Atlanta Hawks: Kevin Huerter likely to stay long-term
The Hawks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and this young team is not going anywhere anytime soon. Not only are Trae Young, John Collins, and now Clint Capela under contract long-term with Atlanta, but Kevin Huerter seems to be “next-in-line” for the Hawks in contract negotiations.
Huerter is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is coming off back-to-back solid seasons in which he averaged over 11 points per game each year and shot over 36% from deep each season.
When asked about a potential extension, Kevin Huerter stated, “We’re still working. It’s something we’ve kind of worked through throughout the summer. Mostly I let my agent and Travis handle (it). Obviously, I hope to get something done but there’s no guarantees.”
Head coach Nate McMillan also offered his opinion on Huerter’s contract extension talks, stating that he hopes they can bring the young sharpshooter back and that McMillan is “crossing his fingers” to make it happen. Huerter seems to want to stay in Atlanta, the Hawks seem to want to keep him, so it does not seem like the 23-year-old wing is going anywhere anytime soon.
Boston Celtics: Williams, Kanter and Horford make up a strong looking frontcourt
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were fantastic for the Celtics last season, but nobody else really stepped up on a team with minimal depth.
Now, they not only have added more depth with Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder in their backcourt, but the additions of Enes Kanter and Al Horford to pair with Robert Williams in their frontcourt gives the Boston Celtics a three-headed monster at the center position.
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When asked about Robert Williams progression, veteran big man Enes Kanter said that Williams has “changed so much physically” and that he has added so much more to his game other than being just a rebounder and big body in the paint. In terms of the Celtics’ frontcourt as a whole, Kanter said, “You watched Power Rangers right? They can all do something different, but when they come together they are great. We can all do different things.”
Al Horford has always been known to be a really solid playmaker and midrange finisher, Enes Kanter is a monster rebounder and Robert Williams has evolved into doing a little bit of everything at the center position, which is why the Boston Celtics could look to play through their frontcourt when Tatum and/or Brown are either out of the game or struggling to get going.
Brooklyn Nets: James Harden wants to be in Brooklyn until he retires
A lot of the talk with the Brooklyn Nets has been centered around Kyrie Irving’s vaccination status heading into the 2021-22 season given New York state’s vaccine requirement for indoor venues, but the key headline from Media Day for the Nets was James Harden saying he does not want to play anywhere else other than Brooklyn the rest of his career.
The Nets went “all-in” on winning at least one championship when they traded for Harden last season and after signing Kevin Durant to a large contract extension this past offseason, it seems reasonable to believe that James Harden is next after his recent comments, but he is not going to rush things.
“Honestly I’m just taking my time. I’m just going to focus on trying to bring a championship to the city,” Harden stated to the media on Monday afternoon. “As far as an extension I’m just being patient with it. I went through a lot last year, you want to make sure I’m in the right mindset knowing long term that ultimately I want to be in Brooklyn for the rest of my career. So it’s no rush and we’re gonna have fun with it.”
The Bucks may be coming off a title, but fully healthy, there is no better team in the league than the Brooklyn Nets. If it was not for Kyrie Irving and James Harden being injured in the playoffs last year, who knows, maybe they would have beaten the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals en route to the NBA Finals!
We will never know the answer to this question, but as far as the 2021-22 season, the Nets are the team to beat in the NBA and they will be for the foreseeable future if Durant, Irving, and Harden all stay in Brooklyn.
Charlotte Hornets: Will continue developing young talent, but are bound for improvement
The Charlotte Hornets have not made the playoffs since 2016 and while it will be tough for them to crack the code this season, they definitely have one of the better, youthful teams in the NBA.
Right now, they only have five guys on their roster with six or more years of experience in the NBA, and their average team age, counting only players with guaranteed contracts, is just over 24-years-old.
Head coach James Borrego knows he has a very young team that is still learning, but he did state on Monday that he expects everyone to take a step forward this season.
The Hornets’ young group is highlighted by last year’s Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball, but plenty of other talents in Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, and rookies James Bouknight and Kai Jones are expected to see big roles with Charlotte this upcoming year.
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With the Eastern Conference expected to be highly competitive, the Hornets could very well end up having to earn their spot in the postseason via the play-in tournament, but nonetheless, this is still definitely a team to keep an eye on over the course of the 2021-22 season.
Development is key and unfortunately, it is a process that cannot be rushed. In time, this Hornets team is going to be special and we will see glimpses of that this season.
Chicago Bulls: Management wants Zach LaVine to stay long-term
Coming off a fantastic offseason in which they landed DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, the Chicago Bulls now turn their attention not only to being a playoff team this season but also to keeping Zach LaVine on their roster long-term. LaVine is entering the final year of his contract and definitely deserves to get paid like one of the better shooting guards in the league.
Since joining the Bulls in 2017, Zach LaVine has only improved himself as an all-around offensive threat and he is coming off a season in which he averaged 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and shot 41.9% from three-point range.
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Executive vice president of basketball operations of the Chicago Bulls, Arturas Karnisovas, talked about the Bulls for this upcoming season and mentioned, “We’re committed to Zach. We want him to be in Chicago for a long time.” For LaVine, re-signing with the Bulls will likely be all about whether or not the “price is right” on the new contract and seeing as Karnisovas stated that management wants him in Chicago long-term, it seems reasonable to believe that a deal will get done within the first few months of the regular season.
