'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Steph Curry is close to sealing a mouthwatering $1 billion deal with Under Armour. The NBA sharpshooter's potential new contract is unimaginable given his previous deal paid only $4 million per season.
Luka Doncic is showing the basketball world that he could eventually become the face of the NBA at EuroBasket. Currently, 15 NBA executives already consider him the best player under the age of 25 in the league.
Dennis Schroder’s name as a free agent shouldn’t last very long. After a spectacular knockout game against Greece, the journeyman could find his next team soon.
Steph Curry could re-sign with Under Armour for potentially a $1 billion lifetime contract
Back in 2013, Steph Curry ditched Nike for Under Armour, a move that many basketball fans questioned. Curry's deal was worth $4 million per year that time.
After his current contract with Under Armour, which is reportedly $215 million, expires in 2024, the Golden State Warriors point guard is about to sign a lifetime contract worth $1 billion.
Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone said this on the potential deal:
“He’s nearly locked a lifetime contract with Under Armour worth potentially more than $1 billion.”
In 2018, due to a conflict of interest between Curry and UA founder Kevin Plank, Curry was on the verge of terminating his contract. However, both parties eventually resolved their differences after Curry was given a separate line of shoes, similar to Jordan's.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP opened up to Matt Sullivan about the 2018 meeting with Kevin Plank:
“I don’t have to raise my voice to get mad. That’s the best part about it.”
Steph Curry will become the second active player in the NBA to have a lifetime contract with a shoe brand. LeBron James has one with Nike.
Luka Doncic is a unanimous choice among 15 NBA executives as the best player under 25
Luka's trajectory continues to skyrocket, especially with his showing at the EuroBasket, where he could lead defending champs Slovenia to another title. After making the All-NBA team in the last three years, Doncic is clearly poised for more.
HoopsHype interviewed 15 NBA GMs for the best player under 25 years old. Here’s Michael Scotto on the results of that poll:
“Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the unanimous first choice among NBA executives polled, while Evan Mobley and Anthony Edwards were two of the top risers.”
Last season, Luka Doncic was at his influential best when the Dallas Mavericks took down the number one seed Phoenix Suns in seven games. He showed that he can carry a team deep into the postseason after the Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals.
If Slovenia win the EuroBasket again, it will be because “Luka Magic” was at his best.
Several teams could be calling to sign Dennis Schroder after his quarterfinal performance against Greece
Dennis Schroder reminded the basketball world of how good he is. Playing against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the quarterfinals, the diminutive point guard sizzled on the court.
The NBA journeyman ended the game with 26 points and eight assists. He also shot three of six from deep. He was the catalyst for the Germans as they beat Antetokounmpo and Greece, 107-96.
After the resounding win, NBA Insider Marc Stein promptly tweeted:
“Quite a bold step for Dennis Schroder to play in this EuroBasket without an NBA contract in hand, but there's a rising buzz in league circles about his job prospects. Schroder will almost certainly have a new team by month's end after helping host Germany make the semifinals.”
Schroder, a former teammate of LeBron James with the LA Lakers, could reunite with the superstar in LA. The German point guard has expressed an interest in moving to LA and his recent performances could push the front office to make a move.
The Robert Sarver saga may have only just begun
The NBA has finished its investigation on Phoenix Suns team owner Robert Sarver on charges of racism, misogyny and a couple more. Sarver has been handed a one-year suspension, a $10 million fine and will undergo a training program that will reinforce respect and appropriate behavior
Marc Stein has a Substack report explaining why things could get bigger once training camp starts:
“It really shouldn’t fall on them to make up for punishment this light, but the reality is that how players and Suns staffers - and, of course, sponsors - react will have significant influence on what happens next in terms of a potential external push to urge Sarver to sell the team.
Several analysts consider Sarver’s mistakes to be more blatant and vicious than what former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was found guilty of. Sterling eventually sold the team to its current owner Steve Ballmer for a record $2 billion.
In a cruel twist of fate, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul was also in the middle of the Sterling affair. He undoubtedly has to answer questions on the Sarver situation as well.
The Washington Wizards need significantly better defense from Rui Hachimura next season
When the Washington Wizards drafted Rui Hachimura as the 9th pick in the 2019 draft, they were hoping he’d turn into at least an elite-level defender. Three years later, that potential hasn’t only not materialized, but he’s seemingly regressed on that end.
Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported on what two NBA scouts thought of Hachimura’s defense:
“That was the area that you kind of thought maybe he had the most upside in college, and it’s turned out to be almost the opposite, where the majority of his value is derived on the offensive end as opposed to the defensive end.”
In Rui Hachimura’s first two seasons with the Wizards, he started in every game he was available. Last season, he played only 42 games and was a part of the starting unit only 13 times. Granted injuries may have cost him the starting job, but still, he left much to be desired on defense.
The Japanese international has all the tools to become a superb defender. If he can put his effort and mind on the defensive end, the Wizards could have the player they hoped to become.
