2025 NBA Season

[Baofeng]

Howard and Cousins could be a good back up center.

I would like to see the Suns pick up Howard for a back up role but I'm not sure if they have the cap space since resigning Ayton. I really wanna see CP3 get a ring but I doubt it happens.

In terms of defense, the Suns have it already, but even an old Howard could not stop Giannis as he really can dominate inside. Suns have to play as a team as the Warriors did, they have Booker and CP3 as their superstars but their level of consistency dropped last season.

I was thinking more of giving Ayton a chance to rest a little more often in the games and not losing much on the defensive side in doing so.

Definitely Howard can fill the defensive presence on the court, we may call him an "old Howard" but he can still do his job to help the team. But with Dwight's Howard attitude, I hope he will not destroy the good chemistry of the team, that's the only downside I see of signing him.

When he went to the Lakers with their run on the bubble, Howard wasn't a problem in and out of the court for the Lakers. Sure he still have that antics, nevertheless he has proven himself to be effective playing the center with Anthony Davis.

Same when he moved to Sixers, no issues whatsoever with him and Joel Embiid. So not sure what you mean by attitude because it seems that he has matured already and knows where to have that "good attitude" inserted. And he didn't destroy the good chemistry in Sixers, it's that he was not a perfect fit, that's the way I look at it and that's why they have given him up and Lakers pick him up again to play last season. But right now, no teams are interested on his service.

[Yaunfitda]

Which of these players do you think will find a new home before the season starts?
My picks are Demarcus Cousins and Dennis Schroder.
Cousins made a big effort during the Nuggets' run and produced good numbers and I think that's the first team that should sign him.
Schroder is young. Can be rebuilt and might make a career leading the bench team.

Wow, can't believe Schroder does not have a contract yet. He was performing really well back in Oklahoma. Did his level of playing dropped that significantly after Lakers? He is too young to belong in that group. Hope he gets a contract and prove himself once again.

It was more of him getting injured, but I still he can still play, he was still in his prime. But we will have to see once he can go back again, that is if he has to found some teams that is willing to take the risk on him after getting injured. Even with the Lakers, with Lebron, they seems to have a good chemistry, and only he can answer why he doesn't want to sign that huge contract, he could have save his career with the Lakers and who knows, it might be a different path for them.

[yazher]

Wow, can't believe Schroder does not have a contract yet. He was performing really well back in Oklahoma. Did his level of playing dropped that significantly after Lakers? He is too young to belong in that group. Hope he gets a contract and prove himself once again.

The man was amazing indeed when he was playing in OKC and that's why after that he got multiple offers but it seems like his luck runs down when he was playing in Lakers where he didn't get any good offers because he seems to play average like a role player. He needs to step up and make his own name but seems he was in Lakers back then, he can't really take the spotlight, and also when he missed some crucial shots, the fans blame him and that's one of the reasons his image is got damaged and his value decreases.

[btc_angela]

Which of these players do you think will find a new home before the season starts?
My picks are Demarcus Cousins and Dennis Schroder.
Cousins made a big effort during the Nuggets' run and produced good numbers and I think that's the first team that should sign him.
Schroder is young. Can be rebuilt and might make a career leading the bench team.

Wow, can't believe Schroder does not have a contract yet. He was performing really well back in Oklahoma. Did his level of playing dropped that significantly after Lakers? He is too young to belong in that group. Hope he gets a contract and prove himself once again.

It was more of him getting injured, but I still he can still play, he was still in his prime. But we will have to see once he can go back again, that is if he has to found some teams that is willing to take the risk on him after getting injured. Even with the Lakers, with Lebron, they seems to have a good chemistry, and only he can answer why he doesn't want to sign that huge contract, he could have save his career with the Lakers and who knows, it might be a different path for them.

Well there were interviews on Dennis on why he turned down the Lakers, and if you have to read between the line, he is not comfortable with the Lakers and that's why he has to leave, I think it's fair enough. He even mentioned that him and his family are doing well in Germany, so maybe he has save a lot of money through his young NBA career. However, he is still very young and can play and we don't know the money that he has in his bank account is enough for his lifestyle to stay that way. Sooner or later he will have to play, and for us, his decision not to sign that huge contract is regrettable.

