2025 NBA Season

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

.... I can't believe the Suns earlier planned to let go of Ayton.

It's all part of negotiations in business. I read that Ayton was eligible for a $179 million contract and it's safe to say his agent pushed for that figure. The Suns were patient enough and explored other options until the $133 Million offer from Pacers. Ayton and his agent probably realized they couldn't squeeze more so they just settled with that amount. Suns management played their card well and got him at a cheaper price.

I think the agent just wants that opportunity of a lifetime or Ayton and to part ways isn't that bad all the time on both parties. Good thing that they got him, maybe Ayton love already the vibes on the Sun and he's been with them for years already so a $40 millions lower isn't huge for him compare to what he learnt throughout the organization.

Yes, probably it was a good ploy by his agent that time, allow Pacers to offer them that huge money. And if Phoenix doesn't counter then good, he can sign with the Pacers with that huge money. But if the Suns management find Ayton and willing to give him his money for his performance then good as well, so it's a win-win situation for DA. Now it's time for him to show the management that he is really worth that much. Bring a ring with CP3 and Booker, sort of their big 3.

[Vaculin]

.... I can't believe the Suns earlier planned to let go of Ayton.

It's all part of negotiations in business. I read that Ayton was eligible for a $179 million contract and it's safe to say his agent pushed for that figure. The Suns were patient enough and explored other options until the $133 Million offer from Pacers. Ayton and his agent probably realized they couldn't squeeze more so they just settled with that amount. Suns management played their card well and got him at a cheaper price.

I think the agent just wants that opportunity of a lifetime or Ayton and to part ways isn't that bad all the time on both parties. Good thing that they got him, maybe Ayton love already the vibes on the Sun and he's been with them for years already so a $40 millions lower isn't huge for him compare to what he learnt throughout the organization.

Yes, probably it was a good ploy by his agent that time, allow Pacers to offer them that huge money. And if Phoenix doesn't counter then good, he can sign with the Pacers with that huge money. But if the Suns management find Ayton and willing to give him his money for his performance then good as well, so it's a win-win situation for DA. Now it's time for him to show the management that he is really worth that much. Bring a ring with CP3 and Booker, sort of their big 3.

Bring a ring? Well, that's an ultimate success but I don't think that's possible with the current roster.

The big 3 are not enough to win a championship, they were the favorite last season but they messed up when they get upset by the Dallas Mavericks.
I don't know if what they can improve but I believe they need another superstar to increase their chances.

[LogitechMouse]

Brooklyn is now disbanding as well with Kryie and KD might be leaving soon.

There's no reason for the management to keep them as they are already demanding a trade.
However, it's still the management's decision if they will let go of them or just wait until they can find a great trade opportunity.

I have read an article online, and you might want to read it if you have time. Here is the link: LINK
On that article, there is one tweet saying:

“Everyone pretty much knows KD probably isn’t winning any titles, not without Steph, which is why no one wants to mortgage the farm for him.”

I think this is the reason why Durant isn't being traded until now. Many teams believe that Durant can't carry a team, and I believe too that he can't. He tried in OKC, and he failed, he also tried in Brooklyn, and he failed. He only won a championship when he went with the Warriors with Steph.

With this, there might be a chance that both Kyrie and KD might stay with the Nets because there are no traction or news regarding them being traded.

[Japinat]

.....
It's clear to see that his production has fallen off a cliff and he no longer has the athleticism to draw fouls on drives.  That is taking away from his ability to get defenders to fall for his moves and allow him to get open step back three point shots off.

I'm not really sure if that's the case on his athleticism. Maybe he wouldn't change his playing style if the rule on foul baiting wasn't changed by the league last season. He was one of those guys getting a lot of free throws and criticized for drawing fouls by getting contact from defenders in an unnatural way after all. Refs don't call most of them now.

He was forced to change his style because he was the face why the rule has changed last off season and this is not the first time that the NBA was forced to change a rule because there is a player who is smart enough to override the said rule. Now, he's having a hard time because he's playing that since he emerged in NBA but hopefully he can overcome that and adopt a new style that will help him acquire a ring.

[dwyane36]

Yes, probably it was a good ploy by his agent that time, allow Pacers to offer them that huge money. And if Phoenix doesn't counter then good, he can sign with the Pacers with that huge money. But if the Suns management find Ayton and willing to give him his money for his performance then good as well, so it's a win-win situation for DA. Now it's time for him to show the management that he is really worth that much. Bring a ring with CP3 and Booker, sort of their big 3.

