NBA weekend recap: transactions, tributes and trades waiting to happen

Summer is a weird season for NBA fans. With games on pause, hoop heads are scratching for basketball action. While the summer league is in full swing, it is not exactly the quality of basketball we want to see.

We already got what we wanted out of this year’s tournament. And with Victor Wembanyama sitting out the rest of it, most games serve as background noise while we figure out our lives.

Regardless, it is never dead silent around the association. So let’s look at headlines, amplify whispers, and check on narratives around the NBA from this weekend.

The reconstruction continues in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns strengthened their high chances by acquiring Bradley Beal this summer. If you were a skeptic about them being title favorites upon signing Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, time to look no further than this. The Suns have a solid new foundation in Beal, Durant, and Devin Booker. Throw DeAndre Ayton there as well, if you wish. On the other hand, the lack of depth outside that core green-lighted memes and questions.

And so a casting call ensued. On Sunday, the Suns signed free agent Bol Bol to a one-year deal. The price they paid was Cameron Payne and draft assets, which they also received in different amounts in a transaction that involved San Antonio and Orlando Magic.

Will the 23-year-old shine in Phoenix? Probably not, especially with Ayton still serving as the first option for man-in-the-middle. Bol averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in his lone season with the Magic, which is not the most impressive for a seven-footer. Still, to get waived by the Magic and end up with a title-favorite not too long after? Not too shabby for Mr. Bol.

New old number, who this?

LeBron James will be switching his jersey number back to 23 for the 2023-24 season. This switch honors NBA legend and 11-time champion Bill Russell who passed away in July 2022. Upon Russell’s death, the NBA retired the number 6 across the league, the first in history. Players who actively wore the number during retirement, including James, were grandfathered. However, James is now honoring the winningest NBA player to have lived by switching back to his old digits.

“For me to be able to wear No. 6 this season — I’m not sure if I’ll continue to do it,” James told ESPN in September. “But right now, I’m going to wear it in honor of him. It means a lot to me.”

Historically, James has bounced back and forth between 23 and 6. He wore 23 in his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James joined the Miami Heat in 2010 wearing number 6, the same number he sported for the United States national team. He returned to his original number from his second stint with Cleveland until his third year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lillard and Harden watch

There was plenty of build-up, then there were crickets. There is no denying that Damian Lillard and James Harden are the protagonists of the biggest stories this offseason. Both stars have made their desire to leave their current teams known, but both organizations are taking their time in granting these wishes.

Harden’s Hollywood dreams of being traded to the LA Clippers might not even happen. Reports suggest that Philadelphia are not opposed and is standing their ground in keeping Harden around. We have seen the ten-time All-Star’s “trade me or else” behavior before. In 2020, Harden reported to the Houston Rockets camp way out of shape from partying. It did not take long for the Rockets to send him to Brooklyn out of frustration. Will this be the case for Daryl Morey? Or will his stubbornness prevail and keep Harden in Philly against his wishes?

As for Lillard, the Heat has been taking pieces out little by little–seemingly as if to make room for another star. But similar to Harden’s situation, an agreement seems like a few negotiations away from here. Lillard made it abundantly clear that it’s Miami or nowhere, making it hard for the Trailblazers to do business. We all want to see it, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Lillard in red and white. Unless you’re a Trailblazers fan savoring every second that Lillard still belongs in that roster, take this as an opportunity to practice patience.

It might be a few more weeks or months before we have an answer. Until then, we are left star-gazing, waiting for that Adrian Wojnarowski tweet.