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Now that the parade for the newly crowned champs has taken place- the rest of the league is ready to get back to work. By no means am I here to rush the party for the Nuggets. Ya keep on; keepin' on with the celebration, champs. The other 29 teams will leave you, to that very celebration, as they watch in pure jealousy and began to salivate for a chance to hold that shiny Larry O and envision their city gettin' their parade on too. Time to go to work, GMs. Queue up A$AP Ferg's Work as they fire up the drive to put in work, put in work.
What, you thought The Finals were over and that there would be rest in the league? The players may start their off-season, but the front offices strap up for the real games... and man, did they come firing off the bat. Straight into the crosshairs ready to unload. Which is beginning to be a trend. We already knew the draft was coming full speed, but they took the cap off before the draft festivities even began- with a slew of trades that hit the blockbuster scale and also saw several important pieces join new puzzles to help complete. Allow me to take a second and drop some deets and grades on the biggest trades to hit:
Celtics-Wizards-Grizzlies link to drop a stunner:
Wow. Whenever multiple teams get in on a call- you expect wild sh** to ensue. Which is exactly what transpired- wild to the point you had the usual media collapsing and fake news. First it was this, then it's that. Nonetheless, let's break it down. The trade:
Eh, yeah I have some comments. Porzingis? Really, Boston? Kristaps had a career high in PPG last season, which is great. Still couldn't manage to play in 70-82 games. Fun stat: in his eight seasons in the NBA, Porzingis has played in 70+ games just once... that was in his rookie year. We have seen two teams throw away assets and picks for Porzingis, just for them to give up on him in 2-3 years. At 27, I don't see this being a third time the charm, type of deal for Kristaps. The front office had pressure in the ear... and rushed a silly attempt. That's my take. Not about it. For the other two- very solid action. To get rid of Porzingis and receive three veteran players and a pick was a great take back. Tyus Jones is a helluva player- and a great fit for Washington. I expect him to thrive there. Seeing him away from Ja and Memphis, is intriguing. Marcus Smart being included hurts Boston. But I am happy they switched from giving away Malcom Brogdon to Smart. Losing Smart's character and leadership will be an immediate hit, but I think a Brogdon departure may of had more impact all-around. C's needed to keep Brogdon's defense and IQ. Smart enters interesting territory joining the Grizz. For Memphis, getting rid of Jones for Smart will be better for the rotation and better for their scheme. Jones-Morant pairing had the coaching confused. Which then had the rotation confused. Smart is more of a fit for that 6-man role. The defense; tenacity; and drive he brings to Memphis will be a major need for those young players. I like the move. Grades? Celtics get a C for getting a pick and sending Smart instead of Brogdon. I want the kush they had before making this phone call, though. Missing piece? Cmon, man. Wizards get nice teacher for this report- I slap 'em with a B. Grizzlies get a C- despite what Smart brings. They basically traded Tyus Jones and a first rounder for Marcus Smart. Should have gotten more for the give. I don't feel Jones and Smart to be crazy apart in value. Need to work the call, better.
Beal-Paul trade sends shockwaves:
It's the modern era, did ya forget? We have another star player being dealt to a top 4 contender. Wizards finally set Bradley Beal free, as they dish him to the Phoenix Suns to join up with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Mmm mmm mmm. Deets:
Another "big three" that the crappy sports media world can rave about- Beal-Booker-Durant. Durant needs another star... yeah, let me save that rant for the Pod. Partner has a lot to say on Durant. Suns give up two guards, leaving Cameron Payne the starter at point... or a Booker switch to the 1. I don't like either. Not that Booker can't play point; he usually brings the rock up the court- especially in the playoffs. The offense just isn't the most efficient. I want Booker creating space- having less point motives. Booker needs mid range opportunities set up by a true point. Which is why I don't like Beal in The Valley. Beal is similar in that regard. Two very similar prototypes and skill-sets. True shooting guards. Then you have Durant. We really think this mix will work? With what played out with Harden-Irving-Durant in Brooklyn. Come on. I think this is awful for Booker. Oh, don't forget that like Porzingis- Beal has a bit of the injury bug as well. Phoenix now only have 4 players under contract going into next season. I'm not a fan. Wizards flipped Beal for 10 future picks. Not too shabby. They free some cap and solidify their future moving forward. Chris Paul was a Wizard for a few hours, I believe it was. Yeah, they got Chris Paul too, until they flipped him to Golden State for Jordan Poole
I'll give the Suns a D+ with it just being a silly fit. 10 picks given up along with some Chris Paul trade value... Beal just isn't the right go in my opinion. I think they will soon regret it. Not sure how you watch that playoff series loss, and think that Bradley Beal was the answer and missing piece. Why not get a VanVleet or wait out the Lillard sweepstakes if you have the will to give up assets? Point guard and a true point guard, in full form, is what the Suns need. Now they gotta spend time rebuilding that entire depth chart in short order. Washington gets a A-. We all knew Beal's exit was imminent... they flipped him for a slew of picks; an excellent young point in Tyus Jones; and get to explore trying to recover a young scorer in Jordan Poole. Poole has shown flashes- and has some considerable potential left. As a Wizards follower, I am not sure how you are upset with the way Washington played their cards. Wizards move forward to the future- and now have additional pieces to help elevate their rebuild in DC.
