The Brave News

by Jeremiah Davis

As the NBA season is getting ready to start back up, the offseason has brought about some major trades and signings that have had people on the edge of their seats waiting to see what team makes the next move.

Several NBA teams have benefited from the NBA offseason such as the Lakers, Heat and Bulls. The headliner of free agency came with the recent signing of L.A. native Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.  

The team, however, lost some key pieces from their 2020 playoff run, with Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being traded to the Washington Wizards and Alex Caruso signing with the Chicago Bulls.

With the Lakers’ first round exit in the previous year, the signing of Westbrook ultimately will help the Lakers reach the pinnacle of their true potential as they did in the 2020 season.  

The Miami Heat have also headlined the NBA offseason, as well. The Heat were able to trade away their six-year veteran point guard Goran Dragic for six-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry. Alongside that, the Heat were able to resign some key players which is a bonus to their team. Five-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler was able to re-sign a deal for four years and $184 million.  

On that same note, 2020 NBA All- Star Bam Adebayo has re-signed with the Heat for a five-year, $163 million deal that makes him one of the highest paid forwards in the league. They also re-signed three-point sniper Duncan Robinson for a five-year deal worth $90 million. These roster changes should put the Heat back in contention in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bulls have made a lot of noise within the NBA offseason and it is no surprise that they are fed up with their losing seasons. The Bulls front office has decided to build around their All-Star shooting guard in Zach Lavine. By doing this, they were able to make some beneficial signings. 

Point guard Lonzo Ball was one of the first to sign with the Bulls for the upcoming season signing a four year, $80 million contract, which some NBA fans say is well-deserved. Ball has made the strides necessary to prove his naysayers and doubters wrong.  

Another signing that raised eyebrows was shooting guard Alex Caruso to Chicago. Caruso was a fan favorite for the Lakers due to his athleticism and playmaking ability. Although the fans seemed to enjoy Caruso staying with the Lakers, the organization was not able to re-sign him due to the cap space within the team.  Therefore, Caruso was able to sign with the Bulls.  Caruso will bring great energy off their bench next season.  

The final piece for the Bulls roster this offseason is Compton, CA native Demar Derozan.  The hype behind Derozan’s signing was compelling to say the least.  He was rumored to be traded to many different teams, including the Lakers. 

In an interview with Shannon Sharpe on his show “Club Shay Shay,” Derozan said, “ You’d love to have the opportunity to play at home, especially if they want you, why not? I think it would work [between me, LeBron & AD]. We’re smart basketball players, and it’s all about coming together.” 

However, Derozan finally made his decision to leave the Spurs and sign a three year, $85,000,000 contract. It will be exciting to see how this NBA season will unfold with the way teams are stacking up, especially in the Western Conference.