Kemba 2021: The Jour-knee Begins

Light-Tower-Power

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I think Horford still has enough left in the tank to be a useful piece, and his game would complement the Jays well. No thanks to the rest of that list.
 

Cellar-Door

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Porzingis and Westbrook are both producing at high levels. I woudlnt include them in this group at all.
Is Porzingis? I'm not so sure, if that's producing at high levels, then Kemba just produced at a high level this regular season. Most metrics would put them similar (except Raptor which thinks Kemba is much better than Porzingis).
Porzingis' advantage is he's younger, Kemba's is that his deal is shorter.
Porzingis might not be a straight swap, but he's in the range of guys that Kemba and a small/moderate piece gets you a conversation at least.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Agreed, Porzingis to me is an interesting guy to speculate on. It is probably too expensive to get him for Kemba asset-wise, and doing so probably also costs us Fournier (due to lux tax). That said, Porzingis provides a different look, more offensive flexibility as a big than we’ve had, and a different kind of defender. I think we’ve seen he can’t be an alpha or maybe even a second star but in this configuration he doesn’t have to be. If you are Dallas you might consider Kemba because you’re biggest problem is you can’t generate offense beyond Luka and Kemba helps there. Probably not, but conceivable.

You’d still need to figure out the Cs guard situation and it probably doesn’t fit but I’d explore it.

Though I’d probably do it, Porzingis’ health profile is terrifying—-guys his siźe who have had lower-body injuries just have an atrocious track record.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Is Porzingis? I'm not so sure, if that's producing at high levels, then Kemba just produced at a high level this regular season. Most metrics would put them similar (except Raptor which thinks Kemba is much better than Porzingis).
Porzingis' advantage is he's younger, Kemba's is that his deal is shorter.
Porzingis might not be a straight swap, but he's in the range of guys that Kemba and a small/moderate piece gets you a conversation at least.
Porzingis was very good in a couple of these Clipper games. His presence alone and ability to stretch the floor forces defenses to account for him. He’s about 10x more valuable to the Mavericks as their 2nd/3rd most important player than Kemba would be.
 

moondog80

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The most important stat about Porzingis is that his contract runs a a year longer than Kemba's. Pass.
 

Cellar-Door

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Porzingis was very good in a couple of these Clipper games. His presence alone and ability to stretch the floor forces defenses to account for him. He’s about 10x more valuable to the Mavericks as their 2nd/3rd most important player than Kemba would be.
That might be a fit thing, but as a player.... Porzingis's deal is bad, it's as bad as Kemba's. That DAL might prefer his bad deal to Kemba's is fine, but it doesn't change his overall value.

Though also I'm not sure I agree. DAL has a problem that nobody on their team can create offense besides Luka. Kemba might fit just fine there, and allow them to go with more of a defensive presence from their big.
 

HomeRunBaker

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That might be a fit thing, but as a player.... Porzingis's deal is bad, it's as bad as Kemba's. That DAL might prefer his bad deal to Kemba's is fine, but it doesn't change his overall value.
I disagree. There are teams who would value Porzingis as a player to fill a major hole in their lineup. Multiple teams approached Cuban at the deadline and he flat out shut down the rumors by saying he wasn’t trading him. I don’t expect anyone to value Kemba in this manner or Danny to ever publicly respond the way Cuban did.
 

BaseballJones

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I've loved Kemba from his college days. But it appears that maybe he's really the kind of guy that's really better as a #1 option on a bad team rather than a good asset on a championship team.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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I've loved Kemba from his college days. But it appears that maybe he's really the kind of guy that's really better as a #1 option on a bad team rather than a good asset on a championship team.
2019 Kemba would be just fine on this team, but I have to imagine that ship has permanently sailed. He was aggressively load managed all year long and his knee still crapped out in the first round. His best bet going forward is to be a 20-25 minute guy off the bench who might get hot every once in a while. His days of being a #1 - #3 scoring option on a good team are long gone.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I disagree. There are teams who would value Porzingis as a player to fill a major hole in their lineup. Multiple teams approached Cuban at the deadline and he flat out shut down the rumors by saying he wasn’t trading him. I don’t expect anyone to value Kemba in this manner or Danny to ever publicly respond the way Cuban did.
I think it is close enough to be worth asking, but tend to agree Dallas (and most teams) would value Porzingis enough more that it is not likely a deal would happen. I also think the planning assumption for Celtics would be Kemba plus 1-2 reasonable assets anyway.