Atlanta ships John Collins to Utah:
An expected trade coming out of Atlanta... Hawks ship F John Collins to Utah as they began to rebuild their rotation- again. Just six years after drafting Collins, they end ties. This all happening as Trae Young trade rumors start rollin'. Rocky road in The A. Trade deets are as followed:
For the Hawks, getting rid of Collins is fine. As mentioned- it was expected. Collins has fallen off since his first three seasons, declining in most areas statistically & becoming more of a foul threat. Collins seemed to have lost confidence in his fit with the Hawks system. I was a big believer in Collins after his 21/10 season, he just didn't pan out to the level the Hawks needed in him. That's fact. This move also drastically helps the Hawks financially. I will get to that in a moment. With that, I am not totally against Collins succeeding in Utah. I like the trade from the Jazz' perspective. Really like it. What a unique roster Utah is putting together. Mixing legitimate size with power slashers. Collins versatility and skill-set is a great add to the front-line of the Jazz that is powered by All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and All-Rookie center Walker Kessler. Great add. For Collins, he now can focus on creating scoring opportunities and setting up his two towers. Utah won't be leaning on him in the rebound game the way Atlanta did. Collins can focus on creating highlight plays and attempt to be a big player in the Jazz offensive success moving forward. Collins was the most confident when he was consistently having alley-oop thunder slams. Now look for him to have a few highlight plays this season. Clarkson should be hyena-salvating. I love the move for Utah, as crazy as it seems. First-year head coach, Will Hardy, was excellent in improving the Jazz offense, last season. Adding Collins and drafting PF Taylor Hendricks will help his offense elevate even more. I would adore a playoff series between Utah and Denver. I think the Jazz are on a major rise. Watch out Western Conference. Jazz still have to eat some money from Collins' contract with Atlanta, but this is a B+ for me. It will remain a B+ if Collins can get back to some level of the production he once had.
Trading Collins has major financial upside for the Hawks. Major upside. The swap creates a $25.3M trade exception for Atlanta, allowing the Hawks to drop below the $165M luxury tax threshold and the new second apron. The move is big, and interesting for two reasons. It gives the Hawks money to keep around some of the young players hitting contract renewal time, and it puts them in the luxury tax to possibly bring in an elite player. Very motives that have been approved by the Hawks ownership- time to starting dealing Landry Fields. I grade this an A grade trade for the Hawks. John Collins tenure was up in The A. Everyone knew it. The contract was far too expensive for the lack of production he was giving them. They ship him for a player/pick and more importantly they eliminate his contract and put themselves in a glorious opportunity to grow their roster and elevate the franchise in the future. Great trade for both sides, here.
Free Agent Sweepstakes
We have the noise meter loud and the free agency period has yet to start! Expect those decibels to rise even more, as we still have some pretty noticeable free agent names up for the taking. Harden. Irving. VanVleet. Draymond. Several interesting names that can elevate many teams/schemes. For me, I think the players in the 10-30 ranked range are the players with the most value. Some big time role players or pieces that are needed for many boards. Cameron Johnson; Nikola Vucevic (Bulls say otherwise); and Fred VanVleet would have me calling immediately. VanVleet will cost some- but for the most part, you have several quality players that will be cheap as you allow other teams to go after washed Harden and Irving. Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl too. Those are the players I want to improve my roster, if I am a GM. Not washed James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Yes, WASHED.
