The Not Soon Enough 2023 NBA Free Agency Thread!

HomeRunBaker

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…..because it’s lunchtime and Sabonis is being mentioned in same sentence as Damar Hamlin.

Discuss contracts, destinations, UFA, RFA, MLE, agent roles, etc


He's 25 with a good NBA body (athletic 6'8" with a 7'2" wingspan). He'll get paid. That doesn't mean that he's good now. He'll be getting paid for ceiling.

To be fair, yeah maybe playing in that shithole org did nothing for his development. He wouldn't be the first guy to improve in a better situation. But his resume to date is dreadful.
Wanted to take Hachimura’s contract out of the playoff thread anyway.

Thinking of comps I keep coming back to Olynyk’s last year in Boston. Ideal 2nd unit stretch 4/5, both still young, both physically developed who aren’t ball dominant so they can easily fit into schemes. Obv they have some different skillsets but this is where I have his value. 3/$30m MLE as a RFA is his floor whereas Olynyk was above MLE but as a UFA. His R-status hurts but like you say he’s going to get paid decently and maybe more than decently. My values support it.

Disagree pretty strongly on the dreadful part which is why I asked what you feel values are….but then you admit he’s going to be paid. Anyway, he didn’t have the best developmental environment in DC and had ton of injuries so there is greater upside than Olynyk. The league is also wing dominant right now and a versatile two-way wing is tremendously valuable when there is good size on top of that as we’ve seen since he’s been in LA (well, some have seen anyway). For these reasons I’d say his ceiling is much higher than his “dreadful” analytics show but if there is no context added I can see why people wouldn’t like this player….there is context to this stuff though that clearly isn’t being captured.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Here's a list of them:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/

What are our guesses on Grant's market? I was in the "he should have taken the extension" camp pre-season and absent a great playoffs think that will remain true. He is, though, a guy who a near-contender with space might think is a great fit---team player, defends, and shoots the three, proven in playoffs. So there's a risk someone pays him...
 

Jimbodandy

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…..because it’s lunchtime and Sabonis is being mentioned in same sentence as Damar Hamlin.

Discuss contracts, destinations, UFA, RFA, MLE, agent roles, etc



Wanted to take Hachimura’s contract out of the playoff thread anyway.

Thinking of comps I keep coming back to Olynyk’s last year in Boston. Ideal 2nd unit stretch 4/5, both still young, both physically developed who aren’t ball dominant so they can easily fit into schemes. Obv they have some different skillsets but this is where I have his value. 3/$30m MLE as a RFA is his floor whereas Olynyk was above MLE but as a UFA. His R-status hurts but like you say he’s going to get paid decently and maybe more than decently. My values support it.

Disagree pretty strongly on the dreadful part which is why I asked what you feel values are….but then you admit he’s going to be paid. Anyway, he didn’t have the best developmental environment in DC and had ton of injuries so there is greater upside than Olynyk. The league is also wing dominant right now and a versatile two-way wing is tremendously valuable when there is good size on top of that as we’ve seen since he’s been in LA (well, some have seen anyway). For these reasons I’d say his ceiling is much higher than his “dreadful” analytics show but if there is no context added I can see why people wouldn’t like this player….there is context to this stuff though that clearly isn’t being captured.
I agree that he's a wing and has a great body. There's a lot of ceiling there and folks would bet on that, regardless of where we might disagree on what he has produced to date. On these things, there is wide agreement.

I'm not sure if you believe in anything besides the eyeball test. Because if so, I'm not sure what is telling you that Hachimura has been anything resembling a decent NBA player. Per BBRef, his closed current comps are Othella Harrington, J.R. Reid, Thon Maker, David Benoit, Lavoy Allen (who?), Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Restani, Eric Paschall, Taurean Prince, Wally Walker (also who?). By DARKO, LEBRON, and BPM, he's awful at both ends.

Of course, what he has done and what he might do in the future are two completely different things. And in a league where Wings are King, betting on a long, athletic wing is never a bad idea.
 

TripleOT

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Here's a list of them:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/

What are our guesses on Grant's market? I was in the "he should have taken the extension" camp pre-season and absent a great playoffs think that will remain true. He is, though, a guy who a near-contender with space might think is a great fit---team player, defends, and shoots the three, proven in playoffs. So there's a risk someone pays him...
The Nets could use Grant. The Kings, too, although they might prefer to retain Barnes. a lot will depend on if he has to defend stars like Giannis and Jokic in these playoffs, and does it well.
 