Porzingis is likely to be a guy a few teams overvalue, too. Dallas may well be one of them
 

Cellar-Door

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I've loved Kemba from his college days. But it appears that maybe he's really the kind of guy that's really better as a #1 option on a bad team rather than a good asset on a championship team.
I don't really think this. I think he's just not ever going to be fully healthy again. Kemba's first season pre-ASB he was phenomenal, and exactly what we needed.
 

Devizier

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Hield belongs on the bad list.

There are a bunch of bad contracts that are not as far underwater as Kemba’s. I think Porzingis is one of those. DLo is another.
 

reggiecleveland

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I've loved Kemba from his college days. But it appears that maybe he's really the kind of guy that's really better as a #1 option on a bad team rather than a good asset on a championship team.
I don't really think this. I think he's just not ever going to be fully healthy again. Kemba's first season pre-ASB he was phenomenal, and exactly what we needed.
I thinbk you are both right. Baseball Jones is right about now and Cellar-door is right about his 1st year. That team was rolling, and Kemba was great. Kemba won at least one game almosy by himself in the raptors series last year too. I just doubt he is ever healthy enough to be as good as he was.
 

Auger34

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I disagree. There are teams who would value Porzingis as a player to fill a major hole in their lineup. Multiple teams approached Cuban at the deadline and he flat out shut down the rumors by saying he wasn’t trading him. I don’t expect anyone to value Kemba in this manner or Danny to ever publicly respond the way Cuban did.
I think you’ve got the timeline of this wrong. There were a lot of rumors that Dallas was trying to move KP (not that teams were trying to acquire him) and Cuban responded to those rumors.

From the things I’ve heard on basketball pods (Russillo, Simmons and I believe KOC) have mentioned that the Mavs would like to trade KP.

I think Kemba for Porzingis is an interesting start but Boston would have to add more to the deal and I’m not sure I’m giving up a lot more for KP
 

bsan34

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I think you’ve got the timeline of this wrong. There were a lot of rumors that Dallas was trying to move KP (not that teams were trying to acquire him) and Cuban responded to those rumors.

From the things I’ve heard on basketball pods (Russillo, Simmons and I believe KOC) have mentioned that the Mavs would like to trade KP.

I think Kemba for Porzingis is an interesting start but Boston would have to add more to the deal and I’m not sure I’m giving up a lot more for KP
I don't know that Boston would be the one adding more. KP has one extra year on his contract as compared to Kemba, and given his body type, is probably likely to be oft-injured through the next 3 years. He also can't handle being Luka's sidekick; I'm not sure how well he's going to handle being the 3rd wheel to the Jays.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Smart and Langford didn't grade well on the defensive end, but that's likely a function of having to primarily guard Harden and Irving. Kemba off the map is the least surprising thing ever. Figure something out, Danny Brad.
 

radsoxfan

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Kemba and Tatum are...... not close on that chart. Jarring to look at.

Tatum was really good, but clearly had no help.
 

Cellar-Door

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One thing I was thinking about looking at some recent contract history.....

I still think there's a pretty significant (30-40%) chance Kemba opts out of the last year of his deal if he's relatively healthy next year. THe last 3-5 years is littered with guys that people said "oh he'll never opt out of that big $ year" who then opted out for more years at less money. If Kemba had a year like this one: 70 GP, 19/4/5 slash line 36-38% from 3.... there's probably at minimum a 3/75 deal out there for him right?
 
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TripleOT

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Would Minnesota be looking to get rid of Malik Beasley, who had some legal issues? Beasley (3/$46m) and Rubio ($17m expiring) for Kemba, a young (non-TL) player, and the 16th pick?
 

Devizier

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If Kemba had a year like this one: 70 GP, 19/4/5 slash line 36-38% from 3.... there's probably at minimum a 3/75 deal out there for him right?
If being the operative word here. Especially w/re to bolded. If Kemba puts those numbers up, 3/75 is pretty much a given. I think folks don’t know how much demand >>> supply for even above-average talent in the NBA.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Would Minnesota be looking to get rid of Malik Beasley, who had some legal issues? Beasley (3/$46m) and Rubio ($17m expiring) for Kemba, a young (non-TL) player, and the 16th pick?
I was a Malik Beasley fan but I want no part of that. He's on video pointing an assault rifle at his infant son.
 

radsoxfan

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One thing I was thinking about looking at some recent contract history.....

I still think there's a pretty significant (30-40%) chance Kemba opts out of the last year of his deal if he's relatively healthy next year. THe last 3-5 years is littered with guys that people said "oh he'll never opt out of that big $ year" who then opted out for more years at less money. If Kemba had a year like this one: 70 GP, 19/4/5 slash line 36-38% from 3.... there's probably at minimum a 3/75 deal out there for him right?
I hear where you’re coming from (I.e. people underestimate how likely someone will opt out), but at this moment I would be borderline shocked by that result.

He has been injured/useless the last 2 playoffs, this time after serious load management. He’s short, on the wrong side of 30, relies on his quickness, and has a degenerative knee.

If forced to pick right now between 3/75 or some mid level exception in 2021-2022, I would bet on the mid level. Or potentially not even that. What is Blake Griffin going to get next season?

Of course we have a lot of data points between now and then, but if Kemba is in consideration for a 3/75M contract starting 2021-2022, that’s amazing, fantastic, and frankly unexpected I think.
 

Cellar-Door

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I hear where you’re coming from (I.e. people underestimate how likely someone will opt out), but at this moment I would be borderline shocked by that result.

He has been injured/useless the last 2 playoffs, this time after serious load management. He’s short, on the wrong side of 30, relies on his quickness, and has a degenerative knee.

If forced to pick right now between 3/75 or some mid level exception in 2021-2022, I would bet on the mid level. Or potentially not even that. What is Blake Griffin going to get next season?

Of course we have a lot of data points between now and then, but if Kemba is in consideration for a 3/75M contract starting 2021-2022, that’s amazing, fantastic, and frankly unexpected I think.
Blake's production tanked though. That's the thing about Kemba... his production has been fine when he's on the court. If he stays on the court next year and plays similarly he'll get paid. I mean, Chris Paul broke down in the playoffs several years in a row, was the same size as Kemba and older... he got a full max. Yes he was better, but the point is... Kemba's numbers suggest a guy who gets PAID, age/injury risk may cause a reduction, but if he can stay on the court he'll get some offers that have to make him at least think about it.

The only way he's looking at mid-level is if he collapses entirely and/or can't play. Goran Dragic got 18M at 35, Pat Beverly got 3/40 well into his 30s.... Kemba is a much better player than either.
 

radsoxfan

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The only way he's looking at mid-level is if he collapses entirely and/or can't play.
Bingo.

You're looking at all these guys as if their "injuries" are equivalent. Kemba is in the Blake Griffin/IT basket more than the Chris Paul/Gordon Hayward basket.

I was cautiously optimistic about Kemba this year as sometimes people do have meniscus tears and mild to moderate arthritis that stabilize and they hold off father time for a few years (or more). But we're going on more than a year and a half with progressive arthritis causing long periods of poor play or inability to play. To the point he can't suit up for the biggest playoff games of his life.

Next year will obviously be key, but there is a non zero chance he is looked at as a part time guy pretty soon.

It seems almost definite he is a negative asset at age 31-32 for 76M. Someone is going to willingly give him 75M for his age 33-35 seasons? I'll believe it when i see it. Like I said, if thats even a consideration, 2021-2022 went very well for Kemba.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Bingo.

