While the 2019 NBA season is drawing near to the end, three things are on NBA fans’ minds worldwide: Who’ll come out on top in the NBA Finals, the NBA Draft, and of course, Free Agency. The list of free agents this year has a wide range of key players and superstars for their respective teams, so we’ll be looking at each team with notable free agents and potentially where these players will end up in the season to come.
The Boston Celtics’ roster this season had much more depth in comparison to the other teams around the league. This can however, lead to issues with minute distribution, which happened to be the case for Celtic guards Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier. It also just so happens that both players are Free Agents this coming offseason, Irving under a Player Option and Rozier listed as Restricted. Looking at the situation there are a couple of different scenarios that can possibly play out, that being where one leaves and the other stays, or both players leave in search of a better fit. It has been reported that Rozier felt that he “took a backseat” this season with Irving coming back into the starting line-up and with Marcus Smart becoming the next man up in front of him. So although it is unclear to say where we will see Terry Rozier next season, it is almost certain it will no longer be in a Celtic uniform. On the other hand, rumors have already circulated that Kyrie has been looking to either the Brooklyn Nets or the Los Angeles Lakers for next season. This decision, if reports are true, will be entirely based on whether or not Irving wants to try his hand at being the leader of a team again or reunite with LeBron James in the City of Angels.
While still on the topic of guard free agents, the Charlotte Hornets have recently stated that they are exploring their options in terms of trading Kemba Walker. Kemba Walker has spent his entire career with the Hornets once the Bobcats, and has gained the admiration of the entire city as well as many others. If Walker were to be traded away, it would be a team in need of a veteran point guard with a leadership presence. There a plethora of teams that can use a guard of Kemba’s caliber, from the Phoenix Suns to even the Miami Heat.
Whether or not the Golden State Warriors win a championship this season, their toughest battle will occur during the offseason with a multitude of contracts coming to their close. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins will all become Free Agents at the end of this season, and teams around the league, the Warriors organization included, are hoping to gain interest from any of these players. Durant rumors have been spreading since near the All Star break when seen speaking to other Free Agent Kyrie Irving, where people worldwide were expecting the two to team up somewhere once the season was over. Although Kyrie rumors have expanded to other teams, Durant’s initial speculation was that he was to go to the New York Knicks. However recent reports have been saying that Durant may be electing to stay with the Warriors after Nike had released a KD Trey shirt listing cities and teams he has played for, with one of the cities being “San Francisco” rather than “Oakland”. People have begun to think that since the Warriors will be relocating to San Francisco, Durant will extend his contract and stay with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. Klay Thompson has received little exposure in terms of his Free Agency compared to Durant, but reports have stated that if the Warriors do not offer Thompson a max deal this offseason, he is likely to be playing for the Clippers next season. There were also reports of Thompson feeling unhappy about his situation with the Warriors during the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets. Now although no one knows that the statements are true, organizations and players have the idea of Klay Thompson on their minds. Wrapping up the Golden State trio of Free Agents, DeMarcus Cousins signed a one-year deal to the Warriors after a very short stint in New Orleans a season prior. Cousins hasn’t received as many rumors, if any in the media as of recently. There were statements being made during the earlier half of the season saying that DeMarcus, if not hoping to re-sign with the Warriors, could be a high caliber player that the Lakers can sign to play with LeBron James, especially since that Anthony Davis has eyes from virtually every team around the league. There were also rumors that Cousins could make his return to Sacramento and play with team he spent the majority of his career with.
And on that note be on the lookout in the next couple of days for more Free Agent talk about the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
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