As we saw back in 2010 with LeBron James deciding where his next team would be, you need at least one superstar in place to lure in another. As we know, Dwyane Wade was huge in bringing Chris Bosh and LeBron down to South Beach.
Many thought that Kawhi Leonard, if he was going to join the Los Angeles Clippers, was going to be the one and only superstar on the team. Sure, they would have opportunities to find another one, but that’s not what Kawhi had in mind. Leonard wanted to be with another superstar, but the Clippers didn’t have one. Kawhi reached out to Paul George and pitched the two of them playing together.
The difference between Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis’s moves, and the LeBron James move in 2010, is their contracts. Kawhi planned on teaming up with Paul George, who had multiple years left on his contract. Anthony Davis had one year left on his contract and also was able to choose his destination—despite the mess it was.
LeBron’s decision has largely been looked at as the beginning of the era of player empowerment. Players making decisions for themselves and going to where they wanted to became popular soon after. But we rarely saw where a player could choose his next team while under contract. Even Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler—the two stars we saw request trades in recent history—did not specifically say that they wanted to go to Boston and Philadelphia, respectively. Mostly, we saw guys give their teams a list of teams they would be interested in going to, and then they’d end up on one of those teams.
But that looks to be shifting. Davis pointed out the Lakers as his choice, and George said the Clippers after Kawhi sold him on joining forces. You can argue that the smaller market teams got a nice haul for the two superstars wanting out. The New Orleans Pelicans got three young guys and a load of draft picks—including three more picks from the No. 4 overall pick they originally got in the Davis trade. The Oklahoma City Thunder got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a multitude of future draft picks for George. Both teams are in nice positions to rebuild.
A new level to player empowerment isn’t the only thing that this summer has changed. The race for the 2020 NBA Finals is about as open as it can be. Gone are the days of the Golden State Warriors being inevitable champions. The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are now in that conversation. The Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz got stronger. The Houston Rockets also still has the duo of Chris Paul and James Harden, and the Warriors still have Steph Curry. That is six strong contenders in the Western Conference alone.
Out in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will likely be back near the top of the conference. The Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat improved. The Toronto Raptors will drop off without Kawhi Leonard and the Boston Celtics will drop off without Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. The Orlando Magic could also improve with their young core of talent.
The point is, there are 10-12 teams that are in the conversation for contenders right now. That is a drastic change in how the league looked the last few years during the Warriors era. And there is still plenty of time for things to change before the season starts.
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