You're looking at all these guys as if their "injuries" are equivalent. Kemba is in the Blake Griffin/IT basket more than the Chris Paul/Gordon Hayward basket.

I was cautiously optimistic about Kemba this year as sometimes people do have meniscus tears and mild to moderate arthritis that stabilize and they hold off father time for a few years (or more). But we're going on more than a year and a half with progressive arthritis causing long periods of poor play or inability to play. To the point he can't suit up for the biggest playoff games of his life.

Next year will obviously be key, but there is a non zero chance he is looked at as a part time guy pretty soon.

It seems almost definite he is a negative asset at age 31-32 for 76M. Someone is going to willingly give him 75M for his age 33-35 seasons? I'll believe it when i see it. Like I said, if thats even a consideration, 2021-2022 went very well for Kemba.
Totally agree. I’ll eat a log of Brad’s sh*t if Kemba outs out of his final year. He’s on the IT path while Chris Paul is still among the best defensive guards in the game and was mentioned in some MVP talk this year.
 

Cellar-Door

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Bingo.

You're looking at all these guys as if their "injuries" are equivalent. Kemba is in the Blake Griffin/IT basket more than the Chris Paul/Gordon Hayward basket.

I was cautiously optimistic about Kemba this year as sometimes people do have meniscus tears and mild to moderate arthritis that stabilize and they hold off father time for a few years (or more). But we're going on more than a year and a half with progressive arthritis causing long periods of poor play or inability to play. To the point he can't suit up for the biggest playoff games of his life.

Next year will obviously be key, but there is a non zero chance he is looked at as a part time guy pretty soon.

It seems almost definite he is a negative asset at age 31-32 for 76M. Someone is going to willingly give him 75M for his age 33-35 seasons? I'll believe it when i see it. Like I said, if thats even a consideration, 2021-2022 went very well for Kemba.
well my post said if he keeps something approaching his 2020-21 stats over 60-70 games. If he does that... yes?

I get that people see "degenerative joint issue" and say IT, but he's not even close to the IT basket. IT was immediately done... toast as soon as the injury happened. Kemba after his return from surgery played 43 of 60 and did it at a pretty high level, not that dissimilar to his previous years. Now he got hurt again in the playoffs, potentially with the same issue, that makes him hard to move now, because teams worry that he's going to cliff or be a 40 game a year guy, but if he puts up a relatively healthy good season it likely changes how at least some teams think about him.
Maybe he's similar to Blake... but he hasn't fallen off a cliff, and if he puts up a healthy season, teams are going to see him as a potential discount... a player who if he didn't have knee issues would make 30-40M per over 4 years, instead for 2-3 years at 25? Someone would bite on that. Reliable NBA scorers are hard to find, now he also has to want a new deal vs. a playoff team, but there is almost always an unattractive market willing to take big risks like that.
 

benhogan

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still think there's a pretty significant (30-40%) chance Kemba opts out of the last year of his deal if he's relatively healthy next year. THe last 3-5 years is littered with guys that people said "oh he'll never opt out of that big $ year" who then opted out for more years at less money. If Kemba had a year like this one: 70 GP, 19/4/5 slash line 36-38% from 3.... there's probably at minimum a 3/75 deal out there for him right?
No, there is no deal for him if he repeats the same #s...your math is off and GAMES PLAYED is the most important # up there

If he played the same % of games in an 82 game schedule, he'd be under 50 games played. He played 43 out of 72 games this past season. He also juiced his offensive numbers when Jaylen was out (as the #2 option) and the Celtics were in free fall (see KW's last 7 regular-season games)

degenerative is the damning word, Boston is the bag holder here for $37.6MM the following season

HRB can save half that log for me if Kemba gets 3yrs for $75MM to play for Coach Thibs.
 