Bring a ring? Well, that's an ultimate success but I don't think that's possible with the current roster.

The big 3 are not enough to win a championship, they were the favorite last season but they messed up when they get upset by the Dallas Mavericks.
I don't know if what they can improve but I believe they need another superstar to increase their chances.

It seems to me that the Suns management doesn't need to sign a contract with another superstar after they signed Ayton. At the same time, there is no doubt that the Suns definitely need to change something up and improve their current roster a bit, especially the bench. The problem is that the Suns have dominated the regular season for two years in a row, but they still have no success in the playoffs.

[Reid]

Lacob criticizes 'unfair' luxury tax that penalizes Warriors

But aside from Wiggins and free agents signed to veteran minimum contracts last summer, the Warriors were a team full of players they drafted and developed. And it's for that reason that Lacob isn't a fan of the current luxury tax situation implemented by the league.

"The truth is, we're only $40 million more than the luxury tax. Now, that's not small but it's not a massive number. We're $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax. And what I consider to be unfair and I'm going to say it on this podcast and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening ... and obviously it's self-serving for me to say this, but I think it's a very unfair system because our team is built by -- all top eight players are all drafted by this team."

I understand what Lacob is trying to point out.
Their three guys Steph, Klay, and Draymond where not really superstars to begin with. All of them did massive work to obtain wherever they are right now.
I guess we could say the system is not perfect and perhaps the NBA should also look into this.
Same case with Dirk Nowitzki who was built by the Mavs until he became a champion thru hard work.

But if you're developing your own guys and paying Steph Curry what he deserves and Klay Thompson what he's earned, why am I paying $200 million in luxury tax? I don't think that's fair."

But if the NBA change some rule about the luxury tax it may became another flaw and other teams will take advantage of it.

[freedomgo]

Harden will be 33 this August and after 2 years, he might be leaving his prime and his body will start to deteriorate and will be slower. If Harden is that desperate to win a title, he must do it in the upcoming season or next season or his chances to win will decrease. Harden's performance in the Sixers last season isn't the same as he is in Houston or even in Brooklyn. I hope that him and Embiid will be a good duo now that they have more time playing together and I hope both of them will not get any injuries because both of them are injury-prone.

The addition of Tucker is good actually because he is a good defensive player and a decent three-point shooter.

Harden has already been out of his prime for at least two seasons. In addition, his performance in the past playoffs was one of the worst in his career. By the way, it seemed to me Embiid was also disappointed in Harden, given that Joel said that Harden is no longer the same as he was in the Rockets. Anyway, it will still be interesting to see if Harden is able to improve his performance and win the first title next season or not.

I cannot really say that he's been out of his prime because he is still at the right age to do the same performance, it's just that he's now unable to do what he used to because NBA changed the rules because of the way he plays. For me, it was quite unfair to change it because NBA is not about all talent and sometimes it requires more IQ to outsmart the talented ones.
But yea, the rule has already changed. Harden needs to move on and do all the things he can improve because he is now on a team that could bring him his first ever championship ring that he wanted since then. Let's just give the man a chance before we conclude that he was already out of his prime.

[danherbias07]

I cannot really say that he's been out of his prime because he is still at the right age to do the same performance, it's just that he's now unable to do what he used to because NBA changed the rules because of the way he plays. For me, it was quite unfair to change it because NBA is not about all talent and sometimes it requires more IQ to outsmart the talented ones.
But yea, the rule has already changed. Harden needs to move on and do all the things he can improve because he is now on a team that could bring him his first ever championship ring that he wanted since then. Let's just give the man a chance before we conclude that he was already out of his prime.

He is one of the guards that was hit hard by the rule change regarding the fouls. Others were Trae and Steph.
He cannot do that hook style anymore for the defender to commit a foul and then other kinds of stuff which are mostly outside shots after a bump.
Yes, he had a hard time adjusting but I do believe he is not yet at the age to be out of his prime, the speed may not be the same but he had the experience to patch it up.
Doc Rivers will make him a playmaker and Maxie will be the runner if they need a fastbreak but most of their offense will surely come from Embiid and who will be best to make the assist, Harden it is.

