Despite winning the NBA championship not too long ago, the Celtics still do not get the respect that they deserve, which may give them the motivation to go for a repeat in 2024-25.
Their whirlwind summer started when the reigning Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was inexplicably excluded from the national team, while his co-star Jayson Tatum was collecting DNPs in Paris.
Fortunately for Team USA, those moves didn’t cost them, as they won their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, beating France in the gold medal match.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant recently announced his new investment involving one of the top football clubs in the world, while the Cavaliers and the Jazz secured their futures by locking down their stars to new extensions.
Continue reading below to know more about the latest NBA 2024 updates.
Tatum breaks silence on controversial Paris Games benching
Many basketball fans were perplexed as to why Jayson Tatum didn’t play as much as many expected, especially after guiding the Celtics to Banner No. 18 and securing the largest contract in NBA history this offseason (five years, $315 million).
Jayson Tatum was benched for two of Team USA’s six Olympic matches while playing sparingly in others, and as a result, head coach Steve Kerr was heavily criticised for his coaching decisions.
“It was challenging. I can’t lie. But, you know, I didn’t want to make it about me,” Tatum told reporters.
“We got great guys on this team, and while you feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play, the coach makes those decisions. Your job as a player is to stay ready whenever your number is called,” he added.
At the end of the day, Tatum accomplished his main objective in Paris, which was to win his first Olympic gold medal alongside Celtics teammates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics are favoured by the SBOTOP NBA 2024 odds to win their second consecutive title next season, and the benching of Tatum may turn out to be a blessing in disguise since he didn’t need to exert a lot of effort compared to his older colleagues.
Durant’s newest business venture, revealed
Speaking of the national team, Team USA superstar Kevin Durant just became a part owner of French powerhouse PSG after buying a minority stake through Arctos Sports Partners, an American investment fund that bought 12.5-per cent of the club last year.
Durant was already a minority owner of two football teams. The two-time NBA champion invested in MLS club Philadelphia Union in 2020 and NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2022, and he also holds a stake in the Major League Pickleball club Brooklyn Aces.
PSG are one of the top teams in Europe because they are the reigning Ligue 1 champions. According to Sportico, the Parisiens are the seventh-most valuable football club in the world at $4.05 billion.
Marquee big men secure lucrative extensions
The Cavaliers decided to keep their core four, as Evan Mobley signed to a five-year, $224 million max rookie extension last month and Jarrett Allen followed suit by agreeing to a three-year, $91 million max extension.
Mobley is actually coming off a down regular season, as he only averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 50 regular season games. However, he was a vital cog in the Cavs’ playoff run, averaging 16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, especially when Jarrett Allen went down with a rib injury in the first round.
Allen, on the other hand, averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 77 regular season games in 2023-24.
Before the Cavs put pen on paper Mobley and Allen’s deals, they also managed to lock down Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million extension, including a $54 million player option on the final year.
The Jazz, meanwhile, have decided to take off Lauri Markkanen from the trading block by signing him to a five-year, $238 million extension. Before this, the Finnish forward was a hot commodity in the trade market, with the Warriors listed as one of his top suitors.
The Jazz were interested in negotiating a trade, as they reportedly wanted Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski in the package. However, the Warriors were unwilling to let them go.
Lauri Markkanen is coming off a solid 2023-24 campaign, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 55 regular season games while shooting 48-per cent from the field and 39.9-per cent from three-point land.
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