NBA peak

Chapter 351 Where are Durant and Ge Feng going?

The Raptors management has always had the idea of ​​rebuilding the team.

The Raptors' Ge Feng, Ibaka, and Gasol Jr., the management wanted to trade them a long time ago.But the amazing thing is that the Raptors, who were not optimistic about the management, just won two consecutive championships.

Now, the Raptors' problems are all left to their executives.

Should the Raptors continue to renew their contracts with Ge Feng, Ibaka and others to hit the three consecutive championships, or complete the reconstruction this summer, sell Ibaka, Gasol Jr. and even Lowry whose contracts are too expensive to free up salary space and prepare for the future.

With the consistent urine of the Raptors management, they will definitely sell Ibaka and Gasol Jr. in order to avoid a more expensive sky-high contract in the coming year.

Of course, there is another possibility. Considering the limited quality of free agents next summer, the Raptors may also implement salary cuts and renewals with Ibaka, Lowry, Gasol Jr., and then leave enough room for the 2021 free market.

The vast majority of fans support the operation method of the Raptors management. After all, Toronto is a small city, and their confidence is indeed incomparable with that of big city teams.

In many cases, the standard for the Raptors to employ people is to only choose cheap ones and not the right ones.

If Ibaka and others agree to cut their salary to stay on the team, then Ge Feng is likely to stay on the team too.

It's just that there is no big surprise, Ibaka and Gasol will definitely leave one.

If the Raptors are completely determined to rebuild, Lowry + Gasol Jr. + Ibaka will be packaged and sent away at the same time, it may happen.

But the Raptors management still has to consider a key variable.

That was Ge Feng.

Ge Feng's contract is troublesome. As the most outstanding representative of low salary and high energy in the league, the Raptors really want Ge Feng to complete his four-year contract in Toronto.

However, what Ge Feng signed with the Raptors is a one-year player option contract. According to the regulations, Ge Feng has the right to decide whether to continue the contract for the final year.

Ge Feng can jump out of the player option next season and use his status as the FMVP of last season to fight for a more worthy contract for himself.

Based on Ge Feng's current worth, his next contract will start at least 2000 million per year.

However, Ge Feng has played in the Raptors for three years. If the Raptors are willing to keep the championship lineup, Ge Feng will not leave the Raptors for money.

Ge Feng will continue to stay in the Raptors, trying to bring the team a three-peat dynasty that has not appeared in 20 years.

But Ge Feng also needs to observe the Raptors management's attitude towards him before July comes, and decide whether to stay with the Raptors.

At least judging from the news circulating on the market, the Raptors executives are still not optimistic about Ge Feng's prospects.

Even though Ge Feng has led the Raptors to win the NBA championship trophy and won the FMVP trophy, half of the executives still believe that this is due to the overall performance of the Raptors.

If the core of the Raptors' championship is replaced by other players, they can still win the championship.

These issues are what the Raptors management must argue about in the offseason.

After talking about the investors, let's talk about the free agents in 2020.

Those who became free agents this year include Big Eyebrows (Lakers), Durant (Warriors), Lowry (Raptors), Van Fleet (Raptors), Ingram (Pelicans), Drummond (Pistons), Harrell (Clippers), Hayward (Celtics), Gallinari (Thunder), Fournier (Magic), Bertans (Wizards), Baynes (Suns), DeRozan (Spurs), Joe Harris (Nets), Xiaoha Dawei (Lone Ranger) and so on.

These are a group of relatively high-quality players in this year's free market.

It can be seen from these players that this year's free market is not as good as last year or 2021.

In the free market last season, LeBron, Leonard, Durant and a large number of top quality players in the league appeared at the same time.

In the 2021 season, James (player option), Antetokounmpo, Griffin, George, Leonard, Bill, Conley, Gobert, Holiday, Oladipo, etc. A large number of high-quality top superstars once again entered the free market.

Comprehensive comparison, this year's free market may be the least valuable year in the past three years.

There is a high probability that Brother Nongmei will stay with the Lakers, but Durant seems to have some hope.

After failing in the Finals, rumors of Durant leaving the Warriors without saying a word have spread all over the sky.

Durant will definitely leave the Warriors next season. This year, all teams have freed up salary space, basically preparing to recruit Durant.

Durant faintly belongs to No.1 in the league. Although he lost to the Raptors in the finals, this does not affect Durant's popularity in the league.

During the Finals, Durant averaged 28.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. His statistics seem to be better than the FMVP-winning Ge Feng.

He has given everything to the Warriors. In fact, Durant should not be blamed for the Warriors' loss. Durant is really worthy of the Warriors.

Durant's expected salary next season is a four-year maximum salary contract of 4 million US dollars, which is equivalent to 1.68 million US dollars per year.

Those who can afford this salary, there are probably only 5 teams in the league who can do it.

They are the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors after cleaning out two of Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol.

Considering that the Grizzlies, Hawks and Cavaliers are all rebuilding around the rookies they picked up in recent years, it's unlikely they will attract Durant's attention.

What Durant wants is not only money, but also a team that can directly win the championship. This is very important to Durant.

The Grizzlies, Eagles and Cavaliers are obviously not in line with the potential to win the championship. In other words, even if these three teams have sufficient salary space, it is difficult for them to make noise.

The Eagles are expected to have a salary space of 7300 million, but whether it is Tre Young, Hertel, DeAndre Hunter, Reddish, John Collins, or Fernando in the team, they are not enough to attract Durant to the poor Atlanta.

Not to mention the Cavaliers, although they have $4500 million in salary space, it is difficult to attract Durant's interest with a lineup such as Love, Nance, Garland, Sexton, Zizic, Wendler, Kevin Porter Jr., and Osman.

The Grizzlies have a salary space of 4000 million. Durant wants to come to the Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies have to spend a luxury tax. Moreover, among the remaining players of the Grizzlies, former Raptors center Valanciunas, Tyus Jones, Kyle Anderson, Morant, Jalen Jackson, Josh Jackson, Brandon Clarke, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, and Melton are not enough to make a big impact. Grizzly.

In this way, Durant is most likely to join the Nets or the Raptors.

(End of this chapter)