Trade Talk: Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Davis

Oh boy.

I was just as shocked as the next man when I saw the headline this morning.  Even NBA insiders, including Lebron himself, reportedly didn't see this one coming.  And this trade is odd for a number of reasons yet at the same time, from certain perspectives, does make sense.

WHAT MAKES SENSE

THE MAVS MOVING ON FROM LUKA, IF THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP

Maybe the Mavs' braintrust has been incepted and were like 'yeah, Jah Iteh is right.  Luka got us to the next level but isn't likely to take us beyond that.  After all, it's hard to rely on a superstar who, even if the team does make the Finals, will probably be so exhausted by that point that he can't consistently contribute'.  That's what seemed to have happened last year, i.e. Luka running out of gas, as exacerbated by the Celtics' stiff wing defense.

This is also, in a way, Klay Thompson's fault or more specifically whatever faction of Dallas' braintrust thought it was a good idea to acquire him.  Yeah, it was a good idea as far as generating headlines are concerned.  But here you have a team that just made the Finals and are, in theory, just a player away from a championship.  And that player is ancient ass Klay Thompson, whom his former team - who by all means will retire his number one day - didn't even want anymore?

That was a lazy, hasty and may I also chime stupid move on the part of the Mavs.  Instead of getting someone to actually move the needle forward, they just more or less replaced Tim Hardaway Jr.  Also, it ain't like when Luka is inevitably out icing his knees or whatever, Klay is a viable replacement for him.  Man, if I had a dollar for every time NBA franchises chased waterfalls instead of sticking to the rivers and lakes that they're used to.

KYRIE + AD

I can envision the pairing of Kyrie + AD.  Remember that a season or two ago, the Lakers, with AD on their roster, actually tried to get Irving.  Or at least Lebron wanted him, or something like that.

This pairing would have been really exciting news if it happened five or six years ago.  And I get it -  better to make a powermove than sit back and watch the ship sank.

But from what's being implied by news reports, the main impetus to move Doncic may not have even been (solely) lack of progress from last season.  Instead, he would have demanded something like a superduper max from the Mavs next offseason.  And it's like yeah, if you're not going to win a championship with dude in the foreseeable future, if ever, then why pay him close to $400mil(!).

WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

First of all, Luka and AD play like polar opposite positions and have different playing styles.  So it's not like you can literally replace one on the roster with the other.  Dallas can accommodate AD, since they have notable depth @ G.  Contrastingly, the Lakers' frontline is lacking, and that was true, all things considered, even when AD was around.  Like it's shocking they didn't also try to get at least one of the Mavs' bigs in the transaction.

LUKA AND LEBRON ARE TOO SIMILAR

It makes no sense to have Luka play alongside Lebron, since they have almost identical playing styles.  It isn't like, say, Pippen and Jordan.  Their styles were also similar, but they were also able to dominate opponents with athleticism and defense also.  Meanwhile, Lebron is now too old to play defense at an NBA level, and Luka was never known to have any type of true defensive or athletic prowess.

I haven't really watched the NBA this year.  But if Lebron, with his gigantic ass, is still jacking up threes instead of using his body to more consistently exploit the post, I mean, he plays out of position.  This is something I've written about so many times in the past, with the conclusion being that, hey, if King James wants to run point - even if he could serve the Lakers better at another position - then fuck it, let him run point.  Like who can tell him no type sh*t?

LEBRON ALSO LEAVING TOWN?

Here's a hot tidbit.  MediaTakeOut ran a story today saying that, in the aftermath of the AD trade, Lebron is interested in migrating over to the Knicks.  A mainstream media site would be reluctant to publish a rumor like that.  But before you laugh at the notion, consider this.  First of all, James has a history of bouncing on teams, even ones built around him, when they're no longer competitive.  Yes, the Lakers haven't realistically been contenders in years.  But the departure of AD has now like officially driven that notion home, you know, has woken Lebron up type shit.

Secondly, MTO did foretell KAT going to the Knicks about a month or two before it actually happened last summer.  And third, Lebron also has a history of, when leaving one team, going to another that has a clearly better roster.  But now that they are contenders, I shudder to think, if these reports are true, that the Knicks would actually bite the bait and like trade or let go off some valued players go to receive Lebron.

Reading in between the lines, if they Lakers really did trade AD without informing or consulting Lebron beforehand, then you know, the writing is on the wall that it's time for him to go also., esp since they more or less went out and got a younger version of King James.

LUKA, THE LAKERS' STAR OF THE FUTURE?

The way NBC, and others I would presume, are trying to spin it is that now, the Lakers have their star of the future.  Lebron\s career is currently like you never know when he's going to retire.  And if AD isn't healthy now, there's no reason, given his history, to believe he'll be better off in the future.  But the same thing can be said for Luka, which once again makes the Lakers' logic in this transaction questionable.  Maybe by the end of the day, AD, Luka and Lebron will all be gone, and they'll truly have to 'rebuild' from the ground up.

If you aren't going to win games, at least be able to sell tickets.  And as far as young stars go, Luka's name is, as far as I know, as big as any in the NBA.

The Lakers also, you know, if any team can flesh out a roster, it's LAL.  Their rosters over the past few seasons haven't really been that bad and sometimes were actually impressive.  The bigger problem has been Lebron and even AD (in times past) like refusing to play their right positions, i.e. to their strengths instead than getting caught up in the jump-shooting craze.  If you have arguably the best all-around C currently in the league coupled with the best PF in history, you're supposed to be completely dominating opponents in the paint, not just winning one championship because you'd rather play like the Dubs.

