Photo USA Today Sports Images After a recount, the Lakers were declared the winners of the 2024 NBA title.
Or maybe that's what it seemed like based on the reaction of general manager Rob Pelinka and his staff after he was selected 55th overall in last month's draft.
A week later, LeBron James agreed to re-sign with the Lakers, and that's when we all understood.
As measured by TV ratings, the Lakers will be relevant for at least another year. Hooray.
There's not much more that can be said about Paul George at this point. He's the only legitimate challenger for the honor of most impactful free agent signing in 2024. You'll be forgiven for thinking George is retired.
Here are the medal winners in the Free Agent Freestyle competition at this summer's Olympics.
Bronze: DeMar DeRozan re-signs with Bulls, gets traded to Kings
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) dribbles the basketball while Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) defends during the first quarter of the 2024 NBA Playoffs Play-In Game at the Caseya Center in Miami, Florida, USA on April 19, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro – USA Today Sports Free agent contracts come in three forms.
You have a guy like Klay Thompson. He didn't technically move to the Mavericks as a free agent. He had to sign with his old team, in his case the Warriors, in order to leave town. But he was a free agent, he signed, he made a big move, and he has to be considered.
Then there's the simple re-signing: The Knicks kept OG Anunoby, the 76ers kept Tyrese Maxey and the Pacers kept Pascal Siakam. Boring, but all important moves for Eastern playoff contenders.
And finally, there's the old-fashioned “If I'm gone, you get nothing” trick, the type that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pulled on the Nuggets to join the Magic and that Isaiah Hartenstein used to get out of the Big Apple and into softball town.
All six were newsworthy, some brought a deep sigh of relief, some had fans blaming the ownership for being stingy, and one… we'll finally find out if Clay melts in the Texas heat.
DeRozan followed Thompson's route to Sacramento, a much-needed addition for the Kings after they saw an entertaining season end prematurely when Domantas Sabonis disappeared late in a key game.
The West is a crowded field with the Nuggets falling to the bottom of the table, and Sacramento, led by the Western version of the Musketeers, is now a serious player.
Silver: 76ers sign Paul George
Paul George as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports There's been a lot of talk about the Celtics' competition, or lack thereof, on the road to a championship, but that's missing the point.
Their walk on the red carpet to the title had nothing to do with injuries to Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton — those teams were beaten on merit anyway.
No, the Celtics had an easy win because they didn't run into Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.
The Knicks closed the gap, but entering the offseason, the biggest obstacle to a potential repeat championship was the 76ers — if, of course, they were to re-sign Maxey, which they did.
Now they add George, Jaylen Brown has to guard him while Jrue Holiday presses for Maxey, and the door is open for Embiid to dominate.
Good luck to the stick man that is Kristaps Porzingis, the old man that is Al Horford, and the defensive myth that is Jayson Tatum. The addition of George and Embiid makes the 76ers the most powerful team in the East and a championship favorite.
Gold: Lakers re-sign LeBron James
LeBron James returns to the Los Angeles Lakers. Photo credit: Getty Images Some will say that the ripple effect of LeBron staying with the Lakers will be less than a magnitude 2.0 earthquake in Southern California, and I agree.
But in the eyes of the basketball world as a whole, this is the Big One.
Why? LeBron was the only free agent this offseason who could singlehandedly change the entire NBA landscape.
Think about it this way: pick a team, any team will do, if that team drafted Bronny and LeBron chose to come with him for a reasonable amount of money, would that team be a championship contender next season?
Yes: Celtics, Knicks, Bucks, Cavaliers, Pacers, 76ers, Heat, Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Suns, Pelicans, Kings, Warriors.
That's half the league, which is what makes LeBron the hottest free agent this summer.
No, he won't win, but without him, at least 10 others on the yes list wouldn't have a chance to win either.
It's all because LeBron signed with the wrong team.
