NBA Off-Season Thread

[Husky25]

That’s why we need a lottery tournament!

I might be more interested in this than the Championship tournament.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'm open to a lot of things that don't like give a team a franchise changing talent.

At least make them work for it.

The Colts just getting lucky that they sucked one year that a franchise changing talent is there, or the spurs etc is just wrong. There should be some actual work done, not just handing a card in.

Those franchise changing talents come along a lot less often than would need to for tanking to be a viable strategy. The last first pick of the draft that I consider a high likelihood of being a first ballot hall of famer is Anthony Davis in 2012. Tanking has been a failing strategy every season since.

 

[the Q]

Those franchise changing talents come along a lot less often than would need to for tanking to be a viable strategy. The last first pick of the draft that I consider a high likelihood of being a first ballot hall of famer is Anthony Davis in 2012. Tanking has been a failing strategy every season since.

Still doesn’t mean just cause you are bad one right year that you should be gifted that talent.

I’d rather a 2 or 3 year average to prevent that stuff. At least not a colts/luck or spurs Duncan scenario

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Brooke Lopez to Bucks for $3.3 million. What are the Lakers' doing? He was a 20 ppg scorer 2 seasons ago, and they let him walk because they didn't want to write a $3 million check.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Brooke Lopez to Bucks for $3.3 million. What are the Lakers' doing? He was a 20 ppg scorer 2 seasons ago, and they let him walk because they didn't want to write a $3 million check.

And he can stand in the corner for Lebron.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Still doesn’t mean just cause you are bad one right year that you should be gifted that talent.

I’d rather a 2 or 3 year average to prevent that stuff. At least not a colts/luck or spurs Duncan scenario

My argument is that the bad teams aren't "gifted" anything. They still have to make good draft picks and develop players. I would argue that there is one transcendent talent from the 2013 through 2015 drafts, Antetokuomnpo. Here is SI's take right after the 2013 draft:

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/story...ysis-cleveland-cavaliers-orlando-magic-062713

15. Milwaukee: Giannis Adetokoubo, 6-9, SF/PF, Greece

He’s been rising up draft boards despite being one of the hardest players to gauge. While highlight reels make the 18-year-old look the part, he’s only played against extremely weak talent. He’s got an intriguing body (Kevin Durant comps have been wildly thrown about) and handle for his size. The Bucks should probably stash him in the D-League for a year or two, but it’s unclear if they’ll be patient enough to do so.

They didn't spell his name remotely correctly, which is a sign of how much respect the "experts" had of that pick. It is possible that Giannis would have dropped to the second round if the Bucks didn't pick him at #15. I have heard two different stories from interviews of Bucks front office personnel about the drafting of Giannis, and it is possible that neither the Bucks GM or the Director of Scouting had actually seen him play live prior to drafting him. They may have been drafting him off of a few watched practices and videos, plus a few conversations with a European scout.

He probably wasn't 6'9 when they drafted him, and he is 6'11 now.

The Bucks also probably wouldn't have taken Giannis if they had the first pick in the draft. How would that have worked out?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Nuggets do a salary dump to the Nets, then sign Isaiah Thomas for a coupon book to Applebees. Both are good moves. 15 months ago IT was on the cusp of signing a 9 digit contract. Now he has a 1 year deal for $2 million. Ouch.

Butler won't sign an extension with the Timberwolves. Not exactly an endorsement of Minnesota's two young stars.

Jabari Parker about to sign with Bulls, no match expected from Bucks. This is a situation that works out for everyone. Parker will make some money and get to start, Bulls get a scorer and hometown kid to sell some tickets, and the Bucks avoid a tough decision on a player that is not a fit for their team.

Edit: Parker signs 2 year, $40 million contract with Bulls. I figured 2 years, $15 million would have been reasonable. Were there any other bidders for Parker?

 

[the Q]

Nuggets do a salary dump to the Nets, then sign Isaiah Thomas for a coupon book to Applebees. Both are good moves. 15 months ago IT was on the cusp of signing a 9 digit contract. Now he has a 1 year deal for $2 million. Ouch.

Butler won't sign an extension with the Timberwolves. Not exactly an endorsement of Minnesota's two young stars.

Jabari Parker about to sign with Bulls, no match expected from Bucks. This is a situation that works out for everyone. Parker will make some money and get to start, Bulls get a scorer and hometown kid to sell some tickets, and the Bucks avoid a tough decision on a player that is not a fit for their team.

Edit: Parker signs 2 year, $40 million contract with Bulls. I figured 2 years, $15 million would have been reasonable. Were there any other bidders for Parker?

The kings because the bulls stupidly matched the lavine offer.

