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ESPN 内部人士
2024 年 7 月 2 日，美国东部时间上午 7:00
NBA 自由球员市场于周日开启，我们已经看到几笔将撼动 2025 年冠军争夺战的重磅交易，多支竞争者为了挑战卫冕冠军波士顿凯尔特人队而重组了他们的阵容。
九届全明星球员保罗·乔治和五届全明星球员克莱·汤普森是今年夏天迄今为止转会的最大牌球星。乔治在为洛杉矶快船队效力五年后加盟费城 76 人队，与乔尔·恩比德和泰瑞斯·马克西联手，组成了强大的三巨头，向东部霸主地位发起挑战。
随着汤普森离开金州勇士队，一个时代宣告结束，他在这里赢得了四座 NBA 总冠军奖杯。这位征战联盟 13 年的老将将通过先签后换的方式加盟达拉斯独行侠队，与球星卢卡·东契奇和凯里·欧文一起追逐总决赛。
哪些交易最令人意外？哪些球队有望在今年夏天赢得胜利，而哪些球队已经落后？洛杉矶湖人队又在做些什么？我们的 NBA 内部人士将在繁忙的自由球员市场开启后回答最热门的问题。
迄今为止，NBA 自由球员市场上最令人意外的交易是什么？
肯德拉·安德鲁斯： 克莱·汤普森离开勇士队加盟独行侠队，这不仅是因为他在金州勇士队的职业生涯结束了，而且是因为这件事发生的方式。在过去的几个月里，汤普森和勇士队的续约谈判陷入僵局，一旦休赛期开始，他似乎就已经一只脚踏出了大门。在他和勇士队经历了这么多事情之后，这种突然的结局相当令人震惊——尤其是当汤普森身穿勇士队球衣的最后一场比赛是在附加赛中以 0 投 10 中的糟糕表现输球时。
蒂姆·邦坦普斯： 汤普森加盟独行侠队。尽管很明显汤普森离开湾区已经有一段时间了，但他离开这支他唯一效力过的球队的结局，在一段时间内都会让人感到奇怪。
贾马尔·科利尔： 托拜厄斯·哈里斯与底特律活塞队的合同。我当然理解一支拥有薪资空间的年轻球队的想法和做法，他们需要一名老将来帮助他们赢得胜利。然而，一份为期两年、价值 5200 万美元的合同还是令人惊讶，尤其是考虑到哈里斯在上份合同结束后在 76 人队的表现起伏不定。哈里斯现在将在本合同结束后职业生涯总收入超过 3 亿美元。
克里斯·赫林： 年仅 31 岁的肯塔维奥斯·卡德维尔-波普以每赛季仅 2200 万美元的价格获得了一份为期三年的合同。他是奥兰多魔术队的完美人选，这支球队迫切需要投篮和防守来赢得比赛。但我也很震惊，丹佛掘金队在失去关键替补布鲁斯·布朗一年后，竟然不愿意支付必要的费用来留住卡德维尔-波普。克里斯蒂安·布劳恩是一名优秀的年轻球员——他在 2023 年 NBA 总决赛中作为一名新秀表现出色——但让他在第三年就填补卡德维尔-波普的空缺，对他的要求还是太高了。
安德鲁·洛佩兹： 芝加哥公牛队给了帕特里克·威廉姆斯一份五年 9000 万美元的合同。威廉姆斯没有先进入受限制自由球员市场，而是在自由球员市场开始前一天就锁定了一份留在芝加哥的协议。考虑到威廉姆斯的伤病史，年限之长令人惊讶；他在 2021-22 赛季只打了 17 场比赛，原因是手腕受伤，上赛季也因为脚伤只打了 43 场比赛。芝加哥正在豪赌这位本土天才。
事实还是虚构：湖人队将成为自由球员市场上的最大输家。
赫林： 虚构。只有当你认为这个休赛期是他们成为真正竞争者的机会时，这才有可能。但没有任何事情能让他们进入那个行列。得到汤普森并不能让他们成为竞争者。德玛尔·德罗赞或特雷·杨也不能。湖人队最大的新闻是他们有可能选中布朗尼·詹姆斯，这是有原因的。
安德鲁斯： 虚构。虽然得到汤普森肯定很有诱惑力，但中产特例并不能完成这项任务。例如，勇士队今年夏天的收获要少得多。他们几乎白白失去了汤普森，错过了保罗·乔治，并裁掉了克里斯·保罗，因为他们找不到合适的交易伙伴，这基本上把他们上赛季为了得到他而做出的举动变成了薪资空间的浪费。金州勇士队在进入自由球员市场时的风险比湖人队大得多，而且还没有做出什么有影响力的举动。
洛佩兹： 虚构。还有其他球队在失去球星的同时，却没有真正的方法来取代他们（你好，丹佛掘金队），而湖人队仍然有办法进行运作。错过汤普森并不会自动让他们成为输家，更不用说最大的输家了。
科利尔： 虚构。我也不确定他们是否有任何可以让他们获胜的操作。此外，当一支与之同城的球队刚刚在自由球员市场上白白失去了一位超级巨星时，你很难为湖人队辩护。洛杉矶快船队全力以赴地引进了乔治和科怀·伦纳德，而现在这个时代已经结束了，他们甚至连一次 NBA 总决赛的出场都没有，他们的前进道路也不明朗。