Jimbodandy

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Here's a list of them:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/

What are our guesses on Grant's market? I was in the "he should have taken the extension" camp pre-season and absent a great playoffs think that will remain true. He is, though, a guy who a near-contender with space might think is a great fit---team player, defends, and shoots the three, proven in playoffs. So there's a risk someone pays him...
I'm afraid that we may see some Evan Turner contracts handed out with the cap expanding and some of the "oh noes China is mad at us" water under the bridge. Grant might get an offer, but I'd be surprised if it's one that we can't match per ownership. But...I'm not sure how much Brad wants to match. Given the current window, I'd still be shocked if Brad walks away. But it's not out of the question.

My guess: Grant returns for 4/60.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I agree that he's a wing and has a great body. There's a lot of ceiling there and folks would bet on that, regardless of where we might disagree on what he has produced to date. On these things, there is wide agreement.

I'm not sure if you believe in anything besides the eyeball test. Because if so, I'm not sure what is telling you that Hachimura has been anything resembling a decent NBA player. Per BBRef, his closed current comps are Othella Harrington, J.R. Reid, Thon Maker, David Benoit, Lavoy Allen (who?), Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Restani, Eric Paschall, Taurean Prince, Wally Walker (also who?). By DARKO, LEBRON, and BPM, he's awful at both ends.

Of course, what he has done and what he might do in the future are two completely different things. And in a league where Wings are King, betting on a long, athletic wing is never a bad idea.
I don’t rely heavily on analytics when evaluating but do not discount them entirely. This is not baseball where teammates play no role in their data, in the NBA the teammates/system/stylistics play an enormous role. A player can “stink” and still provide great value to the right team….just as a player may be “good” and provide little value to the wrong team which analytics along does not capture.

I know my mothods work as I’ve been making a living from it and I know of models that require a lot less input that also work. It’s not a right or wrong but different approaches that should utilize both analytics and watch/tape study.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Here's a list of them:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/

What are our guesses on Grant's market? I was in the "he should have taken the extension" camp pre-season and absent a great playoffs think that will remain true. He is, though, a guy who a near-contender with space might think is a great fit---team player, defends, and shoots the three, proven in playoffs. So there's a risk someone pays him...
Grant is not your typical FA and this Hawks series is a prime example. In the “new” NBA he doesn’t project to age very well between his body type and any loss of foot speed rendering him fairly worthless. As we know, he is extremely valuable on a contender where his skillset is vital to a team. His role in a rotation is similar to Hachimura as a rotational pure-4 who is switchable on bigs. Grant obv needed a big year which he hasn’t had and this may be what keeps him in Boston this summer as his value would have appeared to drop. I will be interested to see both of these players deals, rumors, as Grant “should” get bigger but not sure by how much.
 

ManicCompression

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A player can “stink” and still provide great value to the right team….just as a player may be “good” and provide little value to the wrong team which analytics along does not capture.
But what team needs a bad defensive wing who can't really shoot from distance (either as a percentage or volume)? He's the ultimate empty calorie player who puts up stats and, notwithstanding one good playoff game, doesn't really mesh with other offensive talent in the modern NBA. He also doesn't have a great track record of health.

He has physical projection but hasn't shown flashes he'll do anything with it anytime soon.
 

HomeRunBaker

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But what team needs a bad defensive wing who can't really shoot from distance (either as a percentage or volume)? He's the ultimate empty calorie player who puts up stats and, notwithstanding one good playoff game, doesn't really mesh with other offensive talent in the modern NBA. He also doesn't have a great track record of health.

He has physical projection but hasn't shown flashes he'll do anything with it anytime soon.
Nobody needs that. I don’t rate him a bad defensive wing or someone who can’t shoot though so this is where we differ. What you do feel his market will be this summer?
 

benhogan

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I agree that he's a wing and has a great body. There's a lot of ceiling there and folks would bet on that, regardless of where we might disagree on what he has produced to date. On these things, there is wide agreement.

I'm not sure if you believe in anything besides the eyeball test. Because if so, I'm not sure what is telling you that Hachimura has been anything resembling a decent NBA player. Per BBRef, his closed current comps are Othella Harrington, J.R. Reid, Thon Maker, David Benoit, Lavoy Allen (who?), Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Restani, Eric Paschall, Taurean Prince, Wally Walker (also who?). By DARKO, LEBRON, and BPM, he's awful at both ends.

