Offseason Research Paper

The Miami Heat was struck by different unlucky news this offseason. After being left out by LeBron James two years ago, it is the turn of Dwayne Wade to leave the city that many thought would be his last team before he retires. After the Wade departure it was Chris Bosh turn to receive a bad news. Bosh was not cleared by doctors to play because of his health condition.

Nicolas Batum (small forward) is the only player out of the group that was actually traded. On June 24th, the Trail Blazers traded him to the Charlotte Hornets for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh. Without Batum, the Trailblazers lack a defensive wing and a corner three-point shooter. Batum was

Once Kevin Durant’s contract ended the entire NBA opened up to him wanting his name on their roster. To start with the option that so many OKC Thunder fans were hoping to see hold Kevin Durant’s career. A long term contract

Alright fantasy basketball fans it’s time to for my latest installment of my GF2 team previews. In my latest NBA preview we’re going to take a closer look at a very intriguing team, the New Orleans Pelicans. New Orleans made waves last season and are expected to be even better this year. Star power forward Anthony Davis is by far my favorite guy this year for fantasy, so we’ll stray away from discussing his absolute greatness. We’re going to look at three guys who I have rostered over the last few years who all have tremendous upside.

Toronto’s first season under Mike Babcock was one to forget since they are in the rebuilding process and finished 30th overall with 69 points. The Leafs also traded away star players Phil Kessel, captain Dion Phaneuf, and James Reimer in order to start from scratch and create a new team identity. They are looking to improve after securing the first overall pick in the upcoming draft and will most likely take prospect Austun Matthews to help get them back to the playoffs after being out since the 2012-2013 season.

More than that, while Steph was gaining speed, LeBron seemed to be losing it. Between the two seasons, James’ scoring had stagnated at 25.3 ppg., his lowest haul since his rookie year. He was shooting his worst percentage from downtown since his rookie year, and his minutes per game was the lowest of his whole career. LeBron’s body was ailing, and so was the Cavaliers organization. The mid-season firing of head coach David Blatt seemed to squash any remaining hope for a Cavs title and signaled that something had really gone awry in The Land. LeBron and the Cav’s season-to-forget (so far) was paralleled by the Warrior’s historic year. On route to the best regular season record in NBA history, the Bay Area was home to the best basketball team in the world and the best player to go with

The Toronto Raptors won a franchise-record 49 games in 2014-15, but a four-game series sweep in the opening round of the playoffs to the Washington Wizards exposed enough flaws to raise legitimate concerns about its short-term future. General manager Masai Ujiri needed to select someone with more of a proven track record, rather than take another raw talent like he did with Bruno Caboclo in

Ultimately, NBA free agency is bizarre. Billions of dollars (yes billions with a ‘B’) are being doled out during the signing period, which is a chance for teams to go after the best available players on their free agency board and pull out all the stops to lure them away from their previous team.

     The second factor was the development of competing leagues. “Competing leagues such as the American Football League, the American Baseball Association, the World Hockey Association, and the United States Football League offered an alternative to athletes (Masteralexis, 246).” These leagues offered higher salaries to induce players to move from their original teams. When players left a team to for more money, it also increased the salaries of players who stayed on the team. Agents played a crucial role in determining what was best for athletes, and which league they should choose.

Reports said that Lin’s latest season could yield him an even bigger paycheck in free agency markets, and there’s some saying that won’t come from his current team, the Charlotte Hornets. A possible reunion with former

In reality, the 5-foot-11 former North Carolina Tar Heel had long been the subject of trade rumors since February. His name has time and again been linked to other NBA teams such as the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee

After the Toronto Raptors traded Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings on December 9, 2013, the Raptors has experienced a transformation that rarely occurs in the NBA. Trading the best player on your team and expecting victories is basically ironic in the NBA, but the Raptors accomplished this nearly impossible feat.

Despite all of the pessimism in my mind, there’s something in me that gets a thrill with moves like these. I guess the years of horrendous trades like when we gave up a first rounder for Andrea Bargnani or when we sold the farm for Carmelo Anthony, a guy who would be a free agent about 6 months after the date the deal was initiated, has failed to learn me of these past mistakes.

The Celtics’ player contracts are led by Gordan Hayward, who signed a 4-year max contract in the 2017 offseason. He suffered a tragic left ankle fracture in the season opener-debut with the Celtics, forcing him to miss the 2017-2018 season. This was an unavoidable financial downfall, but with more years on the contract they still have opportunities with Hayward in the future. Breakout talent Terry Rozier will be going into free agency in the 2018-2019 off season, potentially leaving the Celtics if they cannot pay the expected high dollar amount to sign Rozier again. Gritty and forceful Aron Baynes is also expected to explore free agency in the 2018 off season which could leave the team without the

The 2016-2017 NBA season has come to a close. (Thank god. Being a Sixers fan, I’m not sure how much more mental frustration I could take thanks to GM Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers medical staff.)