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In this episode of the Good word with good willYahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by The Athletic’s Sam Amick to break down all the news from the first night of NBA free agency.
The guys start with the biggest news, Paul George is leaving the Los Angeles Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers. The guys talk about the fit for George in Philly and explain how losing one of their biggest contracts could be a bright spot for the Clippers as they open their new arena.
Speaking of the Clippers, they re-signed James Harden for less than the max and also signed Derrick Jones Jr. as an athletic replacement for Paul George in the starting lineup. The guys talk about where the Clippers go from here and how worried they are about Kawhi Leonard playing for Team USA this summer.
Chris Paul, who was recently released by the Golden State Warriors, signed a one-year deal to join Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio. Sam compares this year with the Spurs to CP3’s previous one-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder and explains how Paul could bridge the age gap between Wemby and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
The guys talk about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing with the Orlando Magic, but mostly they talk about the Denver Nuggets losing talent since winning the title last year and the limitations of the new CBA.
Isaiah Hartenstein was the best free agent center on the market, and he’s a perfect fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who signed him early this morning. Sam Presti continues to assemble an incredible roster that should be ready to compete for a title now.
While Vince takes us into “The Outlet” to talk about non-free agency news, the guys spend some time talking about the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have hired recently fired J.B. Bickerstaff as their new head coach, are working on a max extension for Cade Cunningham, and have signed veteran forward Tobias Harris in free agency. They still have a long way to go, but this is a great start to a rebuild in Detroit.
While discussing Jonas Valančiūna signing with the Washington Wizards, the guys get to Brandon Ingram about the Pelicans and where he could end up in a trade.
Finally, Sam wants to know from Vinnie what he thinks we can expect from Jimmy Butler. What kind of year is he going to get? Is there still a chance for an extension in Miami?
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