Of course, what he has done and what he might do in the future are two completely different things. And in a league where Wings are King, betting on a long, athletic wing is never a bad idea.
The Lakers would be better off paying Hillbilly Kobe* whatever money Rui thinks is coming his way and go with Vanderbilt in Rui's spot.

But who knows what Pelinka will do? They had no problem paying/dreaming on THT and drawing the line on a productive Bald Mamba*

*admittedly I'm guilty of posting those nicknames just to make myself laugh
 

Jimbodandy

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I don’t rely heavily on analytics when evaluating but do not discount them entirely. This is not baseball where teammates play no role in their data, in the NBA the teammates/system/stylistics play an enormous role. A player can “stink” and still provide great value to the right team….just as a player may be “good” and provide little value to the wrong team which analytics along does not capture.
On this, we completely agree. But all of the major analytics regress a guy's contribution for his teammates on the floor (and opponents for that matter). I remember when Lonzo and Ingram were in the bottom 5 of all NBA players in raw plus/minus, which was clearly a reflection of the ridiculously bad Lakers team that they were on. Hachimura is better even now than his raw numbers show. But even regressing for how bad his teammates were, he was bad. This season his contributions were dwarfed by such illustrious players as Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija, per LEBRON. Taj Gibson was his daddy too.

If we're talking about what Hachimura can be, it's much better than any of those guys. It might even be what he will be. But it's not what he has been in four years in the league, which is a bad player. I legit don't get what's so controversial about that. Sure, maybe his game isn't as plug and play yet, so Washington used him thoroughly wrongly. But in that context, he was worse than a jag. He was looking up at jags.

I know my mothods work as I’ve been making a living from it and I know of models that require a lot less input that also work. It’s not a right or wrong but different approaches that should utilize both analytics and watch/tape study.
If Hachimura goes on to have a solid to good career, you should absolutely take a victory lap. But there's a reason why Hachimura was available for second round picks and the corpse of Kendrick Nunn. Like anyone could have had him. And I highly doubt that reason is the high acumen of the guy who build a 7 seed with two top-15 players.
 

ManicCompression

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Nobody needs that. I don’t rate him a bad defensive wing or someone who can’t shoot though so this is where we differ. What you do feel his market will be this summer?
I think he'll probably get the Cody Martin or Caleb Martin contract of between 6-8 million a year for 3-4 years. I could also just see him signing the QO since he thinks he's more valuable than that.
 

HomeRunBaker

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On this, we completely agree. But all of the major analytics regress a guy's contribution for his teammates on the floor (and opponents for that matter). I remember when Lonzo and Ingram were in the bottom 5 of all NBA players in raw plus/minus, which was clearly a reflection of the ridiculously bad Lakers team that they were on. Hachimura is better even now than his raw numbers show. But even regressing for how bad his teammates were, he was bad. This season his contributions were dwarfed by such illustrious players as Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija, per LEBRON. Taj Gibson was his daddy too.

If we're talking about what Hachimura can be, it's much better than any of those guys. It might even be what he will be. But it's not what he has been in four years in the league, which is a bad player. I legit don't get what's so controversial about that. Sure, maybe his game isn't as plug and play yet, so Washington used him thoroughly wrongly. But in that context, he was worse than a jag. He was looking up at jags.



If Hachimura goes on to have a solid to good career, you should absolutely take a victory lap. But there's a reason why Hachimura was available for second round picks and the corpse of Kendrick Nunn. Like anyone could have had him. And I highly doubt that reason is the high acumen of the guy who build a 7 seed with two top-15 players.
That’s the weird thing in that I don’t rate him as anything special but have loved his fit on this Laker team from the second the trade was made. I think this exposure and what the Lakers have accomplished in the 2H have definitely increased his market around the league. Not to stupid levels but to where he’s a desirable rotation piece for a lot of teams as a versatile two-way wing with size.
 

bbc23

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That’s the weird thing in that I don’t rate him as anything special but have loved his fit on this Laker team from the second the trade was made. I think this exposure and what the Lakers have accomplished in the 2H have definitely increased his market around the league. Not to stupid levels but to where he’s a desirable rotation piece for a lot of teams as a versatile two-way wing with size.
But is that enough for a team to lock up at least 10mil in a restricted offer? I feel like I can count the amount of restricted contracts signed with other teams in the past 10 years on one hand with the amount that actually go through being a fraction of that. Teams aren't interested in sacrificing their cap room for two days for a miniscule chance they get the other team to blink while seeing all the other free agents go off the board in the same window.
 

