1. The New York Times broke the news that the Heat were more interested in trading for Mitchell than Durant
I am afraid that even Nets star Durant who made the trade application did not expect that his trading market would be so bad! According to " New York Times " senior reporter Mark Stein broke the news, the current top target of the Heat's trade is Jazz shooter Mitchell, not Durant. The main reason is that the Nets ask for too high a price and the Heat are unwilling to send him away. Drago also makes the Heat's chances of acquiring Durant very low.
After all, compared with Durant, it is less difficult for the Heat to negotiate a trade for Mitchell with the Jazz. Although Mitchell still has a four-year, $135 million contract with the Jazz, compared with the Nets' sky-high bidding, the Jazz, who are already planning to rebuild, , it is obviously easier to negotiate, and the Heat's main competitors for Mitchell, and the Knicks , have been scared away by the Jazz.
Because it is rumored that the Jazz made a quite exaggerated offer, not only asking for four players including Grimes, Quickley, Toppin and McBride, but also asking the Knicks for at least 6 first-round picks. Of course, the Knicks Completely eliminating the possibility of recruiting Mitchell, the current negotiation between the two parties has reached an unsolvable situation, and then it depends on whether the Jazz is willing to lower the offer requested.
But compared to Mitchell, Durant, who is ranked among the top five in the league in popularity and skills, is now in the predicament of having no one want to trade him. Even "ESPN" reporter Windhorst broke the news, The team's top executives are currently on vacation, and the Nets prefer Durant to stay because they can't find satisfactory trading conditions or bargaining chips.
2. Is there something behind Harden’s salary cut? The 76ers were suspected of illegally recruiting Tucker
It was previously revealed that the "bearded" Harden took a significant salary cut and renewed his contract with the 76ers. It may be a "yin and yang contract" that compensates Harden in other ways, "The New York Times" 》Senior reporter Mark Stein went on to break the news on the 16th that the league was about to launch an investigation into the 76ers' signing of P.J. Tucker, because the outside world generally suspected that there was illegal recruitment in advance.
"According to my sources, the 76ers' Tucker deal may be investigated by the league office, because four days before the signing, many competitors knew that Tucker was going to Philadelphia ," Stan said, "Even Just one minute after the free agent market opened, his agent announced that Tucker signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the 76ers. "
Tucker's deal to join the 76ers will be doubted for another reason. , that is, he has many acquaintances in the 76ers. Morey, the president of the 76ers, was the general manager of the Rockets before. In addition, Harden has been the Rockets' signature star for many years and has a good relationship with Tucker. He will be suspected of illegally recruiting Tucker in advance. , which is also considered a natural result.
As for "ESPN" salary expert Marks, he previously broke the news that Harden, who has just completed a two-year contract extension with the 76ers, will take a significant salary cut of US$15 million next season. It is very likely that Harden will be secretly compensated through other channels. In fact, Harden does not have that much money to lose at all. Judging from Harden's past personality, he does not seem to be such a "considerate" star.
3. Galina's lawyer presented new evidence, hoping that the Russian judge would give him a lighter sentence.
American female basketball player Galina is being detained in Russia for trial. Her lawyer presented new evidence in court this week: medical advice prescribed by an American doctor. Galina was arrested in Russia for bringing a marijuana e-cigarette into the country, and this new evidence could prove her need for medical marijuana to relieve her long-term pain, including a license from the Arizona Department of Health.
When Galina appeared in court, she held a photo of WNBA All-Star Game players. In it, everyone wore No. 42 jerseys to support her, proving that she is a good person. In addition, Galina's Russian team captain Beliyakova and team leader Lebkov both appeared in court to put in good words for Galina. Beliyakova, the Russian women's basketball national player, told the media: "Gelina is a good teammate, so I have to stand up and support her."
These "evidences" and "testimonies" may not be of much use in front of Russian judges. They will not care whether Galina has a drug license from the US state government . This can only be used to explain that she has no intention of smuggling drugs. US media "Yahoo Sports" quoted Russian expert Weber as saying, "This can probably shorten her sentence from 10 years to nine years. "
After the case escalated into a political incident, the Russian judge's decision was inseparable from the instructions of the superior government. Galina's sentence was equivalent to a bargaining chip for the Russian government. They wanted to use it to exchange for the arms of the man who was imprisoned in American prison If Russia is determined to exchange prisoners, Galina's best strategy is to plead guilty quickly (she has already confessed), and then the two countries can start prisoner exchange negotiations as soon as possible after the sentence is determined.
4. According to Tony Jones of "Athletic". A recent report from Andy Larson of the Salt Lake Tribune stated that the Jazz wanted the Knicks to trade six first-round picks and young players for Mitchell, but the Knicks rejected the offer, according to Stan. Even if the Knicks now have more draft picks, they should be careful because the Heat and Nets are potential buyers for Mitchell
The Knicks have been under the leadership of president Leon Rose. The pursuit of other star players has not been successful, which is why it is so important for the current management to acquire a player like Mitchell.
Stein added that Mitchell has many connections with the Knicks. Chell has a "very good relationship" with Knicks assistant coach Johnny Bryant, who was an assistant coach with the Jazz for several seasons, and he has recently had multiple interviews with Bullen for the Jazz head coaching job. Stan is also a friend, as they share a relationship with Eric Paschal, who was Mitchell's closest friend in the NBA and who, according to Stan, was teammates at Villanova University .
5. According to media reports, the Lakers may be interested in Jazz guard Patrick Beverley, but Los Angeles does not want to trade Horton Tucker for the veteran. NBA reporter Stan pointed out that the Lakers have been interested in Jazz guard Patrick Beverley . Speed and youth come first, so trading a 21-year-old for a 34-year-old weakens that. Horton-Tucker is involved because the Lakers don't have any other mid-sized contracts to match Bev. Lee 's salary - Tucker's salary in the 2022/23 season is US$10.26 million, while Beverley's salary next season is US$13 million.
6. The Spurs are willing to be a third-party team to trade Westbrook . And is willing to accept Westbrook, but requires the Lakers to provide an unprotected first-round pick
7. According to "Bleacher Report" reporter Jake Fischer, the Heat are actively looking for more first-round picks in order to sign Mitchell or. It's Durant.
It seems that the Heat's first priority in the offseason is to trade for a All-Star starting backcourt in order to upgrade the team and win the championship.
8. The NBA Summer League continues, and a focus battle ended today. The Pacers, led by Chinese superstar Zeng Fanbo, unfortunately lost to the Wizards 79:97. Zeng Fanbo played 8 minutes and 21 seconds and scored 7 points and 2 rebounds, 5 of which came from free throws.
9. Another focus of the NBA Summer League, Suns lost to the Kings 62:89. But unfortunately, Chinese star Zhang Zhenlin did not appear.
10. The Raptors used two big stars and four first-round picks to offer Durant. The two big stars are Siakam and Anunoby .
