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JPRouve

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He seems to think that way. Maybe he’s friends with some of the players? There’s countless possible reasons really.
True. I don't really get that type of mindset but it has happened.
 

hasanejaz88

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We should be clear, the Suns took 2 games off the Nuggets with Chris Paul injured for 4.5 games of that series and Ayton injured game 6. The Heat with all of the hype took 1 game, the Lakers were swept aside like roaches. Replace CP3 with Beal and that series goes 7 most likely. Does this trade make them better than the Nuggets currently, no, but with FA still to come and Ayton as an asset if they find a good deal, we don't know what the final roster will look like. I don't think you can say the Heat are a better fit as a result. Maybe the Bucks but they have a lot of question marks with Lopez and Middleton both FAs. So it makes a lot of sense to go to the Suns where Book and KD are under contract for years to come.
Suns were visibly better without Paul (for whom getting an injury during playoffs is the norm) and Ayton was a non-factor throughout the series to the point that Landale was being preferred down the stretch at times. The two games Suns won were with insane performances from Booker, and one from Durant, so it was unsustainable.

Having Beal, while letting go off two players, will still not make them favorites for me as they will have to fill out the roster with not a lot of cap space. Add to that the injury issues for Durant and Beal.
 

sport2793

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Magic have no need for a center though, Carter is perfectly adequate - unless they trade Carter and no. 6 for no. 3 which has been rumored as well (with Blazers then shifting no. 6 for another player).

Pacers won't want him anymore I reckon, Turner had a good season.
Ya im just mentioning teams that have been linked more recently with Ayton. Wendell Carter is on one of the best contracts in the league and can't see the Magic pairing Ayton with two other big forwards in PB and FW, while like you say, Turner may not be as likely to move as previously. Although the Pacers went as far as tending an offer sheet to Ayton last year so they clearly like him to some extent, the new CBA makes it difficult for them to make a deal work I reckon. Just don't think the market seems to be very good at the moment for Ayton that the Suns need to rush a deal, there will be multiple good players they likely can get on a vet min and they still have a 12 mil dollar buyout exception from what I was reading that will be valid next season due to the way they are phasing in the CBA, which can be used to sign a good player mid-season.
 

sport2793

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Suns were visibly better without Paul (for whom getting an injury during playoffs is the norm) and Ayton was a non-factor throughout the series to the point that Landale was being preferred down the stretch at times. The two games Suns won were with insane performances from Booker, and one from Durant, so it was unsustainable.

Having Beal, while letting go off two players, will still not make them favorites for me as they will have to fill out the roster with not a lot of cap space. Add to that the injury issues for Durant and Beal.
Actually the first sentence is incorrect, the Suns were in control of game 2 until CP3 got injured, it was his play that had the Suns in the lead in the 2nd half. The Ayton part may have been true until game 6 when the defense completely fell apart in his absence.

Finally Landry Shamet is statistically one of the worst playoff performers in the history of the NBA, he basically is a negative player that they turned along with the oft injured CP3 into Beal. This trade does not put them over the top but it's hard to look at the deal negatively apart from the financial angle perhaps, which is not as relevant with a wealthy owner.
 

Sarni

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Ya im just mentioning teams that have been linked more recently with Ayton. Wendell Carter is on one of the best contracts in the league and can't see the Magic pairing Ayton with two other big forwards in PB and FW, while like you say, Turner may not be as likely to move as previously. Although the Pacers went as far as tending an offer sheet to Ayton last year so they clearly like him to some extent, the new CBA makes it difficult for them to make a deal work I reckon. Just don't think the market seems to be very good at the moment for Ayton that the Suns need to rush a deal, there will be multiple good players they likely can get on a vet min and they still have a 12 mil dollar buyout exception from what I was reading that will be valid next season due to the way they are phasing in the CBA, which can be used to sign a good player mid-season.
I agree, you are not getting a haul back for a center on an expensive deal currently so you may as well wait and see rather than take 50 cents on the dollar.

From Blazers perspective I'd rather throw a contract at Brook Lopez or someone cheaper in free agency rather than spend assets to acquire centers. Nurkic is fine but he's hardly ever fully healthy.
 

sport2793

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I agree, you are not getting a haul back for a center on an expensive deal currently so you may as well wait and see rather than take 50 cents on the dollar.