the moops

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But is that enough for a team to lock up at least 10mil in a restricted offer? I feel like I can count the amount of restricted contracts signed with other teams in the past 10 years on one hand with the amount that actually go through being a fraction of that. Teams aren't interested in sacrificing their cap room for two days for a miniscule chance they get the other team to blink while seeing all the other free agents go off the board in the same window.
Here are the RFA from last year. Only restricted player of any significance that moved was Sexton and that was only because of needing his salary to make the money work in the Mitchell trade. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2022/rfa/

2021 we had Lonzo and Devonte Graham move
 

HomeRunBaker

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But is that enough for a team to lock up at least 10mil in a restricted offer? I feel like I can count the amount of restricted contracts signed with other teams in the past 10 years on one hand with the amount that actually go through being a fraction of that. Teams aren't interested in sacrificing their cap room for two days for a miniscule chance they get the other team to blink while seeing all the other free agents go off the board in the same window.
He wouldn’t be a first day signing anyway being in the MLE range so I wouldn’t factor the waiting period much in his case. Personally I think his fit in LA is ideal and Pelinka would be thrilled to get him for 3/$30m.
 

benhogan

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while we're talking about the off-season

what teams would chase Trae Young if he was moved?

I could see Orlando, OKC, LAC, & Brooklyn having interest
 

ManicCompression

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while we're talking about the off-season

what teams would chase Trae Young if he was moved?

I could see Orlando, OKC, LAC, & Brooklyn having interest
I don't see any of those teams being interested. All have stable front offices who prize length and versatility - they likely know that the Trae show is a road to nowhere.

I'm thinking Washington could throw their hat in the ring. Detroit. I think the right spot for him is a team with a desperate owner/front office.
 

lovegtm

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while we're talking about the off-season

what teams would chase Trae Young if he was moved?

I could see Orlando, OKC, LAC, & Brooklyn having interest
We haven't seen a clip yet of Snyder mouthing "can't play Trae", but we may as well have.

I don't think any of those teams would have interest, although maybe the Clippers could talk themselves into it working, given their wing defenders.

Someone probably bites for 2 1sts, I have no clue who it will be, but it only takes one.
 

Jimbodandy

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We haven't seen a clip yet of Snyder mouthing "can't play Trae", but we may as well have.

I don't think any of those teams would have interest, although maybe the Clippers could talk themselves into it working, given their wing defenders.

Someone probably bites for 2 1sts, I have no clue who it will be, but it only takes one.
I think that you're barking up the right tree with a team with a lot of wing defenders.

IMO there are two types of teams that would have interest:
1. Teams so loaded with length that they can cover for a guy who is a black hole on defense (e.g., Toronto but not them)
2. Teams desperate enough for butts in the seats that they don't much care whether the guy contributes to actual winning or not (e.g., Indiana, NOP maybe)
 

lovegtm

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I think that you're barking up the right tree with a team with a lot of wing defenders.

IMO there are two types of teams that would have interest:
1. Teams so loaded with length that they can cover for a guy who is a black hole on defense (e.g., Toronto but not them)
2. Teams desperate enough for butts in the seats that they don't much care whether the guy contributes to actual winning or not (e.g., Indiana, NOP maybe)
Indiana has Haliburton, and they're a fairly well-run organization, so 0% chance there. NOP? David Griffin is not a dumb GM, also almost no chance there.

You need to start looking at the Washington/Charlotte types imo. Mayyybbbee Detroit.
 

benhogan

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I don't see any of those teams being interested. All have stable front offices who prize length and versatility - they likely know that the Trae show is a road to nowhere.

I'm thinking Washington could throw their hat in the ring. Detroit. I think the right spot for him is a team with a desperate owner/front office.
The Celtics really expose players like Trae Young. I agree he is a road to nowhere, well put... But there probably is some team willing to add for 26pts/10 assists that thinks they can "fix" his defensive effort (surround him with strong WINGs)

Figuring out NBA player trade values has been very tricky recently. I honestly thought Gobert's MAX contract was underwater, until Danny took every last draft asset the Wolves owned.

If Quinn really has "player/team control" over the Hawks owners kid, then Trae has to be moved.

OKC may want to bring home their Prodigal Son. Orlando has a young, dynamic frontline. Ballmer will pay for any shiny new toy. Brooklyn is WINGz heavy that could use someone that penetrates the defense
 

Jimbodandy

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Indiana has Haliburton, and they're a fairly well-run organization, so 0% chance there. NOP? David Griffin is not a dumb GM, also almost no chance there.

