The moment that NBA superstar Kevin Durant made the sudden decision to play for the Golden State Warriors, his choice wasn’t taken lightly by the slightest bit.
“You were up 3-1, you should have never choked.” “Why the heck would you go to the team that beat you?”
Many basketball fans were disgusted by the decision as they felt it drastically curtails the parity of the league to a lesser degree than before, and to some extent made fans question whether the NBA was even worth entertaining.
The nerve-racking rise of the Warriors prompted teams to be super aggressive in their decision-making. Soon after, an influx of talent headed West took place, leaving the Eastern Conference in complete dust, but most importantly, making the playoff picture in the Western Conference looks as muddled as ever.
Houston Rockets
At 32 years old, Chris Paul remains a consummate, wise point guard whose great defense and floor general abilities make him an undeniable choice for a player to build a franchise with. However, in his 6-year tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, it was almost impossible for “Lob City” to obtain postseason success past the 2nd round despite having Paul and superstars Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan.
The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to trade Paul to Houston for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker & Lou Williams. Paul will now play alongside prolific scorer James Harden, who agreed to the largest contract extension in NBA History. Paul is the perfect fit for Coach Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense, which ranked 2nd in offensive efficiency last season. While the Rockets need to consider adjustments to the offense considering both Paul and Harden are ball-dominators, there will be a high presence of non-stop offense and efficient defense and with the potential acquisition of Carmelo Anthony, the Rockets will be legitimate title contenders.
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Minnesota Timberwolves
Draft day was a great day for T-Wolves fans, as they acquired three-time All-Star and versatile guard Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls, giving up Kris Dunn and 2-time Slam Dunk champion Zach Lavine. While the trade creates a sweet reunion between Butler and coach Tom Thibodeau, Butler’s elite scoring, improved play-making (career-high 5.5 assists last season) and defensive strengths match Thibodeau’s gritty intensity of play that the Timberwolves desperately needs. Even though Butler is only 27, he serves as a great veteran to play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, the pre-eminent “He got next” talent in the NBA, and Andrew Wiggins.
In addition to Butler, the Timberwolves also acquired Taj Gibson, Jeff Teague, and timeless veteran Jamal Crawford. Minnesota may not be title contenders yet, but there are great expectations for them to skyrocket to the top 5 playoff spots in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The most stunning move in NBA Free Agency by far was the Oklahoma City Thunder winning the sweepstakes to steal shooting guard Paul George. Paul George was linked to several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics.
Acquiring Paul George sends a strong message to offensive juggernaut Russell Westbrook that OKC doesn’t have to rebuild completely from scratch due to the devastating loss of Kevin Durant. Paul George’s growing dynamic skill set and elite competitiveness match well with Westbrook to create an interesting chemistry to better the Thunder. OKC lost some depth by giving up Taj Gibson, Victor Oladipo, and Domantas Sabonis, which they still need to improve. However, OKC made smart moves that kept them in the perplexing Western Conference.