From Blazers perspective I'd rather throw a contract at Brook Lopez or someone cheaper in free agency rather than spend assets to acquire centers. Nurkic is fine but he's hardly ever fully healthy.
I'm really hoping you guys get a good trade to keep Dame in Portland, always admired Dame for sticking around and being loyal (a city I live in currently) unlike a lot of other stars (KD, Beal as two examples) who run away to chase rings. There are already reports of the Heat waiting for Dame to demand a trade in the event the Blazers can't turn the 3rd pick into something meaningful. Then again, like you alluded to earlier, maybe it will be better to start fresh and I really like what I've seen from Scoot Henderson, definitely think he can be the next great PG and someone to build around.
 

entropy

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Where's my arc, Paulie?
They haven't really given up much for Beal. Shamet you can replace quite cheaply.

Free agency is coming up in two weeks time, they won't have much trouble filling out the roster with ring chasers and younger players who may fancy spending one year with a contender. They will be fine.
I can see cp returning but the issue with their cap space still remains in acquiring some actual depth. seems more like a recipe for disaster. especially when you take into account how injury-prone kd and beal are.
 

Sarni

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I can see cp returning but the issue with their cap space still remains. seems more like a recipe for disaster. especially when you take into account how injury prone kd and beal are.
I don't think CP3 can return there by current rules. If he gets bought out, he can't go back to the team that traded him but I'm not sure how the season switching to 2023-24 impacts that (I'm pretty sure it's a calendar year rule though).
 

Sarni

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I'm really hoping you guys get a good trade to keep Dame in Portland, always admired Dame for sticking around and being loyal (a city I live in currently) unlike a lot of other stars (KD, Beal as two examples) who run away to chase rings. There are already reports of the Heat waiting for Dame to demand a trade in the event the Blazers can't turn the 3rd pick into something meaningful. Then again, like you alluded to earlier, maybe it will be better to start fresh and I really like what I've seen from Scoot Henderson, definitely think he can be the next great PG and someone to build around.
The problem I have is we don't really have anybody to support him now, so it'd be about building entire roster. Arguably Grant can be part of a successful roster as a fourth/fifth best players but that's all. I'm hoping Sharpe can develop into a second/third option eventually but that is going to take 2-3 more years., by which time there's no way Dame will be at the level where he can be the best player on a successful team (I'm not sure he can be that even now).
 

ZDwyr

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The more I think about the trade the more I can't get over how incompetent the Wizards are. I'd be furious if I was a fan.
 

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The more I think about the trade the more I can't get over how incompetent the Wizards are. I'd be furious if I was a fan.
Imagine being a talented player and having a contract there.
 

elmo

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Suns were visibly better without Paul (for whom getting an injury during playoffs is the norm) and Ayton was a non-factor throughout the series to the point that Landale was being preferred down the stretch at times. The two games Suns won were with insane performances from Booker, and one from Durant, so it was unsustainable.

Having Beal, while letting go off two players, will still not make them favorites for me as they will have to fill out the roster with not a lot of cap space. Add to that the injury issues for Durant and Beal.
We were winning game 2 till CP3 went off injured. It’s a different series if CP3 stayed healthy.
 

cesc's_mullet

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Wait, he gets to have a say on who gets included in the deal for him as well? That’s a crazy level of control.
It's not as if he's there at the trade table in negotiations with the GM's, but he can torpedo any deal if he thinks it was going to weaken the team he's moving to. Which is seemingly what has happened in this case.

I guess it shows just how much the Wizards wanted him moved on.
 

cesc's_mullet

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We should be clear, the Suns took 2 games off the Nuggets with Chris Paul injured for 4.5 games of that series and Ayton injured game 6. The Heat with all of the hype took 1 game, the Lakers were swept aside like roaches. Replace CP3 with Beal and that series goes 7 most likely. Does this trade make them better than the Nuggets currently, no, but with FA still to come and Ayton as an asset if they find a good deal, we don't know what the final roster will look like. I don't think you can say the Heat are a better fit as a result. Maybe the Bucks but they have a lot of question marks with Lopez and Middleton both FAs. So it makes a lot of sense to go to the Suns where Book and KD are under contract for years to come.
The Joker absolutely cooks Ayton. Along with when he plays Adams and Gobert, you know he's going to have big games.

Booker had some historic shooting performances to stretch that series to 6 games, that stuff is unlikely to be repeated. They were absolutely trounced in the final two games too (by 16 and 25 points).

What I want to know is how to Beal and Booker fit? Both like to shoot and neither are the best facilitators, I think it will require a change in roles for Booker to become more of a playmaker.
 

cesc's_mullet

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We were winning game 2 till CP3 went off injured. It’s a different series if CP3 stayed healthy.
You got flogged in games five and six. CP3 isn't helping you overcome 16 point and 25 point deficits.
 

