After the turbulent NBA period, we have reached the end of the season and the Finals. The players are enjoying their well-deserved rest and taking a break from basketball, but besides the players you also have the teams that want to keep improving day by day. This is often done in Free Agency: this is where players whose contracts have expired are signed, but players who have played basketball abroad can also turn into a real NBA player in Free Agency.
We looked at several NBA teams plus their current stats and rosters and made a list of Free Agency rumors that might just become reality.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
perhaps the most promising player in the NBA right now, this year Giannis managed to release his own Nike basketball shoes and also land his 2nd MVP after a great season with the Milwaukee Bucks; unfortunately the team could not get past the quarterfinals, which they lost 5-1 to the Miami Heat. Rumors that Giannis would move this Free Agency keep popping up, but there is little news yet from his own side or from the Milwaukee Bucks.
For instance, he would not be satisfied with receiving the MVP (Most Valuable Player Award) twice without being rewarded with an NBA Championship ring, which led to rumors that he could join the Golden State Warriors to take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers together with the Splash Brothers.
There was also speculation that he might be interested in heading into the cold and joining the Toronto Raptors. Giannis is good friends with Masai Ujiri, the CEO of the Toronto Raptors. We wouldn’t dare to predict where Giannis will end up, but we are certainly curious which team’s Antetokounmpo jersey we will be getting next year.
Prediction: Re-sign Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors or Miami Heat
Derrick Rose
D-Rose is a player everyone respects, and that makes sense, because after all his injuries he always managed to find the motivation to give 110% to his own recovery and so found his way back into the NBA. In recent years Derrick Rose was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and this season he played in Detroit. In Detroit he averaged 18.1 points per game, but things got worse for the team after Andre Drummond left.
In 2019 there were already rumors that D-Rose would join the Los Angeles Lakers, but unfortunately it stayed at rumors. This year is different: the Los Angeles Lakers are still looking for a worthy starting point guard. Although Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo did well in the Playoffs, that is not what the Lakers want as a starter. Derrick Rose will most likely agree to move to Los Angeles because he also played alongside Lebron James for a long time at the Cavaliers and the 2 have a good bond.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
Demarcus Cousins
Demarcus Cousins has been a Free Agent since his time with the Golden State Warriors in 2019 and did not play a single NBA game in the 2020 season because of his injury. Despite that, he has not sat still, and in this period he also managed to land a deal with Puma Basketball. In 2019 Miami Heat was already interested in Cousins, but back then it lost the battle with the Lakers to sign him.
The Lakers probably won’t take such a big risk while defending their championship by signing someone whose future is still very unclear, but the Heat could, and Miami’s fitness program could work wonders for Cousins during his recovery. He played with Jimmy Butler on Team USA, so the two already have a relationship.
Cousins could fill the position currently played by Meyers Leonard, and if Demarcus Cousins has still not recovered at the start of the new season, they will give Meyers Leonard a better contract so they can give Cousins the minimum salary and still get him on Miami’s roster.
Prediction: Miami Heat
