NBADiscussi0ns

          Scottie Barnes is the next big star for the Toronto Raptors. He was drafted by the Raptors with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft. It was quite the shock as mock drafts had Jalen Suggs getting picked by Toronto. They made the right choice as Barnes has become a cornerstone piece of the franchise now and for the foreseeable future.            It was reported by NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski that Barnes intends to sign a five-year maximum rookie extension that could be worth up to $270 million, making him the highest-paid player in Raptors history. After losing Fred VanVleet in free agency last summer and trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby this season, it was clear who the Raptors were handing the keys to. Barnes averaged career-highs this season, 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. He's also improved from three-point range, shooting 34.1% from long distance this season. Barnes was also named an All-Star this season for the first time in his very you

          Starting this year, when the NBA Finals are over, teams can begin negotiations with their free agents or players eligible for contract extensions. Pascal Siakam has already agreed on a max extension with the Indiana Pacers and Malik Monk agreed on an extension with the Sacramento Kings. Klay Thompson will be a free agent this summer unless he and the Warriors agree on an extension, however, according to Athletic journalist Anthony Slater, momentum is building towards Thompson leaving Golden State and looking for a fresh start. Slater also reported that even if the Warriors approach with a competitive offer, Thompson will look for a new opportunity elsewhere.            The Warriors had a sad ending to their season after being eliminated in the play-in tournament against the Sacramento Kings. A game where Thompson is famously known for scoring zero points, shooting 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-6 from three-point range. Many around the NBA world believed this could be the

          We now have the first official trade of the offseason. As reported by NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey. Matter of fact, this is the first trade the Bulls have made since August 2021, when they acquired Derrick Jones Jr in a three-team deal. An interesting thing about this new trade is the Oklahoma City Thunder have a ton of draft picks and didn't have to give up any. Plenty of teams have contacted the Bulls in regards to Caruso, willing to give up picks and they didn't end up with any.            The Thunder acquire a highly respect role-player who is known for his incredible defense, and hustle plays, somebody who is willing to do the little things that lead to winning. Wojnarowski made the comparison of this trade the same as when the Golden State Warriors acquired Andre Iguodala in 2013. Both young teams acquire a great veteran who can make

          The New Orleans Pelicans should be seen as a team under some level of pressure this offseason. Things clearly haven't been as good as they hoped after drafting Zion Williamson with the first overall pick in 2019. The Pelicans have only made the playoffs twice and failed to get passed the first round both times, a total of two playoff games won. Williamson still has so much potential but showed this season that he can be a great player.            Williamson did not average career highs this season but he did play the most games in a single season in his young NBA career, 70. He suffered a left leg injury in the play-in tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers but recorded 40 points and 11 rebounds before his early exit. The Pelicans would enter the playoffs as an eighth seed and face the first-seed Oklahoma City Thunder, they would lose the series in four games. There have been a lot of rumors going around about the team and their offseason, such as Jonas Valanciuans is

          Andre Drummond is a very underrated free agent this summer. He may not be the star fans know him from his time with the Detroit Pistons but still provides great service as a rotation player. Drummond averaged 8.4 points and 9 rebounds this season with the Chicago Bulls, playing in 79 games. He had three games this season where he grabbed 20 or more rebounds and recorded 18 double-doubles. Drummond also tied for fifth-best in most rebounds per game while coming off the bench, with 7.7.            The Philadelphia 76ers tried to acquire Drummond in a trade but the Bulls ended talks just hours before the deadline. He had a very brief stint with the Sixers, signing a one-year deal for the 2021-22 season but would get shipped to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Ben Simmons deal. Since then, he's spent the last couple of seasons with the Chicago Bulls where there has been little team success despite their big three of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine. According to

          Kelly Oubre Jr. has been quite the journeyman in the NBA. In 2015, he was drafted by the Washington Wizards then after a few seasons would get traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a short stint in Phoenix, Oubre signed a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. Following a brief year in the Bay Area, he would spend a couple seasons with the Charlotte Hornets where he would have some of his best games. This season, Oubre finished a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and will hit the free agency market again this summer.            For a player on a veteran minimum, Oubre was a significant impactful player this season. He averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds per game. His defense was nothing less than amazing and his athleticism played to his strength this year. Oubre will have multiple suitors this summer from championship-contending teams.            The Philadelphia 76ers would love to re-sign Oubre however they have a max slot available and will look to add a third st

          Miles Bridges had serious legal issues to care of a couple of summers ago, which had him miss the entire 2022-23 season. Last summer, he signed a one-year qualifying offer, worth up to $7.9 million, to return to the Charlotte Hornets. Despite missing an entire season, Bridges still showed improvement in his game and didn't look like he had much rust. He averaged a career-high in points (21) and rebounds (7.3) per game. Now he will enter the free agency market hoping to land a new solid deal.            The Hornets are interested in re-signing Bridges but teams like the Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz hope to land on securing him. The Phoenix Suns were a team consistently connected to him up until the trade deadline so they could be another team to look out for in the sweepstakes however given their cap situation, their offer will be vastly limited. Bridges is still young, only 26 years old, very athletic, and has shown improvements in his three-point shooting. It will b

          Aaron Holiday, most notable for being related to Jrue and Justin Holiday, played this season for the Houston Rockets. He's been quite the journeyman since coming to the league. In the 2018 draft, Holiday was selected with the 23 overall pick by the Indiana Pacers then after a few seasons, got traded to the Washington Wizards on the night of the 2021 draft. Then fast forward, at the trade deadline, he would get traded again but this time to the Phoenix Suns. Holiday would then sign and finish a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, now he just finished another one-year deal but with the Houston Rockets.            Holiday was the primary backup point guard for the Rockets and had a solid season. He averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 78 games. Holiday has proven to be quite reliable and despite his short size, gives great efforts on the defensive end just like his brothers. It was recently reported by Kelly Iko, an NBA reporter for The Athletic, that he p

          Forward Sasha Vezenkov was a EuroLeague MVP who signed with the Sacramento Kings last summer on a three-year, $19.9 million deal with the final year being a club option. He was originally drafted in 2017 with the 57 overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets however he did not play in the NBA, continuing his international career. They still had his draft rights until trading it to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the James Harden blockbuster deal in 2020. It would then get moved to Sacramento after finalizing an agreement ahead of the 2022 draft.            In the summer of 2023, the Kings were able to convince Vezenkov to make the leap from the EuroLeague to the NBA. There were some high expectations for him especially as a three-point shooter. Vezenkov's style resembles Klay Thompson's such as not needing many dribbles to catch fire. It was quite a unique situation, a then 27-year-old rookie.            Vezenkov played in 42 games this season and averaged 5.4 points while

          Buddy Hield is a notable free agent this summer, one of the best three-point shooters in the entire league. He started the season with the Indiana Pacers but would get traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the deadline, where he finished the season. Interesting fact, Hield has been in the NBA for eight seasons now and this was his first appearance in the playoffs. Now to provide context, he started his career with the Sacramento Kings, who were in the middle of their playoff drought, and last year the Pacers still weren't who they are today.            Hield and the Sixers faced the New York Knicks in the first round. In games one through three in the series, he struggled offensively, especially from three-point range, and didn't play in games four and five. In game six, win or elimination scenario for the Sixers, Hield found his rhythm offensively and scored 20 points, shot 6 of 10 (60%) from the field including 6 of 9 (66.7%) from three-point range. Sadly for him, the

          Isaiah Hartenstein is one of the best, if not the best, free-agent centers this summer. He stepped up big this season when Mitchell Robinson went down with an ankle injury in Dec. Hartenstein was a starter the rest of the year even after Robinson returned. He's a great offensive-rounder, hustler, a solid defender and just provided great energy for the Knicks.            According to NBA reporter Jake Fischer, Hartenstein could receive up to $100 million in free agency. A contract that big would likely mean he leaves New York. Currently, the max the Knicks can offer Hartenstein is a four-year, $72.5 million deal. Fischer also reported that the Knicks are looking to trade their first-round picks in the upcoming draft, they have the 24 and 25 picks. Currently, they have 11 first-round picks that can be traded and can be used to help move some big contracts like Julius Randle, free up cap space to increase their chances of re-signing Hartenstein.             If the Knicks don

          The Dallas Mavericks are now in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years. The moves they made at the trade deadline, acquiring PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford played huge roles in their successful playoff run. However, there was another trade the Mavericks were looking to do but didn't end up happening. The reason why is the player involved thought they weren't a legit title contender.            The Mavericks were originally looking to acquire forward Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards. There are no reports of what the trade package looked like but it was enough that both teams agreed on the terms. However, the Wizards went to Kuzma first about the deal and he turned the whole operation down. It's not like he has a no-trade clause in his deal, the Wizards simply honored his opinion and wish. Kuzma finished the season in Washington having missed the playoffs and ending up with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.            Kuzma went on to