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Day 2 of NBA free agency was not as busy as the first, but there were a couple of huge trades. The Utah Jazz finally broke up their dynamic duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The Jazz traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics might have finally found the missing piece on their roster. The Celtics acquired playmaking guard Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers. Brogdon will improve Boston's roster, and they have a legitimate shot at returning to the NBA Finals next season.
Here is the latest NBA news roundup for July 2nd, 2022 brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Celtics add Malcolm Brogdon without parting ways to key players
One of the problems for the Boston Celtics in their NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors was turnovers. The Celtics had success without a playmaking guard, but that also led to their downfall. They have now acquired a player who could help them win their 18th title.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Celtics sent five players and a 2023 first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon. Wojnarowski reported that Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts and Juwan Morgan are heading to the Pacers.
Brian Robb of MassLive added that the 2023 first-round pick is top-12 protected. This means that next year's pick will become a second-round pick if it is not conveyed. The Pacers are in a full-blown rebuild, led by a couple of young stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Jazz start overhaul, trade Rudy Gobert to Minnesota
A few days after hiring a new head coach, the Utah Jazz made their next move of the offseason. They traded longtime center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Timberwolves sent five players to the Jazz in return, headlined by rookie big man Walker Kessler. Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Leandro Bolmaro will also head to Utah as part of the deal. Minnesota will also part ways with four future first-round picks.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported that three (2023, 2025 and 2027) of the first-round picks are unprotected, while the other one (2029) is top-five protected. The Jazz also received the rights to swap first-round picks in the 2026 NBA draft. The arrival of Gobert in Minnesota means Karl-Anthony Towns is free to move into the power forward position.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was hungry for success from the start of his NBA career
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the three best players in the league. Antetokounmpo is coming off another amazing season despite failing to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals. The Bucks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Boston Celtics in seven games.
In an interview with Jalen Rose for the New York Daily News, Antetokounmpo opened up about his hunger for success at a very young age. He recalled coming to the gym two hours earlier than scheduled when he was a rookie.
"I remember I met my first player development coach," Giannis said. "And he told me, 'Come at 10 a.m..' I was 18. Any 18-year-old wants to sleep and play video games. I was there at 8."
"He was like, 'What are you doing here?' I'm like, 'Coach, you told me come at 10 a.m. I'm here at 8. I want this.'"
Warriors lose 3 more key role players in free agency
The 2022 NBA champions Golden State Warriors lost more key players on Day 2 of free agency. The Warriors had already lost Gary Payton II to the Portland Trail Blazers and Juan Toscano-Anderson to the LA Lakers on the first day. On Friday, three more players departed the champions.
Otto Porter Jr. declined Golden State's one-year minimum salary offer to sign a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns made their first move of the offseason by signing Damion Lee to a one-year deal. Lee spent four seasons with the Warriors.
Nemanja Bjelica, on the other hand, is heading to Europe. According to Johnny Askounis and Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, Bjelica is signing a two-year, $4 million deal with Fenerbahce in Turkey. He spent two seasons with Fenerbahce from 2013-2015. He was named Euroleague MVP while with the Turkish powerhouse.
Kings acquire Kevin Huerter from Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks continue to overhaul their roster this offseason. A day after acquiring Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, the Hawks made another trade. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Atlanta traded Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings sent forwards Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless plus a future first-round pick to the Hawks. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic noted that the pick is the Kings' 2024 first rounder. It's lottery protected, which would become a top-12 in 2025 and top-10 protected in 2026 if it is not conveyed. It could also turn into two second-round picks in 2027.
Huerter provides the Kings with shooting from beyond the arc and is a nice addition around Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox. Meanwhile, the Hawks improved their perimeter defense. Holiday and Harkless are better defenders than Huerter.
Guess the Lakers players!
