NBA 20/21 season thread
- Thread starter DJnVa
- Start date
This is cruel, moving the team out of the Oracle Arena in Oakland (and leaving behind $40+M of unpaid bills) to trendier/richer San Francisco, then coming out with these jerseys as some kind of weird peace offering.
Holy Spinfont.:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67727685/curry_2.0.jpeg)
I hated that era’s unis, but somehow Steph makes everything look cool...
View: https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1324563203330842624
2 game season starting Nov 18.
109 for the cap
2 game season starting Nov 18.
109 for the cap
Bleacher Report recently did a story of "3-team NBA trades where everybody wins" and one of them has PHX landing Chris Paul in a trade with OKC and BOS.
In the proposed trade,
PHX would receive Chris Paul, Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier and BOS' 2020 first-round pick (#26).
OKC would get Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., the Suns' 2021 lottery-protected first-round pick and BOS' 2020 first-round pick (#30).
BOS would land Hamidou Diallo and OKC's 2023 first-round pick.
BOS gets rid of unwanted contracts and fringe draft picks and gets a fringe player and a future pick.
Without BOS involved, the trade becomes Chris Paul for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Jr (money works) and PHX's 2021 lottery-protected pick.
My guess is OKC would rather do the deal without BOS.
In the proposed trade,
PHX would receive Chris Paul, Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier and BOS' 2020 first-round pick (#26).
OKC would get Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., the Suns' 2021 lottery-protected first-round pick and BOS' 2020 first-round pick (#30).
BOS would land Hamidou Diallo and OKC's 2023 first-round pick.
BOS gets rid of unwanted contracts and fringe draft picks and gets a fringe player and a future pick.
Without BOS involved, the trade becomes Chris Paul for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Jr (money works) and PHX's 2021 lottery-protected pick.
My guess is OKC would rather do the deal without BOS.
Can one of the salary cap experts explain how this helps the Celtics aside from lower bill? They still have no space right?
Not an expert, but you are correct that the Celtics will not have cap space and probably will not for the foreseeable future. However, a lower tax bill matters for a couple of reasons. First, probably reduces, albeit not dramatically, the cost to move some of the Celtics negative value contracts. Second, increases the likelihood that ownership will let Ainge use the MLE. Finally, related to #1, reduces at least marginally how many and how much other teams that will be looking to dump contracts.
No cap space, but they can spend more over the tax than what was expected. It's basically operating over the tax with a 30% discount coupon.
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1326583020036427777
Indoor sports with crowds seems incredibly dangerous.
Indoor sports with crowds seems incredibly dangerous.
Starting to see “Harden wants out” rumors....and certainly Houston should do better dealing him sooner rather than later.
Harden for Simmons was entitled somewhere...some logic and connections there.
Could you imagine Denver playing?
Harden for Simmons was entitled somewhere...some logic and connections there.
Could you imagine Denver playing?
Combined with the Westbrook to New York rumors it looks like the blow-up's coming. That deal would have to be post-draft, but I'm sure that the Knicks would rather send out #8 than a pick in one of the double drafts (really, NBA, given that it's already illegal to trade guys that don't have a contract extending into the next fiscal year, isn't it time to just make the draft happen the second calendar day of the new year to facilitate trades?). But something like New York picking for Houston at #8 and trading that guy for Westbrook two days later seems easily doable
With Harden their best bet is if the Warriors want to re-do the Durant years and work a deal around Wiggins/#2/Minnesota#1 for Harden. That gives the Rockets a fighting chance at keeping their '21 first and being able to rebuild around a supporting cast draft this year and a pair of lottery picks next year. Philly for Simmons also seems a logical swap. Assuming #8 was someone like Vassell they could cobble together a bunch of shooters around Simmons and make a serious run at the playoffs.
There really isn't much of a role for Boston in that deal. One three way that seems more realistic is Boston/Indiana/Dallas given the rumors of Indiana trying to acquire Hayward and Dallas wanting to add Oladipo. Something along the lines of Oladipo to Dallas, Hayward to Indiana, and Tim Hardaway Jr., Doug McDermott, #18/#31 to Boston. #14/#18 probably gives Danny the ammunition to move up and draft whatever guy he really likes while reducing the payroll slightly and giving him a path to creating a useful TPE.
