🏀 The Trade Request Heard 'Round the World

Greetings! We hope your team’s free agency is going well. We’re a few days in now, and while most of the big names may be off the board, there are still numerous contributors waiting to be signed, plus we have a few huge looming trades. Let’s get into it.

Today’s Lineup

Dame On The Move? No, seriously this time…

Bagged Up: What deals shocked us in the first weekend of free agency?

Sneaky Good: These moves didn’t make headlines, but they will make a difference.

Referral Program

Adam: Bonjour Victor! Did you know less than 1% of Enjoy Basketball newsletter readers have referrals?

Wemby: C’est impossible! We need to fix this! I'll make sure all the rookies know. I know the Thompson twins will be down for the positive movement!

Adam: You're the man Victor! And guess what? By sharing your link, you'll score some free swag. I'll even throw in a mini basketball hoop for your locker!

Wemby: You’re the real MVP, Adam, but every hoop is mini to me. Merci beaucoup!

We appreciate you, Adam! All you have to do is share your custom link at the bottom of your email with someone who would enjoy it and get rewarded! Track your progress by signing into your account and navigating to “Referrals”. It’s really that easy and helps us grow the Enjoyer community!

Bag After Bag After Bag

Who got big-time extensions? QUICK! Tyrese Haliburton and LaMelo Ball got $250M+, Desmond Bane made history, Domantas Sabonis is making SAC his home, Jerami Grant is staying in the PNW thanks to a new 5-year, $160 million deal with Portland, Draymond Green is still a Warrior, and Khris Middleton (three years, $102M) and Brook Lopez (two years, $48M) are both headed back to Milwaukee. Not a ton of surprises here.

The list of guys who switched teams? A little more surprising! We mentioned Houston being connected to pretty much every free agent last week before the floodgates opened up, and it turns out they were not bluffing. Fred VanVleet: three years, $130 million. Dillon Brooks: four years, $80 million. Jock Landale: four years, $32 million. While you can nitpick the fit of these three guys on Houston’s roster, the Rockets have been the most aggressive team in free agency and will win considerably more games next season after three years of tanking. And that’s the point of this all, right?

The New York Wildcats Knicks are getting the 2016 National Championship band back together, agreeing to a 4-year, $50 million contract with Donte DiVincenzo. Aside from him reuniting with his college buddies—something we can all agree is aspirational—he also appears to be a great fit on this Knicks team.

Sneaky Good Moves

Clippers Acquire KJ Martin: When a team goes on a spending spree like Houston did, they'll often be forced to part with good players to make room for the new guys. That’s what happened here with KJ Martin; the Clippers were there to scoop him up for just a few second-round picks. Martin had his best year yet in 2022-23, and he’s well worth a flyer for the Clips.

Spurs Nab Lamar Stevens, Cedi Osman: Another example of “we can’t keep these guys, so does anyone want them?” In order to sign Max Strus, Cleveland had to clear some cap room, so they shipped off Stevens and Osman to San Antonio. Neither player is going to be a star, but surrounding new cornerstone Victor Wembanyama with some depth pieces right off the bat is a smart move. Lamar Stevens is the tone-setting energy guy that every team should covet.

Nets Pickup Dennis Smith Jr: One of our under-the-radar FA targets, it did not take long for DSJ to get scooped up off the market. Brooklyn signed him for a cool $2.5 million, a steal for one of the best defensive guards in the league.

Dame Time Changing Time Zones?

It’s the end of an era, folks. Sort of. Damian Lillard hasn’t actually been traded, but he has officially asked the Blazers for a trade as of this weekend. Moreso, he asked to be traded specifically to the Miami Heat. A Dame trade will undoubtedly take some time to materialize and would involve many moving parts, with a third team potentially being brought into the fold.

Dame’s time in the PNW may be winding down, but he’s given PDX everything he could over the last decade. A Dame highlight reel is always in order.

Frozen Moments

• Fred VanVleet with a parting note to the 6ix…

• Is this combo the future of the Portland Trail Blazers? 🤝

• Jalen Brunson is not impressed with his team’s big signing 🤣 

What We’re Enjoying

Asteroid City: You probably don’t need to watch this if you’ve seen the Wes Anderson TikTok trend, but we recommend it anyway…just kidding. Anderson’s latest movie features an all-star cast and follows a group of young scientists who end up witnessing a world-changing event. It’s charming and surprisingly affecting by the end. We recommend seeing it in theaters for the full experience.

Signing Off

Off we go! Thanks for tuning in. We love you. Make sure you’re hydrating this week, as we’re now basically in the dead of summer. Be safe out there: a lot of people care about you! Talk soon.

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: Eastern Washington legend Rodney Stuckey is the third Big Sky alumni to log more than 300 games!

Before you go…