All-NBA, Mexico City, and a New NBA Champion | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons season ended several weeks ago, but the offseason starts now.
Hey there Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. After a brief hiatus to let the NBA playoffs finish up, it’s time to jump back in and gear up for the offseason. And it should be a busy one across the league. Let’s recap what has happened since the last Weekly Drive, which was in early May.
Cade Cunningham Named to All-NBA Third Team
After a breakout season, Pistons star Cade Cunningham was named to the All-NBA Third Team. Cunningham, who averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebound per game, helped lead Detroit to a 30-win improvement from 2023-2024.
Heading Down South
While the full NBA schedule has not yet been released, we do have details of at least one game. The Pistons and Dallas Mavericks will be playing south of the border, representing the league in the NBA’s Mexico City Game on November 1st. The game also coincides with Dia de Meurtos (Day of the Dead) and will be themed based on the holiday.
I think thats a good mix of young players (Cunningham, presumably Cooper Flagg) and well-known stars (Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving — even though he is injured) to showcase the league.
A New NBA Champion
Did you stop paying attention to the NBA after the Pistons were eliminated? Well the Oklahoma City Thunder were crowned NBA champions last night after defeating the morally-defeated Indiana Pacers 103-91 in a Game 7 that was marred by the devastating injury to Tyrese Haliburton.
Want to win a championship in the next decade? There is an excellent chance that you will have to go through the Thunder. They are young, have plenty of picks to go after nearly any star, and will only improve.
The East is in Ruin
Not really, but it sorta feels that way. With now three torn achilles injuries happening to key players of some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the pathway to the NBA Finals has never been more wide open. Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and now Halliburton all suffered a torn achilles in these playoffs. Their respective teams, who were at the top of the conference, now all face an uphill battle next season to return to the summit.
Trade Roundup
It may not be the NBA offseason technically, but that doesn’t mean that the trade machine is shut off.
The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one pick swap.
The Pacers traded the 23rd pick in this week’s NBA Draft and the rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans for Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick.
The Phoenix Suns reportedly traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in this week’s NBA Draft, and five second-round picks per ESPN.
News and Notes
The Buss family has agreed to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter of TWG Global for $10 billion, per ESPN. This marks the largest sale of a sports team in the world.
The Rockets and head coach Ime Udoka have agreed to a contract extension, per ESPN. The deal will make Udoka one of the highest paid coaches in the league.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton exercised his $9.4 million player option, per ESPN.
Did you miss the Weekly Drive? I did, but it was all for good reasons. With the NBA Draft in just a few days, and free agency around the corner, now is the perfect time to get things back on track. Should be a busy summer in The Association.
See you next week.
Mike