Legend of Tomorrow

In July, the NBA free market opened.

There are many veteran free agents who are in a dilemma, not knowing which team is suitable to join.

The first veteran to sign with the new club was Paul Pierce. He no longer wanted to stay with the Nets. He could feel the decline in the strength of his teammates and the change in mentality. It would be more difficult to win a championship next season.

Pierce most wants to join the Warriors, but the Warriors' swingman position is too strong. Although the biggest name is Iguodala, the depth of the lineup ranks among the top five in the league, so Pierce is not needed.

After his self-recommendation was rejected by the Warriors, Pierce decided to defect to coach Rivers. He joined the Clippers for 11 million in 2 years and teamed up with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to compete for the championship next season.

The Clippers' contract was originally prepared for Kobe, and the management contacted Kobe for discussions. Then Kobe's economic team made a request. With the strength that Kobe showed last season, the lowest offer he could accept was 45 million over three years.

The Clippers management said that they would never talk about poaching Kobe to strengthen the lineup. Kobe is so strong, he can go wherever he likes.

After the Clippers signed Pierce, their lineup became very attractive. They also offered a four-year, 23 million contract to poach free agent center Spencer Hawes from the Cavaliers.

Hawes is a completely free man. He wants to compete for a championship and has no interest in continuing to play in Cleveland. Hawes is only 26 years old. For many players, this age is the time to pursue their first big contract, but he values ​​victory more.

Hawes chose the Clippers mainly because he felt that he would definitely be a starter after joining, and it would be easier for Los Angeles to increase its commercial value. And he doesn't move fast enough. Paul is a point guard who focuses on positional offense.

The Cavaliers did not keep Hawes, and LeBron James also jumped out of his contract and became a restricted free agent. Everyone guessed that they were going to start rebuilding.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilberto has lost his patience. He doesn't want to continue trying to compete for the championship through trades. He doesn't know what kind of teammates he can bring to James to help the team win the championship. They have won a total of one game in the Finals and have entered the championship in the past few years. No more finals.

The boss decided to let James go so that they could get together and relax. The Cavaliers also don't consider signing first and then changing, which will not affect James joining a strong team and directly rushing to the championship.

The management will not lay off Boozer, and the total salary next season can be kept at the poor line. They are prepared to give Isaiah Thomas unlimited shooting rights and let him play like Iverson, focusing on the inspirational card of disabled but strong to attract fans.

As soon as James gets out of his contract, he becomes the biggest free agent this summer.

Rebuilding teams such as the Lakers and Mavericks that had salary space immediately issued invitations.

With James, half of the rebuilding is complete, and the team can be built around him as the core.

However, James looks down on these two teams. They are both Western Conference teams that have to compete with the Warriors who won the championship last season and the Spurs who cooperated tacitly. It is very difficult to rebuild, let alone win the championship, and reach the finals.

There is no point in maximizing commercial value for James when he goes to Los Angeles because he has never won a championship. Moreover, Bosh also chose to opt out of his contract and may not be able to get a contract extension. He is afraid of being cheated by the Lakers.

After thinking about it, the only team James can choose is the Nets. If the Nets want to sign him, they must rebuild. In addition to Pierce, who has left, they must also give up Nowitzki and Ariza, whose contracts have expired, to free up salary space.

By then, the Nets will become a Big Three team. Deron Williams' condition is unstable, and he doesn't know what he will be like next season. Once this is done, players have to grind again.

What makes the Nets management unhappy is that James, the superstar who has been abused in the Finals, is still putting on airs. He only wants to sign a short contract for 42 million in two years. He wants to win a championship with the Nets first, and then use the championship as an excuse to sign a bigger contract.

After the Nets management meeting, Prokhorov, the wealthy owner, made the decision.

Sign James first and then take care of others. If they are willing to cut their salary and renew their contract, keep them. If they want a higher salary, let them go. With a veteran and a blue-collar defensive player, who can guarantee that they can play well next season?

Prokhorov is often suspected of not knowing basketball. He just wants to find strategies for big names, thinking that he just needs to put famous players together. When the Nets tried to recruit Kobe Bryant, they failed once because of an unreasonable lineup. The boss didn't have a long memory at all.

James knows the importance of three-point shooters. He has his own offensive system and plays as a point forward. He needs teammates who can shoot three-pointers to open up space.

Without Nowitzki, Deron Williams can once again be a fixed-point shooter and play healthy basketball. Ariza is also an important 3D player who can defend and shoot corner three-pointers.

As soon as he signed to join the Nets, James immediately held a press conference to apologize to Cavaliers fans and announced his decision. He was 30 years old and would be old if he didn't win the championship.

Most Cavaliers fans can understand the pressure James is under, and of course choose to forgive him. Some fans also said they were very depressed, you are the famous Zhan Zhongcheng, why did you leave suddenly?

At the press conference, James also expressed his goodwill to Nowitzki and Ariza, expressing the hope that they can stay with the Nets and fight for the championship together next season. He is confident that he can help the Nets win the championship.

James didn't mention a salary cut. Needless to say, the two players can't be retained without a salary cut. Plus James, the Nets have three stars with an annual salary of 20 million.

It's a pity that both of them are unwilling to take a significant salary cut to stay in the Nets. The Rockets poached Trevor Ariza with a four-year, $40 million contract. Ariza originally had one year left on his contract, but he chose to jump out and maximize his profits.

Ariza has won a championship ring with the Suns. He doesn't have to win a championship with the Nets to prove himself. He just wants a big contract.

He thought he had made a profit, but in fact he suffered a heavy loss. Next year, the NBA will negotiate a new broadcast agreement, and players will receive a collective salary increase. Free agents who signed high-paying long-term contracts in 2014 were the worst offenders. In the future, they will all sign cabbage-price contracts.

After 2016, any role player who does not average double figures per game can earn an annual salary of tens of millions, and some can even earn a high salary of 20 million, such as the big man Biyombo.

Nowitzki once again rejected high-paying offers from other teams and joined the Warriors with only a three-year, $25 million contract, which was much cheaper than the Warriors originally wanted to renew Monroe's contract.

Although Monroe is young, does it still matter who to sign between him and Nowitzki? Nowitzki was still the Nets' leading scorer last season. The Warriors' goal next season is to defend their title and they need immediate combat power.

At this point, Monroe is definitely leaving the team. Even if he wants to stay, the Warriors have no salary space. He wants to join a team that can offer a maximum salary, but there is no such a stupid manager. The Warriors' championship last season seemed to have little to do with Monroe, as his tactical role was average.

The media reported the news, and many fans discussed it online, believing that the Nets and Warriors will definitely compete for the championship next season. Their lineup is obviously stronger than other teams.

The scariest thing is undoubtedly the Warriors. Their lineup is too deep. If Draymond Green continues to play the starting No. 4 position next season, Nowitzki will have to come off the bench.

Nowitzki said at the press conference that he could accept being a substitute. He had worked hard to win the championship and he did not want to regret it when he retired in the future.

This is what new president Xiao Hua doesn't want to see. There is no suspense about NBA games next season. How can other teams compete?

Next, veterans who want to compete for the championship in the free market will choose these two teams to join...