Last time on The New Millennium, Carmelo Anthony delivered a title to the Knicks faithful, restoring faith in a franchise that desperately needed it(and could use it in real life). Along the way, New York gave Stephen Curry his second consecutive Finals defeat, as since his early career break-through, his time in Dallas has been defined by failure. Now, the offseason is upon us and changes are coming.
Player Retirements
Biding farewell to the NBA this year were the likes of Jermaine O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Richard Jefferson, Hubert Conway and Brett Moran. Pierce would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, though leaving out a guy like O'Neal is highly questionable, given he won two titles and was the Finals MVP both times, defining the Pacers dynasty of the mid-2000s.
Draft Lottery
Put on your tin foil hats ladies and gentlemen, because the winds of controversy are blowing. The Seattle SuperSonics, with the best odds at the top pick, somehow fell all the way to sixth, a catastrophic disaster for a franchise in need of stability. And then, the real shocker, as the Los Angeles Lakers, one year removed from giving up Joe Johnson and with star Kobe Bryant on the decline, stunned the world after stealing the number one pick. The Cavaliers moved up to second and the Raptors to third, with the Wizards and Clippers rounding out the top five.
- The Toronto Raptors trade 2016 3rd overall pick, PG Daniel Gibson(84 OVR) and PF Tobias Harris(87 OVR) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for PG Kyrie Irving(93 OVR)-
Despite being hailed as a savior when he was picked second overall in 2011, Kyrie Irving has been a bench player the past couple years in Cleveland, largely forgotten by management. Early in the offseason, news broke that he had demanded a trade, and the Cavaliers find a pretty good package. They now have the 2nd and 3rd picks, and get Harris, who is still only 23 and signed on a long term extension. Toronto could afford to give Tobias up, as Giannis Antetokoumpo(87 OVR, 99 Potential) is ready for a bigger role. The Raptors finally get a top flight scoring threat, and hope to finally move back into championship contention.
2016 NBA Draft
1. SG Jaylen Brown, Los Angeles Lakers(Possibly not the best player available, but a perfect Kobe replacement)
2. PF Ben Simmons, Cleveland Cavaliers(Can't shoot threes, but does have 91 Potential)
3. PG Jamal Murray, Cleveland Cavaliers(There's your scoring, great 1-2 combo here)
4. SG Buddy Hield, Washington Wizards
5. PG Kris Dunn, Los Angeles Clippers(Kinda sums the Clippers up, doesn't it?)
6. PG Malcolm Brogdon, Seattle SuperSonics(How many guards do they need?)
7. SF Brandon Ingram, Sacramento Kings(Good value pick)
8. PG Niko Tavcar, Milwaukee Bucks
9. SF Tyrus Christie, New Orleans Pelicans
10. PF Marquese Chriss, Sacramento Kings
11. SF Denzel Valentine, Cleveland Cavaliers
12. PF Skal Labissiere, Houston Rockets
13. SF Taurean Prince, Detroit Pistons
14. PF Domantas Sabonis, Miami Heat(Nice steal)
15. C Ante Zizic, Denver Nuggets
17. PG Kay Felder, Phoenix Suns
20. PG Dejounte Murray, Boston Celtics(Great back-up for Mike Conley)
22. PF Guerschon Yabusele, Los Angeles Clippers
24. C Jakob Poeltl, Vancouver Grizzlies
26. SG Malik Beasley, Washington Wizards
27. PG Demetrius Jackson, San Antonio Spurs
29. SG Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Atlanta Hawks
30. C Thon Maker, New Jersey Nets
31. C Deyonta Davis, Miami Heat
33. SG Patrick McCaw, Los Angeles Lakers
35. PF Pascal Siakam, Philadelphia 76ers
36. SG Caris LeVert, Portland Trail Blazers
37. SF Deandre Bembry, Minnesota Timberwolves
39. SG Malachi Richardson, Los Angeles Clippers
40. PF Chinanu Onuaku, Philadelphia 76ers
43. PF Henry Ellenson, Boston Celtics
45. PF Dragan Bender, Atlanta Hawks
47. PF Juan Hernangomez, Charlotte Hornets
49. C Damian Jones, Los Angeles Clippers
50. SF Jake Layman, Minnesota Timberwolves
52. C Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
54. SF Georges Niang, Washington Wizards
Free Agency
Here are the players that switched teams in free agency:
PG John Wall(93 OVR), Washington Wizards, 4 years, 160 million dollars
SF Evan Turner(85 OVR), Charlotte Hornets, 4 years, 46 million dollars
SF Kevin Martin(85 OVR), San Antonio Spurs, 4 years, 52 million dollars
Offseason Summary
We now approach the end of this series, with only three more rings to hand out, every team is going all out to try and book their spot in the history books. The Raptors have made a big move, gambling on the core of Kyrie, Paul George and Giannis, which looks good on paper. The Wizards finally get a hold of John Wall, who now hopes to save their franchise, with help from Buddy Hield. It'll be interesting to keep an eye on how the Cavaliers fare, as they have only a short amount of time to get a lot of young players up to their absolute best, but it is a great opportunity to approach everything with a nice clean slate. And can Jaylen Brown learn enough from Kobe in his final few years to prove worthy of taking the Black Mamba's mantle? Lots of interesting storylines to keep an eye on, plus a lot of teams will be looking to make some aggressive moves in the trade market...
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