 

[nomar]

Nuggets do a salary dump to the Nets, then sign Isaiah Thomas for a coupon book to Applebees. Both are good moves. 15 months ago IT was on the cusp of signing a 9 digit contract. Now he has a 1 year deal for $2 million. Ouch.

Butler won't sign an extension with the Timberwolves. Not exactly an endorsement of Minnesota's two young stars.

Jabari Parker about to sign with Bulls, no match expected from Bucks. This is a situation that works out for everyone. Parker will make some money and get to start, Bulls get a scorer and hometown kid to sell some tickets, and the Bucks avoid a tough decision on a player that is not a fit for their team.

Edit: Parker signs 2 year, $40 million contract with Bulls. I figured 2 years, $15 million would have been reasonable. Were there any other bidders for Parker?

For Jabari, the Bulls have a team option for Year 2. Good signing. No downside.

 

[the Q]

For Jabari, the Bulls have a team option for Year 2. Good signing. No downside.

And to think 5 months ago the bucks were very hesitant to trade Parker.

Now they chose Ilya over him.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

For Jabari, the Bulls have a team option for Year 2. Good signing. No downside.

Bulls are paying $20 million next season for a player that started 3 games last season for a team that was barely above .500. Then, if he does manage to make it through the season and puts up big numbers, they only have him for one more year. I bet they could have signed a reasonably priced, multi year deal with Embiid-style injury outs.

And to think 5 months ago the bucks were very hesitant to trade Parker.

Now they chose Ilya over him.

I don't remember a single clean trade offer for Parker that the Bucks walked away from. There were rumors the Bucks were not going to re-sign Parker in March.

I agree on the Bucks choosing Ilyasova over Parker. The Bucks risk looking pretty stupid.

 

[nomar]

Bulls are paying $20 million next season for a player that started 3 games last season for a team that was barely above .500. Then, if he does manage to make it through the season and puts up big numbers, they only have him for one more year. I bet they could have signed a reasonably priced, multi year deal with Embiid-style injury outs.



I don't remember a single clean trade offer for Parker that the Bucks walked away from. There were rumors the Bucks were not going to re-sign Parker in March.

I agree on the Bucks choosing Ilyasova over Parker. The Bucks risk looking pretty stupid.

I bet not. He was an RFA, remember.

The amount is basically irrelevant. They had the money to spend, and there was nobody else to spend it on. It's for one year. If they like him and he wants to stay in his hometown, they can renegotiate a year from now.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I bet not. He was an RFA, remember.

The amount is basically irrelevant. They had the money to spend, and there was nobody else to spend it on. It's for one year. If they like him and he wants to stay in his hometown, they can renegotiate a year from now.

The Bulls blew a lot of cap space on Jabari Parker and Zach Levine that could have been used to get draft picks by taking bad contracts Blowing it on Parker and Levine seems a little misspent, especially since the Parker contract is one of those "heads I win, tails you lose" situations. If the Bulls are right about Parker and he can still pay, they only get him for one year. If the Bulls are wrong about Parker and he is a backup at best, then they blew $20 million in cap space that could have been used to acquire draft picks.

 

[the Q]

The Bulls blew a lot of cap space on Jabari Parker and Zach Levine that could have been used to get draft picks by taking bad contracts Blowing it on Parker and Levine seems a little misspent, especially since the Parker contract is one of those "heads I win, tails you lose" situations. If the Bulls are right about Parker and he can still pay, they only get him for one year. If the Bulls are wrong about Parker and he is a backup at best, then they blew $20 million in cap space that could have been used to acquire draft picks.

Exactly.

The kings tried ot do the bulls a favor, and they still screwed it up.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Bjelica heads to Europe. 76ers' offseason not looking great.

 

[the Q]

Bjelica heads to Europe. 76ers' offseason not looking great.

They’re saving their cap space. But it does put a ton of pressure on next summer.

They were after a max player. They had a chance to talk to bron and George.

Now they have next summer before all their cap space starts disappearing.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If all the contracts for every team are expiring at once, how will any team improve next season?

 

[champs99and04]

That’s reportedly one of the reasons they think Kawhi’s brand hasn’t taken off.

Apparently they’re the last ones to realize their client has the personality of drying paint.

You're wrong.

Kawhi's brand is just fine. Let's start with his name. You look at the players who have been marketable in the NBA and they have great names. LeBron. Kobe. Kyrie. Shaq. Klay. Draymond. Carmelo. Kemba. If you have a name like Chris, you better be able to come up with a cute nickname like CP3. Otherwise you're Chris Bosh. And if you have a name like Dwayne, you should misspell it to get people talking.