邦坦普斯： 虚构。与西部联盟的对手相比，他们实力并不强。得到汤普森将会是一个轰动的举动，但这只会略微提高他们从附加赛中突围的几率。我认为，等待时机，利用他们手中的薪资空间和选秀权，在以后进行重大人员补充，比现在急于求成要好得多。
尼克斯队还是 76 人队？哪支球队离凯尔特人队更近了？
科利尔： 76 人队。费城的耐心得到了回报。76 人队找到了合适的球员和合适的拼图来补充现有球星。尽管尼克斯队做出了一项重大举动，但失去以赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因加盟俄克拉荷马城雷霆队，这给他们的机会蒙上了一层阴影。因此，虽然我仍然不会轻视纽约，但费城已经将自己定位为本赛季东部对波士顿的最大挑战者。
邦坦普斯： 76 人队，他们在拥有三名全明星球员后，现在拥有更高的上限。虽然费城的健康和阵容深度是明显的隐患，但球星的天赋才是这个联盟的制胜法宝。
赫林： 目前来看是 76 人队。米卡尔·布里奇斯非常适合尼克斯队，但有趣的是，在哈尔滕施泰因不在的情况下，球队将如何填补中锋轮换阵容。米切尔·罗宾逊经常有伤病问题，而且今年夏天自由球员市场上的中锋并不是特别多——尤其是主教练汤姆·锡伯杜喜欢的那种身体对抗强硬的大个子。如果纽约做出交易来增加内线深度，我不会感到惊讶。
洛佩兹： 76 人队，主要是因为尼克斯队失去了一名关键球员哈尔滕施泰因。除了交易得到布里奇斯和留住奥基·阿努诺比之外，纽约还有时间进行其他操作，但费城（除了签下乔治之外）还增加了一名替补中锋安德烈·德拉蒙德，他在上赛季为公牛队效力时，场均出场 17.1 分钟，得到 8.4 分和 9.0 个篮板。
安德鲁斯： 76 人队。得到保罗·乔治可能是自由球员市场上最重磅的交易，虽然尼克斯队在这个休赛期已经做了一些不可思议的工作，得到了布里奇斯，留住了阿努诺比，但 76 人队的球星实力表明，他们弥补了更多的差距。即使在得到乔治之前，76 人队也处于一个不错的位置，但现在他们有了恩比德和马克西，组成了三巨头。
克里斯·保罗和维克多·文班亚马的组合将会 ______。
洛佩兹： 产生持久积极的影响。保罗在自己的第 20 个 NBA 赛季加盟马刺队，放弃了对 NBA 总冠军的直接追逐。但这样做，他将帮助文班亚马追逐总冠军。保罗是文班亚马和上赛季的首发控球后卫特雷·琼斯的完美挡拆搭档。此外，今年选秀大会的四号秀，新秀后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)也将有机会向这位控球之神学习。
科利尔： 非常有趣。在看了一个赛季文班亚马在快攻中被忽视后，我们将看到保罗找到如此多有创意的方式把球传给他，并为他送出空中接力。让我们祈祷他能保持健康，让这种联系帮助文班亚马在上赛季手部骨折后充分发挥他的潜力。
安德鲁斯： 正是文班亚马所需要的。马刺队迫切需要一名老将来帮助指导他们年轻的核心球员和冉冉升起的新星。同样，他们也得到了一名控球后卫，他在职业生涯中送出了 715 次空中接力助攻，可以为身高 7 英尺 4 英寸的文班亚马创造一些篮筐上方的精彩表现。圣安东尼奥一直在寻找他们的场上指挥官，现在他们拥有了 NBA 历史上最优秀的控球后卫之一，职业生涯共送出 11894 次助攻（NBA 历史第三）。
赫林： 天作之合。你不可能让保罗变得更年轻，但马刺队的后卫们可以从保罗的经验中学习，文班亚马也可以学习如何完美地组织挡拆。对于上赛季联盟失误率排名第四的马刺队来说，保罗是一个聪明的补充。
邦坦普斯： 对圣安东尼奥来说是完美的。马刺队为他们的年轻天才配备了一名可以给他传球的控球后卫，以及一名可以帮助文班亚马成长为 NBA 门面的老将。最重要的是，马刺队明年应该还有很大机会得到库珀·弗拉格。
自由球员市场的早期赢家是 ______。
邦坦普斯： 费城。76 人队花了一年时间准备为恩比德和马克西找来第三位球星。他们不仅在乔治身上得到了一个，而且得到了唯一一个可以改变比赛的人。乔治的健康状况有很多风险，但这对费城来说无疑是一场巨大的胜利。
赫林： 恕我直言，是俄克拉荷马城雷霆队。他们解决了可以说是最大的两个问题，用两届最佳防守阵容成员亚历克斯·卡鲁索（他的投篮有了很大的进步）替换了没有投篮威胁的约什·吉迪，并签下了哈尔滕施泰因，后者获得了队史最丰厚的自由球员合同，解决了他们在进攻篮板上的明显问题。在我看来，他们应该是下赛季西部联盟中最受欢迎的球队。他们拥有所需的一切，而且由于他们在卡鲁索的交易中没有放弃任何选秀权，他们仍然拥有大量的选秀资本，可以在必要时进行升级。