Cellar-Door

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No, there is no deal for him if he repeats the same #s...your math is off and GAMES PLAYED is the most important # up there

If he played the same % of games in an 82 game schedule, he'd be under 50 games played. He played 43 out of 72 games this past season. He also juiced his offensive numbers when Jaylen was out (as the #2 option) and the Celtics were in free fall (see KW's last 7 regular-season games)

degenerative is the damning word, Boston is the bag holder here for $37.6MM the following season

HRB can save half that log for me if Kemba gets 3yrs for $75MM to play for Coach Thibs.
I'm not going to count games returning from surgery in a player's games missed. It is assumed that you will miss those games no matter what. It's how much you can play AFTER you return that matters. As to season like last, I was referring to his stat line.

If he puts up 20/5/5 and shoots 36-38% in 65-70 games.... there is a decent shot he has interest in a multi-year deal. I still put it at somewhere between 60/40 and 70/30 against, but the 0% chance doesn't seem reasonable at all.

And degenerative doesn't matter in itself, I mean plenty of guys around the league and through their careers had degenerative issues, Kawhi has a degenerative knee issue too (tendinopathy), he'd get a max anywhere in the league tomorrow. The question is how his injury progresses or doesn't.

This idea that if a guy plays most of the year and puts up borderline all-star numbers is going to get nothing but MLE type offers is just silly. We've seen way too many players get big contracts off injury or at advanced age to think all 32 teams are going to be so scared of future seasons that they won't take a discount up front.
 

benhogan

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The only way he's looking at mid-level is if he collapses entirely and/or can't play. Goran Dragic got 18M at 35, Pat Beverly got 3/40 well into his 30s.... Kemba is a much better player than either.
Miami wanted to keep that salary slot, so they could make a play for Giannis in FA. That's why they paid Goran $18MM for 1yr and a team option for year 2 (and why they overpaid Myers Leonard last offseason).

Pat Beverly was 30yrs old & was getting votes for the all NBA defensive team when he signed that deal
 

Cellar-Door

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Miami wanted to keep that salary slot, so they could make play for Giannis in FA. That's why they paid Goran $18MM for 1yr and a team option for year 2 (and why they overpaid Myers Leonard last offseason).

Pat Beverly was 30yrs old & was getting votes for the all NBA defensive team when he signed that deal
I mean sure... and if Kemba were a FA tomorrow what deal does he get? My point was that people wildly underestimate the deals guys get in FA., even if they are old, or injury prone, or overrated defenders with no offense.
I mean, look at the Hayward thread, where a year out everyone said... he's obviously not opting out. Then by FA people were talking about 3/60 as what they thought... he got 4/120, and allegedly had at least 3 teams willing to go 4 years and 100M+. Everyone wildly underestimates salaries, and the amount of risk teams are willing to take in pursuit of potential #1 or #2 scorers. If Kemba shows he can stay healthy and score he'll be attractive to teams at a mild discount.
I honestly think the most likely thing is he opts in, but I think not taking the possibility into consideration when looking at the future is a mistake.
 

radsoxfan

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I get that people see "degenerative joint issue" and say IT, but he's not even close to the IT basket. IT was immediately done... toast as soon as the injury happened. Kemba after his return from surgery played 43 of 60 and did it at a pretty high level, not that dissimilar to his previous years. Now he got hurt again in the playoffs, potentially with the same issue, that makes him hard to move now, because teams worry that he's going to cliff or be a 40 game a year guy, but if he puts up a relatively healthy good season it likely changes how at least some teams think about him.
You are still looking at this through the prism of injuries and healing, like a hamstring strain or a broken bone.

IT didn't get hurt before he fell off a cliff. He had a progressive degenerative hip condition he was playing through (successfully) until it reached a breaking point. He may think he had a specific injury that caused all of his decline, but he didn't. And his doctors know he didn't. He had impingement and worsening arthritis for years, then it got worse and worse until he couldn't play anymore

Kemba didn't get injured this year. He played on an arthritic knee (sometimes successfully) and then had another exacerbation of his arthritis. These things wax and wane but have a general downward trajectory.

