association. This gives us a foot up when we try to analyze the fog that swirls inside our crystal ball. So far, we have a sense of direction that many groups are heading. Some trades seem like complete deals, although players and teams would never, ever, ever have contact before the official opening of the free agency on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. The predictions for each franchise will try to be as realistic as possible without diving too much into the world. Yours really wants to look back on this project without completely disregarding myself or shuddering at how many guesses I made wrong, but also knowing that I took a risk. Direct agency free signatures will not be the only transactions eligible for inclusion. This would get really boring, very quickly. Extensions and transactions will be a fair game for the sake of variety. So, too, it will not move. And in situations where the obvious cannot be avoided, unique twists on old tropes and details will be included to keep things fresh. 2 of 30 These murmurs of Dejounte Murray-to-the-Hawks reach a tiny roar. In his last episode Please do not collect This podcast, Jake Fischer said he was told “Atlanta feels close to reaching an agreement” and the agreement would not include John Collins (4:03 point). This is in line with WSB-TV’s Zach Klein, who wrote on Twitter that “many believe the Hawks are on the verge of negotiating for San Antonio All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. However, it seems that John Collins is not “Part of the deal. It would be Gallo & multiple 1st round options. The Spurs are preparing for the future and the draft of ’23.” The mission from Murray and the full shot in a remake would be out of character for the Spurs. Again, sending Derrick White to Boston on a trade deadline was also out of character for them. They may, in fact, prepare a planned demolition to improve their chances of designing a stage star. Regardless, even if the Hawks do not bag Murray, another blockbuster is in the future. A source close to Collins told The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner that the big man “ended up in Atlanta”. This echoes the initial gossip, which portrayed Collins as a follower. Landing Murray would not change things – although a possible nucleus, Collins, Trae Young, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter really give the Hawks something. (I refuse to believe that Murray’s acquisition would involve a deal with Onyeka Okongwu or Collins). Murray is another ball handler who will help maintain Collins’ special role. It is clear that Collins wants responsibility Atlanta does not intend to give him. A divorce seems inevitable. 3 of 30 Keeping a team together is expensive. The Celtics need to start thinking about Jaylen Brown’s next deal. is eligible for expansion, as is Grand Williams. Marcus Smart’s new four-year contract starts next season. Assuming they fully guarantee Al Horford’s contract as expected, they will have a salary north of $ 155 million, comfortably above the $ 150 million luxury tax threshold. This should not stop the Celtics from continuing to spend. They just completed two wins before a horrible NBA championship. Nobody cares about your payroll. Keep getting good players when your window is so open. Maybe this is a pious desire. The Boston Derrick White trade leaves me with a warm and vague feeling that it may not be. It helps that the Celtics have more tools at their disposal than most taxed franchises. In addition to the $ 6.4 million mini mid-level, they have two major trade exceptions: a $ 17.1 million TPE ending July 18 (Evan Fournier) and a $ 6.9 million TPE (Juan Hernangomez). At least two of these tools should be used to wrap to another ball and general depth game manager. The Celtics are so close that even upgrading to eighth and ninth place in their rotation could put them at the top. 4 of 30 Kyrie Irving obviously imagines himself as a thought leader because … he got a $ 36.6 million player option instead of signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the $ 6.4 million mid-level minus. Sure. The selection of the last year of his contract does not guarantee that he will start next season with the Brooklyn Nets. They can even exchange it. He just will not get a new deal in the process. His next team, however, will have Bird rights and will be able to maximize it in 2023. Brooklyn can not afford to follow this path at this time. Hitting Kyrie clearly means you will lose Kevin Durant and this team could still be raining hell in the league if Irving, KD and Ben Simmons are all healthy. Fast in the middle of the season, and who knows? If the Nets do not play taboo, they may see everything again. Or maybe Kyrie is fully available and has a year of career, and seizes the opportunity to seek a trade in a friendlier foreign market. Everything is possible for these dramatic, highly flammable nets. But Kyrie’s departure no longer seems imminent. Just don’t ask me to predict the same five minutes from now until February. 5 of 30 Fine choices await free agents hoping to leverage their own teams into bigger deals. About half a dozen teams are expected to have much more space than the maximum, and one of them, though we will not name any, is involved in an unexplained total pursuit of Jalen Brunson. Bet on all the basic Hornets that try to use it to their advantage. They have already started, at some level, a misinformation campaign with the leak that they may have to turn down Gordon Hayward’s salary to be able to afford the next Bridges deal. (They do not.) Letting Bridges create his own market instead of negotiating against himself is the natural next step. Yes, there is a risk involved in this approach. Maybe the Detroit Pistons or the Orlando Magic or the San Antonio Spurs will sign him on a maximum bid sheet with the sole intention of inflating Charlotte’s payroll. Or maybe Bridges has a short-term deal that will get him back to free agency sooner. The Hornets can – and look like a franchise to do so – take that risk to heart. Either way, the Bridges will cost them a load after they failed to extend it last fall. Signing an offer for them provides coverage if it is later considered that they are overpaid, as they cannot not race. The best case scenario for the Hornets, the market is cooler for him than he originally imagined. That may not make Charlotte a friend of Klutch Sports, but the friendship rarely got in the way of Michael Jordan’s wallet. 6 of 30 Sources told Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer that Zach LaVine is “expected” to re-sign with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent. Given Fischer’s accuracy for the 2021 offseason, this prediction is about as spicy as a glass of ice water. However, there is a mystery hidden in the details. Will LaVine put a pen to a full five-year maximum that will pay him about $ 212.3 million? Will it follow the four-year path of $ 167 million? Will he structure his contract to include a player selection, perhaps to be able to re-enter the market in 2025-26 when the money from the next NBA televised deal raises the salary cap? The latter scenario is extremely reasonable. LaVine enters the 27-year-old season. One three-pointer and one brings him back to the market when the TV money predicts that he will hit, so he will only enter the 30-year-old campaign. I predict the full five years anyway. LaVine is not in the purest state of health – he underwent surgery on his left knee last May – so securing long-term money makes the most sense. Besides, he has the power to get a player selection, and a four plus one brings him back to the free company during his heyday. 7 of 30 Some saw the Caris LeVert trade as proof that the Cavaliers would leave Sexton. Not me. LeVert only has a one-year contract and Cleveland can’t just let Sexton walk without compensation. Sign-and-trade scenarios could play, but they are also complex thanks to the base year compensation and market light for the big spenders wandering for complex keepers. Consensus is also very low for Sexton. He may never be more consistent in his defense on the ball and may have already peaked as a playmaker. However, this is someone who averaged over 24 points and four assists in 2020-21, while shooting down 37.8 percent of his three and 50.1 percent of two, all without completely cannibalizing aggressive possessions . This is legal. Removing a torn left meniscus will limit Sexton’s overall market as well as a limited space. That would give Cleveland the power to sign him for less than $ 18 million. He can understand the Sexton-LeVert-Darius Garland situation later. And for Sexton, looking for a three-year deal or a three-on-one framework gives him time to improve his pre-TV value for money – without actually compromising his long-term security.