[danherbias07]

Wow, can't believe Schroder does not have a contract yet. He was performing really well back in Oklahoma. Did his level of playing dropped that significantly after Lakers? He is too young to belong in that group. Hope he gets a contract and prove himself once again.

Half of it may be because of that mistake he did, not taking the large sum of money offered by the Lakers. 
But I still believe he is a guy who could contribute. Maybe he can aim for the sixth man of the year rather than forcing himself on the frontlines.

I am happy I see different answers.
The other names that were said, like Dwight and Melo, are next to my list that I want to be signed as immediately as possible.
Specially Melo who really loves playing ball and we can still see the fire in him, unlike other veterans.
No votes for IT? Charlotte said they might get him back.

[YuginKadoya]

There is a reason why the Warriors will not give Draymond Green that 4-year max contract he wants because next summer the Warriors management will face the same situation and have to make another difficult decision where the contracts of Poole, Wiggins, and Thompson will be needed to have an extension. The team honestly cannot afford to give max contracts to all of their main line-up and there will be a day that they needed to vacate their older players, but yes, that's up to Bob Myers as he knew what to do in these kind of situations.

Yes, they will likely give him a max contract for this season just like Stephen Curry, and this is really a hard decision for the Warriors next season, they would need to pick who's gonna go and who's going to stay, and it is likely that they will still give Curry the amount he deserves, and for me, Draymond Green defensive plays were really crucial for the Warriors they needed his IQ on the defense and Draymond Green can surely make deep Threes aswell and can make offense in any position, that is how well-rounded he is, so they surely need Draymond Green now, but they surely will having trouble with the other warriors when their potential was unleashed, they can not make them stay for so long on the team,

Definitely Howard can fill the defensive presence on the court, we may call him an "old Howard" but he can still do his job to help the team. But with Dwight's Howard attitude, I hope he will not destroy the good chemistry of the team, that's the only downside I see of signing him.

If the Lakers could at least make it to the Quarterfinals I think the management will not have a hard time with their problem with Russell Westbrook, and if Dwight Howard can coup up fast with that chemistry he lacks then the Lakers could surely make a change with their pace for the next season, I think that the Lakers is still a team with such potential to rock the finals if they could always be healthy and no more injuries involve in any players they have then this season can be slick for them, but the recent rumor for trades are still not finished and the latest right now is Kevin Durant having a meeting with Joe Tsai and a possible trade would eventually roll but not for Kevin Durant but for Kyrie Irving instead well this could open up trade between Kyrie Irving and the Lakers, and Kevin Durant will likely to stay on the Nets for good,

[Reid]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10044310-celtics-winners-and-losers-from-2022-nba-free-agency

Celtics Winners and Losers from 2022 NBA Free Agency

Loser: Payton Pritchard
After seeing his floor time shrink as a sophomore and drag most of his stat categories down with it, Payton Pritchard entered the offseason with a simple objective in mind.

"My first goal is finding consistent minutes every night and gaining the trust where I can be out there 20 minutes a night or more without it fluctuating," he told reporters.

I like this dude. Defensive awareness is high but he needs to be better at the offensive end if he want to be a ball handler for the Celtics 2nd team.
The problem now is they have Brogdon which I think will handle most of that. But, he could still be his wingman and prove his worth to go all the way up although there's still Derrick White.
He did play 30 minutes against the Miami Heat, listing 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. It gets better, just 1 turnover. Checking his stats, most of his games played at 10-15 minutes are 0 or 1 turnover.

[carlisle1]

Howard and Cousins could be a good back up center.

I would like to see the Suns pick up Howard for a back up role but I'm not sure if they have the cap space since resigning Ayton. I really wanna see CP3 get a ring but I doubt it happens.

In terms of defense, the Suns have it already, but even an old Howard could not stop Giannis as he really can dominate inside. Suns have to play as a team as the Warriors did, they have Booker and CP3 as their superstars but their level of consistency dropped last season.

I was thinking more of giving Ayton a chance to rest a little more often in the games and not losing much on the defensive side in doing so.

Definitely Howard can fill the defensive presence on the court, we may call him an "old Howard" but he can still do his job to help the team. But with Dwight's Howard attitude, I hope he will not destroy the good chemistry of the team, that's the only downside I see of signing him.