Kemba had meniscus surgery in 2016 and 2017 https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kemba-walker-undergoes-second-surgery-on-left-knee-in-less-than-10-days/. When your meniscus tears and you need surgery, you lose meniscus, you lose shock absorption, and your cartilage wears down more quickly. Kemba has been progressively getting worse since then, as expected. These aren't "injuries" like the other guys you are trying to compare him to.

There is no great way to predict how quickly the progression will be (hence people like Kemba and others still get big money contracts when they are playing well and not missing games), but when you see someone for multiple years in a row unable to continually play at a high level for long spurts (or play at all sometimes), thats a big red flag with arthritis.

His numbers suggest he is still good when he plays (this years playoffs aside), and I hope that continues. But most teams view degenerative conditions very differently for good reason. They know how these things often go, especially for older shorter players that rely on quickness. Unless Kemba has a miraculous turnaround in 2021-2022, teams are going to be very hesitant to give him a long term deal at medium or big money.
 
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SteveF

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I don't think Kemba would get a multi-year deal if he were a free agent right now. He'd have to have a near miraculous year next season (healthy the whole way, including a good playoff run) to even contemplate not picking up the player option.
 

radsoxfan

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I don't think Kemba would get a multi-year deal if he were a free agent right now. He'd have to have a near miraculous year next season (healthy the whole way, including a good playoff run) to even contemplate not picking up the player option.
Agreed. The reason he will be so hard to trade is that 2/76 is so far and away more than he would get on the market right now. Would be lucky to get half that.

Since we are partially flying blind without his MRI, I put a lot of weight into how long it has been since someone played a full healthy and productive season. That's why I was cautiously optimistic about Kemba heading into this season, it hadn't been that long since a healthy good season, and people do sometimes stabilize for years with some degree of arthritis. But another up and down year even with load management followed by sitting out the playoffs..... that's no bueno.

We can all hope next year Kemba has fantastic healthy 2021-2022, but if we're being honest that's a very optimistic scenario.
 

radsoxfan

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And degenerative doesn't matter in itself, I mean plenty of guys around the league and through their careers had degenerative issues, Kawhi has a degenerative knee issue too (tendinopathy), he'd get a max anywhere in the league tomorrow. The question is how his injury progresses or doesn't.
I missed this earlier, but no, it's not in any way remotely in the same ballpark. Degenerative arthritis is a different thing entirely.

Kemba has had multiple surgeries, injections, rehab, etc. He has very little cartilage left in his knee and it's only getting worse.

Tendinopathy is degenerative in the sense that it is the result of overuse and degeneration. It can be managed and can improve.

Degenerative arthritis is a one way ticket to a total knee replacement. The pain may wax and wane, but that cartilage isn't coming back.
 
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nighthob

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Would Minnesota be looking to get rid of Malik Beasley, who had some legal issues? Beasley (3/$46m) and Rubio ($17m expiring) for Kemba, a young (non-TL) player, and the 16th pick?
Is Minnesota tossing in their top 3 pick to compensate Boston for stretch & releasing Beasley?
 

Cellar-Door

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Why do we think MIN cares about Beasley's legal issues? He's serving his time right now in part because his plea deal was to let him play the season. He served a 12 game suspension and went right back into the lineup.
 

benhogan

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I mean sure... and if Kemba were a FA tomorrow what deal does he get? My point was that people wildly underestimate the deals guys get in FA., even if they are old, or injury prone, or overrated defenders with no offense.
I mean, look at the Hayward thread, where a year out everyone said... he's obviously not opting out. Then by FA people were talking about 3/60 as what they thought... he got 4/120, and allegedly had at least 3 teams willing to go 4 years and 100M+. Everyone wildly underestimates salaries, and the amount of risk teams are willing to take in pursuit of potential #1 or #2 scorers. If Kemba shows he can stay healthy and score he'll be attractive to teams at a mild discount.
I honestly think the most likely thing is he opts in, but I think not taking the possibility into consideration when looking at the future is a mistake.
what player/players would you expect in exchange for Kemba?
 

