2024 NBA Season

[inthelongrun]

It could be Damian Lillard as the biggest surprise to come. I believe the Miami Heat is having a 50/50 chance of getting him or even lower so I'd still be surprised if they can acquire Lillard which I am hoping to happen.

James Harden might be a little surprised, this guy can still play well, especially in play-making and shooting so a contending team getting him will become a better team. We don't know yet how much the other teams are willing to give up to take him but teams will take him pretty sure unless Philly will do the waiting game. And lastly, there's Zach LaVine who earlier wants out of Chicago so a possible trade before the start of the season will happen. 

As for the favorites next season, I am also expecting Denver and the Phoenix. Milwaukee and Boston are possible 50/50 unless Miami gets Lillard.

Lillard joining the Miami Heat wouldn't necessarily make them the heavy favorites to win the championship. However, it would be interesting to see if he lands with the Heat, as the team would likely improve due to the potential chemistry. As for James Harden, he isn't as entertaining anymore, so I'm not thrilled about which team he will join. After he was traded from the Rockets, his career hasn't been the same. I don't understand why the Nets gave up on him so easily. I mean, the big 3 is talented enough to make the team a championship contender, but it seems the Nets might have been in a hurry.

Yes, even if the Miami Heat gets Lillard, I also doubt they will become the favorites especially since they already lost Strus, Vincent, and Oladipo. And obviously, more of their players will be lost in the trade which might also include Caleb Martin, Herro, and Lowry. But if this happens, I expect the bookies to make them the favorites in the East.

I think the Nets gave up when the drama on Kyrie Irving started during the pandemic. Harden and KD are not happy as well with the team situation. Still, it was very unlucky for the Nets. I cannot remember a full season or playoffs where they played together.

[1714684831]

1714684831

[1714684831]

1714684831

[yazher]

Austin Reaves has developed his skills well over his first two seasons in the NBA, and I agree with you that he deserves some praise. Moreover, it's worth noting that he averaged 16.9 points per game in the last playoffs, and I think he was one of the key players that helped the Lakers get this far. In my opinion, that's a very good result for a player who played in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Suppose he can showcase his skills well in this upcoming FIBA World League. In that case, he will automatically become one of the crucial players in the NBA season because of his contribution. They need to win the championship this time despite their current rosters because other countries are not that weak anymore, and they need to take advantage of their current chance so that they will able to maintain their status in the NBA. I'm also excited to see other NBA players competing for their own country.

[Vaculin]

Checking in for the season I could say that Lakers are not as bad as people think they are, they are just injured a lot. Now I know that's not the story of the season so far, but they are my wildcard for the ring and let me explain why.

They have Reaves that is getting better every season, Russel that is looking to take the PG spot and be good, Rui that is a great bench guy who defends very well, Vanderbilt as a great defensive guy as well, Lebron and AD is still there and being an all-star level amazing people, those names alone looks like they are actually pretty good team. I know that it sounds like they are not going to be all that great to some people, but I feel like they could actually be pretty good team for sure.

In fairness with Lakers, they don't have a look as strong as the others but they've got probably a balance there although with a leadership of course by LBJ.

But as the other teams are bumping their rosters, I don't know what's the plan of Lakers ahead of the season. Maybe they'll just play it like last time as they weren't expected to what they've landed there and still can be said a good job to them.

Reaves no doubt, he's like a star in the making.

I think that same look will give them an advantage because they are not being targeted in the upcoming season specially that teams now are likely taking Nuggets as their biggest competitor and that will certainly give them some space to adjust and surprise the other teams that they will face.

But still, an adjustment is much needed on their play because if they will not change something and improve what they did last season, they will be anticipated by the other teams in the league and we sure know that the Lakers doesn't want that to happen mainly now that they are quite confident in their current roster. And about Reaves, dude has been getting some improvements and been working out his play in the summer, it will be interesting how will he give the team some help this time because in some scenarios, he will be in the main line-up or the Lakers sixth man.

[livingfree]

I don't want the Lakers to make anymore adjustments with the current rosters they have. You're right, they looked pretty balanced with this roster and they looked better currently than the last one. I'd say the Lakers did a good job in retaining Rui, Reeves, Vando, and Russel. These 4 guys have stepped up in the playoffs, though off nights are normal, but with a better offense, the Lakers will become great again. They already had that defense since last year they just need to maintain and improve it a little more.

Yeah, likely a balance team but we will see if there will be more addition and trades to the roster. Then if not, this is a good roster that's ready for the battle this season.