Given that opportunities, Howard can still play maybe no longer at his prime but in terms of rebounding and play good defense he can still

provide, he can be a good addition in case Sun's decides to sign him, with the IQ of CP3 he can use Howard's presence inside with either a good alley-oop

dunk or both him and Booker have extra confidence taking long shots knowing that Howard will be there to try to have a good offensive rebunds.

[freedomgo]

Curry is a great player I also believe but I wonder how Curry is right now if the Warriors' coach is different and not Kerr. Will they still win titles? Will Curry be the same Curry that we are seeing right now. Will Curry be a unanimous MVP? Will he win 4 titles with the Warriors.

It will be a very different story. A different coach means different offensive and defensive plays. Remember when Curry still runs the offense? He had the ball too much and the defense can easily trap him. Now he moves a lot without the ball and that gave Curry more offensive options. Small change but great effect on the offensive power of the team.

The same story with Jordan. In his early years, he had the ball too much too and the team relies heavily on him. Only when Phil Jackson came in with his triangle offense that some load was offloaded from him and the rest is history. Same team, different coach, different results.

We will never know what could happen to the warriors and Curry if Steve Kerr is not the coach.

Yes, you do really have a point about that because a different coach will have a different strategy and style of attack but that still varies if the coach will be as good as Steve Kerr or with the likes of Phil Jackson but what if Curry will be under a different coach that have only little ideas on improving the roster. Curry will still be special but his talent will be predictable as he'll be playing with the same strategy for years and only do offensive styles.

Nevertheless, the whole roster of the Golden State Warriors is indeed lucky to have Steve Kerr as their head coach because Kerr was a unique player too when he is at his prime and had many experience. We can't say for sure that the Warriors will be in the same situation now if they had a different coach because there's also a chance that they'll be an average team.

[stadus]

They need to develop Robinson's defense because he can really help with his good 3 point shooting. Miami Heat is known to be a defensive team but if they don't have a good outside shooter, their offense will also struggle as they become more predictable.

They've been in the playoffs for years right now and they also have the chance to compete in the NBA finals without LBJ and Wade. That only means they could really be a competent team to win a championship without those two-star players but they really need to fix their offense especially when their three-pointer guys do not work especially in the playoff games where it is crucial every shot they made. I'm sure coach Spoelstra already figured it out that's why they are adding some new capable players to their roosters to fill that positions.

Duncan Robinson failed its expectations of becoming Miami's version of Splash brothers together with Tyler Herro. He obviously needs to work with his defense and including his offense too. He is a trading piece for Miami Heat but the problem is his salary which is too high and it will be difficult to find a trade partner without risking other players or future draft picks.

The Miami Heat cannot reach the eastern conference this season without roster changes. They lost P.J. Tucker and they gained nothing so far except that they are possible to take KD and Mitchell.

The Heat management have nothing to offer if in-case they wanted another all-star caliber like KD and Mitchell, that is the truth they are facing because if they have any special to offer then I really think they had already grabbed KD in their line-up because KD also wanted the Heat if he will be traded.
They will just have to improve their current line-up especially Robinson so that he can help Herro and ease Butler's load because just like as you said, they won't reach any far if there will be no changes in their roster.

[Japinat]

Anyway, let's go back to the current big three of GSW. Looks like we won't be seeing Draymond Green wearing the same jersey because the team won't give him a max contract even if Curry is vocal that he needed Green as well as Thompson to get the team a new title next season. Rumors have it that the Clippers are looking forward to having Green if the said player won't be given the contract.

He won't be going to Clippers if the warriors don't give him max contract. It is rampant in social media that he wanted to team up with lebron. I do not know if it is legit but Green is rumored to have went in a vacation with lebron in Toronto. He also said if they don't give him the max he will be winning it with lebron. I have not confirmed this though since i just saw this in social media. But, if he really go to Lakers with Lebron, does he fit? Green cannot play without the ball since he is a facilitator but in Lakers, lebron have the ball most of the time. The lakers need a scorer which Green is not. He will just be liability in offense just like westbrook.

