The NBA’s vaunted free-agency class of 2021 is not so vaunted anymore, especially now that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has signed a supermax extension well beyond the coming year.
For the few teams that felt they had a realistic shot at convincing the two-time reigning MVP to join them — namely the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors — all that planning goes by the wayside. The salaries that were shed, the contracts that were not extended beyond this season, the moves that were and were not made to ensure salary cap flexibility next year, they were based on a prayer that went unanswered.