It also doesn't hurt that he has enormous hands and vintage hair. Best perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen? San Diego State? Perhaps recruited by the ghost of Ed Martin? I would have a field day marketing him.

His personality works in his favor. You don't seem to appreciate the difference between a boring and mystical. There is an aura about Kawhi that you can't simulate. You've never seen him talk. You don't know if he's ever talked. You aren't sure he knows how to talk. And if he did talk, you sure as hell would listen. Just because he doesn't yell hysterically into the camera and recycle cliches doesn't mean he lacks personality. He has the greatest personality in the NBA besides for Joel Embiid and Kyrie if he's theorizing about the earth's geometry.

I could continue, but next time try to keep your insulting, degrading, and reprehensible remarks to yourself unless they have some basis in truth. This board is a better place when we think before we post and clearly you have not demonstrated a sensitivity to the power your words have on impressionable minds. You're better than this and I want to be the first to extend my heartfelt support as you attempt to repair your image.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Sources: Raptors, Spurs finalizing Kawhi trade

If you are the Raptors, and have one of the Top 30 players in the NBA that is happy in Toronto, why would you mess with that?

 

[the Q]

Sources: Raptors, Spurs finalizing Kawhi trade

If you are the Raptors, and have one of the Top 30 players in the NBA that is happy in Toronto, why would you mess with that?

1) their window with that core is closed.

2) 2 years of DD are less than 1 year of Kawhi in pure value.

3) Kawhi and Lowry is a really good 1-2. And with the youth and potential of Poetl, Siakam and OG and even Van Vleet, you have some a really interesting group of guys (rumors i saw had JV also going in the deal to SA).

 

[champs99and04]

Sources: Raptors, Spurs finalizing Kawhi trade

If you are the Raptors, and have one of the Top 30 players in the NBA that is happy in Toronto, why would you mess with that?

Few players around the league are as divisive as DeRozan. He's the rare wing who can't shoot the three at all, he takes possessions off defensively, and he tends to crash in the playoffs. At 27+ mil over the next three years, I can see why the Raptors wanted out of that contract. It's debatable whether he has made them better at all in their most important games.

This is going to end with the Raptors trading Kawhi before the deadline and I think they're OK with that. If you're going to initiate a full-scale rebuild at some point, why not take a chance on a top five NBA player? LeBron's out of the East, Lowry's still in his prime for now, and you have some nice young pieces (though it's unclear how many of them they gave up in the trade). If it works, you're in the finals. If it doesn't, you use Kawhi as leverage to shed the rest of Lowry's deal and start the process of bottoming out.

On the other hand, I have no idea what San Antonio is doing. We're really, really going to find out how good Pop is, because he seems to be behind this.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Sources: Raptors, Spurs finalizing Kawhi trade

If you are the Raptors, and have one of the Top 30 players in the NBA that is happy in Toronto, why would you mess with that?

Derozan is top 30 (& he did double his 3pt attempts last yr, though shot 31%), but healthy Kawhi is top 5.
The Raptors unquestionably melted down in the playoffs last year and the fallout/reaction was break it up. That built a lot of momentum prior to LeBron leaving the East. I'd argue that no LeBron SHOULD have undone everything as it was uniquely LeBron that caused the Raptors to implode. But I don't follow them closing and it is also likely that the playoff debacle occurred because of some fatal flaw exposed.
1. If that's the case AND they can sign Kawhi long-term, then this is a great trade.
2. If not, then they need to make the NBA finals this season for the trade to be worth it and they certainly have a better chance with Kawhi vs DeRozan.

 

[the Q]

Few players around the league are as divisive as DeRozan. He's the rare wing who can't shoot the three at all, he takes possessions off defensively, and he tends to crash in the playoffs. At 27+ mil over the next three years, I can see why the Raptors wanted out of that contract. It's debatable whether he has made them better at all in their most important games.

This is going to end with the Raptors trading Kawhi before the deadline and I think they're OK with that. If you're going to initiate a full-scale rebuild at some point, why not take a chance on a top five NBA player? LeBron's out of the East, Lowry's still in his prime for now, and you have some nice young pieces (though it's unclear how many of them they gave up in the trade). If it works, you're in the finals. If it doesn't, you use Kawhi as leverage to shed the rest of Lowry's deal and start the process of bottoming out.

On the other hand, I have no idea what San Antonio is doing. We're really, really going to find out how good Pop is, because he seems to be behind this.

I don't like this direction, but I will say, they did win 47 games mostly with Kawhi only round for about 10% of the season.

