Behind The Scenes Of How The Lakers Landed LeBron James

Behind The Scenes Of How The Lakers Landed LeBron James

NBA

by | Jul 2, 2018 | NBA

The free agency decision of LeBron James was going to be the talk of the summer regardless of where he decided to play. Right up until the time it was announced that he was going to sign with the Lakers, there was still a possibility he could go to Philadelphia, or even wind up staying in Cleveland for another year. Once it was revealed he was taking his talents to Los Angeles, it became pretty clear that was his planned destination all along. Still, it wasn’t a lock it would happen until James met with Magic Johnson as free agency began.

As Lee Jenkins pointed out in his incredible piece about James’ decision, there were only four teams from the start that had any shot. Those teams were the Rockets, Cavs, Sixers and Lakers. James had his agent, Rich Paul, find out everything there was to know about the four teams moving forward. James then left for vacation with his family.

By the time James returned on Saturday afternoon, the Rockets no longer were part of the decision process. Jenkins stated that James spent most of the day meeting with Paul and planning to communicate with the Lakers, Sixers and Cavs but it already seemed as if he made up his mind. He then spoke with Kobe Bryant over the phone and had a late night meeting at his home with Magic Johnson as free agency began at 12:01am on July 1st.

As per Ramona Shelburne, while it’s likely by that point James knew he was going to join the Lakers, he wanted to meet with Magic in person and feel a sense of trust between them. No longer was it the time for Magic to try and sell James on why he should be there. Instead, it was about forming a bond, being on the same page and feeling excited about their partnership. Shelburne also added that prior to the meeting, the Lakers felt a need to land either Paul George or Kawhi Leonard before signing LeBron, with the hopes that would make the decision all the more easier. When James and Johnson met, James told him that he had no issue being the first big name to arrive and be the foundation to build something new. The relationship between the two men didn’t the Lakers chances either, as people around LeBron saw his excitement about the aspect of working with Johnson.

After the meeting ended, as Saturday night gave way to Sunday morning and afternoon, James was preparing to leave for another vacation, this time just him and wife Savannah. After taking off for Europe, he called Paul and simply said “Call the Lakers”. Paul did just that, then called the Cavs to let them know the decision had been made. The final step was sending out a simple press release via twitter to make it official.

The Lakers have an incredible legacy, which is not something lost on James. Winning even just one championship with them could send his personal legacy to even new heights. It won’t be easy, especially with teams like the Warriors and Rockets lurking but at this stage of his career, James is only concerned with what he can do to add more rings to the collection and clearly he felt that Los Angeles was the best place for him to try and do so.

Written by @IamJoeSports

Jul 2, 2018 No Comments
LeBron James Has Agreed To A Four Year, $154 Million Dollar Deal With The Lakers

LeBron James Has Agreed To A Four Year, $154 Million Dollar Deal With The Lakers

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by | Jul 2, 2018 | Featured, NBA

LeBron James will be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers next season after it was announced he agreed to a four year, $154 million dollar deal with the team. The news was first revealed by Klutch Sports, whom represent James.

Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, as well as Lakers fans worldwide are collectively breathing a sigh of relief now that the deal is done. It was starting to look as though the team wouldn’t land any marquee free agents, let alone the biggest one in James. Lonzo Ball was among the excited people when the deal was announced.

This is the next and final step in LeBron James’ legacy and you know he would not agree to go there unless some type of plan was in place to compete for championships. The Lakers current roster doesn’t scream out contender at all but there are still reports that Kawhi Leonard prefers to be there above anywhere else, as well as the Lakers continued interest in DeMarcus Cousins.

According to Brian Windhorst, the press release from Klutch will be the only statement anyone related to James will make at this time.

The Western Conference just got that much more intense, while numerous general managers and players in the Eastern Conference will be happy to see him go.

