Other than the ongoing postseason, there’s still a lot going on in the NBA, particularly for two of the preseason favourites to win it all prior to the 2021/22 campaign.
The Nets and the Suns were initially favoured by the NBA 2022 odds to make a deep run into the postseason, but they were eliminated earlier than expected in the first and second round respectively.
Now they face a huge offseason ahead as some of their key players have expiring contracts, and they’ll take their time depending on what happens in the open market.
Elsewhere, the league recently announced their All-NBA first, second, and third teams with the past two MVPs leading the cast.
Read on below as SBOTOP reviews the latest NBA 2022 updates.
Nets hesitant to give Kyrie Irving a new long-term deal
The 2021/22 campaign has been a massive disappointment to say the least considering that they were a title favourite entering the season. Brooklyn were swept by Boston in the first round – leaving them as the only team to have never won a game in this postseason.
There’s a lot of factors that played into that outcome – from James Harden wanting out to them trading for Ben Simmons who has yet to suit up, and the fact that Kyrie Irving has only played 29 games this year because of his unwillingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
During the Nets’ exit interview, GM Sean Marks was non-committal on keeping Kyrie Irving and even took shots at him, saying that he intends to keep players who are “selfless” and “available”.
Irving currently has a $36.9-M player option and he can get a five-year max extension worth $245-M. He said few weeks ago that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere, but the Nets may not share the same sentiment.
The mercurial point guard has about a month left to decide on whether he’ll opt in to his player option. If he opts out, Irving is going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Assuming Irving declines his player option and hits the open market, signing him to a long-term deal comes with several risks because of his refusal to get vaccinated and his extensive injury history. So it’s not surprising that Marks and co. are taking a cautious approach here.
Deandre Ayton expected to test his value in the open market
The Suns also had an underwhelming campaign after coming off a finals appearance last season. They’ve been under fire following their horrendous Game 7 loss against the Mavericks in the WCSF.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker received criticism from the media and the fans, but the duo are likely to run it back for next season. However, one Phoenix star who might be on the move is Deandre Ayton.
Phoenix were not in a rush to give their star center a huge payday all season long, but it seems that the issue runs deeper than that as several reports indicate that head coach Monty Williams has an issue with the 23-year-old.
Ayton only logged 17 minutes in Game 7 and had a spat with Williams on the bench, which is something that their front office has to consider moving forward.
The Bahamian center may not be perfect, but he’s still a pretty good player with a huge upside. Since he’s a restricted free agent this summer, the Suns have his Bird Rights and they can keep him by matching whatever offers he’s going to get in the open market.
Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline All-NBA first team
Back-to-back MVPs Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo highlighted the league’s All-NBA team and they were joined by Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum. This is the first time ever that the All-NBA team was bannered by players aged 27 or younger.
The Second Team is headlined by Sixers center Joel Embiid, who finished second in the MVP voting behind Jokic, and he was joined by Ja Morant, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and DeMar DeRozan.
Last but not the least, the Third Team consists of LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Paul, Trae Young, and Pascal Siakam.
With his selection, LeBron James extended his record for having the most All-NBA team selections to 18 seasons. He also became the first player to make the All-NBA team in his 19th season or later.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul has the second-most All-NBA selections among active players with 11 and he joined the late Kobe Bryant as the only guards to make the All-NBA team following his 17th year or later.
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