On the other hand, I'm really curious on what would be the Denver Nuggets' next move after they let go of Bruce Brown, which I was really surprised of. I mean that guy was literally making huge impact on both ends of the floor. I don't know what they're thinking that's why I'm pretty curious about their next move.

IIRC it was Bruce that asked for that trade and that's typical when someone gets a ring then his value goes up, so that's probably where he is capitalized with and let the deal done.

Look, the Nuggets didn't care at all and just let the trade smoothly. As long as they've got Murray and Jokic, they're all good.

I think that same look will give them an advantage because they are not being targeted in the upcoming season specially that teams now are likely taking Nuggets as their biggest competitor and that will certainly give them some space to adjust and surprise the other teams that they will face.

But still, an adjustment is much needed on their play because if they will not change something and improve what they did last season, they will be anticipated by the other teams in the league and we sure know that the Lakers doesn't want that to happen mainly now that they are quite confident in their current roster. And about Reaves, dude has been getting some improvements and been working out his play in the summer, it will be interesting how will he give the team some help this time because in some scenarios, he will be in the main line-up or the Lakers sixth man.

True, there are other teams that's being hot in the eyes of most teams because of how composed they are and the adjustments being done by other teams in making their rosters greater.

If it's about the play, I am sure that they can adjust on that. They're lackluster last season but still after removing Westbrook and traded him to other team, then that's the adjustment. We literally will expect some adjustments and changes like that along the way.

[bitgolden]

I’m a fan of Austin’s game but I think it might be a little early for him to be receiving the praise he’s getting. Playing with LeBron opens up a lot of opportunities and that has benefitted Reaves quite a bit. I think next year defenses will start paying attention to him, which would probably end up being a good thing for the Lakers.

But he is doing good though in his first 2 years that's why he is getting praises as early as today and we can't take that away from Austin Reaves and I will say he deserves it. For me has has surpassed Caruso as a White Mamba Lakers, in terms of impact.

He is also a underrated defender, so most likely it's one area that he needs to improved, but we will see. Core of the Lakers are back and although they are considered like only 7th favorite to win, still a good odds if you are a Laker fan.

It could also be Lebron affect as well. I mean when he played at Cavs, that team looked like it was a championship run team, and they went to finals how many years in a row, we have watched like 100 cavs vs warriors finals all because Lebron, and he didn't make it look like he carried the team himself, he is the ultimate guy that makes everyone around him play better, all those players that were at the finals when Lebron was there, became a tanking team that was at the bottom of the league the moment he left.

This is why it's obvious that we are seeing Austin do well now, but the important thing is that he should have a career after Lebron leaves and we are going to end up seeing if he is still that good without him.

[carlisle1]

Checking in for the season I could say that Lakers are not as bad as people think they are, they are just injured a lot. Now I know that's not the story of the season so far, but they are my wildcard for the ring and let me explain why.

They have Reaves that is getting better every season, Russel that is looking to take the PG spot and be good, Rui that is a great bench guy who defends very well, Vanderbilt as a great defensive guy as well, Lebron and AD is still there and being an all-star level amazing people, those names alone looks like they are actually pretty good team. I know that it sounds like they are not going to be all that great to some people, but I feel like they could actually be pretty good team for sure.

In fairness with Lakers, they don't have a look as strong as the others but they've got probably a balance there although with a leadership of course by LBJ.

But as the other teams are bumping their rosters, I don't know what's the plan of Lakers ahead of the season. Maybe they'll just play it like last time as they weren't expected to what they've landed there and still can be said a good job to them.

Reaves no doubt, he's like a star in the making.

I think that same look will give them an advantage because they are not being targeted in the upcoming season specially that teams now are likely taking Nuggets as their biggest competitor and that will certainly give them some space to adjust and surprise the other teams that they will face.

But still, an adjustment is much needed on their play because if they will not change something and improve what they did last season, they will be anticipated by the other teams in the league and we sure know that the Lakers doesn't want that to happen mainly now that they are quite confident in their current roster. And about Reaves, dude has been getting some improvements and been working out his play in the summer, it will be interesting how will he give the team some help this time because in some scenarios, he will be in the main line-up or the Lakers sixth man.

With the way LeBron is playing, I think ether Reaves or D'Lo will have more shooting attempts as the main alpha will serve
as a good decoy to create open space for his teammates.

They already have that good chemistry and with a healthy core, the team can develop much solid and competitive lineup.