View: https://twitter.com/mattbabcock11/status/1326616444189077504?s=21
“There is a growing sense among NBA circles that the San Antonio Spurs’ front office is currently up to something big behind the scenes.”
I’m trying to envision teams that could use Aldridge (24 mil) and Derozan (28 mil) but they’re both odd fits with the contenders. Both are expiring contracts. Gay had a surprisingly decent year last year, and with 14 mil left for next year, he could be an option for a team that strikes out on Galinari.
I wonder if they’re still wedded to playing Murray and White together.
“There is a growing sense among NBA circles that the San Antonio Spurs’ front office is currently up to something big behind the scenes.”
I’m trying to envision teams that could use Aldridge (24 mil) and Derozan (28 mil) but they’re both odd fits with the contenders. Both are expiring contracts. Gay had a surprisingly decent year last year, and with 14 mil left for next year, he could be an option for a team that strikes out on Galinari.
I wonder if they’re still wedded to playing Murray and White together.
Odds are that both Westbrook and Harden are playing elsewhere next year. The trades might be draft day ones that can't be completed until the league flips the calendar year. (Given that the NBA already requires that players traded have valid contracts for the next calendar year is there any reason to maintain the draft in the previous one? There'd be a lot more draft night trades if they just started the fiscal year two days before the draft.)
Westbrook to New York seems destiny at this point. Morey might want to take Harden with him to Philly, so a Harden for Simmons/filler swap would be unshocking.
Westbrook to New York seems destiny at this point. Morey might want to take Harden with him to Philly, so a Harden for Simmons/filler swap would be unshocking.
I don't know if there are any tweets, but those rumors have been swirling around since Morey left. Houston's problem is that they don't control their pick next year. If they win the lottery (top 4) they keep it, otherwise it goes to OKC.
Per Shams, Harden remains committed to the Rockets and is "locked in" for the season, whatever that means.
I don't see how you as a GM trade for Harden.....
On the one hand he's a perennial MVP candidate..
On the other.... you'll have to give up a ton for him, he's consistently seen major dropoff in the playoffs, and.... every star HOU tried to pair him with wanted out.... fast.
If you're PHI are you pairing him with Embiid who already gets sulky about touches when paired with a pass first G?
Or are you moving Embiid and pairing him with Simmons?
On the one hand he's a perennial MVP candidate..
On the other.... you'll have to give up a ton for him, he's consistently seen major dropoff in the playoffs, and.... every star HOU tried to pair him with wanted out.... fast.
If you're PHI are you pairing him with Embiid who already gets sulky about touches when paired with a pass first G?
Or are you moving Embiid and pairing him with Simmons?
Kemba and picks for Harden? I kid, I kid. Harden-Smart-Jaylen-Tatum-Rob Williams would be a pretty scary starting 5 though.
Knicks can offer Ellington, Gibson, Portis (non-guar option), DSJ, pick #26 and 2021 lotto-protected DAL 1st rounder. Salaries works in the simulator.
Westbrook, Barrett, #8 pick, Randle and Robinson doesn't look like a Thibs team, but it's a start, I guess.
Westbrook, Barrett, #8 pick, Randle and Robinson doesn't look like a Thibs team, but it's a start, I guess.
I think they would just take him into space. Non-guaranteed deals no longer count for salary matching purposes. Houston is not going to want to pay Portis 15M or Taj 9.5M or Ellington 8M.
If smart (and smart is not normally a word connected with the Knicks), they will try to leverage their position and have HOU take some of these contracts, thereby giving the Knicks more salary flexibility. That's worth giving HOU the 2021 pick. And, the Portis contract would have to be guaranteed as part of the deal.
Strong headline and from 7 months ago, but with the current ownership's lack of financial footing there is a LOT of chatter that the Rockets are going to shed a lot of salary if anything. I doubt NY can ditch contracts to Houston. Think of the Rockets as the Phoenix Suns 2.0, when they seemed to sell their draft picks for cash every season for awhile (and screwed up the Nash/Stoudamire/Marion/D'Antoni years in the process).
https://texastakes.com/2020/04/07/rockets-owner-tilman-fertitta-is-fucked/
Edit: this was the news article following completion of the loan - https://houston.eater.com/2020/4/30/21242730/tilman-fertitta-300-million-loan-kirans-dishes-at-heb
I'm sure people are knocking down Houston's door to trade for the 2nd worst contract in the league.
