NBA 9 deals overnight! James contract was finalized, Harden s contract renewal was successful, and the Rockets became the biggest winner

In just one night, as many as 9 signing deals in the NBA league were reached, James' contract was finalized, Harden's contract renewal was successful, but the Rockets became the biggest winner in the league at present!

Text|Lao Kankanqiu

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

As the NBA Finals came to an end, the league's free market also began to become hot. The Magic won Bain with a big bet of 7 for 1, officially kicking off the trading. Immediately afterwards, the Rockets also made a big deal with 7 for 1 and obtained Durant, and provided him with a contract renewal of up to 124 million US dollars in two years, making up for the biggest shortcomings of the lineup's deficit at critical moments, becoming one of the biggest favorites in the championship next season. In comparison, although the Lakers suffered consecutive setbacks in the trading market, they signed five talented drafts after the draft, trying their best to build the Summer League lineup.

The most important thing is that according to the latest report by ESPN famous reporter shams, the contract of Lakers star LeBron James has finally been finalized, and the latter decided to implement the 2025-26 season's player option worth $52.6 million, and the remaining Lakers join forces with Doncic to continue to compete for the championship. At this point, James is about to become the first player in NBA history to play for 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter (22 years) to become the longest player in NBA history, setting the first record in NBA history.

In addition, according to a follow-up report from shams, James has been considering whether to retire every offseason since the 2022-23 season. According to reliable internal information, Savanna hopes that James will retire around next year, but it is not yet certain whether next season will be his last season. You should know that James' performance last season is still at the All-Star level. He played a total of 70 regular season games for the Lakers, averaged 34.9 minutes per game, scored 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists, and led the team to the playoffs as the third in the Western Conference. It is hard to imagine that this is the performance of a 41-year-old veteran.

" James is still eager to compete for the championship. He knows that the Lakers are preparing for the future, but he values ​​the real opportunity to win the championship more!" agent Ritchie Paul said when facing reporters. It is worth mentioning that so far in his career, James' total career income has reached 581.3 million US dollars, setting a record in the NBA history. It is obvious that money is no longer the primary consideration for renewal. He needs to evaluate how to continue to strive for the fifth championship at the end of his career.

However, the Lakers urgently need to strengthen the center position, which is well known to everyone in the league. Therefore, many teams have begun to beat the ball. "All teams know how eager the Lakers are to introduce a center. Capela of the Hawks is to be regarded as the main target, but the Lakers do not want to be 'taken away' in the transaction'! ” NBA reporter Anthony Ilwin wrote. In addition, 3D defensive champion Finney Smith, who was just introduced last season, also decided today to refuse to execute the $15.4 million player option next season. Many championship teams have started chasing, among which the Rockets and the Clippers are the most enthusiastic, and the Lakers may use 14.1 million full middle-class special to compete for the 3D strongman.

When it comes to the Clippers, team forward Nicholas Batum decided to refuse to execute 202 After the $4.9 million player option in the 5-26 season, the big core James Harden also chose to refuse to execute the $36 million player option next season, and then directly renewed a two-year renewal contract worth $81.5 million, of which the second year's contract includes player options and some guarantee clauses.

Obviously, Harden's renewal issue is also the top priority for the Clippers management this summer. Now that the contract renewal is successful, Harden will continue to stay in the Clippers and start his job. In the 17th season of his career, the goal is to join forces with Leonard to strive for his first championship in his personal and team history.

As a comparison, Harden's former home team Rockets also ushered in a drastic change this summer. After getting Durant's trade, he continued to make appointments with center Aquaman and head coach Uduka and renewed Jabbarri Smith Jr. with a 5-year, cost-effective contract of $122 million, and continued to be active in the free market. Obviously, the Rockets' ambitions have been revealed. They are definitely not just the playoffs, their ultimate goal is to win the championship.

In fact, the Rockets had already shown strong competitiveness last season, ranking second in the West with 52 wins, top two in the league in defensive efficiency, and ranked first in the league in net victory over their opponents by 5.8 rebounds per game. And this summer, the team's management introduced Durant on the basis of retaining core frameworks such as Shin Kyung and Amen Thompson. The team's strength directly jumped to the top three in the West, becoming the biggest winner of this wave of trading.

Other transaction information:

1. The Timberwolves received two consecutive generals: a three-year, $100 million renewal Randall, of which the 2027-28 season is the player option, and a five-year, $125 million long contract renewal, Reed, Reed;

2. The Bucks renewed Portis with a three-year, $44 million contract, of which the 2027-28 season is the player option;

3. The Jazz sent Colin Sexton and the 2031 second round draft pick to Charlotte, and received Nurkic from the Hornets;

4. The Thunder renewed Jerin Williams with a three-year, $24 million contract;

5. The Magic have rejected Huostein's $2.19 million team option and the Big Wagner's $11 million team option;

6. The Wizards cut Anthony Gill;

7. The Warriors execute Post's $1.96 million team option;

8. The Cavaliers sign "Ball" Langzo Ball for 1, renewing Merrill for 4 years and $38 million, and are expected to give up Jerome;

9. The Thunder traded Dillon Jones and the second round pick (2029 second round pick) to the Wizards in exchange for Colby Jones.