I will laugh out loud at whichever bozos that give those two massive contracts. Knowing the sports Gods, its probably going to be Philadelphia securing Harden. Just comedy. Irving getting a payday to give another lackluster team headaches, won't have me spittin' to much. Now if this fool Harden gets a payday... so help me. Such an AWFUL basketball player. He is not the best free agent available. Like get the hell out of here with that notion. The word value only applies to him if you are referring to strip club activities. Not basketball activities. The only rafter that his jersey can call home is that at Dreams. Don't do it, NBA teams! Save the buck. Save the headache. Let someone else fail again with Irving or Harden. Even Khris Middleton is more suitable- though I don't see him leaving Milwaukee.
Wembanyama The Spur:
Surprise-surprise. French phenom Victor Wembanyama has been selected number one overall to the San Antonio Spurs. This was San Antonio's third time selecting first overall in the NBA Draft. The first two selections? "The Admiral" David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Ha! Two for two. Perfect KDR. Franchise icons. Now Victor Wembanyama can add to the legacy. I think it's safe to say that you all, are well aware of the hype around this cat, Wemby. Ya know, I get it. Freakish skill-set that includes the second-largest wingspan in NBA history. Wembanyama comes into the league as the second largest player. Wemby is a freak- no doubt. Now SETTLE down. Like, for real. Best prospect ever? B****, please. Even the hype train isn't near the level of LeBron; Shaq; Carter; and Penny. Wemby is very thin. NBA is not the competition he played in France, for one. Also, that man is thin-thin. I feel he may want to beef up a bit to add slashing consistency, like Durant did. Plus just having leg strength, entering an 82 game regular season league that, is the highest level of basketball in the world. Wembanyama is a special talent, sure. Chosen One? Possible GOAT? Just, stop.
It's no question San Antonio had to draft Wembanyama. He was the clear cut choice, no doubt. I just disagree with the hype and some of these crazy takes that are just fantasies created to drool over this prospect. Greg Popovich is still behind the helm for the Spurs. That matters. It matters for Wembanyama's growth. Growth. Growth is what Wembanyama needs for any of your fantasies to become a reality. I won't have the gull to say that he will be a bust. I simply am not high on him the way everyone else is. Wemby can certainly prove me wrong. We will see.
Dame Drama:
Partner and I had a brief spit on the pod, regarding Mr. Lillard. I am a bit sick of this Dame rollercoaster in Portland. If I can be honest. I mean, cmon. Oh, "I need time to think about if I want to request a trade or not"... blah blah blah, Dame. Dame, it's every off-season. Yeah, I am sick of hearing about it. I respect Lillard, don't find yourself confused. Love his game. This is just getting ridiculous. The ball has been in Lillard's court for awhile now. Which is the most frustrating part of the whole ride.
Lillard doesn't have a trade clause in his papers. Why would Portland just trade him, if he isn't requesting the motive- nor showing real unsatisfaction? I wouldn't. In the GM shoes: as far as I would see, Dame is the face and spine to my rebuild. Until he shows or expresses, that he no longer wants to be there. It's a two way street, ya- and Dame doesn't even seem to be moving on the road. Express yourself. The Blazers have great young pieces- and have made some very good draft selections in part of this rebuild. It's a solid unit coming along. The backcourt (including Dame) is outstanding. The players scorch in the potential and talent sectors. Still lack in experience and haven't reached full pro growth. These things take time. Dame needs to decide just how much longer he wishes to "wait".
The funny narrative in today's basketball. Now, that's a rant that would be pages. I have enough read time, here. Blazers drafting Scoot Henderson is straight money. A pick that is gold with, or without trading Lillard. We should see how this whole debacle plays out. All I have left to say is- make up your mind, Dame. Express yourself. More importantly, end the drama.
A major buzz early into the NBA off-season. Expect more calls to be made, and more trades to be dealt. Free Agency is starting very soon, which puts more July fireworks in the sky. We have several intriguing storylines that are ready to play out. Several GMs still prepared to tighten their ties and strengthen their thumbs. With the MLB being the only league bringing noise weekly, the fireworks of the NBA off-season brings much joy to sports fans. Let the noise ring!
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