Reject the Lakers! The Big Three Groups in the salary cut are different from James, you are going to win the championship

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

NBA Summer League is in full swing, but the free market has become quiet, because the "big fish" in the trading market has basically settled and there is no big suspense. In the East, the Celtics star Tatum was reimbursed for a season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the management directly dismantled the team and sent Porzingis and Holiday away, keeping his salary below the second rich line; in order to retain Antetokounmpo, the Bucks used a shocking move - buying out super giant Lillard (torn Achilles tendon) to free up salary space to strengthen it, which was definitely a desperate bet. The final result is still unknown, but it is also considered to be leaving the will of fate.

Similarly, the Suns in the West were fed up with the "Big Three" and directly dismantled the team and sent Durant to the Rockets. After many negotiations, they officially reached a salary cut buyout agreement with Bradley Bill, who will voluntarily give up the salary of $13.8 million to $14 million in the remaining two-year contract. Moreover, Suns management uses the rare "extended clause" to share Bill's remaining salary to pay for the next five years, accounting for only $18 million in salary space each year. This operation will allow the Suns to successfully avoid luxury taxes and retain the flexibility of lineup adjustments.

Immediately afterwards, according to a follow-up report by US media ESPN famous reporter Shams, after the clarification period, Bill will join the Los Angeles Clippers at a "bad price" of $11 million for two years, and once again form the Los Angeles "Big Three" with Harden and Leonard, and continue to strive for the championship.

In fact, after the news of the Suns and the Bills reaching a buyout, many detachments including the Lakers, Warriors, Heat, Bucks, 76ers flocked to it. The Lakers had many conversations with the Bills and their team, but did not make a promise about the right position and the right to the ball. Therefore, the Bills did not express their interest in playing for the Lakers and finally rejected the Lakers.

In addition, the 76ers offer the most competitive price of $12.9 million, almost twice the Clippers' salary. However, for Bill and his team, money is not the only consideration. The game between champion dreams and business territory is also the most valued by this three-time All-Star, and Harden and Leonard are also their most perfect partner combination at present. The Bucks had been pursuing Bills with all their might. After getting Powell in the transaction, the Heat could only provide a basic salary contract, and the Warriors were only willing to give Bills a basic salary contract from beginning to end, and it was reasonable that they were rejected one by one.

It has to be said that the operation of the Clippers General Manager Frank this summer is textbook-level. After freeing up $8.3 million in cap space through a three-party transaction, the team locked in two major goals in a flash: Bill's joining could fill the score vacancy after Powell left, while continuing to chase Paul aims for playoff control stability.

Subsequently, the Clippers announced the details of Bill's contract: $11 million for two years and $5.334 million for the full middle class special case, 2025-26 season, and 2026-27 season 5.6217 million (including player options). This cost-effective contract allows the team to retain a special case of the basic salary contract (a balance of approximately US$3.6 million) to chase Paul.

With Bill's joining, the Clippers' starting lineup for the new season is also released: Harden, Bill, Leonard, Collins and Zubac. The broad lineup depth immediately made the Clippers one of the first tiers in the championship:

1. Offensive engine: Harden controls the overall situation and releases Bill's scoring firepower. Data shows that when Harden attracted double teams last season, Powell averaged 26 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 50.8%; and when Harden was restricted, Powell's data plummeted to 17 points + 41% shooting percentage. As a three-time All-Star, Bill averaged 22.1 points per game in his career, so he is expected to break through the efficiency ceiling in the Suns era next to Harden, the "superstar activator".

2. Frontline upgrade: Collins (18.9 points per game + 40% three-point shooting percentage) allowed Leonard to return to the third position, releasing his pressure to reduce the potential for injury. Collins's joining can allow the two-time FMVP winner to completely get rid of the attrition of the power forward position. In the past three years, Leonard has missed 148 games due to injury. Now the loss caused by position adjustment may be more valuable than any signing.

3. Deep Horror: Jones Jr. + Lopez Big + Batum + Bogdanovic + Dunn's substitute lineup stands out in the entire league.

When the Clippers began to strive for the championship after a series of reinforcement operations, the Lakers, who are also the Los Angeles derby, were deeply trapped in mud. Unlike Bill, James has been rumored to have left the team scandal before. After he and his team refuted the rumors, rumors have recently been rumored that he would be bought out. Subsequently, the Lakers said that James has not negotiated a buyout deal with the Lakers and still plans to retire with the Los Angeles Lakers eventually. He is expected to continue playing for the Lakers in the new season.

The two superstars Bill and James eventually embarked on different paths this summer: one bets real money for the championship dream, and the other writes the final loyalty for the legendary career.