Bubz27

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Draymond opting out and will be unrestricted. Not sure what he's hoping for here. 33, a whole load of intangibles but clearly past his best and declining tangibles.
 

SinNombre

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Draymond opting out and will be unrestricted. Not sure what he's hoping for here. 33, a whole load of intangibles but clearly past his best and declining tangibles.
Getting a 70/3 or 90/4 from the Warriors is what he is hoping for, and also the most likely outcome.
 

Sarni

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What are the Wizards going to do with KP and Kuzma?
Porzingis has a player option for $36m next year, not sure whether he picks that up or not. He probably won't get the same annual salary in open market but may get a longer deal (like $120m / 4 years maybe).

Kuzma has a $13m player option that he certainly will not pick up, so he will be a free agent in the offseason. No chance he resigns with Wizards under current circumstances, they should have traded him last February.
 

Sarni

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I've only recently been familiarizing myself with the new CBA and it actually makes this deal baffling from Suns perspective as well. They have almost guaranteed being above the second tax apron for the next few years (I think new CBA kicks in in 2024-25 so quite soon) which means they won't be able to use any exceptions or sign buyout players at all, it's just minimum players to fill out the roster. Beal's no-trade clause has also carried to Suns so they won't be able to get rid of him if he starts declining (which he already has, just not that rapidly yet).

I like those new rules. At least it won't be the big market teams / contenders accumulating all talent, and teams will need to actually think before extending their players as going above second tax apron has severe consequences now.
 

JPRouve

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I've only recently been familiarizing myself with the new CBA and it actually makes this deal baffling from Suns perspective as well. They have almost guaranteed being above the second tax apron for the next few years (I think new CBA kicks in in 2024-25 so quite soon) which means they won't be able to use any exceptions or sign buyout players at all, it's just minimum players to fill out the roster. Beal's no-trade clause has also carried to Suns so they won't be able to get rid of him if he starts declining (which he already has, just not that rapidly yet).

I like those new rules. At least it won't be the big market teams / contenders accumulating all talent, and teams will need to actually think before extending their players as going above second tax apron has severe consequences now.
That's how I understand it. The issue isn't the tax, though it's an issue, it's the inability to fill the roster with decent players unless those free agents are willing to give serious discounts. Some teams better not be sleepwalking until next offseason because two things are likely to happen, getting fleeced by teams who know that you are desperate to get rid of contracts or find yourself with a very small roster.

And I agree with you, the new CBA could create great opportunities for teams that do not have big contracts or stars on their roster, next season or by 2025 everyone should have a star player
 

Zen

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I thought the Zion pornstar stuff was like social clickbait.... it may well actually be, but there seems like some kind of possible legitimacy to it :lol:
 

R'hllor

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That's how I understand it. The issue isn't the tax, though it's an issue, it's the inability to fill the roster with decent players unless those free agents are willing to give serious discounts. Some teams better not be sleepwalking until next offseason because two things are likely to happen, getting fleeced by teams who know that you are desperate to get rid of contracts or find yourself with a very small roster.

And I agree with you, the new CBA could create great opportunities for teams that do not have big contracts or stars on their roster, next season or by 2025 everyone should have a star player
Is there some limitations to how low player can go for on his own will? Like if, lets say X player becomes free agent from 50 mil per year and his worth is still 50, can he go and sign for someone for 1mil if he feels like it?
 

SinNombre

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Is there some limitations to how low player can go for on his own will? Like if, lets say X player becomes free agent from 50 mil per year and his worth is still 50, can he go and sign for someone for 1mil if he feels like it?
Sure nothing stopping that.
 

SinNombre

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Porzingis has a player option for $36m next year, not sure whether he picks that up or not. He probably won't get the same annual salary in open market but may get a longer deal (like $120m / 4 years maybe).

Kuzma has a $13m player option that he certainly will not pick up, so he will be a free agent in the offseason. No chance he resigns with Wizards under current circumstances, they should have traded him last February.
With GTJ also picking up his player option, I think players are realizing the free agent market is not that hot and I think KP will end up picking his option.

Kuzma for sure will test the free market and get a better offer.
 

sport2793

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I thought the Zion pornstar stuff was like social clickbait.... it may well actually be, but there seems like some kind of possible legitimacy to it :lol:
Oh I've been under the impression it's 100 percent the truth this whole time. What else would Zion be getting up to all those days he was in street clothes?
 

sport2793

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I've only recently been familiarizing myself with the new CBA and it actually makes this deal baffling from Suns perspective as well. They have almost guaranteed being above the second tax apron for the next few years (I think new CBA kicks in in 2024-25 so quite soon) which means they won't be able to use any exceptions or sign buyout players at all, it's just minimum players to fill out the roster. Beal's no-trade clause has also carried to Suns so they won't be able to get rid of him if he starts declining (which he already has, just not that rapidly yet).

