NBA 3 news overnight! James was exposed to use banned drugs, Irving revealed that Harden left the team, and the Suns signed two players in a row

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

NBA free market has been open for nearly a month, and many teams in the league have completed reinforcement work, and there are fewer and fewer "big fish" in the market. As the trading market becomes increasingly deserted, the team and players have entered the offseason mode and enjoy a moment of rest after fierce competition. However, even though the trading market is deserted, there are still a lot of inside information in the NBA, which is fascinating.

Just today, a former NBA player's "joke" caused a huge wave in the basketball world. Irving unveiled the last night of the collapse of the Nets' Big Three. The Suns were gambled for the youth storm and started the reconstruction mode. Let's take a look at these three specific news.

01 James' drug ban storm: joke or the truth? The former NBA All-Star guard Jeff Teague detonated by Tiger, throwing a bombshell on the podcast show "Club 520": "LeBron James used human growth hormone (HGH) during the Heat! Later, the league began to detect HGH, and he had to make a quit. He said he had a back pain, and he had a quit for three weeks, and when he came back, he lost a lot of money."

These remarks instantly detonated the Internet. But careful netizens quickly discovered the flaws. Teague said there were three obvious contradictions with the NBA historical record:

—James never had a three-week standstill due to back injury during the Heat;

—James' obvious weight loss occurred in the 2014 offseason (after returning to the Cavaliers), not during the season;

—The NBA officially implemented HGH testing in the 2015-16 season, not during the Heat.

A few hours later, Teague suddenly changed his words when he saw the controversy and clarified on the Instagram Story: "You guys are so strange, I'm just kidding LeBron!"

Faced with the public opinion storm, Teague's "joking" of urgently extinguishing the fire seemed pale and powerless. Netizens didn't seem to buy it either. The comment section criticized sharply:

"I said four sentences and made three mistakes, and the time, place and reason were all wrong",

"I can't make a joke, I might be able to sue you for slander",

"Are you warned?"

An allegation that seemed to be exposed has completely become a farce in the fact loopholes.

In fact, this is not the first time James has been trapped in a drug controversy. In March 2023, former MMA athlete Chel Songnan publicly accused him of using EPO (erythropoietin). Ric Bucher, a senior NBA commentator, also revealed in the podcast: "League players, coaches and staff generally suspect that James has been using stimulants for a long time, even for more than 15 years."

However, this series of allegations ended up being left unresolved. Is this a joke or the truth?

02 Nets Insider: Irving revealed the night of the collapse of the Big Three

Mavericks star Kyrie Irving broke the news in the live broadcast that he was telling Harden the day before, 'Let's win the championship together', but he applied for a deal the next day; and when talking about the refusal to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Irving said that he wanted the Nets to cut him, but the Nets were unwilling to buy out and let it go.

It has to be said that when the Nets formed the most extreme offensive three-tier group in NBA history, many people expected them to win the championship. Unfortunately, they ended in a way that no one understood. In the 2021-22 season, the Nets were in multiple crises: Irving was banned from playing at home for refusing to get vaccinated, Durant was absent due to injury, Harden alone carried the team, and his average playing time soared to more than 37 minutes. Under high pressure, Harden suddenly applied for a transaction in February 2022 and was eventually sent to 76ers for Ben Simmons. Ironically, just one month after the deal was concluded, New York City announced the lifting of the vaccine ban on March 24, and Irving was allowed to play full-time. The fate of fate has made fans feel regretful: "If the ban is lifted two weeks earlier, will Harden leave?"

It is worth mentioning that during the Nets, Durant, Harden and Irving only played side by side for 19 games (including 3 playoffs, with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses), and their bold words finally came to an end.

Irving admitted that he understood Harden's choice: "I can't be angry because others made the best decision for themselves... It was the middle of the season, and he didn't know what my future would be like."

What's more surprising is that Irving was dissatisfied with the inside story of the Nets signing: "The Nets management didn't take me seriously at all, what they really wanted was Kevin Durant." Irving revealed that he didn't even formally meet with the Nets management before signing, and said bluntly: "Kenny Atkinson (the then-Nets coach) did not recognize me at all."

When talking about the vaccine storm, Irving admitted for the first time that he had asked the Nets to sack him. "All business partners advised me to get vaccinated," Irving recalled. "I directly asked the team to sack me, but they stuck to the contract and refused to let anyone go. They will never let Kyrie Irving go easily!"

When the Nets were swept by the Celtics in the 2022 playoffs, the final break was doomed.

03 Suns reshuffle: sign two defenders in a row, and the 15+3 lineup starts to rebuild

According to the latest report by US media ESPN reporter Shams, the Suns have signed two defenders in a row: claiming Goodwin, who was cut by the Lakers, and signing Jared Butler with a year-on-year minimum salary.

Jordan Goodwin: He played for the Suns in 2022-23, played 29 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 5.6 points + 3.9 rebounds, and a three-point shooting percentage of 38.2%;

Jared Butler: The 24-year-old guard has been playing 76ers and the Wizards last season, averaging 9 points and 3.7 assists per game. As the No. 40 pick in 2021, he can always provide firepower on the bench after five teams in four years.

Suns 15+3 rosters have been finalized:

Position

Player

Point guard

Gillespie, Goodwin

Score guard

Jail Green, Booker, Butler, Allen

Small forward

O'Neal Jr., Dunn, Dillon

Inside Davis, Fleming, Maruach, Marway, Iguodaro, Richards

Two-way contract

Brea, Livers, Huntley