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The NBA has two Game 7s on Sunday and most of the hype is around the two pivotal playoff games. The third-placed Milwaukee Bucks and second-placed Boston Celtics face off in Massachusetts as Giannis Antetokounmpo and company try to defend their title.
Meanwhile, the best regular-season team this season, the Phoenix Suns host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in Arizona.
Moreover, the teams in the offseason are focusing on building for next year, especially the Brooklyn Nets and LA Lakers. Both had the services of multiple Hall of Famers and were the betting favorites for the title, but ended up with extremely disappointing seasons.
Let's take a look at the rumors around the NBA in the past 24 hours.
Brooklyn Nets planning for Ben Simmons' return next season
After not playing a single game this season, Ben Simmons is certain that he will step on the floor next year.
The Brooklyn Nets will reportedly work on an offseason guide and routine for Simmons to prepare for his return for the 2022-23 NBA season. As reported by New York Post's Brian Lewis, a source close to Simmons said:
"We will work together with the Nets on a summer plan. Everyone is confident."
Ben Simmons underwent a successful surgery on his back after the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
There were many rumors that he would debut in the postseason, but he eventually did not play. Simmons can be the key defensive and playmaking piece that turns around the fortunes of the franchise.
Kyrie expected a LeBron James-like role with the Brooklyn Nets organization
LeBron James is often considered the de facto general manager of the team he is playing for. No NBA front office is expected to make franchise-altering decisions without consulting their superstar first.
When Kyrie Irving joined the Nets, he expected a similar position with the franchise. He wanted to be part of roster decisions and be consulted before any trade went through.
As reported by Heavy, sources told them:
"When Kyrie signed as a free agent, he basically said, 'I’ll come and I’ll bring Kevin Durant.' ... And in return, the Nets agreed that he could have a say in the roster decisions. ... It’s not uncommon at all for general managers to talk to their top players about possible trades and free agents.
"That’s just smart. ... Your guy might have another view of a situation or a player that you haven’t considered. But with Kyrie, they talked this out beforehand. He wanted a situation like LeBron has - or like he thinks LeBron has."
Antoine Walker believes the Philadelphia 76ers need to trade their recently signed 10-time NBA All-Star
James Harden was incredibly disappointing in the 2022 NBA playoffs. He was brought in as a replacement for Ben Simmons but melted under pressure in the Eastern Conference Semifinals just like the Australian.
The Sixers fanbase expected an improvement, but got another player who doesn't attempt second-half shots. Antoine Walker said on "First Things First":
"(The Philadelphia 76ers) have to trade James Harden. He is not a great locker room guy and he is not great for the team. ... Moving forward, you have to trade James Harden. That's the move. ... I'm not sure what his value is out there, but you try to move him."
James Harden was abysmal in the 2022 NBA playoffs and was nowhere to be found in the second half of games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
He averaged 18.6 points per game in the postseason on 40.5% shooting from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. His performances were so disappointing that Joel Embiid admitted that he is no longer the Harden from his Houston days.
LA Lakers have two early frontrunners for the head coaching job
The LA Lakers head coach search is not going as well as planned. The team is considered destined to fail next season and many believe that the new head coach will face scrutiny for the inevitable mediocre campaign.
Hence, many coaches don't find the destination attractive. The Lakers have interviewed several candidates over the past few weeks and two names appear to be frontrunners so far: Darvin Ham and Terry Stotts.
As per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, coach Ham and Stotts are currently the favorites for the role, as the other meetings haven't panned out.
Darvin Ham is the current lead assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Terry Stotts is a former Portland Trail Blazers head coach.
Kyrie Irving on the verge of losing his signature Nike sneaker
Kyrie Irving's signature shoe "Kyrie" is one of the most popular sneaker lines under Nike. They have consistently been one of the most sold shoes in the basketball sneakers category after Air Jordans.
However, due to uncertainty around his future in the NBA, Irving might lose his deal with the sneaker giant. As reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, Nike is unlikely to extend its contract with the Brooklyn Nets guard beyond the 2022-23 NBA season.
According to the ESPN report:
"Irving has a new edition of his shoe set to debut in the fall, but that is expected to be the final year of a lucrative signature series that he has had with Nike since 2014, sources said."
Guess the Lakers players!
