Chapter 1076 [Tragic Generation, the Favorite to Win the Championship]
There were a number of major signings in the NBA in July.
The 76ers are actively recruiting to start rebuilding, otherwise they won't even be able to reach the "poor man's line" next season.
They poached Bulls star power forward Paul Millsap for three years and $58 million, with a player option in his third year.
Because of Millsap's height and age, the Bulls are reluctant to renew his contract with a high salary, and the Bulls are ready to rebuild this summer.
Not only Millsap, but Wade also jumped out of contract to leave, and he knew that the Bulls had no future and could not compete for a championship. He and Rose overlapped and were not suitable to be on the court together, and neither of them was good at shooting three-pointers and relied on breakaways.
After the Bulls signed Rohr Deng, plus Rose and Asik, the total salary was very high, and they were reluctant to give Millsap and Wade contracts again. They paid a lot of luxury tax last season, but they couldn't win the championship and couldn't even make it to the division finals, so it was time to break up.
Then, the 76ers signed Kings point guard Kemba Walker for 4 years and 48 million.
Walker, who is partnered with Harden, averaged 34 minutes per game last season, with only 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals, shooting 38.5% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range.
Walker is a pick-and-roll guard who is very strong when he rushes, and can use step-back steps and various feints to change direction to shake off defenders and create space for himself to shoot.
He overlaps with Harden and is creative when he breaks through with the ball, and if he doesn't have the ball, he's done and can't find his offensive rhythm.
In 2013, the Marouf brothers peddled the Kings, and the team almost left Sacramento to move to Seattle. But with the active mediation of Sacramento Mayor and former NBA star guard Kevin Johnson, the Kings ended up staying in Sachuse. The team was taken over by Indian IT tycoon Vivek Ranadave, who was sold for $535 million.
Vivek didn't like Walker very much, and felt that he didn't look like a point guard at all, let alone partner with Harden, so he didn't have a matching contract and let him go.
The 76ers also gave second-round rookie interior Nicola Jokic a contract to find a backup for Jordan Jr. who could shoot.
With the addition of scoring guard Kobe, the 76ers have good players at all four positions, the only weakness is the small forward position, Jason Richardson is a complete free man and will not renew his contract, and the rest is blue-collar Luke Bamot and Telitovic, who was traded from the Nets last season.
Management traded center Pekovic from the Timberwolves last season and the league-wide low-salary Jazz trade for a 7 million trade exception and non-draft Jazz fringe small forward Joe Ingles.
The Jazz roster is messed up and there will be no trades, and there will only be one Derrick Favors with a high salary next season, and small forward Gordon Hayward is now magical. The Jazz now want to choose a high-pick rookie, and poach Pekovic to reach the "poor line".
The NBA's salary cap skyrocketed to $70 million next season, continuing to break the all-time high, up nearly 11% from the previous season's $63.06 million. Meanwhile, the luxury tax threshold for the new season is $84.7 million, up 10.3% from $76.82 million in the previous season.
According to the regulations, the total minimum salary of NBA teams is 90% of the salary cap, which means that the minimum salary for the 2015-16 season is $63 million, and as of now, the total salary of many teams is below the minimum wage threshold. Even if the Jazz trade Pekovic, there is still a gap of 3 million.
The Timberwolves signed Champions League MVP Bjelica for $11.7 million in 3 years and Garnett for 2 years and 16 million in 2 years.
These two signings are also aimed at reaching the "poor man's line", and Garnett can't move at all, and he has an annual salary of 8 million. Timberwolves management was willing to pay Garnett a high salary to make him a mascot, and he chose the former between money and chasing a championship ring.
Because Garnett is not sure if he can win the championship by joining a strong team. He wants to join a strong team, and the other party doesn't have to be a player like him who plays an average of 20 minutes per game, 6.6+6.6+1.6, and he can only shout 666 when he sees him.
Strong teams really don't need Garnett, for example, the Warriors already have Nowitzki. Go to the Lakers to hug Guo Xu's thigh, right? Garnett's self-esteem didn't allow it. He can only get a basic salary when he goes, and he can't get used to Guo Xu's arrogance.
In the 2004 playoffs, the Timberwolves led the Suns 2-0, and then were eliminated by Guo Xu with super data reversal. Since then, Garnett has hated Guo Xu, and he believes that without Guo Xu, he would win the regular season MVP that year and lead the Timberwolves to win the championship.
He would rather retire than be a brother under the enemy, that's how tough he is!
Moreover, he doesn't think that the Lakers' tattered lineup can win the championship, even if he signs Guo Xu, it would be good to be able to enter the playoffs.
Not long ago, the media broke the news that Bosh will not return to play next season, and he is likely to choose to retire because his blood clot would be life-threatening for participating in strenuous sports.
The Timberwolves also signed Lakers swingman Nick Young for 4 years and 40 million, which is obviously a premium contract, and the Lakers will certainly not choose to match.
Wade joined the Nets with a low salary of $2.3 million, which surprised everyone. He was still able to put up good stats last season and could make a difference at first glance, at least as a second-rate star.
A reporter asked Wade why he chose the Nets instead of joining other teams with a high salary, Wade said: "I joined the Nets for the championship, I feel that the Nets will be very close to the championship next season, and this is also the right team for me, I want to work hard with LeBron." ”
The rookies of the class of 2003 were once known as the Golden Generation, but now the media has changed their tune to refer to them as the "Miserable Generation." None of the big-name stars of this year have won the championship, and they were suppressed by Guo Xu alone.
After seeing this kind of news, the 2003 players didn't want to join forces with Guo Xu. Except for Bosh, he wants to come back to the team doctor and is not allowed to do so, and now he is taking medicine at home every day.
The Nets vacated salary space because of Joe Johnson's contract expiration, but instead of giving Wade a high salary, they poached the Rockets' backup point guard Patrick Beverley for 4 years and 25 million.
The Rockets signed Kyle Lowry last season, and Beverley's fortunes changed, with few playing opportunities and mediocre stats.
Beverley had a good 2013-14 season, averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.
Nets management believes that Beverley is suitable to partner with James, and the tasks of offensive and playmaking with the ball can be completed by James and Wade, and Beverley only needs to defend and catch the ball and shoot threes.
The Spurs also made a big move, sending Diego Split first, and getting the signing rights of Giogos Plintzis and a 2017 second-round pick from the Hawks to free up salary space. Then the Spurs signed Trail Blazers core LaMarcus Aldridge for 4 years and 80 million.
Aldridge was completely fed up with Cousins' neurotic and said nothing would stay with the Trail Blazers.
Cousins has a strong body, can shoot from the floor, and has the ability to respond to offense, no matter how you look at it, he is a superstar seedling. But he never controls his emotions and likes to use himself as a defender to break through the frame.
Aldridge couldn't resist talking about him several times in the locker room. "Look at your height and size, do you look like someone who is suitable for playing crossover?"
Cousins frowned and swore in his hair: "I Cousins just don't score!" Don't grab rebounds! Don't shoot a single shot! I won't break through like a defender on the field anymore! ”
Cousins got the ball on the perimeter after coming on...... It's so fragrant.
After Aldridge signed, Pau Gasol also opted to sign with the Spurs on a two-year, $30 million contract. He certainly deserves that salary and was named an All-Star starter last season.
The Spurs have suddenly become the favorites to win the championship!