The NBA Division Finals are in full swing, the winner is the king, the loser is the curse, and a few are happy and a few are sad. Superstars such as the Lakers' Jen Sr., the Nuggets' Jokic Murray, the Celtics' Tatum Brown and the Heat's Butler Reba fought bravely for the championship. In the process, the Clippers, Warriors, Bucks, 76ers, Suns and many other championship favorites have been out, and they can only hope for a comeback next season. But for Lillard, Harden, Paul and other "old guards", there are not many opportunities left for them to compete for the championship, and the choice is greater than the effort!
Declining $35.6 million, Harden made the decision
The 76ers lost 3-4 to the Green Army, missing the East final, new MVP Embiid disappointed, and former MVP Harden made people love and hate! In 11 playoff games, Harden averaged 20.3 points + 6.2 rebounds + 8.3 assists while shooting just 39.3% from the field. Harden scored 40+ twice and completed a three-point quasi-kill in the series against the Green Army; But it is undeniable that Harden has shot less than 30% from the field in 6 games, which is miserable! Even if Lao Li acted as the back-pot man of the 76ers out of class, there are many people who are skeptical about whether the Harden Emperor combination can continue to rush to the championship, for no other reason, the spiritual attributes of the two are the same! More critically, Harden faces the problem of contract negotiation.
According to NBA Hall of Famer Haynes, sources revealed that Harden made the decision to reject the $35.6 million player option next season, become an unrestricted free agent, and pursue a long-term contract. When Harden cut his salary last offseason and signed a 1+1 contract, the world should be prepared for Harden to jump out of contract this offseason. Even if Harden fails to win the championship and his personal performance is not satisfactory, he will still strive for a decent pension contract. According to Haynes, Harden signed the new contract with two conditions: first, the team is competitive; Second, the team allows him to be himself. Obviously, Harden is also very clear that it is difficult to get a super maximum salary contract with his strength, and the pursuit of championships and the joy of playing is the goal of his final career.
Rejecting Tanhualang, Lillard makes a decision
The Trail Blazers are just 33-49 this season, third from bottom in the West, which is also the fifth worst in the league. Blazers star Lillard entered the mode of vacation and songwriting early, jumping out from time to time to praise the emperor or old Zhan, which is imaginative. Luckily, the Trail Blazers won the No. 3 pick in the lotto raffle, and they had a chance to host a scout in the draft. As we all know, the success rate of Tanhualang is extremely high, Harden, Doncic, Embiid, Tatum, Brown, and Ball are all from Tanhualang. It's just that the Blazers and Lillard are not interested in the Class of 2023.
According to NBA Hall of Fame Haynes, sources revealed that Lillard made it clear to management that he was unwilling to play with rookies and hoped that the team would bring in veterans to reverse the decline; Blazers management has also made it clear that the team will maximize Lillard's prime, and is expected to trade scouts. Lillard is 32 years old and has four years worth of super maximum salary worth $216 million. In a sense, Lillard insists on one person and one city, and the Blazers can't wait to send him a super top salary contract again and again, which is the happiness of the small ball market and the helplessness of the small ball market. Even if Convenient Rad is full of guts, the Blazers can't attract superstars to join, and their "rushing to the crown" is just polite words. The Blazers did not have the courage to trade Lillard, but they moved the idea of trading scouts, and they couldn't live by themselves!
The sun made the decision, and Paul missed the championship
After the Suns stopped in the Western Conference semifinals, Monty left class, and Paul and Ayton were on the cusp. According to a report from NBA Hall of Fame Haynes, sources revealed that the Suns are expected to execute Paul's remaining contracts, and the veteran will return as the team's starting point guard next season. According to NBA salary experts, if the Suns decide to keep Paul, Paul's contract next season will automatically be upgraded to a full-guarantee contract, worth $30.8 million. The 38-year-old Paul is no longer as brave as he used to be, and in this year's playoffs, Paul played in 7 games, averaging 12.4 points + 5 rebounds + 7.4 assists per game, shooting only 41.8%. What's more difficult is that every time Paul sees the hope of rushing to the crown, every time he encounters sudden injuries, it is extremely magical.
I don't know if the Suns decided to keep Paul to stabilize KD and Booker, and I don't deny that Paul can control the game as a core point guard, but we also have to admit the fact that if the 38-year-old Paul takes a veteran base salary or a mini-mid-range, he will be a sweet potato for the championship team; If the 38-year-old Paul gets a big contract of $30 million, he will become a drag bottle for the championship team! Take the Suns, Paul takes $30.8 million, and the total salary of the ABCD Big Four next season exceeds $140 million, which means that the Suns have no salary space to strengthen the weak forward, even if the Suns trade Ayton, they can't solve this game! All in all, the Suns executing this big contract has a good chance of becoming an insulator between Paul and the championship! Fans, what do you think about this? Come leave me a comment to discuss it.