2020 Playoff Heroes on The Move

Author: Vishal Tongya

Editor: Fran Attie

What an amazing playoffs! Nuggets beat the Clippers to reach the Western Conference Finals. Heat destroyed the Pacers, took down the number one team in the NBA, the Bucks, and clawed and fought their way to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals. And what a beautiful ending to the season it was. LeBron delivered the Lakers’ 17th title and got Anthony Davis his first ring. But what happens now? This coming post-season will certainly be interesting to watch, as many key players have now become free-agents while so many others have expiring contracts. In this article I will do a quick breakdown of the biggest names on the rumor mill and suggest my ideal situations for each.

Anthony Davis

Let’s get one thing clear, Davis is not leaving the Lakers. Davis is in his prime right now and I feel like he’s playing much better compared to his time in New Orleans. His relationship with LeBron is tight-knit, and their chemistry second only to LeBron and DWade’s. Though there have been rumors of AD leaving the Lakers to play for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, this is very unrealistic. The Bulls don’t have the money to offer Davis compared to what the Lakers can currently pay him (the biggest contract in the NBA). Unless Davis takes a big pay cut, which is a bad idea, the transition still won’t be possible. Is there a trade path? Not really, unless the Lakers think Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen would work better with LeBron than AD does right now. So, I can say for certain, Davis is not going anywhere, at least, not for another season or two.

Goran Dragic

This guy was unbelievable in the Playoffs. Dragic played like a star and he needs to stay with the Heat. His coming back from injury at the right time allowed them to make it as far as they did. And while injuries at 34 years old can be scary, Dragic still has a few more seasons left in the tank and could help bring the Heat a title in the coming seasons. Right now he is the Heat’s third-best player; besides being a clutch floor general, his main role in the coming seasons would be to pass on his incredible basketball IQ to the young players on the team and help develop Tyler Herro into a superstar. And though Dragic is not a great three-point shooter, that still works well with the Heat’s playing style: the paint is the ideal place for him to shine, which allows the best 3-point shooter (by percentage) in the league this season, Duncan Robinson, to nail critical 3s all game long. The Heat are a special team, one of the most sought after teams in this post-season, and Dragic with all his veteran experience will most likely stay with them for at least another season.

Brandon Ingram

Going from the third-best player on the Lakers a season ago to the Most Improved Player in the league is special. Simply put, Brandon Ingram is special. His scoring ability has drastically improved as he’s arguably become the best player on the Pelicans (though Zion would be the best if he only got more playing time). The smart move for Ingram right now would be to take the max contract the Pelicans will most likely offer him. He would do well, I think, to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Davis: develop into an A+ player along side promising guys like Lonzo and Zion, and then when he reaches his prime, which will probably be within the next 3 seasons, demand a trade to a better overall team. But for now, Ingram should ignore the matching offers and stay with the Pelicans.

Carmelo Anthony

One of the more exciting players to watch this past season was Carmelo Anthony. Taken for granted and treated like crap on the Rockets and Thunder, Melo was a perfect fit on the Blazers. He played exceptionally well as the Blazers’ fourth scoring option, and matched up well with the passing abilities of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Other than isolations, the majority of the Blazers’ plays were either feeding Nurkic inside, who was phenomenal coming back from injury, or finding Melo open on the three-point line, where he is money. The rumors of him possibly teaming up with LeBron or Chris Paul aren’t too crazy though. Having never been past the Conference Finals, Carmelo still has enough in the tank for a handful of years, if the goal is to win a title. Personally, I think he should leave the Blazers and join the Lakers. Yes, I’m a Lakers fan, but even through the bias, I believe this might be his best and final chance to win a title. Though he may fit well with Giannis, the Bucks are consistently disappointing in the playoffs, not to mention they don’t have the assets and the cash to make space for him. The Lakers on the other hand can offer Melo a generous contract, possibly for twoyears, so him and LeBron can finally be paired up. Melo was great with the Blazers, but for a real chance at the chip, moving to a contender is the way to go. It will certainly be interesting to watch where he ends up.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE