The new NBA season is still a month away, but that doesn’t mean there is a shortage of exciting and interesting news for the die-hard basketball fan.
In fact, it’s the complete opposite as the league grabbed headlines once again, thanks to a series of storylines that make the wait for the upcoming season far more thrilling.
First off, there’s Dwyane Wade announcing his decision regarding his future. The 12-time NBA All-Star spent months pondering whether to return to the league, play in China or retire, but he finally made his choice and let the basketball world know.
There’s also former Los Angeles Laker Larry Nance Jr. who turned heads, not with his leaping ability and thunderous dunks but with his bold prediction for the 2018/19 campaign.
On the other hand, the NBA gave teams the news they are all waiting for: the salary cap projections for the next two seasons—figures that will have huge implications on the teams’ free agency dealings and trade acquisitions.
Here’s the full SBOBET report about the biggest stories in the league:
“One Last Dance” for Dwyane Wade
One more season. “One last dance.”
In what he called as the “hardest decision” of his life, Dwyane Wade announced in a 10-minute video that he is returning to the Miami Heat for the 2018/19 season.
Wade literally spent the summer weighing his options. Last July, the 36-year-old guard received a $25 million offer to play in China, though there were reports that he also considered retirement just a few days ago.
The three-time champion with the Miami Heat, however, decided to give the NBA one last go before he calls it a career.
“I’ve always did things my way,” Wade said. “Whether they’ve been good or whether they’ve been bad, I got here because I’ve done things the way that I feel is right for me and right for my family. And what I feel is right—I feel it’s right to ask you guys to join me for one last dance, for one last season.
“This is it. I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that, and I’m going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left.”
According to the latest NBA 2018 news, Wade is expected to sign a one-year, $2.4 million deal to finish his 16th season with the Heat.
Wade is already the most accomplished Heat player, holding the team record for most points, assists, steals and games played. And after brief stints with Chicago and Cleveland, there couldn’t be a better ending for him.
LeBron and LA to the NBA Finals? Larry Thinks So!
It’s easy to count out LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the top-heavy Western Conference. However, Larry Nance Jr. believes The King and the Purple and Gold have a legitimate chance of reaching the NBA Finals.
LeBron, who joined the Lakers this summer, are considered outsiders for the 2018/19 Larry O’Brien Trophy. The NBA 2018 odds even have them as only the third-best team in the West, behind Golden State and Houston.
Nonetheless, Nance said that the Lakers have as good of a chance as anyone to make it to the finals with LeBron leading them.
“They could [get to the Finals],” Nance, who played with LeBron at Cleveland, told The Sunday Express.
“With LeBron, anything is possible. I think it’ll be a very tough road because arguably three of the best four teams are out West.”
“You’re going to have to go through Golden State, Houston, Oklahoma City—there’s some really good teams out there. Their work is certainly cut out.”
Nance is not wrong with his statement, though. While the Warriors are still the favourites after re-signing Kevin Durant and adding All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins to their fold, the Lakers have every reason to be confident with LeBron guiding them.
LeBron has never missed the finals in the last eight seasons, winning it twice with Miami and once with Cleveland. Most notably, he sparked the 2017/18 Cavaliers to a fourth date with the Warriors on the big stage despite low expectations given their poor performance and lack of team chemistry.
It remains to be seen if LeBron can work his magic with the Lakers, but he sure is not lacking the support he needs.
Good or bad? NBA Sets Salary Cap for 2019/20, 2020/21
NBA organisations can now start planning for the next two seasons.
According to reports, the league has informed all 30 teams of the projected salary cap and luxury tax level for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league will set the salary cap for 2019/20 at $109 million. The luxury tax for that season will be at $132 million. Meanwhile, for 2020/21, the salary cap will be $9 million higher than the previous year ($118 million) with the tax level at $143 million.
The projection for the 2019/20 season remains unchanged, which should come as good news for all teams after seeing the previous salary cap projections decrease. Moreover, the cap for 2020/21 will be 1.5 percent higher than initially estimated.
With teams given a clearer picture of what the NBA landscape could look like in the near future, the next step is managing their dealing properly and avoiding overpaying for talent.
As things currently stand, 11 teams have already committed salaries more than the projected cap for 2019/20. With that said, it won’t be wrong to expect some salary-dumping trades or team-friendly deals from now on until next summer.
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