There's always an improvement that we will notice once the season begins, most of the super teams will be expected
to perform well, especially those who came up from the big time trades. They are expected to be more competitive.

[Captain Corporate]

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

[danherbias07]

On the other hand, I'm really curious on what would be the Denver Nuggets' next move after they let go of Bruce Brown, which I was really surprised of. I mean that guy was literally making huge impact on both ends of the floor. I don't know what they're thinking that's why I'm pretty curious about their next move.

IIRC it was Bruce that asked for that trade and that's typical when someone gets a ring then his value goes up, so that's probably where he is capitalized with and let the deal done.

Look, the Nuggets didn't care at all and just let the trade smoothly. As long as they've got Murray and Jokic, they're all good.

They've given Brucy his worth and that's a good salary after a championship. It's like a payment for him instead of squeezing him into the Nuggets team and making their salary cap go higher. That's the best move the Nuggets made, both parties will be happy while the Nuggets can still make other players go wild and be stars. I think they are going to focus on using Christian Braun this year. Still a Brown/Braun. (pun intended) 

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

Shooters are what they badly need, and not just any shooter, a specialist.
They already have 2 guards who can play the play and they have a big man at Anthony Davis. Rui Hachimura is also a big who can be dominating on both perimeter shots and cannot be left open on distance too.
They still have a good roster but they still need that bench that would save them if ever something goes wrong or they need a rest. They cannot run the whole 40 minutes everyday or they will be more prone to injuries.

[OgNasty]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

[Yogee]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

He probably won't start regularly and give the Knicks a double-double but his stats doesn't look bad to me,
PTS - 9.8
REB - 7.8
AST - 3.8
FG% - 52.9

I guess that $81M 4-year extension deal is already the new average contract for experienced but still relatively young players. If the "top" players contracts now are going over $50M a year then I guess it should be okay if the average also increase.

[LogitechMouse]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

He probably won't start regularly and give the Knicks a double-double but his stats doesn't look bad to me,
PTS - 9.8
REB - 7.8
AST - 3.8
FG% - 52.9

I guess that $81M 4-year extension deal is already the new average contract for experienced but still relatively young players. If the "top" players contracts now are going over $50M a year then I guess it should be okay if the average also increase.

As a player who isn't a starter, that averages is quite good already if you will ask me.

IMO, Hart is an underrated player, and his impact when he got traded to the Knicks is huge. He's a good defender, and a good role player as well. I guess the normal salary for a role player that is playing really well is around that price. I remember again how Schroeder rejected that offer from the Lakers again a few years ago. Anyways, he is also playing with his friend Brunson, and that boosts his morale in playing.

This might be off-topic with this one, but if there is somebody that the Knicks must be trading, it must be Randle. I'm not a hater of him, but I just don't like how he plays. Use him, and get some good players out there. Focus on building a team around Brunson instead of him now that they got a 2nd all-star caliber player already. They also have lots of talent around Barrett, Quickley, and Hart. They don't need a Power Forward that shoots more than 15 shots per game with an awful defense as well. That's my opinion though.

[Pamadar]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

He probably won't start regularly and give the Knicks a double-double but his stats doesn't look bad to me,
PTS - 9.8
REB - 7.8
AST - 3.8
FG% - 52.9

I guess that $81M 4-year extension deal is already the new average contract for experienced but still relatively young players. If the "top" players contracts now are going over $50M a year then I guess it should be okay if the average also increase.

For a role player, that 4 year deal is not bad, knowing that there are always changes and you don't know what will be your fate with the team.

Like what you mentioned, the average of a top / star is ranging to $50M, so I guess that's better for
each role players to have that kind of deal, in terms of Josh Hart's performance last season, the Knicks
give him that decent minutes and he was able to convert it with decent stats.

[Jating]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

He probably won't start regularly and give the Knicks a double-double but his stats doesn't look bad to me,
PTS - 9.8
REB - 7.8
AST - 3.8
FG% - 52.9

I guess that $81M 4-year extension deal is already the new average contract for experienced but still relatively young players. If the "top" players contracts now are going over $50M a year then I guess it should be okay if the average also increase.

For a role player, that 4 year deal is not bad, knowing that there are always changes and you don't know what will be your fate with the team.

Like what you mentioned, the average of a top / star is ranging to $50M, so I guess that's better for
each role players to have that kind of deal, in terms of Josh Hart's performance last season, the Knicks
give him that decent minutes and he was able to convert it with decent stats.

