NBA News Roundup: Shaquille O’Neal envious of Damian Lillard’s contract, Matt Barnes believes Kevin Durant is fed up of the BS, and more | July 15, 2022
The 2022 NBA offseason has been exciting, with plenty of storylines for fans to follow.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal didn't hesitate to admit that he was jealous of Damian Lillard's earnings over the next five years. Lillard recently signed a lucrative extension with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The deal is reportedly worth $122 million in two years. The contract runs until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Former players and analysts have continued to debate Kevin Durant's trade request. Matt Barnes was among the latest individuals to comment on the situation.
He believes that Durant is frustrated with the lack of commitment from his co-stars and the franchise. Barnes feels this pushed KD to request a move out of Brooklyn.
Follow the latest news surrounding the NBA as of July 15th, 2022, in the article below.
Shaquille O’Neal envious of Damian Lillard’s new contract
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most versatile businessmen among global athletes.
O'Neal has invested in numerous ventures and is constantly looking to maximize financial gains. "Big Diesel" is blunt when it comes to money matters.
O'Neal couldn't help but admit that he was "super jealous" of Lillard on seeing how much he would be earning. The former LA Lakers superstar claimed he wished he was still paying because of the paychecks players earn these days.
Here's what O'Neal said on 'The Big Podcast' regarding this:
"I'm jealous of Dame Lillard. 122 for 2. Aah. Congratulations to Dame and his family but I'm jealous. I'm super jealous. Listen, I don't usually wish stuff like this but I wish I was playing right now.
"Because, look, think about it, with Dame getting 122 and Rudy making 250, the diesel going to be right there. If this is legal, I'm go 400 for 5," Shaq said.
Damian Lillard has signed a two-year, $122M extension with the Trail Blazers, sources tell @BobbyMarks42.
The extension has a player option for the 2026-27 season. https://t.co/hk0wEIyhAR
Matt Barnes believes Kevin Durant is “fed up with all the bs” and wants to play for a team that cares about winning
Kevin Durant has arguably been in the limelight more than anyone else this NBA offseason. The Brooklyn Nets talisman reportedly demanded a trade. As per NBA rumors, he put the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat atop his wishlist as potential landing spots.
Several fans and analysts weren't fans of KD's decision to leave Brooklyn as he failed to win a championship there. James Harden departed after a string of poor performances for the side collectively last campaign.
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving was a part-time player for most of the season. He served an almost two-month suspension due to his anti-vaccination stance.
With several external factors hampering Kevin Durant and the Nets' hopes of winning the title, he finally decided to move on. Former NBA champion Matt Barnes believes KD got fed up with the "bs" and lack of commitment, which has pushed him out of the door.
Here's what Barnes said regarding this in a recent interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio:
"You sit back and you see, okay, Kyrie is going to gone or he thinks about leaving and then he re-signs, KD wants to leave. So that leads me to believe that KD is just fed up with all the BS and wants to go to an opportunity where they really want to care and win basketball games," Matt Barnes said."
"That leads me to believe that KD is just fed up with all the BS"
Former NBA Small Forward @Matt_Barnes22 tells @TermineRadio & @DarthAmin why he believes Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets https://t.co/xvXHsX8N7o
Shaquille O’Neal reacts to Twitter back and forth with Kevin Durant
Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Durant engaged in back-and-forth weeks ago on Twitter. O'Neal has targeted Rudy Gobert since he signed a $250 million max contract with the Utah Jazz. Shaq believes Gobert hasn't achieved enough to bag a lucrative deal like that.
Responding to a post reading Shaq's comments on the matter, Durant retweeted the quote, sarcastically calling O'Neal "funny" and a "billionaire." The 'Big Diesel' gave a short reply to Durant, thanking him for calling him hilarious, but corrected him on the billionaire part, saying he isn't one at the moment.
Shaquille O'Neal hadn't reacted to that brief altercation with Kevin Durant publicly until recently, saying:
"I don't do beefs, I do mixtapes. If you say something about me I'm coming out with a mix tape on your a**," Shaquille O'Neal said. "I don't do beefs, I do mixtapes. DJ Diesel."
Shaquille is hilarious. You’re a billionaire bro lol twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status…
Colin Cowherd doesn’t think Donovan Mitchell's potential trade to New York Knicks makes basketball sense
Donovan Mitchell to New York Knicks rumors are heating up. As per multiple reports, the Knicks and Jazz have engaged in discussions over a possible trade. New York has been searching for its next big star for several years.
The Jazz could be committing to a rebuild following the departures of Rudy Gobert and Royce O'Neal. The Knicks have eight first-round picks available, and the majority could be packaged in a deal for Mitchell. However, New York may have to part ways with a few young players too.
NBA analyst Colin Cowherd pointed out another issue with a possible trade. Cowherd believes signing another small backcourt player like Mitchell doesn't make much sense for New York having already signed Jalen Brunson.
"They just acquired Jalen Brunson. That would give the Knicks two small, ball-centric guards who don't play defense. It doesn't make any basketball sense, but it'd be a great headline," said Cowherd on 'The Herd with Colin Cowherd' podcast.
Should the Knicks go all in on Donovan Mitchell?
"It would feel like the Carmelo Anthony deal a little bit... You'd have to gut a little bit of the house to bring in the chandelier." — @ColinCowherd https://t.co/dCqkYn0Ndb
Analyst claims Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins are the best duo in the NBA
ESPN's Jay Williams believes Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins are the NBA's best duo. Wiggins isn't considered an outright superstar in the league to many. However, he played an instrumental role in helping the Warriors win their fourth title in eight years.
Williams believes his pairing alongside Curry is perfect. Wiggins is a remarkable defensive player and can provide the goods offensively in his limited role on that end of the floor. Here's what Jay Williams said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max radio show regarding this:
"I'm going to give it to him, I’m not talking about the splash brothers, I’m talking about Steph and Wiggins. Andrew Wiggins, lockdown defender. Put Wiggins on anybody you want, he's going to do his job.
"He also gave you offensive burst in big moments that solidified his position on a world championship team," Williams said.