Cellar-Door

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what player/players would you expect in exchange for Kemba?
On his current deal... not many straight up. Horford likely, maybe Porzingis, Love, Hield and Wall, maybe Wiggins all come to mind as possibilities just in terms of similar underwater contracts. I don't think the Celtics can reasonably make a trade they would want to make.

I don't think Kemba has trade value. I think he has the potential to have some FA value for himself after next season from a team that is desperate for scoring, if he plays and plays pretty well next year, and that he may see more up front guarantee as worth it given his knee issue.
 

luckiestman

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On his current deal... not many straight up. Horford likely, maybe Porzingis, Love, Hield and Wall, maybe Wiggins all come to mind as possibilities just in terms of similar underwater contracts. I don't think the Celtics can reasonably make a trade they would want to make.

I don't think Kemba has trade value. I think he has the potential to have some FA value for himself after next season from a team that is desperate for scoring, if he plays and plays pretty well next year, and that he may see more up front guarantee as worth it given his knee issue.
Could we get Hield for Kemba? That sounds too good to be true
 

Cellar-Door

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Could we get Hield for Kemba? That sounds too good to be true
Probably not... his contract is bad, but I just checked and it's actually a declining structure, so we'd probably have to add value. Though I wouldn't want that deal anyway. I'd rather have an oft injured guy with a 2 year deal than Hield who isn't that good on a 3 year deal.
 

pjheff

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2003
1,296
On his current deal... not many straight up. Horford likely, maybe Porzingis, Love, Hield and Wall, maybe Wiggins all come to mind as possibilities just in terms of similar underwater contracts.
Would you consider going bigger by trading Walker for Love (in the hopes that he’d be more engaged in a better environment) and playing some combination of Smart, Pritchard, and Langford as your nominal PG (but your wings likely tasked with initiating the offense)? How about Wiggins?
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
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Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Would you consider going bigger by trading Walker for Love (in the hopes that he’d be more engaged in a better environment) and playing some combination of Smart, Pritchard, and Langford as your nominal PG (but your wings likely tasked with initiating the offense)? How about Wiggins?
I hope there is a way to involve Darius Garland in a deal to take Love off their books while sending them a load of youngs/assets. I’ve said this before but it is soooooo hard to acquire a PG from a team who has two quality ones as in today’s game you can simply play them together. That would be sweet though.
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
7,758
Is Minnesota tossing in their top 3 pick to compensate Boston for stretch & releasing Beasley?
If Boston is dumping a toxic contract, they have to accept a problem back in return, unless they are willing to part with a first round pick or two.

I’d rather have a bad 3/$15m per contract on the books than a bad 2/$35m per. If Minny was willing to do Beasley and Rubio for Kemba, the Celtics should jump at it.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
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Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Is Minnesota tossing in their top 3 pick to compensate Boston for stretch & releasing Beasley?
If the C's traded for him, I really doubt they would release him. I think it would show they didn't care about his legal troubles, which is the only reason he'd ever be available for Kemba anyway. From a "personal character" perspective, the upgrade from Beasley to Kemba would be huge for Minnesota though.

I think Beasley is a much better fit basketball wise for the C's too. Let TL/JT/JB/EF/MS start and Beasley come off the bench as the 6th man to provide spacing.

Someone else mentioned Rubio though. The Wolves already have Russell and Rubio, so why would they bother with Kemba? I'm sure they could dump Beasley without taking on an albatross.

Seriously, what is the point from the Wolves perspective to trade Beasley and Rubio for Kemba? To add $5-6 million to the payroll and make the team worse?
 

sezwho

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Jul 20, 2005
1,951
Isle of Plum
Probably not... his contract is bad, but I just checked and it's actually a declining structure, so we'd probably have to add value. Though I wouldn't want that deal anyway. I'd rather have an oft injured guy with a 2 year deal than Hield who isn't that good on a 3 year deal.
i’m fine adding value, though perhaps not for Hield, to shift the risk exposure. The real danger to me is in having the limited, degenerating and only occasionally available player in your lineup be the ball dominant primary handler, who even in the best of circumstances is hunted as a defensive liability already.