Yes, he said that but he said that as a joke because he knows that he won't get any offer from the Lakers because of the same fact that he won't be an asset for the Lakers. Well, that is still a rumor just like what I've said but as of now, the Los Angeles Clippers are the ones who are planning to get Green if he won't get a max contract from the Warriors. We will see soon if Bob Myers will agree with what Green wanted.

[hashrateproducts]

Yes, you do really have a point about that because a different coach will have a different strategy and style of attack but that still varies if the coach will be as good as Steve Kerr or with the likes of Phil Jackson but what if Curry will be under a different coach that have only little ideas on improving the roster. Curry will still be special but his talent will be predictable as he'll be playing with the same strategy for years and only do offensive styles.

Nevertheless, the whole roster of the Golden State Warriors is indeed lucky to have Steve Kerr as their head coach because Kerr was a unique player too when he is at his prime and had many experience. We can't say for sure that the Warriors will be in the same situation now if they had a different coach because there's also a chance that they'll be an average team.

The game depends entirely on the strategy the coach applies towards the game. Players ought to abide to the strategy inother to win and generate good qualities. No coach will want to have a squad where his players posses fatigue or error in one way or the other. There is this adage that say "once you're good, you're good". There's absolutely nothing that can stop you, even the coach or the opposition can stop you from gaining winning points. Curry is sharp, brawny and posses the necessary skills and qualities any team needs at the moment to win games and titles. The Golden State warriors should have an impactable teamwork with Steve Kerr because he's one time player and have a lengthy experience in the game.

[mirakal]

Heat could let "some" players go, but they shouldn't start that with their young players. I get that Duncan Robinson (still can't believe Spurs didn't drafted him lol) may had a semi-bad season but he was also great in the playoffs when they made the finals against Lakers, which is a proof that he has it in him, he just doesn't feel like that right now, but will probably feel better in the future. So at the end of the day Lowry seems like the easiest to break, that would be a huge chunk of money gone, get like some rookie or small contract player there, and you could max all the people in there currently and wouldn't have to worry about anything at all.

I agree! They should let go of Lowry because he is not that well enough in contributing the team and we saw his changes in the last conference finals where he is not that productive anymore which Bam and Butler was forced to carry most of the load because Herro was also injured that time. Lowry's body is not that strong anymore with the likes of LeBron and CP3. They should start to invest in their young cores to be the face of their franchise soon while Butler is still there to guide the young ones.

[Vaculin]

Gotcha, yeah he has college level skills but against top college talent he shrieked a little.  I'm on the side that chet will be a bust for the NBA but the future will be very telling.  Will wait until I see him in a few games before I completely pass judgement.

Well, I believe I expressed myself badly in my last comment. But the point of this comparison is that if Holmgren continues with this amazing performance he had in the NCAA and gets an extremely high raise, if that actually happens, Holmgren could even be compared to Durant.

But it is clear, the levels of NBA players are very high compared to NCAA players, I have no doubt that in the beginning he will have a little difficulty adapting.

By the way, in the dimensions of the NBA court is much larger than the NCAA?

The court itself is the same for college and nba, the biggest difference though being the 3 point line in college is closer to the hoop than in the NBA.  But honestly it's not even that he can shoot, it will be him playing against men and not boys like he was in college.  Giannis will abuse chet, AD will slaughter him etc.  They are going to match him up against a center or power forward at best.  It's his defense that will keep him on the bench.

It is expected that Chet will have some struggles at first while adapting to the plays in the NBA because it's a lot different compared to the NCAA, the court is somehow the same but the 3-point line had some differences but the largest difference is that the NBA players are not like the players of NCAA. Chet will adapt just like fine, he just have to endure the likes of Giannis, AD or anyone in the center to pick up some experience along the way.

[el kaka22]

Dennis Schroder is not a bad player, there is no doubt about that but he is asking for a contract bigger than what he can provide to a team and considering the cap makes sure that all teams are almost maxed out, only a few team is left that could afford to sign such a big number and those teams do not look to get a good player to begin with, they prefer getting young rookies so that they could rebuild and be better.

Like even if Orlando had 100 million a year available, why get Dennis when you know that it will not make you that much better? Just tank and get another great pick and you will be able to rebuild faster with each new great rookie.

