Down south, the Miami Heat have signed ex-Lakers 'flash-in-the-pan' center of last year, Marc Gasol, to a two-year pact with Bam Abedayo & Jimmy Butler ready to ball. Up north, the Magic gambled and won, snatching point guard prospect, De'Aaron Fox, away from Sacramento after a down year riddled by injury woes for the speedy playmaker. Orlando is moving on from Markelle Fultz, hoping that Fox will mesh well with the likes of DeMarr DeRozan, Zach LaVine and a score of young players like himself acquired in last season's trade that sent Nikolai Vucevic to the Pelicans. Speaking of whom, Lonzo Ball will not be returning to the Big Easy, opting for the Kings as they continue to claw toward the playoffs, whereas the Pelicans chose to draft #1 pick point guard, Cade Cunningham, along with Jonathan Kuminga.
Last year's Houston Rockets did little to convince Houston management of renewing Coach D'Antoni's contract at the helm. It didn't take long for Luke Walton to be dismissed after a down year for the Kings win/loss record in a year that saw the team trade away Buddy Hield and acquire Arron Gordon, the flying forward that will likely pair nicely with Lonzo Ball's excellent court vision--a clear upgrade over Fox, given some but still less injury concerns. The Kings will commit fully to D'Antoni's "7 Seconds" offensive strategy led by Ball's quick up-court passing, definitely upping the tempo of the team from last season.
Lastly, Kyle Kuzma has left the Kings on top of Fox in favor of the Detroit Pistons, who finally found themselves with financial freedom after more than a decade of trial and mostly error of roster development, hoping for success with promising Rookie of the Year, Cole Anthony.