You need to start looking at the Washington/Charlotte types imo. Mayyybbbee Detroit.
You're probably right. I'm just thinking that attendance is a real problem for some teams, and a guy like Trae can help with that. We're spoiled here, where the FO can build a team around "who helps us win games". I think that some GMs are getting questions about why there's 5K unsold seats every night, which can make them contemplate bad basketball decisions.
 

lovegtm

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The Celtics really expose players like Trae Young. I agree he is a road to nowhere, well put... But there probably is some team willing to add for 26pts/10 assists that thinks they can "fix" his defensive effort (surround him with strong WINGs)

Figuring out NBA player trade values has been very tricky recently. I honestly thought Gobert's MAX contract was underwater, until Danny took every last draft asset the Wolves owned.

If Quinn really has "player/team control" over the Hawks owners kid, then Trae has to be moved.

OKC may want to bring home their Prodigal Son. Orlando has a young, dynamic frontline. Ballmer will pay for any shiny new toy. Brooklyn is WINGz heavy that could use someone that penetrates the defense
0% chance on OKC. Presti is a good/competitive GM, and he already has Shai.
 

lovegtm

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You're probably right. I'm just thinking that attendance is a real problem for some teams, and a guy like Trae can help with that. We're spoiled here, where the FO can build a team around "who helps us win games". I think that some GMs are getting questions about why there's 5K unsold seats every night, which can make them contemplate bad basketball decisions.
Oh, no doubt. I'm just trying to identify which teams those actually are. Teams like OKC and Indy are getting thrown around, and they have long track records of not making those types of moves. Teams like Charlotte and Washington and pre-Mike Brown Sacramento, however......
 

ManicCompression

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OKC may want to bring home their Prodigal Son. Orlando has a young, dynamic frontline. Ballmer will pay for any shiny new toy. Brooklyn is WINGz heavy that could use someone that penetrates the defense
I feel like all four of those teams have Championship aspirations. Trading for Trae limits that upside because his flaws aren't compatible with playoff basketball. I see Trae more as a fit with a team that is okay running on a treadmill of mediocrity.

ORL is a wildcard, but they have that kind of upside in 5 years with the core they have. That said, if there's a team long enough to think they can absorb his shortcomings, it's them.

Trae's problem on defense is part effort, but he's also one of the shortest/weakest players in the NBA (as opposed to a player like VanVleet, who's short but strong as an ox). He's been in the league five years. This is him close to fully baked.
 
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the moops

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I wonder if the route to trade Trae is to include an asset or two and get back a disgruntled max player. So something like Trae + Okongwu + pick for KAT or something along those lines
 

Devizier

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Depending on how long they last in the playoffs, I could see something wild like the Warriors moving for Trae. Depends on the discount and how much Atlanta values far-off (post-Curry?) draft picks.
 

Smokey Joe

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Hmmm… Who has a habit of acquiring small high-scoring point guards with defensive deficiencies. Let me think… How about Utah?
 

ManicCompression

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Just heard this quote from J. Kyle Mann on Simmons' podcast - when Trae sits, the Hawks pass the ball 30 more times per 100 possessions and turn it over half as much. Seemed interesting for the conversation about the Hawks playing better without him.
 

benhogan

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We're probably hypersensitive to the difficulty of playing with tiny, floating defenders (IT // bad-knee Kemba).

ATL just needs to find some organization that will value All-Star appearances + points + assists + age + asses in seats.

Maybe Spoelstra could zone out the impact of Trae's D. You really don't want Ice Trae being one of your MAX players.
Lowry/Martin + a couple of picks
 

ManicCompression

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Maybe Spoelstra could zone out the impact of Trae's D. You really don't want Ice Trae being one of your MAX players.
Lowry/Martin + a couple of picks
I just can't imagine a team that focuses as much on culture and conditioning as Miami wanting to bring Trae in. Plus, they already have a version of him in Herro. Herro and Lowry for Trae and Collins, with picks added to make it work?
 

Cellar-Door

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i think really the only type of team that will chase Trae is someone who is looking for their Lillard or Beal... a guy who will get fans excited, help you not be awful in the regular season but who you're probably never really winning anything with him as your guy.
Washington? Orlando? Detroit? Problem is most teams actually do want to win.
 

Kliq

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i think really the only type of team that will chase Trae is someone who is looking for their Lillard or Beal... a guy who will get fans excited, help you not be awful in the regular season but who you're probably never really winning anything with him as your guy.
Washington? Orlando? Detroit? Problem is most teams actually do want to win.
I think a lot of people think that is why he stays in Atlanta; he is a marketable star and he is "their" guy since they drafted him.
 

