The NBA is in the midst of what is by far the most eventful offseason in its history. In just a matter of days after the start of free agency, the entire landscape of the league has changed completely.
A number of the league’s top stars have switched teams, a list headlined by Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant. And there may be even more stars on the move, with one notable former MVP most likely close to getting traded.
There are far too many moves to discuss, so allow SBOBET to break down the six most impactful pieces of NBA 2019 news from the offseason thus far.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George team up on the LA Clippers
On the day a major earthquake hit Southern California, reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard rocked the NBA world as he decided he would leave the newly-crowned NBA champion Toronto Raptors to sign with the LA Clippers on a four-year, $140.8 million max contract.
And he wasn’t the only one headed West.
In order to convince Kawhi to sign, the Clippers swung a blockbuster trade that sent promising young guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a record-setting number of draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for All-Star forward Paul George.
Unsurprisingly, the Clippers’ NBA 2019 betting odds shifted significantly after they got arguably the two best two-way players in the entire league.
Leonard, who might just be the best player in the league right now, led the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history as he averaged 30.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, George had a career year with the Thunder, averaging 28 points and 8.2 rebounds to finish third in MVP voting.
The two join an already talented Clippers squad that includes reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley, and Landry Shamet, and should be one of the top contenders in the West.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sign with the Brooklyn Nets
Prior to the Leonard-George news, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were the first superstar tandem to team up as they both agreed to sign four-year max contracts with the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant will likely miss their first year together as he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered in the Finals. That means it will be up to Irving to lead the team during the upcoming season.
Irving averaged 23.8 points and 6.9 assists for the Boston Celtics last year as he made Second-Team All-NBA. However, the Celtics’ season was a massive disappointment, in part due to Irving’s supposedly poor leadership style.
But if Irving can refrain from disrupting the Nets’ strong chemistry, they still have enough pieces with Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, DeAndre Jordan, Jarrett Allen, and Joe Harris to compete in the East even without Durant.
Warriors attempt to retool
Many proclaimed that Golden State’s dynasty was over after their Finals loss and Durant’s departure. But the Warriors aren’t ready to go away just yet.
They signed Klay Thompson to a five-year, $190 million max deal despite the fact that he will miss most of next season due to the torn ACL he suffered in the Finals. Meanwhile, they also acquired All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets.
The Warriors also said goodbye to veteran Andre Iguodala and have added some younger pieces in Glenn Robinson III, Willie Cauley-Stein, Omari Spellman, and Alec Burks as they look to remain competitive in a loaded Western Conference.
76ers and Bucks both make big moves
With Kawhi Leonard no longer on the Raptors, the Eastern Conference will once again be up for grabs next season. And the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers appear to be in front of the line after their splashy offseason moves.
The 76ers landed veteran big man Al Horford on a four-year, $109 million contract to join their talented core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, who re-signed on a five-year, $180 million deal.
The Sixers lost sharpshooter J.J. Redick and Jimmy Butler, although they did gain young swingman Josh Richardson through a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat to boost what could be the best defensive team in the league next year.
As for the Bucks, they also lost a couple of key free agents in Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic. But they did re-sign Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and George Hill and added veterans Wes Matthews and Robin Lopez to help them make another run at the Eastern Conference crown.
Lakers and Knicks strike out on the superstars
The Lakers and Knicks both had their sights set on landing a superstar like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, or Kyrie Irving. But they lost out on those stars to their city neighbours and have had to turn to Plan B.
The Lakers are still in relatively decent shape with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But instead of Leonard, they’ve had to settle for DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green as their marquee offseason additions, along with Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, and Avery Bradley.
They also re-signed JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso as they look to end their six-year playoff drought.
Meanwhile, the Knicks loaded up on big men by signing Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, and veteran Taj Gibson, while adding former Pistons guards Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington to play around prized youngsters RJ Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr. and Kevin Knox.
Heat looking to form new star duo
The Heat are no strangers to teaming star players up, and they could be about to do so again. After landing the first star in Jimmy Butler — who got his $140 million max deal — via sign-and-trade with the 76ers, they are now setting their sights on acquiring another: Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder are seemingly ready to rebuild after trading George and Jerami Grant, and Westbrook looks bound to be the next one out the door. The former MVP reportedly likes the idea of heading to Miami, so all that’s left to do now is for the two teams to agree on a deal.
A Westbrook-Butler duo should help the Heat get back into the East playoff picture, which should be very interesting after this unbelievable offseason.
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