NBA trades have brought craziness to offseason

The NBA is a bore for much of the regular season. We already know that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are going to be in the Finals, so it’s a long wait from the beginning of the campaign in October all the way through June.

Then the offseason comes, and the NBA, as the kids say, is lit. In only a few weeks we have seen everything from the mildly surprising to the knock-you-straight-out-of-the-chair insanity. There was Phil Jackson trying to trade Kristaps Porzingis, mostly because the 21-year-old didn’t go to an exit interview. Then we saw Jackson get fired by New York Knicks owner James Dolan, making his first popular move in the Big Apple this decade.

We have already witnessed Jimmy Butler get traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves, getting back Zach LeVine, Kris Dunn and a tall rookie. Lest we also forget the Los Angeles Clippers deciding to swap Chris Paul for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Sam Dekker of the Houston Rockets.

Then, we had Friday. In the hours before the official start of free agency, things went completely off the rails. The Washington Wizards offered point guard John Wall an extension of four years and $170 million, also known as the supermax. Wall is a great player, but that is just outrageous coin. There was also the news that Andre Iguodala will be meeting with the San Antonio Spurs at midnight, perhaps jumping ship from the Warriors.

In addition, Blake Griffin decided to stay with the Clippers despite the exodus of Paul, signing on for a reported five years and $173 million. Kids, play basketball. Even if you’re hurt and your team perpetually underachieves, you’ll get paid beyond your wildest dreams. There was also Ricky Rubio going from the Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz, only getting a first-round pick in return.

Then, the proverbial cherry on top was Paul George being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Somehow, George was acquired for the same package that the Thunder dealt Serge Ibaka for … Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. George might leave the Thunder after this season, and he certainly would have bolted Indiana, but that is one of the worst returns for a star in professional sports history.

All of this has taken place, and we have not even touched the start of free agency. We still don’t know where Gordon Hayward will end up, or if the Boston Celtics will ever trade some of their vast assets for a proven star.

The NBA might have a boring regular season and, a snoozefest throughout much of the postseason. But the offseason? That’s a party.