On July 1, Beijing time, the NBA trading market officially opened, and just today, there are a number of blockbuster news from the league. Several big-name players have confirmed their departure, including George and Klay Thompson, Harden signed a 2-year 70 million contract extension with the Clippers, and the Warriors also officially announced the cut of Paul, and then Paul signed with the Spurs for 1 year and 11 million. Pope joined the Magic, and the Nuggets were poached by other teams for the second year in a row.
The Clippers officially announced George's departure
According to NBA reporter Woj, the Clippers' George is leaving the team, and the two sides have reached a consensus that George is unlikely to return to the team. It is reported that George will meet with the Magic and the 76ers, and it is expected that his next home will be born in these two teams, and the 76ers are currently far ahead of the George race, and the two sides will officially meet today. Where George will play in the future, news is expected in the next few days, so let's wait and see. George is 34 years old this year, still at the end of his career, when the Clippers gambled on the championship and used Alexander + 5 first-round + 2 draft pick swaps to complete the deal, 5 years later, the Clippers lost to a loss, and also helped the Thunder rebuild successfully.
Soon after, the Clippers officially announced the departure of George, who will join another team, and according to the Clippers, the two sides have been negotiating for the past few months, but the differences are too big to reach an agreement. George asked for a four-year contract with a maximum salary, and the Clippers were willing to give it three years, which was the main reason why the negotiations broke down.
The Warriors' operation is also difficult to explain, and Klay Thompson is sure to leave. According to NBA reporter Shams, the Warriors will send Thompson away by signing and trading, and the Splash Brothers' combination is about to disintegrate, and an era is over. Klay will meet with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers, and 76ers in one day, and relatively speaking, the Mavericks have more advantages, with a 16.1 million trade exception, while the Lakers and Clippers both have a mid-range exception of $12.8 million. At this stage, Klay will definitely hope to get the last big contract, but his value is around 20 million a year, and too many other teams won't give it.
Paul signed with Spurs
Harden has been quiet this offseason and has not been rumored to leave the team, so there are predictions that he will return to the Clippers. Sure enough, according to Shams, Harden will sign a two-year, $70 million contract extension with the Clippers, with a player option for the second year, and the contract is fully guaranteed. The Clippers give Harden enough respect, and Harden also gets an annual salary of $35 million, and the two sides can shoot it off. With George leaving the team and a 4 million player option, Willis is expected to be traded, so the core of the Clippers next season will be Leonard and Harden, and it will be difficult to compete for a championship.
The 39-year-old Paul was officially announced to be laid off by the Warriors, although he has a 30 million contract, but because there is no guarantee, the Warriors do not need to pay a salary after cutting Paul. Paul played in 58 games for the Warriors in the '23-24 season, averaging 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, and is indeed not in his prime. However, the Spurs are interested in Paul, and according to reporter Stein, the Spurs want to form a combination of Paul + Wembanyama, who is only 20 years old this year and is already one of the best players in the league. Paul has made enough money in his career, and there are not too many requirements for the size of the contract, so the Spurs have become Paul's most popular next home.
Subsequently, according to NBA reporter Haines, Paul signed with the Spurs on a one-year, $11 million contract, officially teaming up with Wembanyama, which can be said to be very fast. What kind of sparks the 39-year-old Hall of Fame guard and the 20-year-old superstar can make is also very exciting.
Pope joins Magic
Following Brown's departure last year, the Nuggets have another championship core poached this offseason. According to multiple NBA reporters such as Woj and Shams, Pope has reached a three-year, $66 million contract with Eastern Conference powerhouse Magic, with a player option for the third year and an annual salary of more than $20 million. The Nuggets are very disappointed, Malone's most commonly used main lineup is Jokic + Murray + Porter + Gordon + Pope, and now after Pope leaves, he needs to find a replacement for him, who can shoot three-pointers and provide tough defense, there are not many all-around guards like Pope in the league, and the Nuggets are helpless.