After a big day in the NBA Draft, there will be a lot of questions swarming around the NBA in regards to this big 2016 NBA offseason. With multiple big names in free agency and a lot of teams ready to make some moves to help rebuild their franchise or get that extra piece that’s missing to get them over the hump; this offseason can be one of the biggest in recent memory. As long as we don’t have another “The Decision,” we’re bound to have an exciting offseason and see which teams and players are ready to make franchise changing moves.
Where Will Kevin Durant Play Next Season?
The most enormous move this offseason will be finding out who Kevin Durant will suit up with next year. After spending 9 NBA seasons on the Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics, making one trip to the NBA Finals and 4 Western Conference Finals appearances and no titles; Durant has a hard decision to make this offseason choosing if he will stay in OKC or go ring chasing on a new team. He’s at a similar point in his career to when LeBron James made his choice to leave Cleveland for Miami. James had already shown his greatness and his potential to be a leader on a championship team, he just needed better pieces around him. If Kevin Durant moves on because his pieces in OKC aren’t enough, it could be scary what teams can be created with Durant on them. Having a potential lineup with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant would give a 73 win team an even bigger chance to dominate. The possibility of Kevin Durant teaming up with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic is a huge threat to LeBron’s 6 years and running Eastern Conference crown. With the big addition of Derrick Rose in New York, Kevin Durant could team up with a former MVP and a former scoring champ to make the Knicks a threat for the NBA title once again. This move could also tarnish Durant’s legacy if he makes an unsuccessful move and remains ringless for his career. When the free agency period starts, this will be the most highly anticipated signing regardless of where Durant ends up.
Will the Lakers Sign a Big Name in Free Agency?
The 2016 free agency period will continue to be big with the likes of: Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley and Demar Derozan. The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to sign a big name free agent for the last couple seasons now. Instead, the Lakers have picked up Roy Hibbert (5.9 PPG), Brandon Bass (7.2 PPG) and even signed Metta World Peace (5.0 PPG) to bring him back to LA. The Lakers with a great amount of cap space since Kobe retired, could find themselves finally getting a big superstar on their roster. Demar Derozan has expressed his love for the Lakers, Derozan has family in LA and went to USC. If the Lakers young core can compliment Derozan well and the Lakers can give him an offer he can not refuse, the Lakers could be that much closer to becoming a playoff team. It won’t take too much from the Lakers to draw more free agents to LA. Getting one of the best players in the NBA and having new coach Luke Walton, more free agents will be on the way. Not to mention the weather isn’t half bad. The Lakers will also be on the lookout for some possible trades with their number 2 pick and set of young guys that have some huge potential. Jimmy Butler might be looking for a new change of scenery after he saw his point guard get moved to New York. The Lakers are one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports and are well known for making all the right moves in the most dire times. This 2016 offseason will either make or break the Lakers franchise for years to come.
Are the 76ers Finally Turning Tank Mode Off?
For the past 3 seasons the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t won over 20 games in a season, they’ve made questionable moves and have only 3 players on their roster with over 3 years of experience. Now that the 76ers are officially the owners of the number 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, they have a lot to look forward to with 6’10 versatile forward Ben Simmons. Finally getting a huge piece to their puzzle, along with Jahlil Okafor and the long awaited Joel Embiid; the Sixers have discussed trades involving Nerlens Noel to jump start their first legitimate season since Andre Iguodala was in Philly. The Sixers had their eye on Boston’s third pick in the draft, but couldn’t come to an agreement and Noel just might be the deal breaker to get them another impressive player to finally make Philadelphia competitive once again.
Where Will Gordon Hayward Be Next Season?
Unfortunately, Gordon Hayward is not a free agent. For any fan base, that would be an unbelievable pick up in the off season. Gordon Hayward wants out of Utah, so the Jazz will be looking for the best deal to get Hayward out of Salt Lake City. The Celtics are another team on the rise and have shown their interest in Hayward, being able to get Gordon Hayward to team up with All-Star Isaiah Thomas and his former coach at Butler, Brad Stevens, will bring the Celtics bigger assets and a reliable player that they won’t have to experiment on for the draft. The Suns are another team giving Hayward a lot of attention, they’ve been a hard team to root for since Steve Nash took his talents to LA. The Suns have some great young guards with Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and Brandon Knight, getting a forward threat could finally get them in the playoffs. Phoenix had a rough season last year that was filled up with injuries. With everyone healthy and Gordon Hayward, the West just might find a way to be an even tougher conference than it already is. More and more teams are going to be shopping for Gordon Hayward as long as the Jazz don’t find an unbeatable deal early in the offseason, so Utah is in for a treat this offseason…
