Thoughts on 7 Off-season Moves So Far

Yeah I've been lazy over the past week. I'll admit it. Sure, I know about all the free agency deals and trades being cranked out every day, but writing about them is a whole different deal. I wanted to do a major free agency and trade recap, but I as grow tired on this Sunday night I realize that isn't going to happen. So let's see, I'll do 5 deals, actually, 10. Well...7. Fine. I'll give my thoughts on 7 NBA deals that have happened so far. 

1. JJ Trusts the Process

This, importance aside, is my favorite deal that has happened during this free agency period. The 76ers were already on the rise with the FEDS, but adding JJ, one of my favorite college players, just seems perfect. Granted, the 76ers probably overpaid giving him $23 million for one year, but they did fill a major need in shooting. 

2. Chris Paul to the Rockets

Even though the Rockets gave up like half their team, Chris Paul coming to Houston has got to make people excited. I'm not sure how this will work–James Harden and Paul are two of the most ball dominant players in the league. Having them on the same team might derail the Rockets more than the Dwight Howard days. Ultimately, I predict around 48 wins for Houston.

3. Paul George Goes to OKC

While this seriously hurts my 2018 MVP prediction, I think Paul George teaming up with Russell Westbrook will bode well for at least this upcoming season. If Westbrook got the 6 seed in the Western Conference last year with little to no help, I think Westbrook and Paul George should be good for at least a 5 seed. 

4. Jeff Teague Signs with Minnesota

My tiers of NBA fandom, which I will release and explain later this week, just gained a team on the second tier with Minnesota. Signing Teague put this team into legitimate top 4 contention. With Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Taj Gibson and coach Tom Thibodeau, I'm more excited about being a half-assed Timberwolves fan than I am about being a full-assed Bulls one. 

5. Blake Stays Put

I literally called this one on my latest podcast if you want proof. Blake Griffin apparently had suitors, but LA seemed like the place once they offered 5 yr/$173M. That's probably worth a lot more than a championship ring. Also, the Clippers still aren't in that bad of a spot. They got the mother lode in the Chris Paul deal, the crown jewel being Patrick Beverley. It's always fun seeing stars move teams, but a player showing some #loyalty isn't so bad either. 

6. Steph Curry Gets an Even $201M

Remember when Mike Conley Jr. had the biggest contract in NBA history? Well that contract is worth about 5 cents now that Curry cracked the $200 million barrier. The funniest part about this deal is that the Warriors just threw in an extra million as a safety net in case he blows through the other $200 million. It's like saying a game starts at 7:47 ET, oh wait that actually happens.

7. Paul Millsap Lands in Denver

Being a half-assed Timberwolves fan, I was really hoping for Millsap to go to Minnesota. Unfortunately, Paul went to Denver, the one NBA team of which I have zero knowledge. Maybe this gets them into the Playoffs, maybe it doesn't, I don't care. My biggest takeaway from this is that the Eastern Conference still sucks.