Yesterday was crazy. I was scared to go to sleep because I thought I might miss a Woj Bomb from out of nowhere. We all anticipated NBA free agency to be wild this summer, but did anyone really anticipated yesterday unfolding like it did? Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are now in Brooklyn. The Warriors traded two Finals MVPs and picked up D'Angelo Russell. The Lakers are quiet. Jimmy Butler is on his way to Miami. Al Horford is in Philly. And that's not even like half of what happened. Then there's the Knicks. Well, yeah, moving right along.
There's still a lot of free agents who haven't signed yet, notably Kawhi Leonard, but a good amount of the league was on the move yesterday. Of course, we had to run through some winners and losers from the day. Spoiler, the Knicks didn't win.
Winner: Brooklyn Nets
Duh. What a day for Brooklyn. This is one of the best rebuilds in NBA history. Masterful job by Sean Marks and company. Kevin Durant probably won't play next season, but also adding Kyrie Irving means that the future is bright in BK.
Loser: The Knicks
My guy Adam Caparell already went in on the Knicks this morning, but yeah, not great. I don't hate every signing they made so far, but when you have to put out a statement apologizing to your fans just four hours into free agency, things aren't going well. And they made Stephen A. Smith possibly cry? How could they do that to the GOAT.
Winner: Utah Jazz
I love this Jazz team. I loved it before yesterday but then they went out and signed Bojan Bogdanovic, who is one of the most underrated shooters in the NBA. Add in the Mike Conley trade and Utah is looking pretty great next season.
Loser: Houston Rockets
Man, what a tough day for the Houston Rockets after they didn't even get a meeting with Jimmy Butler after publicly putting key members of their team on the trading block.
Winner: Woj
Man was on fire yesterday. Dropping bombs left and right.
Loser: Shams
It's not easy to beat Woj. We saw that yesterday.
Winner: Magic Johnson
According to reports, Magic talked to Kawhi on the phone yesterday. If Magic actually delivers Kawhi to the Lakers after quitting his job just so he could tamper they should build ANOTHER statue for him outside of Staples Center.
Loser: Michael Jordan
Bro, what are you doing? First, you don't offer Kemba near the max and then you give Terry Rozier $58 million over three years? I'm so confused. Mike, you're one of the best to do it, but wow.
Winner: D'Angelo Russell
Get paid, young man. What a wild day it was for the Warriors. They lost two Finals MVPs and picked up D-Lo with a max contract, despite the fit concerns on that team. Regardless of how D-Lo fits, good on him to get that deal.
Loser: The Warriors
Anytime you lose so much talent, it's a loss. They ended up trading Kevin Durant and Iggy in return for D'Angelo Russell. Even though they gave D-Lo the max, there's already reports that they're going to trade him at some point. What exactly is the plan in the Bay right now?
Winner: Kawhi Leonard Spotlight
This worked out perfectly for Kawhi. He's the last big fish left in free agency and now has the entire focus of the NBA on him. Will he actually go to the Lakers? That will be the big question until he announces his decision. Let's just hope it's sooner rather than later.
Loser: Danny Ainge & the Celtics
Yes, the Celtics signed Kemba Walker to a max deal, which is nice, but they still lost yesterday because their two best players signed with division rivals. It's that simple.
Winner: NBA Fans
Yesterday was fun AF (unless you're a Knicks fan). The NBA is peak drama on and off the court. The league is wide open and next season is about to be crazy. It legit feels like eight to ten teams could win the title.
Loser: The Bucks Mascot and Also Maybe the Bucks
Bad news for the Bucks mascot now that both Lopez brothers are in town. Also, I didn't love the Bucks losing Brogdon yesterday. They essentially picked Eric Bledsoe over him. That seems like a mistake.