 

[the Q]

Derozan is top 30, but healthy Kawhi is top 5.
The Raptors unquestionably melted down in the playoffs last year and the fallout/reaction was break it up. That built a lot of momentum prior to LeBron leaving the East. I'd argue that no LeBron SHOULD have undone everything as it was uniquely LeBron that caused the Raptors to implode. But I don't follow them closing and it is also likely that the playoff debacle occurred because of some fatal flaw exposed.
1. If that's the case AND they can sign Kawhi long-term, then this is a great trade.
2. If not, then they need to make the NBA finals this season for the trade to be worth it and they certainly have a better chance with Kawhi vs DeRozan.

They have a very real chance to make the finals.

And since the Lakers will have cap space they make a S&T and at least get something for Kawhi after the season.

 

[Dogdeacon]

They have a very real chance to make the finals.

And since the Lakers will have cap space they make a S&T and at least get something for Kawhi after the season.

The Lakers not trading for Kawhi is based on assumption and strategy that they want long-term growth and can attract free agents with LeBron without sacrificing current or future assets. The Lakers simply aren't good enough to trade away anything meaningful & contend for a championship.

Even with best case scenarios for all the Laker young players and landing a free agent Kawhi, the 19-20 Lakers would still be underdogs if the Warriors keep their top-5. They can't afford a sign & trade until a league shakeup and until they see what their young players can really do in competitive/playoff games.

 

[champs99and04]

I don't like this direction, but I will say, they did win 47 games mostly with Kawhi only round for about 10% of the season.

That's what people will talk themselves into. What makes it so interesting is that you have one of the league's most well-respected organizations essentially going back in time with a Dejounte/DeRozan/Rudy/Aldridge core. Not sure what the end game is, but I suppose if there were ever a time for the mid-range two to make a comeback, it is now? Perhaps I am overthinking it and they are merely trying to tank and clear cap space.

Toronto definitely did this knowing full well that keeping Kawhi is a shot in the dark, but one thing people tend to underestimate in discussions like this is the value of having Kawhi for one year. People are not going to die if he leaves for LA. I mean how many college fan bases will devote their lives to recruiting a player for one year, but then when it's a dude exponentially more meaningful we talk about this like it's something other than entertainment? He's going to be the best player in franchise history.

 

[the Q]

The Lakers not trading for Kawhi is based on assumption and strategy that they want long-term growth and can attract free agents with LeBron without sacrificing current or future assets. The Lakers simply aren't good enough to trade away anything meaningful & contend for a championship.

Even with best case scenarios for all the Laker young players and landing a free agent Kawhi, the 19-20 Lakers would still be underdogs if the Warriors keep their top-5. They can't afford a sign & trade until a league shakeup and until they see what their young players can really do in competitive/playoff games.

There's a few they should be selling. Such as Ingram before he becomes their Wiggins.

 

[the Q]

That's what people will talk themselves into. What makes it so interesting is that you have one of the league's most well-respected organizations essentially going back in time with a Dejounte/DeRozan/Rudy/Aldridge core. Not sure what the end game is, but I suppose if there were ever a time for the mid-range two to make a comeback, it is now? Perhaps I am overthinking it and they are merely trying to tank and clear cap space.

Toronto definitely did this knowing full well that keeping Kawhi is a shot in the dark, but one thing people tend to underestimate in discussions like this is the value of having Kawhi for one year. People are not going to die if he leaves for LA. I mean how many college fan bases will devote their lives to recruiting a player for one year, but then when it's a dude exponentially more meaningful we talk about this like it's something other than entertainment? He's going to be the best player in franchise history.

Well this is a classic zig while everyone is zagging move.

But having Green and Mills does give you the 3pt shooting that core is lacking.

I really thought Philly would get Mills. He's a great fit next to Simmons.

 

[the Q]

i admit. I laughed.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Derozan is top 30 (& he did double his 3pt attempts last yr, though shot 31%), but healthy Kawhi is top 5.
The Raptors unquestionably melted down in the playoffs last year and the fallout/reaction was break it up. That built a lot of momentum prior to LeBron leaving the East. I'd argue that no LeBron SHOULD have undone everything as it was uniquely LeBron that caused the Raptors to implode. But I don't follow them closing and it is also likely that the playoff debacle occurred because of some fatal flaw exposed.
1. If that's the case AND they can sign Kawhi long-term, then this is a great trade.
2. If not, then they need to make the NBA finals this season for the trade to be worth it and they certainly have a better chance with Kawhi vs DeRozan.

DeRozan plus a decent supporting lineup would keep the Raptors at 50+ wins for the next 3 years, and a good trade, free agent signing, and/or a Celtics injury away from a shot at winning the East. Now they get one year of Kawhi, and I would not put Kawhi in the Top 5 coming off an injury and no longer playing for Popovich.