Cellar-Door

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I think a lot of people think that is why he stays in Atlanta; he is a marketable star and he is "their" guy since they drafted him.
yep, also you get to delay the "can you believe they could have had Luka and instead they came out of it with a late 1st and Jordan Clarkson" or whatever stories
 

lovegtm

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I think a lot of people think that is why he stays in Atlanta; he is a marketable star and he is "their" guy since they drafted him.
I think all that went out the window when they gave Quin the reins. Snyder clearly thinks Trae is garbage, and he didn't draft him, so the sunk cost isn't his.
 

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I think the Clippers are the perfect Trae team. Not sure they have enough to offer to get him (Mann would probably be the most valuable player and multiple 1sts)
 

TripleOT

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I think the Clippers are the perfect Trae team. Not sure they have enough to offer to get him (Mann would probably be the most valuable player and multiple 1sts)
I can see it too. If they want to keep PG and Kawhi together, they don’t have the assets.

Detroit would be a good landing spot. Duren will eventually be a good rim protector, and they have young athletic wing types.

How about Dallas, with a S and T with Kyrie? Trae and Luka could not play defense together.
 

the moops

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I think the Clippers are the perfect Trae team. Not sure they have enough to offer to get him (Mann would probably be the most valuable player and multiple 1sts)
Clippers can only trade their 2028 first at this point. Every pick up to 2026 is already going out the door.
 

Jimbodandy

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And 2 guys who need the ball in their hands way more than Luka and Kyrie.
I think that the problem is more the defense though. Kyrie is kind of on the Harden redemption track defensively, where his steals and reads have turned him into a mediocre defender despite his less than ideal NBA body for defense. But next to the abysmal Doncic, he's a problem. Now imagine a guy with a worse NBA defensive body who doesn't play defense whatsoever. You could have peak Bill Russell back there, and it would still be layup lines.
 

benhogan

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The Lakers would be better off paying Hillbilly Kobe* whatever money Rui thinks is coming his way and go with Vanderbilt in Rui's spot.

But who knows what Pelinka will do? They had no problem paying/dreaming on THT and drawing the line on a productive Bald Mamba
@HomeRunBaker early victory lap?

Rui is turning this series into a payday. He's making Pelinka whip out that checkbook

or is this a good match-up for Rui with no Adams/Clarke?
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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@HomeRunBaker early victory lap?

Rui is turning this series into a payday. He's making Pelinka whip out that checkbook

or is this a good match-up for Rui with no Adams/Clarke?
No victory lap. I just believe in and trust my player ratings. Remember how people came after me when I loved the Steven Adams move for Memphis? He was so bad they said….I think we see now how much of an impact he had on a game with his screening ability along not to mention work on the glass.

Anyway, Rui is so last week….we are on to Russ being the devil of all things good.:D
 
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the moops

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Jan 19, 2016
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No victory lap. I just believe in and trust my player ratings.
The dude played 33 games for the Lakers in the regular season and put up 9 points a game while shooting under 30% from three. Any team that signs him better expect him to be a solid rotation guys and not a 30 + minute a game starter
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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The dude played 33 games for the Lakers in the regular season and put up 9 points a game while shooting under 30% from three. Any team that signs him better expect him to be a solid rotation guys and not a 30 + minute a game starter
Ah as @benhogan likes to say…..POINTZ!!!

Solid rotation guy and 30mpg are not mutually exclusive.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
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Nov 2, 2007
20,112
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From an entertainment standpoint (and that's what sports is to me) I am not sure I want Luka over Trae at this point.
You definitely want Luka since it just takes one Summer of working out to make him a decent enough defender.

Unless Trae goes through a pre-pubescence growth spurt he's always going to be a liability on D.

Ah as @benhogan likes to say…..POINTZ!!!

Solid rotation guy and 30mpg are not mutually exclusive.
I still like Reaves (or DLo) as the 3rd scorer on that team.

RUI will come back to earth when someone other than Santi Aldama is guarding him;)
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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I still like Reaves (or DLo) as the 3rd scorer on that team.

RUI will come back to earth when someone other than Santi Aldama is guarding him;)
I’m a huge Reaves guy so definitely. No doubt Rui will but citing “pointZ” when he’s not really a scorer is missing everything he brings to this team with his size and switchability a problem for many teams.