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Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will continue to dominate the news this offseason as the former's trade request sent the NBA world into a frenzy. After no deals came close to materializing, many have suggested that his request was nothing more than a temper tantrum.
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and more will all sign major extensions in the coming weeks. This will determine the landscape of the league for the next few years.
There is not much else going on this summer, other than the occasional exhibition game. The draft and summer league are behind us and athletes are spending time training, relaxing and vacationing with their families.
That said, let's take a look at some news around the NBA in the last 24 hours.
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Kent Bazemore joined the Sacramento Kings
Kent Bazemore has re-joined the Sacramento Kings this offseason on a one-year deal, as reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania. The 33-year-old has had short stints with various NBA Western Conference teams in the last few years. These include the Golden State Warriors, LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
He was asked to sign a two-year deal with the Warriors in 2021 but joined the Lakers on a one-year deal for less money because he wanted to win a ring. Hilarously, the Warriors won the 2022 NBA title and the Lakers missed the NBA play-in tournament. Bazemore, in fact, played 25 games for the Kings in 2019-20 and has since rejoined them this summer.
Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero exchange words on social media
Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero are both Seattle natives who have known each other since they were kids. Murray claims that he has been rooting for Banchero for years and has always wanted him to succeed. When Duke product tried to show off his 1st overall pick status on him, Murray went deep in his bag to humiliate him in an exhibition game at the Zeke End Tournament.
Banchero uploaded a story on Instagram and accused Murray of unfollowing him and asked him to guard him one-on-one next time without asking for any double-teams. Murray responded by uploading an Instagram story, saying:
"You Tried To Flex That #1 Pick Shit On Me When I Been Rooting For You When You Was A Kid Asking To Rebound For Me (Paolo Banchero). Don’t Get On This Internet Saying Nothing…You Changed From The Humble Kid You Always Was And I Stand On Real Shit Boy And YOU KNOW!!!!!!!! You Made It And Changed And I Lost All Respect!!
"Stay Humble. This Life You In Now Is REAL And Ain’t No Joke!!! I STILL WANNA SEE YOU WIN Cause That’s WHO I AM!!!"
The two exchanged a few more words on social media and the fans are enjoying some drama in an otherwise boring NBA offseason.
LA Lakers assistant Phil Handy believes the only thing separating Kyrie Irving from Kobe Bryant is height
LA Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy has always been fond of Kyrie Irving and he hasn't shyed away from it. He was seen training with the point guard earlier this summer and it re-fueled rumors whether Irving was joining the Purple and Gold.
Handy was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2013 to 2018 and hence has a relationship with Irving. Prior to his Cleveland days, he worked with the LA Lakers from 2011 to 2013 so he has worked closely with the late NBA great Kobe Bryant as well.
Phil Handy compared the two NBA superstars and said, as reported by Basketball Forever's Nick Jungfer:
"If Kyrie was 6'6", you would see Kobe mirrored back at you."
Also Checkout:- Kobe Bryant Net worth (Updated 2022)
Kevin Durant has fun with a troll on Twitter
Kevin Durant is infamous for responding to trolls on Twitter and has often fallen into trouble for his words. He engages with fans, spam accounts and even kids online, and many have criticized him for doing so.
After he demanded a trade out of Brooklyn, he reportedly listed Miami and Phoenix as his top two destinations. The Suns and Heat were the top seeds in their respective NBA conferences last season, so it was evident that Durant wanted to go to an already-established team.
Hence, fans started trolling him for wanting the easy way out. A fan recently mentioned his troubles and said that he loved it because endured adversity, unlike Durant. He tweeted:
"Car wouldn't start this morning, get to work late and our internet is down. Lol. I love this shit. Unlike (Kevin Durant)…I actually enjoy taking the hardest road...it's basically just problem solving practice."
Durant then responded, asking him if he enjoys his misfortune.
Dejounte Murray calls the 2022 NBA 1st overall pick "too soft" during an exhibition game
Paolo Banchero and Dejounte Murray got into a war of words this offseason and took shots at each other on social media.
The beef began during an exhibition game during the Zeke End Tournament. Murray humiliated Banchero with a self-alley-oop dunk after faking out the 1st overall pick. The move got spectators to gasp as the video went viral online.
After the move, Dejounte Murray went to the bench and told his teammates that Banchero is a "little boy" and "too soft" for this game. He said:
"It's a man's league. He a little boy, he's too soft."
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