Written by @IamJoeSports

Jul 2, 2018 No Comments
What The Thunder Should Do With Carmelo Anthony

What The Thunder Should Do With Carmelo Anthony

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by | Jul 1, 2018 | Featured, NBA

The first 12 hours of the 2018 NBA free agency period have been absolutely massive for Oklahoma City. They re-signed star Paul George on a 4-year, $137 million max contract and were also able to secure Jerami Grant for $27 million over the next 3 years.

This is huge for the Thunder. For the first time in a while, they have a secure core that is locked up for the next several years. Sam Presti and seemingly Russell Westbrook did an amazing job reeling PG back in, and it’s time to build even more from here.

OKC has a good amount of young talent that will continue to develop and mold together extremely well. Think Steven Adams, Grant, and Andre Roberson. In fact, those three will most likely end up as the team’s starting squad alongside Westbrook and George.

This brings up the whole issue with Carmelo Anthony. From a salary cap perspective, with 11 players their payroll for the 2018-19 season is $156 million. Due to the repeater tax penalty, the franchise would owe the largest tax bill in NBA history. They would owe $130 million dollars.

Take a peek at Carmelo’s stats last season. He started 78 games for the Thunder, shooting a split of 40.4-35.7-76.7 while averaging by far a career low 16.6 points per game. It’s the first time his scoring average has gone south of 20, but it’s not like he made up for it by passing more. Melo averaged another career low of 1.3 assists, and at this point it seems like both parties should split.

He opted into his $27.9 million option for next season, which is a hindrance for Oklahoma city. On the bright side, there’s a way out of it all. There’s two actually, and that is for the team to either buy out or stretch the hefty contract.

Buying it out would essentially be ripping off an old Band Aid. They give him his money and both sides go their own separate ways. It doesn’t feel good, but it has to be done. On the side of stretching it out, the Thunder could pay him about $9.3 million each year for the next 3 seasons.

By using the waive-and-stretch method, it would save them $91 million in taxes this year. Remember though, that his $9 or so million still would impact the salary cap over the next several years. It’s a whole lot cheaper than the alternative in one year though, so stretching it might just be the Thunder’s best option.

If the Thunder can convince Melo to take a bench role, besides his contract he would be a positive contributor to the team. He was hesitant last season to lose his starting spot, so who knows. The final option for OKC is to find a trade for him. Almost any trade would be worth accepting immediately, considering few teams would want to take on the burden of his contract while offering up any good pieces.

The Thunder are in a good spot, and correctly handling Carmelo Anthony’s contract by stretching it would put them in a great one. Keeping Paul George was a very important step in the search of a championship, and Presti needs to continue making the right choices if he wants to be holding a Larry O’Brien Trophy within the next few years.

Jul 1, 2018 No Comments
Derrick Rose To Sign One Year Minimum Deal With Minnesota But Adidas Will Pay Him Much More

Derrick Rose To Sign One Year Minimum Deal With Minnesota But Adidas Will Pay Him Much More

NBA

by | Jul 1, 2018 | NBA

Derrick Rose is no longer the superstar point guard he once was before all the injuries but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t getting paid like one. He will reportedly sign a one year deal with the Timberwolves for the minimum, which on the surface doesn’t sound like much money at all but there is a catch.

By simply being on an NBA roster next season, his contract with Adidas kicks in and they will pay him more than $14.5 million dollars for the 2018-19 season, as per Nick DePaula. Rose will wear the DRose 9 signature sneaker. The money from Adidas doesn’t stop there. His endorsement deal with them was a 14 year deal, meaning as long as he continues to make a roster, the checks in the millions will continue to come in. For the 2019-20 season for example, Rose would be guaranteed $12.5 million from Adidas alone, regardless of what his NBA contract would be.

Add it all up and Rose is still doing very well for himself financially. If only the same could be said about his game on the court. There is still a contingent of fans, myself included, who love Rose and hope he can one day show the flash and skill that turned him into a superstar in the first place. If that never winds up happening, at the very least he can enjoy life knowing generations of his family should never have to worry about money. His negotiated deal with Adidas is recognized as one of the best of all time for an athlete.

Written by @IamJoeSports

Jul 1, 2018 No Comments
2018 NBA Free Agency Tracker

2018 NBA Free Agency Tracker

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by | Jul 1, 2018 | Featured, NBA

We are now full on into NBA Free Agency and boy has it been hectic. The deals were flying fast and furious after 12:01am and if you blinked you may have missed something. Check out the Free Agency tracker below to get caught up on all the moves. We will keep this list updated as new deals occur.

Please keep in mind all of these deals have been agreed to in principle, as contracts can not be signed just yet. We have to provide that disclosure because we all know what happened with DeAndre Jordan back in 2015.

The list will be continuously updated as more deals happen:

Kevin Durant – Two year deal for $61.5 million with the Warriors, with player option for second year.

Paul George – Four year deal for $137 million with the Thunder, with player option for fourth year.

Chris Paul – Four year deal for $160 million with the Rockets.

Will Barton – Four year deal for $50 million with the Nuggets, with player option for fourth year.

Nikola Jokic – Five year deal for $148 million with the Nuggets.

Rudy Gay – One year deal for $10 million with the Spurs.

DeAndre Jordan – One year deal for $24.1 million with the Mavericks.

Trevor Ariza – One year deal for $15 million with the Suns.

Derrick Rose – One year deal for $2.1 million with the Timberwolves.

Doug McDermott – Three year deal for $22 million with the Pacers.

Joe Harris – Two year deal for $16 million with the Nets.

Jerami Grant – Three year deal for $27 million with the Thunder, with player option for third year.

Ed Davis – One year deal for $4.4 million with the Nets.

Gerald Green – One year deal for $2.4 million with the Rockets.

Marco Belinelli – Two year deal for $12 million with the Spurs.

Omri Casspi – One year deal with the Grizzlies. Terms undisclosed as of now.

Ersan Ilyasova – Three year deal for $21 million with the Bucks, with third year non-guaranteed.

Aron Baynes – Two year deal for $11 million with the Celtics, with player option for second year.

Fred VanVleet – Two year deal for $18 million with the Raptors.

Nik Stauskas – One year deal for league minimum with the Blazers.

Glenn Robinson III – Two year deal for $8.3 million with the Pistons, with team option for second year.

Salah Mejri – One year deal for $1.6 million with the Mavericks.

LeBron James – Four year deal for $154 million with the Lakers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – One year deal for $12 million with the Lakers.

Mario Hezonja – One year deal for $6.5 million with the Knicks.

Lance Stephenson – One year deal for $4.5 million with the Lakers.

Elfrid Payton – One year deal with the Pelicans.

Javale McGee – One year deal with the Lakers for the minimum.

J.J. Redick – One year deal for $12-13 million with the Sixers.

Nerlens Noel – Two year deal with the Thunder, with player option for the second year.

Derrick Favors – Two year deal for $36 million + with the Jazz.

Rajon Rondo – One year deal for $9 million with the Lakers.

Julius Randle – Two year deal for $18 million with the Pelicans, with player option for the second year.

DeMarcus Cousins – One year deal for $5.3 million with the Warriors.

Seth Curry – Two year deal for $2.75 million with the Blazers, with player option for the second year.

Avery Bradley – Two year deal for $25 million with the Clippers.

Michael Carter-Williams – One year deal for the minimum with the Rockets.

Tyreke Evans – One year deal for $12 million with the Pacers.

Raul Neto – Two year deal with the Jazz.

Dante Exum – Three year deal for $33 million with the Jazz.

Dwight Howard – One year deal for MLE with the Wizards.

Kevin Looney – One year deal for the minimum with the Warriors.

Raymond Felton – One year deal with the Thunder.

Devin Booker – Five year extension for $158 million with the Suns.

Jeff Green – One year deal for $2.5 million with the Wizards.

Amir Johnson – One year deal with the Sixers.

Kyle O’Quinn – One year deal for $4.5 million with the Pacers.

 

 

Written by @IamJoeSports

 

Jul 1, 2018 No Comments