I like those new rules. At least it won't be the big market teams / contenders accumulating all talent, and teams will need to actually think before extending their players as going above second tax apron has severe consequences now.
Yep, which is why people like Woj and Windy are saying the Suns are taking a blowtorch to the new CBA, basically saying they won't be intimidated by the new financial penalties as they have the financial resources to outspend others. A couple of things to keep in mind are that the Suns only recently went into the tax and so are not considered repeat offenders and that there are other teams that are in worse situations wrt new CBA and 2nd apron, notably the Clips and the Warriors, who I think are both paying or about to pay repeater penalties.

There are a lot of legitimate disadvantages to being in the 2nd apron (110% instead of 125% back on trades, no TPMLE, can't send multiple contracts away on a single trade etc.). However one could also argue that a lot of the worst contracts in the NBA are the MLE contracts and that often times better value can be found with vet mins. In fact, one could even argue that while the original purpose of the new CBA was to punish teams in lux tax, the actual outcome will only be to screw players who otherwise could have been candidates to get MLE contracts by reducing the number of teams that can offer them. That's how a lot of these sorts of CBA adjustments have played out previously and I strongly suspect that will continue to be the case. Finally, the new TV deal will come in next year, likely raising revenues which may significantly increase the lux tax thresholds anyways.
 

Sarni

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@Sarni zion??? this would be such a blazers move it’s not even funny anymore
Awesome player when he’s healthy but he’s just never healthy. Do I have any confidence in him recovering at Blazers to a point where he can complete a playoffs series? Not even close.
 

JPRouve

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Is there some limitations to how low player can go for on his own will? Like if, lets say X player becomes free agent from 50 mil per year and his worth is still 50, can he go and sign for someone for 1mil if he feels like it?
Yes there are minimum contracts. Currently 1m would the minimum rookie contract, 10 years veterans have a minimum of 2.7m.
 

Sarni

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Going to be crazy 2 days for a Portland fan. It seems increasingly likely that Charlotte will go for Brandon Miller, leaving Scoot to us. It's also clear that our front office will try to shift that pick and turn it into ready now 'stars', however it remains to be seen who those stars could be. Adebayo has been rumored but it makes zero sense for Miami to trade him, Zion appears quite likely but he's a massive risk, Siakam/OG would be super underwhelming but appear as most likely candidates, even Paul George has been mentioned.

With Zion, aside from his off court issues which hopefully can be addressed, his injuries are the only thing that makes me reluctant to that move. He's of course a great player and with him and Dame you could build something, definitely not a contender but a team capable of giving it a run in the playoffs. The issue is he has not played a single playoffs game yet despite being in the league since 2019, he's been constantly injured and could hardly go above 10 games in a row. He is however miles better than Siakam, tied to a longer deal and at least gives you a faint hope of success. Players like Siakam/Anunoby just ensure that you will be mediocre, but not bad enough to actually get good through draft.

I don't think it's just about no. 3. We also have no. 23, Simons, Little and possibly Sharpe to trade so the roster could look completely different on Friday.

My no. 1 choice is trading Lillard though, I don't think it's remotely feasible to build a contender around him even with this assets, and the prospect of Scoot + Sharpe could potentially be truly mouth watering.
 

entropy

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Where's my arc, Paulie?
I don’t think the rumors around zion have any truth to them. I find it hard to believe that david griffin would be willing to give up on zion just yet.
 

Sarni

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@Sarni why would Spicy P be an underwhelming trade?

Edit: didn't realise he was already 29
He has only one year on his contract and I’ve always been of the view that for us to win anything or get close we would need to have a player very close to or above Dame’s level next to him. He’s not that.
 

Sarni

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Porzingis to Boston so that’s another bullet dodged. Brogdon goes to Clippers.

Siakam move apparently very unlikely as he won’t give Portland any assurances of re-signing next year and will want a max deal. Pointless to offer no. 3 under these circumstances.

Seems Paul George and Zion are left, Zion looking quite possible. I still prefer Scoot.
 

JPRouve

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It's probably meaningless but it's very strange to see pretty much every key Wolves players training together at the team facilities with the exception of KAT and I think Conley.