NBA made 3 deals overnight! Zeng Fanbo was laid off, Westbrook’s departure confirmed, James’ injury updated

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

The NBA preseason is in full swing. After Chinese player Yang Hansen struggled in the first game against the Warriors, he performed amazingly in the next two consecutive games with many highlights. What can be confirmed is that he has a high probability of gaining a firm foothold on the NBA stage in the future. However, the situation of another Chinese young player Zeng Fanbo is slightly worse. He played two preseason games on behalf of the Nets. In one game, he played 0 shots, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, and 0 steals for 10 minutes, and only had 1 block. In the other Chinese game, he was directly DNPed by the coach, which is really embarrassing.

In just one night, the NBA landscape once again underwent subtle changes. Zeng Fanbo's dream of the Nets was shattered, Westbrook finally found a new owner, the Kings locked in a future core with a huge contract of 140 million, 32-year-old Brogdon suddenly announced his retirement, and James' injury has also made the latest progress. Let's take a look at the specific information.

01 Nets dream shattered: Zeng Fanbo officially announced that he was laid off

Just today, the Brooklyn Nets officially announced that they have officially laid off Chinese player Zeng Fanbo. Ironically, this decision came only three days after his debut in the NBA China Game.

The Chinese star only got 10 minutes and 6 seconds of playing time in his first game in China. He did not score a goal and only scored 1 steal and 3 fouls.

In the second game, he failed to get any playing time.

Some media analysts believe that there are two main reasons for Zeng Fanbo's dismissal: on the one hand, his body failed to adjust to its best condition after being injured in this year's playoffs; on the other hand, the Nets coach did not design any tactics for him.

Although Zeng Fanbo's trip to the NBA was short, at least he realized his dream of wearing an NBA team jersey on the stage of the China Game.

02 Final destination: Westbrook's next home confirmed

What is ironic is that after more than 4 months of "rumors", Westbrook finally confirmed his next home for the new season.

According to ESPN reporter Shams, Westbrook has agreed to join the Sacramento Kings and signed a one-year veteran's minimum salary contract of $3.6 million with the team.

This decision marks the beginning of Westbrook's 18th season in the NBA.

Previously, American media reported that a CBA team was willing to offer Westbrook an offer of as high as 10 million to 14 million US dollars, which only requires him to play half a season (more than 20 regular season games), and additional money will be added if he advances to the playoffs. Obviously, compared with the CBA's tens of millions of dollars in contracts, the $3.6 million provided by the Kings is obviously not worth mentioning, but Westbrook ultimately chose to stay in the NBA, and this is also his dream.

Last season, Westbrook played in 75 regular season games for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per game, still maintaining a very good competitive state.

In the new season, Westbrook will join forces with LaVine, DeRozan, and Sabonis Jr. to fight for the Kings' goal of hitting the playoffs.

03 Locking in the future core: The Kings spent $140 million

At the same time, the Kings also announced another major decision today - reaching a five-year, $140 million early contract extension with 2022 No. 4 pick Keegan Murray.

This move makes it clear that the Kings will use Murray as the core of their future team building. Murray's contract, which averages $30 million per year, is indeed a cost-effective signing in today's environment of soaring NBA salary caps (the maximum salary has exceeded $70 million).

In this regard, the US media has had mixed reviews of this contract. Some media believe that "this price is a good deal", while others bluntly said that "he is much worse than Smith Jr. of the Rockets, but his salary is even higher!".

In any case, the Kings management has shown that they believe Murray has room for growth and can play a more important role in the team's future development.

04 Breaking news: The best sixth man announces his retirement

The most shocking news is that Brogdon, who is only 32 years old, suddenly announced his retirement.

The former best sixth man, who just signed a training camp contract with the New York Knicks this summer, has now officially ended his nine-year NBA career through a statement.

Brogdon's career can be called a model of low-pick counterattack. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 36th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but unexpectedly won the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year. He also became the second player in the history of the Bucks to be elected Rookie of the Year after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969-70 season.

In his nine-year career, Brogdon averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. In the 2022-23 season, while playing for the Boston Celtics, he also won the annual'Best Sixth Man' award.

05 Injury update: James recovery timetable

Previously, according to US media ESPN, James is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks due to right sciatica.

"James' condition is not as serious as the worst, but recovery will take time," Redick told reporters.

If calculated according to the recovery time of 4 weeks, James is expected to return in the Lakers' game against the Spurs on November 6, which means that he will miss the regular season opener for the first time in his career..

However, James is nearly 41 years old and is the oldest active player in the NBA. His physical recovery speed is not as fast as before. An NBA executive revealed to the "Lakers Daily" that James would not be surprised if he is unable to play in October or even November. The executive also said that the Lakers management is treating James' injury with caution and will adopt an extremely conservative attitude. It may be possible to extend it until December before returning.