安德鲁斯： 费城。他们不仅得到了乔治，还进行了一些其他的操作来巩固他们的核心阵容，包括让德拉蒙德回归担任替补中锋。76 人队在进入休赛期时就已经处于一个不错的位置，尽管很明显他们需要更多的人员。他们在过去的一年里一直在为此做准备，并出色地完成了任务。
科利尔： 俄克拉荷马城。雷霆队已经是上赛季西部联盟的头号种子，他们用两名在进攻端仍然非常有能力的球员解决了他们在防守端的两个需求。雷霆队的阵容中拥有众多攻防兼备的全能球员，他们的建队方式与刚刚赢得 NBA 总冠军的凯尔特人队类似。
洛佩兹： 俄克拉荷马城。在交易得到卡鲁索和以三年 8700 万美元的合同签下哈尔滕施泰因后，雷霆队极大地提升了他们的阵容。雷霆队有两年的时间来利用他们的薪资空间，并从吉迪——他在季后赛中被换下——升级到卡鲁索和哈尔滕施泰因这两名优秀的防守球员。
点击查看原文：2024 NBA free agency roundtable: Early surprises, big moves and a star-studded East
2024 NBA free agency roundtable: Early surprises, big moves and a star-studded East
ESPN Insiders
Jul 2, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
The NBA free agency period began Sunday, and we’ve already seen several big moves that will shake up the 2025 title pursuit, as several contenders retooled their rosters in attempts to knock off the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Nine-time All-Star Paul George and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson are the biggest names to change teams so far this summer. George joins the Philadelphia 76ers after five years with the LA Clippers to link up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, creating a formidable big three to challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy.
And it’s the end of an era with Thompson leaving the Golden State Warriors, where he won four NBA titles. The 13-year veteran will join the Dallas Mavericks via sign-and-trade, joining stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in their quest to return to the Finals.
What moves have been the most surprising? Which teams are poised to win the summer, and who is already falling behind? What are the Los Angeles Lakers up to? Our NBA Insiders answer the top questions following a hectic start to free agency.
What’s the most surprising move so far in NBA free agency?
Kendra Andrews: Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors for the Mavericks, not only because his tenure with Golden State is over, but because of how it happened. Contract talks between Thompson and the Warriors stalled over the past few months, and it seemed he had one foot out the door once the offseason began. After everything he and the Warriors have been through, this abrupt ending is quite shocking – especially when Thompson’s final game in a Warriors uniform was an 0-for-10 performance in a play-in tournament loss.
Tim Bontemps: Thompson joining the Mavericks. Even though it was clear that Thompson’s exit from The Bay was coming for some time, the finality of him departing from the only franchise he has played for will feel weird for some time.
Jamal Collier: Tobias Harris’ contract with the Detroit Pistons. I certainly understand the thought process and fit for a young team that has cap space available and could use a veteran to help add some wins. However, a two-year, $52 million deal was surprising, especially considering Harris’ up-and-down tenure with the Sixers after his last contract. Harris is now set to earn more than $300 million in his career at the end of this deal.
Chris Herring: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who’s still just 31, getting a three-year deal for just $22 million per season. He is a fantastic fit for Orlando, which desperately needed shooting and wins with its defense. But I’m also shocked Denver, one year after losing key reserve Bruce Brown, wouldn’t pay what’s necessary to keep KCP. Christian Braun is a solid young player – he had a huge showing in the 2023 NBA Finals as a rookie – but it’s still asking quite a bit of him to fill Caldwell-Pope’s shoes as a third-year player.
Andrew Lopez: The Chicago Bulls giving Patrick Williams a five-year, $90 million contract. Instead of hitting restricted free agency first, Williams locked in a deal to stay in Chicago the day before free agency began. The number of years is surprising because of Williams’ injury history; he played just 17 games in 2021-22 because of a wrist injury and just 43 last season with a foot injury. Chicago is betting big on the homegrown talent.
Fact or fiction: The Lakers will be the biggest losers of free agency.
Herring: Fiction. That’s only possible if you viewed this offseason as an opportunity for them to become true contenders. But nothing was going to put them in that stratosphere. Getting Thompson wouldn’t have made them a contender. Neither would someone like DeMar DeRozan or Trae Young. There’s a reason the biggest storyline around them was the possibility of drafting Bronny James.
Andrews: Fiction. While there was definitely a lure to land Thompson, the mid-level exception wasn’t going to get the job done. The Warriors, for example, have come up far shorter this summer. They lost Thompson for nearly nothing, missed out on Paul George, and waived Chris Paul because they couldn’t find the right trade partner, essentially turning the move they made to acquire him last season into a salary dump. Golden State had more at stake than the Lakers heading into free agency and hasn’t made a high-impact move yet.
Lopez: Fiction. There are other teams that are losing talent with no real way to replace them (hello, Denver Nuggets) and the Lakers still have avenues available to make moves. Missing out on Thompson doesn’t automatically make them losers, let alone the biggest.
Collier: Fiction. I’m also not sure there was a move for them to make that could have won. Also, it’s hard to make the argument for the Lakers when a team that plays in the same city just lost one of its superstars in free agency for nothing in return. The LA Clippers went all-in to bring in George and Kawhi Leonard, and now that era is over without even an NBA Finals appearance to show for it, and their path forward is unclear.
Bontemps: Fiction. They’re just not very good compared to their peers in the Western Conference. Landing Thompson would have been a splashy move, but it would have only marginally improved their chances of advancing out of the play-in. I’d actually argue that waiting to potentially use their salaries and draft picks on hand to make significant additions later is a far better strategy than rushing into a move now.
Knicks or 76ers? Which team got closer to the Celtics?
Collier: The 76ers. Patience for Philadelphia has paid off. The Sixers found the right player and right fit to complement the stars already on the roster. Even though the Knicks made a big move, losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder puts a damper on their chances. So while I still wouldn’t sleep on New York, Philly has positioned itself as the best challenger in the East for Boston this offseason.
Bontemps: The 76ers, who have the higher ceiling now that they’ve put three All-Stars together. While Philly’s health and depth are obvious concerns, star talent is what wins in this league.