If you want a 5-man roster while trading off your other 7 players to the Rockets just to match Westbrook's salary.
Harden and Russ, they don't want to play together it feels like.
Can we construct something that sends Kemba to the Knicks and Russ to Boston and some combination of junk to Houston? I know Russ has a bad contract and won't fit great here but I fear that Kemba's knee is gone.
It's not a good contract, but it's far from the 2nd worst in the league.
Russell Westbrook is still a really good player who can give you excellent production..... he just can't shoot 3s and needs to have the ball.
Plenty of worse ways to spend money than the 32-34 year old seasons of a player who is going to give you at least 23/7/7 on decent (non-3) shooting. You have to find the right fit, but it's not a terrible contract. I'd certainly rather that deal than Horford or Tobias Harris for example.
I mean Westbrook turns the Knicks into a playoff team. I'd be shocked if he weren't playing in Madison Square Garden next year just so that the Knicks will play games that matter. Something along the lines of Randall/Portis/#8/Dallas #1 probably gets a deal done.
Portis doesn't need to be in this. NY can take Russ into cap space if they had to, can easily fit with Randle and #8 going out in this scenario, and Portis deal is completely non-guaranteed. He's getting waived.
I agree NY is the heavy favorite for Russ, Charlotte is the other team I've heard that makes sense since Michael Jordan is always a wild card.
I have a hard time judging Westbrooks value. I feel like his contract is still negative value. If he were a FA right now, would teams want to give him three years at the max? I can't imagine a team wanting to do that, and his current deal is actually above the max, with a player option for year 3.
I don't think I'd even give up as much as #8 for him, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Knicks would chasing a big name.
Not before the draft, though. And Houston might prefer to be in a position to wheel and deal on draft night. Although I agree, in a perfect world the trade happens after the calendar year changes (and I'll register this complaint for the two millionth time, there's no reason for the draft to be happening before the change of the fiscal year).
This doesn't really matter though. If the #8 were involved they just do the stupid thing where Isaac Okoro wears the Knick hat in his living room on zoom and gets officially traded to Houston a few days later. I think Houston would much prefer that than Okoro wearing the correct hat, but have to pay Bobby Portis almost 16M bucks.
Houston can still wheel and deal on draft night either way. Teams understand how it works, just make your deals and they become official whenever.
The timing of this stuff is way more of an annoyance to fans than it is on teams.
Well the timing does make deals harder to complete, I think starting the fiscal year a few days earlier makes it easier to make deals. After all in this scenario New York has to make the pick and Houston has to emergency plan as if they're keeping the player while hoping that the person on the other end doesn't change their mind. As there needs to be a contract for the following year anyway, they may as well just make it easier on everyone.
Have we ever heard of that happening though? I don't think we've ever heard a story on a team having agreed to a pending draft pick trade back out of it after the player has been picked.
Of course it would be easier, and better, if they could just make these trades official pre-draft. But again, I think Houston would gladly take the tiny risk of NY backing out on this theoretical trade than locking up the certainty and have to pay Bobby Portis a truckload of money.
This year in particular they should just let the deals be official pre-draft. The reasoning to make them wait in previous years is they haven't finished accounting, so the cap isn't set yet. Since the cap is artificially high and already set this year, just announce the deals NBA.
The new head coach of the OKC Thunder is Leominster native Mark Daigneault:
https://www.boston.com/sports/nba/2020/11/11/oklahoma-city-thunder-new-head-coach-mark-daigneault
https://www.boston.com/sports/nba/2020/11/11/oklahoma-city-thunder-new-head-coach-mark-daigneault
Westbrook is a HUGE net negative in any trade. He's not going to age well (injury issues in the past, very reliant on athleticism, somehow is becoming a worse outside shooter). He definitely not going to turn any terrible team into a playoff team by himself.
His advanced stats are leaking oil, he's going to be 32 next year, and it's only going to get worse. 3 more years at 41M, 44M, and 47M. OUCH.
Chris Paul was better than Westbrook last year, looking back on that trade has to make Rocket fans sick.
His advanced stats are leaking oil, he's going to be 32 next year, and it's only going to get worse. 3 more years at 41M, 44M, and 47M. OUCH.
Chris Paul was better than Westbrook last year, looking back on that trade has to make Rocket fans sick.