You sure he can't be moved? I heard talking heads like SAS talking about moving LeBron yesterday.
We could theoretically continue the tank with Ben on board ( sit him out citing mental issues / while developing him behind the scenes ) trade McDermott , poodle, j rich , and salary fillers ( players like joe Harris ) between Brooklyn / LA / draft compensation.
Theoretically Lebron could be moved on February 16th...I believe that's after the trade deadline..
That is what I've read as well. He can't be traded for 6 months after his extension.
The 6 months happens to end after the trade deadline, so that means he can't be traded this season.
LeBron and the Lakers really screwed themselves by doing it this way.
I don't believe they can chip this year, even if they get most of the role players they covet in a Westbrook+picks trade.
They also can't tank because they don't own their own picks for a while.
LOL @ Lakers, f those guys
Premature infatuation thread
This thread is too fun to let fall to the second page.
Fun thought experiment:
1. Assume we are good enough to be around 4-7th in the west with this current team.
2. Assume you can either keep all our draft assets as they are now, or make 1 big move.
3. Assume ANY player in the league is obtainable at a market price
4. But also assume you have to give up a realistic haul to get that one player
What do you do?
Right now, I'd say I'd offer the entire ATL haul + CHI pick + CHA pick + one of our own picks for Ja.
Thats not market for Ja...we don't even have the assets to get him...all future picks wouldn't do it..
Fair enough! Of course, there is no realistic market for these guys… since they don’t get traded unless they force their way out and their price plummets.
I think the team could really use a backup veteran PF right behind Sochan. KBD and Roby make me too nervous when they’re on the floor. So many dumb mistakes like traveling or stepping out of bounds.
There's not much that will come on the market that would be realistic that we should want....of all the unrealistic guys out there I'd say KD if he'd want to play for Pop just to get out of Brooklyn...but I wouldn't give some motherload offer...it'd have to be him wanting to come here giving us enough leverage to keep it reasonable....like I said ...unrealistic...
Just to throw something at the wall, something along the lines of McDermott + Richardson + Langford for Kyle Lowry + Duncan Robinson, with the salary difference of about $14M absorbed into the Spurs cap space. The Spurs might even be able to pull a pick of some sort because Robinson's contract is that bad; the Heat would save a ton of money on next year's cap and a good amount the following two seasons.
What if the Nets keep struggling and KD happens to hit the market again and Marks demands Vassell & ton of picks for KD?
Edit: Thinking more... he'd prolly want at least one more prospect, if not two. May be Bran? Or would be need to include more?
Why would we want to do that?
It's Fox. I know he's not perfect, but he's getable and fills a need. Last week I was thinking Primo would be a decent prospect and might be burned in a win-now trade later down the line. Now he's just dead money. That's an asset off the table, which means a more important asset would have to be put in. I wouldn't make any move with the ATL first or an unprotected Spurs pick. The Chicago pick would be meh. The Charlotte pick, a moderately protected Spurs pick ala what Detroit, Charlotte and Sacramento gave up, seconds and cap space would be my offer. Anyone too good for that (outside unobtainable superstars) would just have to go to a different team. If Sexton weren't on the Jazz, I would put him on the list too, but you aren't getting a decent trade from Ainge.
If the Spurs are a 4-7 seed, just enjoy it. That still feels a unrealistic, so it would be an incredible boon. Unless a bunch of teams have critical injuries, they'd still be too far away from a contender to bridge the gap via in-season trade.
I assume he forgot the multiple unprotected firsts the Heat are giving up.
If the Spurs want to go the vet route, Conley would be way cheaper.
It feels like all the picks are our most valuable assets, and we should try our best to keep KJ, Devin, Sochan, Jak, Blake and Bran off the table (the last two, less important I suppose) since that is what we're trying to build upon (in a scenario where we keep on this pace and are a 4-7 seed.
Spurs being a 4-7 seed is also kind of a bad spot to be in as well. It would mean we are in the roughly the same place: a middling playoff team without a superstar incoming until maybe those ATL picks start hitting.
Of course, in reality, I don't think we are a 4-7 seed... probably something more like slotted to pick 6-10 once we regress to the mean.
Alright, that sounds a bit better. I was going to say, that's a shocking trade. I don't really want to give up Langford at this point, though. I want to see what he can do. I didn't know his defense was this good.
Teams don’t just carry themselves to a 4-7 seed. It would mean someone on the team became a star and led them there.
Last year's 4-7 seeds:
W4: Dallas - Luka
W5: Utah - Mitc , Gobert
W6: Denver - Joker
W7: Minny - KAT, Ant
E4: Philly - Embiid, Harden
E5: Toranto - Siakam, Barnes
E6: Chicago - Demar, Levine
E7: Brooklyn - LOL
So while I think you are generally right, I can point to Toronto, Chicago, Utah and Minny as 4-7 seeds who still lack the star in the caliber we are thinking we need to be legit contenders. I think Keldon and Devin can be as good/effective stars as the guys on those teams... but I don't think they need to elevate beyond that for this team to be a solid playoff team, and then we are still left without a superstar.
Unfortunately, landing a superstar is really hard - even if you commit to the long tank (see OKC, HOU, DET) you may never land them. A trade (using all these picks we have) might be a easier way to get close to a star than the draft, tbh.
They definitely shouldn't have three SGs as untouchable in trades. Even if Wesley is considered a PG only going forward, having three guards locked away is a lot. I don't think they should be throwing them away, and in a scenario where SA were a solid playoff team, they'd probably be part of it. I can't disagree strongly enough with the idea that the Spurs being such a team this year could ever be construed as a bad thing. The four-seed is going to win 50 games. If the Spurs are pushing 50 games, it's because they have at least one All-Star, not because they're scrappy. You suggested as much and I agree that they're likely going to lose some more games. While I don't think they're going to fall off to be one of the worst teams in the league, they'll be a play-in team. If Johnson and/or Vassell makes legit All-Star or MIP noise, may they'll host a play-in game. They might even win it. But I can't see them even being a six seed as is.
But could this current team make the right trade to become a non-play-in playoff team? Maybe. It'd have to be a talented player for whom it also works out. Like Fox but with Fox fitting in and not stifling the other guys. If this were next year, Maxey would be on the table. I just don't think there's a scenario where the Sixers move him outside of getting that third star. But I am a fan of trading a protected natural pick that basically locks SA's first down for years. Detroit, Sacramento, Washington and Charlotte all made deals that basically prevented them from using future firsts on minor deals for years. That has protected them from making impulse buys using their future stock. I'd like to see the Spurs do something similar if they can get the right player in the exchange. I want to say Detroit used their pick to get Isaiah Stewart, who's been very good for them. Sacramento used theirs for Hueter, whom I haven't followed. Washington used their pick to get rid of Wall's contract for Westbrook, whom they flipped for a pick themselves. None of them are on the hook to convey a good pick, but they'll be able to use the good natural picks they have without fear of making a short-sighted in-season trade.
I think the issue is that we have the tendency to look too far ahead. You’re saying we would still lack the superduperstar to become the legit contender we need to be but I’m saying there’s no issue with making the playoffs as-is. People act as if we made it to that point then the team would be capped out because the team will then never get its golden ticket to the top 3 pick in the draft. If Keldon becomes a star, that would have been two late lottery picks that the Spurs have made into stars. The Spurs won’t get stuck there because you can count on them to draft special talent from anywhere in the first round. And maybe they already have another in either Vassell or Sochan.
Good thoughts. I guess this is a situation where the catch-22 comes into play.
Like I stated in response to Dejounte, the Spurs theoretically be a non-play-in playoff team with KJ and Devin being as good as KAT and Ant or Siakam and Barnes or Mitc and Gobert. I don't feel any of those teams are legit contenders though. They still lack that superstar piece.
The good thing about the draft, of course, is that you add talent without giving up what you currently have. Another way of acquiring your star (in theory) could be via trade, but in those cases you have to give things up. Atlanta and Minny gave up nothing more than picks and filler to pickup the pieces they felt were what they needed. That's what I'm thinking the Spurs could look to do. I say that with the understanding that these trades are not likely to occur during the season, and don't come around that often (though it seems like they have in more frequency recently).
There is very unlikely to be that trade out there... but it all our picks are swings at the fences to acquire our next centerpiece... couldn't they also be used in a trade to acquire the centerpiece that has a far higher degree of certainty to him?
In many respects, this does point to how the Spurs have potentially positioned themselves well. Let's say Keldon and Devin to continue to develop in this path, and we do become a legit playoff team... we did it via the addition by subtraction we've discussed in another thread (trading DJM) and added a ton of valuable future picks in the process. If we get lucky, it could very well be a situation like New Orleans being a legit potential playoff contender this year and could possibly still land Wemby or Scoot.
I'll admit that I didn't put much thought into it. My premise was to find a veteran starting PG that his current team wouldn't mind giving up for the right deal while also increasing draft capital.
It looks like the only unprotected picks the Heat can offer are 2023 and 2028, and the lack of protection in 2023 wouldn't be worth much.
If we are looking for a vet PG to fill that last roster spot... did DJ Augustin ever land anywhere?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote