The C's have the roster spots, not much in the way of draft picks (which steal minutes from vets), so a vet may want to ring chase here.
yeah if they get Smith I think it's because he says "okay, either Al gets traded and I get big minutes, OR... Al stays, but he's old so I get minutes backing him up and I'm in line to replace him on a contenderwith most of their core both young and locked up
What's the most another team (aka not the Pacers) can offer Smith? It can't be the max?
yeah anyone but the Pacers can give him whatever they want. On the other hand, he only has 16 games of good play on his resume and PHO had to staple a 2nd to him for Torrey Craig, so it's tough to judge. I'd guess his options will be:
I don’t think Portis is the type to get paid. He’s partially insane and not the type a team would commit big years or dollars toward.
It's possible, although the Celtics would need to ship out Horford plus other salaries to avoid going over the tax apron. So it is an open question if the Celtics would risk dumping Horford and picks to get a possibly broken down Beal who can't defend and whose 3 point shooting has dropped precipitously over the past couple of seasons. Does that really improve the Celtics chances?
I think people are just souring on the idea because he's going to make a lot of money and may not be exactly what this team needs. If they are going to target a sign and trade I'd much rather go after Zach Lavine than Beal. Also, there's the rumor below.
Is it possible that it's the Sixers you're thinking of? The rumor is that he wants to play with Embiid and Harden.
It's possible. I think it's fallen off in part because it was based on the team needing "SOMETHING" and he and Tatum being friends made it feel like that would keep Tatum happy.
Maybe? Everybody important is set to return anyway. Depends who they had to give up in the sign and trade.
would you do Brown+ for Zach LaVine?
No I wouldn't. But I didn't think it would take that much. It's a sign-and-trade which means LaVine has the leverage since he's a free agent and can walk away and the Bulls get nothing. Maybe I'm wrong though.
We don't yet know what the tax apron will be, correct? The Celtics have about $153 million committed to 13 players for next year, which is right around where I thought the hard cap would be.
Celtics could do it by sending Horford + salary out, either as part of the S&T or in other transactions. If Philly can do it for Beal, the Celtics can certainly do it for LaVine. Teams don't have a lot of leverage to demand much in a S&T.
Beal has a player option which makes a trade easier to complete. LaVine does not.
At this point Tatum is so good that they just need 3&D guys. But people are still obsessed with having a new Big 3.
The inference is that the 3rd “star” is really a 3rd offensive option to create their own offense and not a 3rd best player. If Tatum and Jaylen can co-exist long term we wouldn’t need that guy except in a second unit role (like a Clarkson, Herro, prime Lou Will, etc).
If he can remain healthy, he very well might be. He's very arguably DPOY this year. He won't win (partly because several Celtics are playing amazing defense), but maybe he should.
Rob Williams has certainly gone up a level this year for sure. I do think he would need to have a significant improvement on the offensive end to get into "star" category, though. If he could get into the 14-15 points a game level, people would start thinking about him in the Near All-Star or "All Star Caliber" type of conversation.
He's already pretty close to "Gobert, but able to switch onto the perimeter, more dynamic as a roller, and a much, much better passer."
If someone like LaVine comes in, without Brown leaving, do you get a "there's only one ball" problem?
Not as crazy as it sounds, but I think the odds are incredibly low. Also, for it to work, he would have to really be committed to working within the system. Which he could surely do but is very unlikely to want to do.
Tatum is immediately removed as top dog, how does it affect his confidence? More importantly, does it sabotage his relationship with the front office?
This is not at all a crazy concern, but would 100% depend on LeBron's attitude. Does LeBron want to fill a role in Ime's system or keeping do what he has done for nearly two decades? Probably the latter, and that is why you are probably right not to want to see this. But if LeBron wanted it to work, it could.
LeBron doesn’t play defense pretty regularly. Like, stays in the offensive zone for entire possessions. It is fundamentally incompatible with how this team functions. He also brings back the culture of coasting in the regular season.
Because?
It’s pretty lazy and/or crazy to think that LeBron would be motivated on a lottery team now compared to playing in a winning culture for Boston. It’s the ole “he’s toast” deception when a player is in a losing/dysfunctional situation.
Cleveland. He would get the adulation he seeks, and this Cleveland squad + Lebron would be a title favorite, albeit not an overwhelming one.
Yea the Cavs and even Philly would be in play if he demands a trade... BUT expect the Lakers to get AD healthy, move RWB and then go searching for defense-first role players instead of the aged offense only ex-stars
If Tatum is going to pout because he has to defer to Lebron at times, then I think we all should question his confidence.
Yeah there's no reason to believe that anyone on this team would have a problem with having Lebron around for a year or two.
