The NBA offseason is in full swing right now, with teams making moves all over the country. While Kevin Durant's trade request has somewhat clouded the headlines, we also have seen some mammoth contract extensions go through.
Be it Nikola Jokic securing a well-deserved 5-year, $260 million supermax deal with the Denver Nuggets or a young star like Zion Williamson signing a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, many superstars have opted to stay with their teams and try to compete with their franchise.
Among the players who signed contract extensions were Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard as well. Playing for the Washington Wizards and the Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, both Beal and Lillard have been a regular feature in All-Star teams and have played in multiple playoffs as well.
But the two have never come close to competing for a championship. Be it the lack of an able supporting cast or the franchise not making a dynamic move to add another superstar, both the All-Stars have been in mediocre playoff teams.
But both of them surprised a lot of NBA fans with their recent contract extensions. While the Wizards' guard signed a 5-year extension worth a whopping $251 million, Lillard signed a 2-year extension worth a mind-boggling $122 million.
Given the lucrative amount of money involved, it is understandable why the two might have signed the deals, but a fan had a hilarious tweet after the two extended their contracts. Posting a 3-second clip from Blueface's song Deadlocs, the tweet had many people leaving hilarious reactions to the same.
"Chase A Bag, Don't Worry Bout What I'm Doing"
Lillard, who is 31 years old, is in the prime of his career and is certainly motivated to win in Portland. But for the longest time, the franchise has not made moves that speak of a contender. While they had a great guard in CJ McCollum alongside Lillard, they traded away McCollum to the Pelicans for multiple role players and draft picks.
But they haven't made any significant moves since, failing to add another superstar to complement Lillard, which leaves the team in a weird position of trying to contend for a title while simultaneously trying to acquire young players for a potential rebuild.
The Wizards, meanwhile, are in a similar situation as well. They have always managed to compete for the playoff spots, but a lack of support around Beal makes it difficult for the team to make any strides in the Eastern Conference.
Given their situations, many thought that at least one of them would request a trade but signing massive contract extensions was a real U-turn. While it is good to see that both Lillard and Beal are committed to their respective teams, we might never see the two win a championship.
More must-reads: