The NFL sits as king of the American sports kingdom but the NBA is considered the prince due to the superstar players and the theatre of the playoffs. However, the NBA has a slight advantage over the NFL based on free agency and the drama it provides basketball fans. In the 2022 off-season, we are not short of storylines that will have fans glued to social media and their TV screens for the next big breaking news. In this article, we preview the top 5 storylines heading into this NBA Free Agency period.
1. What will Kyrie and the Nets do?- Kyrie Irving is one of the most gift basketball players to grace the court. However, his ability to play has not matched his availability to his team. Irving has appeared in only 103 games for the franchise out of a maximum of 216 games. He has not played due to injuries, personal reasons, covid protocol, and vaccination mandates. The recent reports indicate that the Nets and Kyrie currently have an impasse, and there are doubts whether the two sides will agree on a deal. The Nets would like a short-term deal or a contract that is an incentive-based contract to protect themselves while Kyrie’s camp wants a max contract with fully guaranteed money. If the Nets fail to reach an agreement on a deal, then Kyrie can opt-in to request a trade or opt out to become a free agent. NBA insiders have reported that teams such as the Clippers, Knicks, and Lakers are lurking to snag the All-Star point guard. The Nets could have the situation explode in their face if Kevin Durant wants to leave town if Kyrie exits the Brooklyn borough.
2. Will James Harden get the max extension in Philadelphia?- it appeared that after the February trade deadline, the Sixers were the clear winner in the deal with the Nets. However, after an excellent start in Philadelphia to finish the regular season, things came back down to earth in the playoffs for Harden and company. The Sixers fell behind the Heat 0-2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after Joel Embiid sustained an injury in round 1. Harden failed to muster enough offense to ignite his team and lacked the burst to blow by his on-guard defender or drain his step-back three-pointer. Philadelphia has to answer the big question of whether they feel Harden will find his old form, get in better shape, and deserves the max extension. Or whether they think last season is an indication that his offensive game is on the decline as he ages. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this saga.
3. Where will Bradley Beal decide to go?-When healthy Bradley Beal is an elite scorer in the NBA averaging 30.5 and 31.3 points per game in back-to-back seasons between 2019-2021. However, the problem for Beal is that he plays for the Washington Wizard, a team that will not be contending for the foreseeable future. On June 22, media reports indicate that Beal declined his $36.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season and will enter unrestricted free agency this summer. As a free agent, he can profit from a massive 5-year 248 million dollar max deal with the Wizards or a 235 million dollar contract over four years elsewhere. Any contending team will see Beal as potentially the missing piece to take them to a championship. The decision by Bradley will be one of the highly anticipated decisions of free agency.
4. Can the Lakers get a trade for Russell Westbrook?- entering the 2020-21 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were considered one of the preeminent favorites to win the NBA title. However, the season that unfolded was an utter disaster. Lebron played at an elite level but could carry the team by himself. Anthony Davis had persistent injury problems that kept him out of the lineup. However, the biggest issue for the franchise was how Russell Westbrook struggled to adjust to life in Tinseltown. Westbrook shot the ball poorly from the field, made careless turnovers, and showed little chemistry with his teammates. Entering the final year of his contract, Westbrook will earn 47 million dollars, and it is not a secret that the Lakers would like to offload him to another team. There have been rumors of a trade proposal with the Pacers involving Malcolm Brogdan that Indiana rejected. If there is a chance to get Kyrie Irving, I think the Lakers will do everything they can to make this deal happen by involving a third or fourth team. The potential trade of Westbrook is a story to watch in this off-season.
5. Will the Jazz breakup the Mitchell and Gobert duo?-the Jazz ended their season in usual disappointment by losing to the Mavericks in 6 games in the first round. It feels as if the core of this team has made enough attempts to win in the playoffs and has come up short. As a result, Quinn Synder stepped aside as Head Coach after eight seasons in Utah. Media speculation is that the team will have to decide whether the face of the franchise will be Donavan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert with the other player traded to the highest bidder. There have been clashes between these players over the years, and an advanced ESPN stat shows that Mitchell only passed the ball 2.7 times per game during the past season to Rudy. It will be interesting to see whether the management dismantles the team and who survives the restructuring of the roster.