The Toronto Raptors had barely lifted the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy when the battering ram of the offseason shattered the locker room door. Would Kawhi Leonard stay or go? Kyrie Irving wanted out of Boston -- which teams had cap room? Anthony Davis was soon traded to the Lakers -- who would follow him there? It was time for business.
My initial reflex is that professional sports leagues are overrestrictive; salary caps, drafts, luxury taxes should all be abolished, especially since their justification is the phantom of "competitive balance." If the Pelicans want Zion Williamson to play for them, they should compete with other teams and negotiate a contract for his services.