[Oasisman]

Yes, probably it was a good ploy by his agent that time, allow Pacers to offer them that huge money. And if Phoenix doesn't counter then good, he can sign with the Pacers with that huge money. But if the Suns management find Ayton and willing to give him his money for his performance then good as well, so it's a win-win situation for DA. Now it's time for him to show the management that he is really worth that much. Bring a ring with CP3 and Booker, sort of their big 3.

Bring a ring? Well, that's an ultimate success but I don't think that's possible with the current roster.

The big 3 are not enough to win a championship, they were the favorite last season but they messed up when they get upset by the Dallas Mavericks.
I don't know if what they can improve but I believe they need another superstar to increase their chances.

Same thoughts. They had 2 opportunity to win a title. They blew up the first one and they made it worst in the 2nd run.
Their line up is pretty solid, I'm not quite sure what's really lacking, but I'm thinking better play execution, consistency, and being healthy all throughout the playoffs. Being fully health will give them a momentum boost.
They don't need another superstars, they just need to find a way to make things work for their big 3 and the supporting players.

[mirakal]

Center Deandre Ayton just re-signed with the Phoenix Suns for a $133 million 4-year contract. I can't believe the Suns earlier planned to let go of Ayton. They could've not played in the western finals this season and the finals itself last season without Ayton.   

In Philly. I really like James Harden sacrificing his contract in order to sign more players the 76ers badly needed. They got P.J. Tucker and Daniel House now, all of them former Rockets teammates and chemistry should not be hard to re-establish especially on Tucker. 

The Suns was dumb enough for considering to let go of Ayton after helping them last season, I bet they won't go that far and have a without him because as far as I can tell, the farthest game that they can go was just against the Mavericks but will end up losing in that 2nd round. The Suns was also dumber because they wasted more millions of money, they could've saved more money if they had offered him much earlier but they haven't, now their hands was tied and forced to match the offer of Pacer.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, seems that James Harden is really inclined to have his first ring this coming season because he's really trying to bring all the assets that the team needs to enhance their chances this time.

[chaser15]

The Suns was dumb enough for considering to let go of Ayton after helping them last season, I bet they won't go that far and have a without him because as far as I can tell, the farthest game that they can go was just against the Mavericks but will end up losing in that 2nd round.

That's not a dumb move if there's already a problem inside between Ayton and the management. Why stay or keep a player if something like that happened. But good thing it's now all good because of good talks and everything is now done deal. Ayton's agent I think is the reason why the contract signing was delayed.

And even with Ayton, don't get hyped with Phoenix Suns. They all choked on their last game last playoffs where they allow to be behind by 30+ points in their Game 7 match. How can they be a contender again if something like that happened against the underdog and even has the 2-0 advantage on that series.

[jostorres]

I cannot really say that he's been out of his prime because he is still at the right age to do the same performance, it's just that he's now unable to do what he used to because NBA changed the rules because of the way he plays. For me, it was quite unfair to change it because NBA is not about all talent and sometimes it requires more IQ to outsmart the talented ones.
But yea, the rule has already changed. Harden needs to move on and do all the things he can improve because he is now on a team that could bring him his first ever championship ring that he wanted since then. Let's just give the man a chance before we conclude that he was already out of his prime.

Harden definitely still could play amazingly. Just because he hasn't been at his peak for a while, doesn't mean he is going down and playing badly. This dude played with 21 ppg, 10+ assists and 7 rebounds per game for the sixers. I mean think about it, that's what we are going to see this year as well, maybe he will score a bit more, but that's the thing he is good at.

If you are looking for a person who could score like that and still have 10+ assist numbers that's going to be quite difficult. At the end of the day he is still an easy all-star level player, not even barely. Just let him run free and he will dominate along with Embiid, that duo will be much better than him with any other duo he was part of.

[Yogee]

It all makes sense to me. Don't put it on the team why Ayton's performance declined. Blame it on the player since  he was still under contract and he's expected to perform. He's become unprofessional if what you're saying is true.

They benched him though in the third quarter of Game 7. It is an important game and you bench your best center, that  means something. Hopefully, they sort this out next season.

btc_angela was talking about how Ayton's performance was affected by the non-renewal of his contract so I responded that that's on the player. What happened in game 7 is on the coach and also not on the team management unless they called Monty Williams during the game to do that.

.....
Doc Rivers will make him a playmaker

That's what I really want to see. He may not reach the level of CP3 but it will prolong his career if he'll be more focus on creating opportunities for his teammates. He'll be more dangerous.

