Good morning, LeBron just made another decision
That and much more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
REVENGE OF THE DECISION: LeBron’s agent informed the Heat and the media on Tuesday that King James is opting out of his contract. Paul Flannery explains what that actually means. Mike Prada looks at the teams that could conceivably land the four-time MVP, led by, of course, Miami. Pat Riley downplayed the whole thing. That didn’t stop from fans Photoshopping LeBron into their teams’ jersey.
RUMOR PARTY T-1: The Draft is but a day away, so enjoy these assorted rumors! The Kings have talked with Detroit about getting Josh Smith. The Magic have offered Arron Afflalo and No. 4 for No. 1. The Bucks may have promised Jabari Parker they’ll take him No. 2 if he’s on the board.
Yep. That’s about it. Without LeBron, it would have been a slow Tuesday.
ZILLSPLAININ’: I explained why first-round picks are so valuable, and I created a massive Venn diagram showing the skills and attributes of 2014 prospects.
DOUGIE: Tyler Lashbrook's final giant scouting report is on Doug McDermott. Can he hack it in the pros?
LOVE VS. KLAY: Zach Lowe on the debate the Warriors are having.
MEET SAM HINKIE: Interesting piece on Hinkie’s smalltown Oklahoma roots.
END THE PLAYER CAP: Charlie Zegers on the impact of the player salary cap.
ANONYMICE: Ryen Russillo is back with more anonymous scouts talking about Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon. The skepticism toward Exum is intriguing.
THE NEXT CHINA-TO-NBA PROSPECT: Li Muhao could be the first Chinese national drafted since 2007. I haven’t read one word about him until this piece in The Classical by Andrew Crawford. You should read it too.
120 SPORTS: An interesting concept for a new-wave digital sports network with buy-in from the leagues. Also, they hired Antoine Walker as an analyst, so you know it’s good.
Happy Wednesday. See you next time.
