AROUND the NBA:

[KillerLeft]

Beal getting bought out and signing with Denver, as rumored, probably makes them the favorite.

Where are you seeing this?

[Chicagojk]

I love this time of year. Go to any teams page (I guess Mavs too) and all their moves have been great. All their picks will impact right away. All their small free agent signings are the missing pieces. Etc. Then you throw in random summer league games where we all get excited for guys who mostly won't play in real NBA games. It gets you every year. One undrafted guy puts together three good games and then you have suddenly fixed a long needed opening. Maybe Maxwell Lewis and Nehmard are different though

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Beal getting bought out and signing with Denver, as rumored, probably makes them the favorite.

After todays occurrence with the 3 team trade of LAC, Utah, and Miami. It looks like the Clippers would be Beal's next team. Things could change however.

[BoulderMFFL]

Has anyone seen any of OKC’s summer league games. If so please share your thought about Nikola Topic as he has been touted as a Luka starter kit.

[myconsumerclub]

FREE NEMBHARD in on being the first to use the classic phrase before anyone else.

[Chicagojk]

[Amick] Per a team source, Buss’ agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she’ll remain the team’s governor for at least the next five seasons.

*****************88
Boy, that Cuban story after the sale was really weird. Not sure if it was lack of detail from Cuban or some snakeoil salesman from Cuban talking about this. Would love to someone ask him this question again.

[Kidnova]

Max extension for Chet. I honestly thought they'd move him rather than pay him.  OKC's payroll is undergoing a massive transformation, predictably.

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/19429...13051?s=19

[SleepingHero]

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
BREAKING: Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker has agreed to a two-year, $145 million maximum contract extension with the franchise through the 2029-30 season, the highest annual extension salary in NBA history, CAA’s Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker told ESPN.

[KillerLeft]

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
BREAKING: Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker has agreed to a two-year, $145 million maximum contract extension with the franchise through the 2029-30 season, the highest annual extension salary in NBA history, CAA’s Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker told ESPN.

"Mat with one t" isn't exactly changing the game, is he?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1943390590198268378


The Thunder have the resources to be sustainable for the near future.

[Chicagojk]

"Mat with one t" isn't exactly changing the game, is he?

Maybe great player.  Just not sure what the market is in two years when the suns are stuck and A 30 year old booker is making 75 million.  I mean the market cannot be high right? Wait a minute…Booker for AD next offseason?  I just don’t know if I can stomach that extension though.

[F Gump]

Maybe great player.  Just not sure what the market is in two years when the suns are stuck and A 30 year old booker is making 75 million.  I mean the market cannot be high right? Wait a minute…Booker for AD next offseason?  I just don’t know if I can stomach that extension though.

I want to move AD. But for Booker? No thank you, I'm not even a little bit interested.

The PHX owner is a really slow learner, isn't he? He just got scorched from having players with bloated deals - he had to essentially give away the great AD (who was not overpaid), and is buying out Beal of over 100M (who was overpaid)- because his team salary was way too big and he couldn't field a decent team around them. And now, years before it's even necessary, he's maxing out Booker (who is good but is far from "great") as much as he can, as long as he can, into the next decade? Never know if he might get injured between here and there, or somehow drop off in skill. Sooooo dumb.

[Mavs2021]

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
BREAKING: Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker has agreed to a two-year, $145 million maximum contract extension with the franchise through the 2029-30 season, the highest annual extension salary in NBA history, CAA’s Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker told ESPN.

After their experience with Beal, they handed out another no trade clause.

[F Gump]

After their experience with Beal, they handed out another no trade clause.

There is not a no-trade in Booker's extension.

[Jmaciscool]

Max extension for Chet. I honestly thought they'd move him rather than pay him.  OKC's payroll is undergoing a massive transformation, predictably.

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/19429...13051?s=19

Chet's only played in 46% of regular season games over his career.  For some reason that seems to get glossed over in NBA circles.  I get why they did it, but man a fully guaranteed 5 year deal for that level of availability is something that you don't see every day.

Rookie season: 0 of 82 games played
Sophomore season: 82 of 82 games played
Last season: 32 of 82 games played

[KillerLeft]

This is pretty interesting, imo. The first part of the conversation is doubling down on Timpf's gushing over Flagg and Nembhart, which I think will be a welcome watch for most of us, but the second part...they're talking about an article posted today by Ramona and Windhorst, I believe, and apparently we were right about LeBron not being offered his customary 1+1, and there have been some other things he's been left out of recently, too. I don't think this is going to be a very fun year to be a Lakers fan. 

https://youtu.be/EMLFnHtqgck?si=EIuEgeRE05duIz5w

[Winter]

This is pretty interesting, imo. The first part of the conversation is doubling down on Timpf's gushing over Flagg and Nembhart, which I think will be a welcome watch for most of us, but the second part...they're talking about an article posted today by Ramona and Windhorst, I believe, and apparently we were right about LeBron not being offered his customary 1+1, and there have been some other things he's been left out of recently, too. I don't think this is going to be a very fun year to be a Lakers fan. 

https://youtu.be/EMLFnHtqgck?si=EIuEgeRE05duIz5w

You and I frequently devour Timpf's videos as soon as they're out, and I heard it the same way. The article is on ESPN's website. Laker ownnership wants Doncic as the new face of the Lakers and don't mind if LeBron knows it. In fact, they made sure LeBron does, in fact, know it.

It may not matter, but I could imagine LeBron sort cashing in his chips slowly over the season. I could see the Lakers struggling with leadership issues.

[KillerLeft]

You and I frequently devour Timpf's videos as soon as they're out, and I heard it the same way. The article is on ESPN's website. Laker ownnership wants Doncic as the new face of the Lakers and don't mind if LeBron knows it. In fact, they made sure LeBron does, in fact, know it.

It may not matter, but I could imagine LeBron sort cashing in his chips slowly over the season. I could see the Lakers struggling with leadership issues.

I mean, at the very least there's great potential for unneeded drama with the Lakers' season, and they're a team prone to that, even in the best of circumstances.

[Jmaciscool]

I mean, at the very least there's great potential for unneeded drama with the Lakers' season, and they're a team prone to that, even in the best of circumstances.

One more thing to get me excited about next season!

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Flagg surprised me with his composure rather than his handles. He does not have advance dribble moves for a guard and that would have been problematic in bringing the ball up against pressure. But his movement was purposeful and effective, not mechanical and predictable, and that allowed him to play PG. All that while still having the court vision to see what's going on around him. I'm not saying he could be a PG full time, but he'd be a better option at quasi-PG than Naji (who himself has the handles and the vision to play some emergency minutes at PG and a full time secondary playmaker).

That said, I'd like Flagg to gain more muscle. He needs a boost of strength all over. Currently, Flagg can blow by slower SGs and even some 1s, but he won't be matched up often with those dudes. Sacrifice some speed in favor of strength. He needs to be able to hold ground in close to the basket moves and still would be quick enough than most of the forwards in the league.

From what I can see of Flagg, once he gets in the paint and stops his dribble, a zealous physical defender makes him off balance and he either attempts a difficult fade or pass to a team mate. The "bump" from a defender also takes away a bit of time for him to make a counter move and that loss time is enough for secondary defender to crowd him even more. As opposed to Luka, even in his leaner younger years, knows how to play with contact and has the strength to handle it and even use the physicality of a defender to his advantage.

And comparing CF to Luka (unfaiir yes!). Flagg needs to improve his footwork and needs to learn a floater or some unconventional way of taking a shot. If CF gets even half of Luka's craftiness, coupled with more strength, he would be a force.