Week 1 Offseason Update

Once the Boston Celtics won the NBA title on Monday night it officially signaled the beginning of the NBA offseason. Some rules to keep in mind are teams are only allowed to talk to their own players and their agents until official free agency begins on June 30th. Any team that does so can be punished by losing either a draft pick and or fined depending on how severe the league deems it to be. 

On Wednesday June 19th a couple events took place, one was quite shocking to some. The Pistons fired Head Coach Monty Williams one year into a 6 year 78 million dollar deal. He is owed 65 million now. The Pistons were terrible this year to put it bluntly. Williams agreed to the monster deal after he was fired from the Suns 2 seasons ago. It felt like he didn’t understand the roster he had this year. His lineups never gelled together and it seemed like his connection with the younger players didn’t resonate with them. A good example of this is constantly playing Killian Hayes over Ausar Thompson, a pick the Pistons felt like could gel well next to their hopeful superstar Cade Cunningham. Overall, I think this is also partly the front office's fault. Williams is a good coach, but he also doesn’t seem like someone who can coach a younger team and do a good job with it. His strong suit seems to be coaching veteran teams. Now Williams will get 65 million from the Pistons to not coach them the next 5 years, seems like a nice job to me. 

On the same day Gary Payton II opted into his 9.1 million dollar player option with the Warriors. This move helps the Warriors retain Payton II, who played an important defensive role in the 2022 title run. The Warriors are also potentially going into the second apron depending on what happens with the Klay Thompson extension. So the opt in from Payton was important for the team. The final signing on the day was Pascal Siakam. He signed with the Pacers for 189.5 million dollars over 4 years. His signing gives the pacers a co-star next to Tyrese Haliburton for the next 4 years. His shot creation and wing defense also helps bolster areas of weakness for the team as well. 

Thursday June 20th - JJ Redick signed a 4 year deal with the Lakers to become their next head coach. At first glance this seems like a reach for the Lakers, but when you dive into the weeds the potential is there. Redick had a 15 year career in the NBA and was a TV analyst for a couple of years before this hire. He’s a knowledgeable basketball mind and seems like an extremely determined worker. The Lakers will be prepared for any type of defense and offensive set thrown their way, the only problem will be when Redick puts in the adjustments during high stake games. Surrounding Redick with a good group of assistant coaches will be vital to help navigate the cruel Los Angeles spotlight. Malik Monk signed a 4 year 78 million extension with the Kings. Monk has reinvented his career after having a good 2021- 2022 season with the Lakers and has played extremely well since signing with the Kings in the 2022 offseason. He offers the Kings a shot creator and playmaker off the bench, something important for every team. The first trade of the offseason happened when the Chicago Bulls traded Alex Caruso  to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey. Both are extension eligible for their respective new teams and I believe both will get them. The Caruso fit in OKC turns the perimeter defense into arguably the best in the league. Caruso has made back-to-back all defense teams. He also shot 41% from three last year, something Giddey has struggled with in his career. Giddey on the Bulls gives him an opportunity to run the offense, something he lost a little bit more control of this past season. Two seasons ago he averaged 17 ppg, 7 ast and 6 reb. He has great vision, but his weakness is obviously shooting. Giddey was crucified during the Mavericks series for being an offensive liability. Sam Presti also shared with the media that he and Giddey had talked about him coming off the bench this upcoming season. Giddey did not like that idea and asked for a trade. Giddey is an interesting player because he’s still young, but his fit and time in OKC have run out. This trade signals to the rest of the league Chicago might be shipping off its quality players to start a rebuild. This was the first trade the franchise has made in a couple of seasons. 

Friday June 21st Drew Eubanks declined his 2.6 million player option and will enter free agency. This move puts the Suns in a bind because they are into the second apron and have limited financial flexibility to build the roster around its big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. The only way Eubanks can sign with the Suns would be the veteran minimum they can offer him. It’s worth noting Phoenix also lost a draft pick for tampering with Eubanks last offseason. Phoenix right now has very little flexibility and it will be difficult to find good players for cheap contracts.