{"id":2997,"date":"2026-06-14T16:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T16:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2997"},"modified":"2026-06-14T16:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T16:35:14","slug":"the-nba-offseason-begins-with-lots-of-eyes-on-giannis-antetokounmpo-lebron-james-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2997","title":{"rendered":"The NBA offseason begins, with lots of eyes on Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and more"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

And just like that, it\u2019s next season in the NBA.<\/p>\n

The New York Knicks will be feted with a championship parade through the streets of Manhattan on Thursday after a postseason in which they successfully rallied from six double-digit deficits to win games in the playoffs, including all four of their victories in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n

Read more World Cup referee Omar Artan will receive full fee from FIFA despite being denied entry to the US<\/a><\/p>\n

It continued the unprecedented run of NBA parity, with eight different franchises winning championships in the last eight seasons \u2014 Toronto in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023, Boston in 2024, Oklahoma City last year and now New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it just really speaks to the state of NBA basketball and the state of the future of the game,\u201d NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. \u201cAnd now with this draft class coming in this year \u2014 again, not just the first pick, but a draft that\u2019s considered the deepest in many years \u2014 there\u2019s so much talent everywhere. \u2026 So, it\u2019s a really bright future ahead for the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is, but every team is now chasing the Knicks. They had all the answers.<\/p>\n

For 29 other franchises, at least on some levels, there seems to only be questions.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Will Milwaukee really trade Giannis Antetokounmpo after 13 seasons, 10 All-Star selections, two Most Valuable Player awards and an NBA championship in 2021?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Will LeBron James come back to the NBA for a 24th season? If so, will it be with the Los Angeles Lakers for a ninth year or will he look for a presumably final chapter elsewhere?<\/p>\n

\u2014 What will Washington do with the No. 1 pick in the draft later this month?<\/p>\n

\u2014 And who will coach in Chicago, Dallas and Portland?<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the major issues facing teams around the league as summer gets underway. It\u2019s going to be hard for the Knicks to repeat, because it\u2019s hard for any team to repeat \u2014 as the Thunder found out this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe history of the NBA is littered with teams that were not able to find ultimate success again,\u201d Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. \u201cI think there have only been three teams that have repeated since we\u2019ve been in Oklahoma City, and the reasons for that are many, probably too many to list. But the fact is that it helps illustrate how rare and how special it is when you do have a chance to win at the highest level in this league or in professional sports in general.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, NBA history is also built on the backs of those teams that saw their losses as a continued quest for improvement and progress. Most importantly, they saw it as what competition boils down to, what it\u2019s all about at any level of sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Giannis question<\/h3>\n

Antetokounmpo, the biggest star in Milwaukee, will be eligible this fall for an extension that could be worth up to $275 million.<\/p>\n

But the Bucks don\u2019t have a roster that\u2019s a championship contender. If they trade Antetokounmpo, they can essentially start over with what would be a slew of players and draft picks. If they keep him, there\u2019s no guarantee he\u2019ll be happy \u2014 because it seems like he\u2019s primarily interested now in trying to win more titles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think before the draft is a natural time, right, because if Giannis does play somewhere else we\u2019re going to get a lot of assets. \u2026 You\u2019ve got to get it right,\u201d Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said in May, when the team introduced new coach Taylor Jenkins \u2014 who was told that Antetokounmpo may or may not be with the franchise when next season starts.<\/p>\n

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The draft is next week. And logic would suggest that the Bucks \u2014 if they are going to trade Antetokounmpo \u2014 may do so at least a few days before the draft, so they have some specific idea of who to target with the capital that they\u2019ll get as part of whatever deal might go down.<\/p>\n

Miami has been mentioned in the Giannis sweepstakes for months, and the Heat are involved in talks with the Bucks again.<\/p>\n

LeBron watch<\/h3>\n

James has never gone into a summer with this much freedom.<\/p>\n

He could stay with the Lakers. He could pick another spot. He could retire. He could demand a max salary. He could take less money to help a team out. Or he could just continue posting videos of chip-ins on Instagram; yes, James has the golf bug.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do,\u201d James said when the Lakers were eliminated this spring by Oklahoma City in a 4-0 sweep.<\/p>\n

The Lakers have a lot of other decisions, including how to handle an extension for Austin Reaves. But getting some sense from James about his plans will surely go a long way toward having other moves fall into place.<\/p>\n

The Spurs<\/h3>\n

Victor Wembanyama is eligible for a four-year extension that would top $250 million, and there\u2019s obviously no reason San Antonio wouldn\u2019t want to commit to keep the game\u2019s most fascinating player around. The extension would start in 2027-28.<\/p>\n

There are some other roster spots to address, but the starters are under contract.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to watch how free agents view San Antonio as a destination, especially since the Spurs will go into next season as one of the favorites \u2014 if not the biggest one \u2014 for the 2027 NBA title.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompetitiveness, that\u2019s what makes you better,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. \u201cThat\u2019s what pushes you to continue to improve in the dark, long hours when nobody is around. We improved a whole lot this year. We have \u2026 more motivation to continue to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other top issues<\/h3>\n

\u2014 The NBA still hasn\u2019t revealed what, if anything, will come from an investigation by outside counsel into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and a California-based sustainability services company allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to circumvent league salary cap rules.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Portland hasn\u2019t said who will coach next season, with interim coach Tiago Splitter still in the mix. Chicago and Dallas still have openings. It would seem advantageous to have coaches in place by the draft.<\/p>\n

Read more Teen arrested in deadly Durham shooting at Cornwallis Road and South Roxboro Street: Police<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/nba<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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