I agree, it's different now, if star players are getting a minimum of $100M in 4 years, then definitely a good role players could be ok at $50M or less just like what the contract of Josh Hart in New York right now.

He has a good to decent numbers as non starter, and sometimes there are games like he is a spark plug for the Knicks. He is a good defender as well and has a good 2/3 point shot percentage.

[TravelMug]

Josh Hart scoring himself an $81,000,000 contract extension is pretty impressive considering I don’t even think of him as a starter. I guess he must have been playing well without me noticing last season for the Knicks to lock him up for so long. All of these contracts this offseason have me wondering when the next collective bargaining agreement will be.

He probably won't start regularly and give the Knicks a double-double but his stats doesn't look bad to me,
PTS - 9.8
REB - 7.8
AST - 3.8
FG% - 52.9

I guess that $81M 4-year extension deal is already the new average contract for experienced but still relatively young players. If the "top" players contracts now are going over $50M a year then I guess it should be okay if the average also increase.

For a role player, that 4 year deal is not bad, knowing that there are always changes and you don't know what will be your fate with the team.

Like what you mentioned, the average of a top / star is ranging to $50M, so I guess that's better for
each role players to have that kind of deal, in terms of Josh Hart's performance last season, the Knicks
give him that decent minutes and he was able to convert it with decent stats.

And most likely it will be team that he will settle though. As far as I can remember, he had numerous teams in the past. Although he has been given good minutes playing, it as in the Knicks uniform that really blossom the career of Hart and perhaps he was just being rewarded by the team with that great contract for 4 years. But nevertheless, it's not a lock in, who knows, he could be traded. But the good thing is that he still has a team and it could really motivate him this season to improved as they got some players too.

[btc_angela]

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

I think when he was with the Lakers, Lebron has a bunch of good 3 point shooters. And even after they have traded most of the championship rosters they have in 2019, they still keep that blue print. However, those outside shooters and defenders didn't click with them and so they have to rebuild everything starting last year with their new coach. And now it seems their focus is trying to get help on AD, that's why they got Hayes or even trying to give Christian Wood a try, if I read it correctly.

[Sanitough]

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

I think when he was with the Lakers, Lebron has a bunch of good 3 point shooters. And even after they have traded most of the championship rosters they have in 2019, they still keep that blue print. However, those outside shooters and defenders didn't click with them and so they have to rebuild everything starting last year with their new coach. And now it seems their focus is trying to get help on AD, that's why they got Hayes or even trying to give Christian Wood a try, if I read it correctly.

The Lakers had their best roster when they secured a championship. Regrettably, they had to disband that team and bring in new players for assistance. However, the new lineup hasn't been able to match the previous team's performance. During their championship run, Dwight Howard and Rondo proved to be valuable teammates, and their playoff experience played a crucial role in achieving that victory. While we can offer our observations and opinions, it's likely that the management saw specific changes that were necessary.

On the contrary, I haven't come across many changes within the Nuggets, who were the champions of the last NBA finals. This sets them apart from the LA Lakers and I have a feeing they are gonna make a repeat.

[arwin100]

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

I think when he was with the Lakers, Lebron has a bunch of good 3 point shooters. And even after they have traded most of the championship rosters they have in 2019, they still keep that blue print. However, those outside shooters and defenders didn't click with them and so they have to rebuild everything starting last year with their new coach. And now it seems their focus is trying to get help on AD, that's why they got Hayes or even trying to give Christian Wood a try, if I read it correctly.

The Lakers had their best roster when they secured a championship. Regrettably, they had to disband that team and bring in new players for assistance. However, the new lineup hasn't been able to match the previous team's performance. During their championship run, Dwight Howard and Rondo proved to be valuable teammates, and their playoff experience played a crucial role in achieving that victory. While we can offer our observations and opinions, it's likely that the management saw specific changes that were necessary.

On the contrary, I haven't come across many changes within the Nuggets, who were the champions of the last NBA finals. This sets them apart from the LA Lakers and I have a feeing they are gonna make a repeat.

Lakers don't want that to happen but their players ask to much and there are others need to let go just to get more better roster. But everything goes down with them and they fell in bad position.

But still they are doing great when they accumulate some good players last season and now they can maximize their rosters with their newly great additions. Lakers this season is really great and they have big chance to win a championship.