[Kasabus]

They are quite lucky though because Jimmy Butler is still staying for the team even though he needed to carry the team most of the time, I guess Butler sees the current roster with a huge possibility to help him get another title for the team and his first ring. I can say that the team has a chance if they remain healthy throughout the whole season because in the regular games, they are so lethal.

It speaks a lot about the organization if your star player still wants to stay even though he is carrying tons of load. Miami is a good organization, not just the roster. Remember Jimmy left Philadelphia even though he could have won a ring there with Embiid. They had a good run and almost won the conference and possibly a ring if Kawhi had not shot a lucky shot.  But he left after that because he thinks the organization sucks. And he said a lot about it in an interview after he left.

That is probably the reason why he stayed at the Miami Heat despite of the situations they have, he could have more chance if he will teamed with other heavy all-star caliber players in the league but he chose to stay and probably the team where he will get his first ring. There may be issues with him and coach Spo but that was just a misunderstand which I'm sure they already fixed it in the same day. They surely both know that a misunderstanding will become a hinder to the teams success.

[wheelz1200]

Big names, no home. Yet.
10 of the top remaining NBA unrestricted free agents, including Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins
1. Montrezl Harrell
2. Carmelo Anthony
3. Eric Bledsoe
4. DeMarcus Cousins
5. Avery Bradley
6. LaMarcus Aldridge
7. Dennis Schroder
8. Isaiah Thomas
9. Lou Williams
10. Dwight Howard

Which of these players do you think will find a new home before the season starts?
My picks are Demarcus Cousins and Dennis Schroder.
Cousins made a big effort during the Nuggets' run and produced good numbers and I think that's the first team that should sign him.
Schroder is young. Can be rebuilt and might make a career leading the bench team.

Most will have a place before the season ends.  Can never have enough ball handlers so Schroeder I think finds a home easy, and everyone likes a good 3pt threat so Avery Bradley should find easy as well.  The older fellas will struggle to find a home but I expect preseason someone to get hurt and these guys will eventually get scooped up.

[dwyane36]

When he went to the Lakers with their run on the bubble, Howard wasn't a problem in and out of the court for the Lakers. Sure he still have that antics, nevertheless he has proven himself to be effective playing the center with Anthony Davis.

Same when he moved to Sixers, no issues whatsoever with him and Joel Embiid. So not sure what you mean by attitude because it seems that he has matured already and knows where to have that "good attitude" inserted. And he didn't destroy the good chemistry in Sixers, it's that he was not a perfect fit, that's the way I look at it and that's why they have given him up and Lakers pick him up again to play last season. But right now, no teams are interested on his service.

The preseason is in full swing, and I think it's too early to say that no team is interested in Howard. I won't comment on his negative impact on team chemistry, but it seems to me he could still be useful on the court as a bench player. In addition, signing Howard wouldn't be a costly deal for the management of any team as he would most likely agree to even the minimum salary.

[wheelz1200]

When he went to the Lakers with their run on the bubble, Howard wasn't a problem in and out of the court for the Lakers. Sure he still have that antics, nevertheless he has proven himself to be effective playing the center with Anthony Davis.

Same when he moved to Sixers, no issues whatsoever with him and Joel Embiid. So not sure what you mean by attitude because it seems that he has matured already and knows where to have that "good attitude" inserted. And he didn't destroy the good chemistry in Sixers, it's that he was not a perfect fit, that's the way I look at it and that's why they have given him up and Lakers pick him up again to play last season. But right now, no teams are interested on his service.

The preseason is in full swing, and I think it's too early to say that no team is interested in Howard. I won't comment on his negative impact on team chemistry, but it seems to me he could still be useful on the court as a bench player. In addition, signing Howard wouldn't be a costly deal for the management of any team as he would most likely agree to even the minimum salary.

Yeah Howard will get onto a team he can still provide minutes.  These guys have all made theor money most at the end of theor career take the vet minimum so they can jump on a ta that has a chance to play deep into the playoffs.  Just hope the Knicks steer clear.

[Yogee]

What I'm reading about Howard right now is that he could be the Net's replacement for Drummond. He seems to be interested with the idea too but I think he just wants to land a team for next season and it doesn't matter if its the Nets or the Kings hehe. He's already looking for another career after NBA and he'll probably take another one-year min vet deal before calling it quits. That's plenty of time for him to get a new job.