Herring: The 76ers, for now. Mikal Bridges fits the Knicks extremely well, but it’ll be interesting to see how the team fills out its center rotation without Hartenstein on the roster. Mitchell Robinson regularly has injury issues, and this wasn’t a particularly deep free agent class of centers – particularly for the sort of physical big men whom coach Tom Thibodeau covets. I wouldn’t be surprised if New York swung a move to add big man depth.
Lopez: The 76ers, but mostly because the Knicks lost a key piece in Hartenstein. There’s still time for New York to make other moves beyond trading for Bridges and retaining OG Anunoby, but Philadelphia (along with signing George) also added a backup center in Andre Drummond, who averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes last season for the Bulls.
Andrews: The 76ers. Landing Paul George is probably the biggest move of free agency, and while the Knicks have done some incredible work so far this offseason to acquire Bridges and keep Anunoby, the star power on the 76ers suggests they made up more ground. Even before acquiring George, the Sixers were in a strong position, but now they have their big three with Embiid and Maxey.
The Chris Paul-Victor Wembanyama connection will be _____.
Lopez: Something that has long-lasting positive effects. By going to the Spurs in his 20th NBA season, Paul is giving up his immediate pursuit of an NBA championship. But in doing so, he will help Wembanyama in his chase for titles. Paul is the perfect pick-and-roll partner for Wembanyama and Tre Jones, last season’s starting point guard. Also, rookie guard Stephon Castle, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, will also be able to learn from the Point God himself.
Collier: Fun as hell. After a year of watching Wemby get ignored on fast breaks, we will see Paul find so many creative ways to get him the ball and throw alley-oops. Let’s hope he stays healthy enough for that connection to help propel Wemby to his full potential after suffering a hand fracture last season.
Andrews: Exactly what Wemby needs. The Spurs desperately needed a veteran to help guide their young core and rising star. Equally, they get a point guard who, with 715 alley-oop assists in his career, can set up the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama for some highlight plays above the rim. San Antonio was searching for its floor general, and now it has one of the best point guards of all time, with 11,894 career assists (third in NBA history).
Herring: A perfect fit. You can’t necessarily make Paul younger, but the Spurs’ guards can learn from Paul’s veteran experience, and Wembanyama can learn a ton on how to perfectly orchestrate pick and rolls. Paul is a smart addition for the team with the league’s fourth-worst turnover percentage last season.
Bontemps: Perfect for San Antonio. The Spurs have handed their young phenom a point guard who can get him the ball and a veteran who can help Wembanyama navigate his evolution into one of the faces of the NBA. On top of that, the Spurs should still have a good shot to stay in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes next year.
The early winner of free agency is _____.
Bontemps: Philadelphia. The 76ers spent a year preparing to get a third star to put alongside Embiid and Maxey. Not only did they get one in George, they got the only difference-maker available. There’s plenty of health risk when it comes to George, but this is unquestionably a massive win for Philadelphia.
Herring: With all due respect to Philly, it’s the Oklahoma City Thunder. They addressed arguably their two biggest issues by replacing non-shooting threat Josh Giddey with two-time All-Defensive Team member Alex Caruso (whose shooting has improved considerably), and cleared up their glaring offensive rebounding issue by signing Hartenstein to the richest free agent deal in team history. In my opinion, they should be favored to come out of the West next season. They have everything they need, and because they relinquished no picks in the deal for Caruso, they still have plenty of draft capital to upgrade as necessary.
Andrews: Philadelphia. Not only did they land George, but they put together a few other moves to solidify their core, including bringing back Drummond as a backup center. The Sixers were already in a decent position heading into the summer, though it was clear they needed more pieces. They spent the past year positioning themselves to do so and executed big time.
Collier: Oklahoma City. Already last season’s No. 1 seed in the West, the Thunder addressed both of their needs on defense with two players who are still very capable on offense. With a deep roster of versatile two-way players, the Thunder’s roster has been built in a similar fashion to that of the Celtics team that just won the NBA championship.
Lopez: Oklahoma City. After trading for Caruso and adding Hartenstein on a three-year, $87 million deal, the Thunder have bolstered their roster in a big way. OKC had a two-year window to use its cap space and upgraded from Giddey – who was played off the court in the playoffs – to two plus defenders in Caruso and Hartenstein.
via ESPN