[Baofeng]

Another rumor, Lakers re-engage with the Pacers, trying to get Hield?

Probably this is a back up plan for them, if they are not going to get Kyrie, at least a good back up point guard?

It could be THT/Nunn or maybe future pick (maybe too much to include this one) for Hield or

Hield/Turner for Westbrook.

What do you think?

[passwordnow]

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, seems that James Harden is really inclined to have his first ring this coming season because he's really trying to bring all the assets that the team needs to enhance their chances this time.

He said in a statement that he's not the same James Harden anymore, he's completely new and different. There's something with those words and he's really gonna be focusing on taking this season's ring. No offense to him as he's an MVP before but other teams are also strong and have the same goal as him.
Just as they say, "may the best team win".

[goinmerry]

Harden definitely still could play amazingly. Just because he hasn't been at his peak for a while, doesn't mean he is going down and playing badly. This dude played with 21 ppg, 10+ assists and 7 rebounds per game for the sixers. I mean think about it, that's what we are going to see this year as well, maybe he will score a bit more, but that's the thing he is good at.

In fairness to James Harden, even though already considered out of his prime, he is still consistent in getting good numbers. Since departing from the Houston Rockets, he has a good average and stats playing at the Brooklyn Nets and some few games in the Philadelphia Sixers, especially in the playoffs.

It means chemistry is not a problem with James Harden and he easily adapts to the Sixers system even though there's already a main scorer there.

It also shows that Harden is a good pair and better duo with a player on another position and not the same type as his unlike on his previous teams where he shared roles with other main scorers in the PG and SG position making it a bit of hard execution in making good plays.

[OgNasty]

Another rumor, Lakers re-engage with the Pacers, trying to get Hield?

Probably this is a back up plan for them, if they are not going to get Kyrie, at least a good back up point guard?

It could be THT/Nunn or maybe future pick (maybe too much to include this one) for Hield or

Hield/Turner for Westbrook.

What do you think?

I think they've reached the point where their best offer is on the table for Kyrie and the Nets best offer is on the table for Westbrook.  Now it seems like the Lakers are trying to find a backup trade to either make sure they don't get stuck with Westbrook or to put the pressure on the Nets to make a deal to get rid of their Kyrie problem.

As far as the new trade talks...  I think getting Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield for Westbrook would make the Lakers a much better team.  I'd still rather see Kyrie in a Lakers uniform though.

[wheelz1200]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34273332/sources-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-agree-two-year-686-million-deal

It's official Harden inked for another 2 years restructuring his contract.  He has made his dough and people saying he is sacrificing for the team, didn't he only have 1 year left anyway so now he locks in for 2 more years with the sixers.  I get it he lowered his per year but avoids dealing with free agency and still banking 66 mil over 2 years.  All the while staying in his preferred city.

[harizen]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34273332/sources-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-agree-two-year-686-million-deal

It's official Harden inked for another 2 years restructuring his contract.  He has made his dough and people saying he is sacrificing for the team, didn't he only have 1 year left anyway so now he locks in for 2 more years with the sixers.  I get it he lowered his per year but avoids dealing with free agency and still banking 66 mil over 2 years.  All the while staying in his preferred city.

A good move though since after all, changing teams won't help him at this point. He already build a good relationship with the Sixers within just a short time and that's a good sign that he is really fit for the team.

After all, the Sixers don't have any reliable point guard at this point that's why keeping Harden is the best move they do so far this off-season.

But they shouldn't stop on that as it's been several seasons already where they always ended up in the failed rally. Joel Embiid's "trust the process" program doesn't show yet any good improvements for years even though he is having monster stats every season.

What's the problem? Consistent and reliable teammates.

[agustina2]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34273332/sources-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-agree-two-year-686-million-deal

It's official Harden inked for another 2 years restructuring his contract.  He has made his dough and people saying he is sacrificing for the team, didn't he only have 1 year left anyway so now he locks in for 2 more years with the sixers.  I get it he lowered his per year but avoids dealing with free agency and still banking 66 mil over 2 years.  All the while staying in his preferred city.

According to the article, he has a player option in his 2nd year, which was on the 2023-24 season.

What's the possible thing that can happen for him after his 1st year in the Sixers?

- if the Sixers are still a failed team next season, Harden might use his option to become a free agent again and finds another team
- if the Sixers finished decently next season, maybe ECF or NBA Finals, he might stay on the team