MIAMI (AP) – The math is staggering, as everyone knew it would be. In the first 96 hours of free agency, NBA teams committed about $3 billion toward contracts that can start becoming finalized later this week.
That’s almost $9,000 a second. Every second. For four days.
And for all the dominoes that fell between July 1 and July 4 – Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City for Golden State, Al Horford leaving Atlanta for Boston, Mike Conley staying in Memphis with what would be the richest contract in NBA history – there are still plenty of fireworks remaining, most notably what will LeBron James do with his next deal and if Dwyane Wade will stay in Miami or wear another team’s uniform for the first time in his pro career.
As expected, the unexpected has reigned so far.
“The NBA and other businesses, they’re not created equally,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Monday, a few hours after Durant announced that he was taking a two-year deal with Golden State that would be worth $54 million if he plays it out. There is a player option for the second season, the AP was told by a person familiar with the terms.