[Sanitough]

It has always been the core roster management for any team that Lebron has played so far give or take. You get one guy who would be great at rebounding, you get one guy who would be great at defending, and bunch of shooters all around, including bench. That way Lebron can drive inside and either dunk or layup or just pass outside to an open shooter, or Lebron could just straight up shoot when the defense goes deep to defend the drive, he shoots very well at three point line on his later years, and the rebounder will get the rebounds whenever someone misses. The system is always built like this and they have what they need right now. I think they won't be the best team, but if they play right and do not get injured like they always do, they will be fine.

I think when he was with the Lakers, Lebron has a bunch of good 3 point shooters. And even after they have traded most of the championship rosters they have in 2019, they still keep that blue print. However, those outside shooters and defenders didn't click with them and so they have to rebuild everything starting last year with their new coach. And now it seems their focus is trying to get help on AD, that's why they got Hayes or even trying to give Christian Wood a try, if I read it correctly.

The Lakers had their best roster when they secured a championship. Regrettably, they had to disband that team and bring in new players for assistance. However, the new lineup hasn't been able to match the previous team's performance. During their championship run, Dwight Howard and Rondo proved to be valuable teammates, and their playoff experience played a crucial role in achieving that victory. While we can offer our observations and opinions, it's likely that the management saw specific changes that were necessary.

On the contrary, I haven't come across many changes within the Nuggets, who were the champions of the last NBA finals. This sets them apart from the LA Lakers and I have a feeing they are gonna make a repeat.

Lakers don't want that to happen but their players ask to much and there are others need to let go just to get more better roster. But everything goes down with them and they fell in bad position.

But still they are doing great when they accumulate some good players last season and now they can maximize their rosters with their newly great additions. Lakers this season is really great and they have big chance to win a championship.

Perhaps some of the players, but when it comes to Howard, I believe they should not have let him go.

During the 2021-2022 season, Howard's salary with the Lakers exceeded $2 million. After his contract with the Lakers ended, he joined the Taoyuan Leopards, a team in Taiwan, for a salary of $1 million per season. However, recent reports indicate that his salary has been reduced by 65%. The question arises: why would he opt to play overseas when he can earn a substantial income in the NBA?

sources ;
https://hoopshype.com/player/dwight-howard/salary/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-dwight-howard-claims-contract-taoyuan-leopards-reduced-65

[dwyane36]

Perhaps some of the players, but when it comes to Howard, I believe they should not have let him go.

During the 2021-2022 season, Howard's salary with the Lakers exceeded $2 million. After his contract with the Lakers ended, he joined the Taoyuan Leopards, a team in Taiwan, for a salary of $1 million per season. However, recent reports indicate that his salary has been reduced by 65%. The question arises: why would he opt to play overseas when he can earn a substantial income in the NBA?

sources ;
https://hoopshype.com/player/dwight-howard/salary/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-dwight-howard-claims-contract-taoyuan-leopards-reduced-65

As I see it, there is only one reason why a player might leave the NBA to play in other leagues is the lack of demand for such a player by NBA teams. In Howard's case, he had multiple tryouts with different teams last off-season, and it looks like no one wanted him, even for the minimum salary. Personally, I think otherwise, and it seems to me that Howard can still play a couple more seasons in the NBA for the veteran minimum.

[Viscore]

Perhaps some of the players, but when it comes to Howard, I believe they should not have let him go.

During the 2021-2022 season, Howard's salary with the Lakers exceeded $2 million. After his contract with the Lakers ended, he joined the Taoyuan Leopards, a team in Taiwan, for a salary of $1 million per season. However, recent reports indicate that his salary has been reduced by 65%. The question arises: why would he opt to play overseas when he can earn a substantial income in the NBA?

sources ;
https://hoopshype.com/player/dwight-howard/salary/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-dwight-howard-claims-contract-taoyuan-leopards-reduced-65

As I see it, there is only one reason why a player might leave the NBA to play in other leagues is the lack of demand for such a player by NBA teams. In Howard's case, he had multiple tryouts with different teams last off-season, and it looks like no one wanted him, even for the minimum salary. Personally, I think otherwise, and it seems to me that Howard can still play a couple more seasons in the NBA for the veteran minimum.

I believe that Howard is certainly a significant factor in the Lakers winning the championship during the pandemic.

In the playoffs against the Nuggets, whom they defeated in the WCF, Jokic's performance wasn't as remarkable as his stats during the NBA Finals against the Heat, where he averaged 30.2 PPG throughout the series. If we refer to this link, https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nikola-jokic-stats-vs-lakers-2020-playoffs, his average was only 21.8 PPG.