Shaquille O’Neal’s $844,000,000 Query On Free Agency Contracts Questions Kyrie Irving And Russell Westbrook’s Deals Amongst Others

So far, free agency in the NBA has been making a noise like never before. The market has broken the internet with the most sensational trade news and massive maximum extension signings. Since July 1st, the free agency market has seen Kyrie Irving sign a max, 3-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks, Russell Westbrook signed a 2-year contract with the Clippers with a massive pay cut, and Damian Lillard demand a trade from Portland. Everything has been over the top for basketball fans. Even former Los Angeles Lakers player Shaquille O’Neal could not contain his excitement about free agency. He took to social media to ask fans’ opinions on contracts worth a total of $844,000,000. Posting some of the best trades and free agency signings, the Big Aristotle asked fans which of the teams and players got the best deal in free agency so far.

Shaq is a businessman and also comes from an era where contract signings were not this massive. As the NBA has extended and become even more global, the contract signings have become massive. Within a few hours, contracts worth more than a billion dollars were signed just by four players alone. For Dr. O’Neal, the players in this era are paid more than they deserve and are able to get egregiously large contracts. 

Shaq was the dominant big man in the league during his playing years, and he certainly knows the worth of a big man. One of the players Big Diesel has been critical of in the past for having a large contract is Rudy Gobert. Shaq once said about Gobert; “This should be an inspiration to little kids out there. You average 11 points in the NBA. You can get $200 million.” He also berated Gobert for punching his own teammate, Kyle Anderson, during the last match of the season. Gobert and Kyle were seen in a heated argument during a timeout against the New Orleans Pelicans. Just a few seconds into the argument, the former defensive player of the year punched Anderson.

Shaquille O’Neal has big questions regarding deals during free agency

Shaquille O’Neal posted a story on his social media account that showed the list of players who have signed maximum extensions. The graphic included Kyrie Irving’s $126 million contract extension, Draymond Green’s $100 million extension, and Jerami Grant’s $160 million extension. The list also included others like Austin Reaves and Fred Vanvleet. Shaq’s post definitely opened up a big discussion about whether these signings were good for the player or for the teams. Take a look at @tragicpatek’s tweet below.

This year’s free agency definitely broke the internet. The biggest names in the market were either on the move like Bradley Beal signing with the Phoenix Sun or Damian Lillard demanding a trade from Portland. However, what was surprising about the post was the missing three massive signings in this free agency. Those were, Tyrese Haliburton, who signed a $260 million, 5-year max extension; Desmond Bane, who signed a 5-year, $207 million max extension; and LaMelo Ball, who also signed a 5-year, $260 million max extension. Moreover, what is even more interesting is the fact that the free agency market is not even done yet.

Amidst Shaquille O’Neal asking big questions, Damian Lillard breaks the internet with his trade demand

Amidst the noise in free agency, perhaps the loudest one was Portland Trailblazers superstar Damian Lillard asking for a trade from his team. Dame has waited too long for the organization to make the move for experienced veteran players. However, over the years, the Blazers have continuously disappointed their star player. They recently signed Jerami Grant for a max extension, which might have killed Lillard’s hope. With Lillard’s contract, a $160 million contract for Grant leaves little room for big signings. 

Twitter went ballistic over the news and pondered whether this was LeBron’s kind of plan. LeBron James went to Miami after asking for a trade. He won two championships, came back to Cleveland, and won his city a championship in 2016. Lillard is a hero for the city, and his doing so is not far from the imagination.