Remember when the NBA’s free agency landscape all seemed so clear?
The champs were feuding, with Golden State officials and rival execs alike convinced that Kevin Durant — long before the Achilles tendon tear he suffered in the Finals, of course — was a goner after his Nov. 12 spat with Warriors teammate Draymond Green. The Knicks were showing their hand, making that Kristaps Porzingis trade with Dallas on Jan. 31 which left so many believing that Durant and his close friend, Kyrie Irving, would join forces at the Garden.
The Brooklyn Nets were a fun surprise story, but they were still months away from creating the kind of cap room that would pose such a dire threat to their crosstown counterparts. Toronto was trailing in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, with the notion of him ultimately joining the Clippers widely accepted as virtual fact until the Raptors went on to win the whole damn thing.
Anthony Davis was still in New Orleans, leaving LeBron James…
