Which NBA players could retire this summer?

Which NBA players could retire this summer?

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Announced in advance for a last dance, never formulated to leave in peace, taken brutally in the greatest disarray… the retreat can come in many forms, generally specific to the character of the players it concerns. And while we don’t know what their future holds, we’ve decided to bring you the list of players who could potentially bid farewell to the NBA this summer, or next. We must indeed prepare for it because it is an unfortunately inevitable step, except for LeBron James.

They want to continue but have not yet found a taker

This new start, the players sometimes find it difficult to envisage it, and refuse to submit to it. In the current NBA, several boys fall into this category. However, if some manage to continue the adventure, this is unfortunately not the case for all, who sometimes desperately seek the slightest contract allowing them not to have to hang up their sneakers. Of course, the name ofUdonis Haslem comes to mind very quickly. While his basketball level is far from that of yesteryear due to his 42 well-packed broomsticks, it has been six years since Eric Spoelstra’s assistant the interior renegotiates one-year contracts each summer with the Heat, thus retaining his place on an NBA bench when he clearly no longer has the level for a lease. His experience, combined with his influence in the locker room, is very useful in this young Heat team where strong characters jostle. Agent-free for a month, there is currently no indication – or contraindication – as to whether Pat Riley will keep the former Élan Chalon player (yes yes). Let’s be clear: if Miami doesn’t want him anymore, Haslem will certainly retire, probably not wanting to play for another franchise.

In a very different situation, carmelo anthony is also the subject of intense debate as to his future within the League. Tipped… nowhere, Melo does not want to give up, he who was still turning in 13 points on average last season. Any potential leads? There are: a return to the Lakers, a farewell tour to the Knicks, a nice role at the Warriors… For the moment, no sufficiently interesting offer in the eyes of position 3 does not seem to have been proposed to him, who is like us in the waiting to see what will happen to him. We can also mention the case of a teammate of Anthony at the Lakers this year: Dwight Howard. Seeing himself wrestling for the WWE much later, the free agent prefers for the moment to confine himself to basketball, in which he led a rather friendly career. After 18 seasons in the NBA, Dwighty is indeed looking for a franchise ready to offer him a new chance, while a run it back at the Lakers seems compromised with the arrival of Thomas Bryant, to name but one. Waiting just like Melo for the evolution of the Kyrie file to unblock the situation, the interior could take the direction of Brooklyn, where some evoke a mutual interest between the two parties.

Among the very little mentioned names of this Free Agency, we also find that of Paul Millsap. At 37 and after a season where he only played 33 games between the Nets and Sixers where he was transferred at the trade deadline, the quadruple All-Star is not in… any rumors. If he nevertheless considers that he still has a role to play in the current NBA, the latter must above all seek to convince a team to give him a contract, which is not currently on the shelves of any general manager. In a similar situation, Rajon Rondo seems to have trouble finding someone willing to pay for his services. Also traded during the season, but this time from Los Angeles to Cleveland, the leader took part in 39 games to painfully reach the 5-point average at 39% shooting. If we add to his file the serious accusations of which he is the subject and, more generally, his very criticized attitude in a locker room, we obtain a cushy over 36 years old who will really have a hard time finding a franchise ready for him. open arms.

Uncertainty hangs over their desires

If some are uncertain about their future because no team seems to be interested in their profile, others allow themselves time to reflect, in order to know if they should put an end to their career or nope. Because if he refuted the hypothesis of integrating the coaching staff of the Warriors for the moment, Andre Iguodala has not yet made a decision on his future as a player. A free agent after returning to Golden State for a year with a minimum veteran contract, the four-time champion has played only 31 games this season for a paltry statistical production. Like Udonis Haslem, the role of the former Finals MVP was above all that of a mentor to youngsters like Andrew Wiggins, who clearly passed a milestone during the 2021-2022 campaign. Currently thinking about his future, Iggy knows he is welcome in San Francisco, where he has a warm place reserved for him. As for the boy who is about to turn 39, we leave you with what he himself said at the microphone of the podcast Dub Talk :

” I try of rethink at the season, of in to profit from, to enjoy being a champion. And if this moment arrived… Ie not know not if this will be anot decision hard, but I am ready at everything. »

–Andre Iguodala

It is also possible to mention a rather special case in the person of LaMarcus Aldridge. Having retired last year after suffering major heart problems, LMA had returned to pick up where he left off: at the Nets. This season, with Brooklyn, the interior still turned in 13 points on average at 55% shooting. However, since the beginning of the Free Agency… nothing, nada, that tchi, walou. No rumors because no offers. Hard to believe that post 4 no longer interests any franchise. While he said now to approach the years one by one with the desire to continue, we are therefore entitled to ask ourselves if he is not rather considering retiring definitively at 37 years old. Assumptions aside, we will therefore monitor the Aldridge file, which could have some surprises in store for us in the coming weeks. As for Lou Williams, the words seemed rather clear at the start of the season. Invited to the microphone of Taylor Rooks, the latter had clearly explained that this season would probably be his last. Well, the season is now over, and we have no news of the most prolific scorer in history among the substitutes, who certainly hesitates a lot. To soon to be 36, Lou-Will seems borderline drunk with the constraints of high-level sport, he who would probably prefer to spend his time doing something other than traveling every other day. With 56 games on the clock last season with the Hawks, the boy still has something to hold on to, especially in a veteran role, but only his desires will guide his actions.

They will have to make a decision next year

It’s hard to speculate on what will happen in a year since by definition… a lot can happen! Nevertheless, we invite you all the same to follow some boys closely, because some really arrive at the twilight of their career. While he has just signed for a year in Washinton, Taj Gibson will become a free agent again in the summer of 2023. And even if we wish him well at the Wizards, it is highly possible that this season will be the last of the interior, which nevertheless continues to do the job on its scale. Distrust, however, because the latter said he would play until no one wants him anymore, and you never know what can happen. The folder george hill also needs to be monitored. Preparing for his retirement for several years now, the 37-year-old guard could end his career next summer to peacefully take care of the ranch he recently bought in Texas. what about Joe Ingles, who joined Hill at the Bucks this month in signing a one-year, $6.5 million contract with Milwaukee. Again a free agent in 11 months, Jinglin’ ​​Joe is playing big this season. Because if he fails to perform, the latter could have difficulty finding a franchise ready to bet on a man of almost 36 years, subject to physical glitches.

As for LeBron James, we invite you to consult if you think that the guy intends to let go of everything in a year. We can understand your concern for Goran Dragic, Al Horford or Danny Green, who will all have passed 36 years, but honestly no one sees them stopping in 2023, those who keep repeating that they want to continue for a while longer. Same for twins Brook and Robin Lopez, who should continue their journey in the NBA. One can nevertheless be more skeptical on the case Wesley Matthews – definitely the Bucks will turn into EHPAD – whose contract will expire next season, and who already had doubts about his future this summer. We can finally conclude with a guy we haven’t heard from recently since it’s about Marc Gasol. After being cut off by Memphis last year, Big Spain joined… its own club: Basquet Girona. Having created it in 2014 with his brother Pau, the NBA champion with the Raptors allowed his team to reach the Liga ACB, the Spanish first division, for the first time in its short history. And if he is expected to carry out a new season there, we are entitled to wonder if this will not be his last.

Names, there are a shovel. Among these, some will no longer be on the NBA floors in a year, without a doubt. To Conversely, others may continue for several years. In the end, although it affects many people, the decision is only up to the players themselves. It remains to be seen what everyone will decide for their future.

Text source: Spotrac / Basketball Reference / ESPN / Bleacher Report

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