Over the next season or two, if Luka remains in LA, we can expect the Lakers to put an admirable roster around him, presumably sans Lebron.  If any team can pull off some miracle roster shit, it's them.  But like, didn't he already have a damn good supporting cast in Dallas?  And even though he's only 25 years old, can we really take for granted he's NBA-strong enough to lead a franchise into the future?  Fuck 82 games, Luka needs to be playing in Europe or some shit.

I can also imagine this move may alienate some Dallas fans.  The Mavs are a team, like the Spurs, who're like known to accommodate foreign stars and in their case, let's say White Europeans in particular.  Here we all are, thinking this would be a lifelong relationship, similar to the one Dirk had with the franchise.  But instead, the Mavs have proven that they're more interested in, well, saving money than adhering to tradition.

CONCLUSION

I didn't even mention the Jazz, who are also involved in here somewhere.  They've become arguably the most insignificant team in the league, which is shocking, at least to me, with Danny Ainge involved.  Like Ainge was my deadass braintrust hero before bringing about the fiasco the Utah Jazz have become.

That said, the Mavs aren't any worse off now than they were with Luka.  All things considered, it might even make more sense having AD around rather.  But it's like a new day yet the same ol' shit, as Dallas remains a team banking on the health of two oft-injured superstars.  But, you never know.  At least, unlike the Lakers apparently, there's a chance this Dallas roster can work out sooner than later, perhaps even instantly, once everybody is healthy(?).  When you know you have to eventually face up against squads like the Thunder and Nuggets, teams with quality bigs, then yeah, might as well give up Luka for AD.

Jimmy Butler to the Warriors or Suns?

By the looks of things, I may be writing yet another "Trade Talk" article in the near future about Jimmy Butler.  I'm sure I've chimed in the past before about how Butler is a noncommitted star.  He's fully a product of the player-empowerment era, and it's still a few of those dudes lurking around the league.

Now there's two things about Butler that must be remembered as he demands a trade from the Heat.  First is that a few years back, he was more or less considered to be the best two-way player in the league.  Whether or not that was true is a matter of debate.  But the thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of players never enter that conversation, at all.

Second is, oh shit, Jimmy is making a whopping $50mil this year(!).  I'm not going to even get into whether he's overpaid or not.  The point is that in the NBA, the higher a player's salary, the more difficult it usually is to trade him.

I haven't really been following the Butler trade rumors, but when I do come across such headlines, they're usually in relation to the Warriors.  Do I support the idea of Jimmy going to Golden State?  Yeah, why not.  Do I think his presence will make them contenders?  No, but with the Dubs (and Steph) you never know.

BUTLER NO LONGER IN MIAMI'S TIMELINE

There's been a lot of drama, and we may even say embarrassment, associated with Jimmy demanding a trade from the Heat.  This isn't the type of organization that usually goes through such ordeals.  But maybe Butler's sudden, unexpected display childishness is a blessing for them in disguise.

Bam Adebayo has pretty much emerged as the man in Miami.  I don't know if I'd actually say he's better than Butler, but he is younger and healthier.

Meanwhile, Tyler Herro has just been named an All-Star reserve.  This is the same Tyler Herro who I was clamoring for the Lakers to acquire a season or two ago.  Instead, as far as jump-shooting whiteboys go, they've committed to Austin Reeves (and Dalton Knecht) - not a bad decision, but I doubt if he'll ever be an all-star.

Bam is 27, Tyler is 25, and Jimmy is 35.  So, you do the math.

KUMINGA WOULD BE A BETTER FIT IN MIAMI

Meanwhile, over the Dubs' land, we have perennial underachiever Jonathan Kuminga.  Readers of this blog know two things.  One is that I am, or was, a big Kuminga fan.  And secondly, I feel that, at least up until recently, his development has been stunted by the Warriors.

Kuminga is only 22 years old but still fits more into the Miami's current timeline than Butler does.  I'm calling him an underachiever, even though he's the third-leading scorer in Golden State at approx 17ppg.  That's because when I do come across his name in articles, half of the time his game is not being spoken of favorably.  He's developed into sort of an Andrew Wiggins himself.

Also, Kuminga doesn't appear to be much of a defensive force (for his size).  But all things considered, I would still be down for trading him for Jimmy Butler, like straight up.

But again, there are obstacles.  Jonathan is only making about $8mil this year, compared to Butler's $48mil.  Also, oh sh*t, it appears that Steph (and Steve Kerr) don't even want Jimmy like that to begin with.

BUTLER A BETTER FIT FOR THE SUNS

What that same report puts forth is it being most likely that Jimmy is traded to the Suns for Bradley Beal.  Both teams are reportedly interested in bringing that transaction to past.  Beal, at 31 and given his injury history, can also be considered an old-timer compared to Bam and co.  But if Miami actually wants a player, like you don't question their braintrust.

As for the Suns', there own has proven less than impressive of late.  Putting together a roster of incompatible stars is bad enough.  But then, failing to make things work between them is even worse.

Honestly speaking, I don't see why any team would be 'aggressively' pursuing Butler.  When he becomes disgruntled he quits, and he's had injury issues of late.  Also, I don't quite see how he'll fit in next to KD + Booker.  What those guys need are the type of support players who can make an impact without taking shots.

Jimmy Butler is one of the biggest names in the NBA, but all things considered, I don't feel excited about him being on the verge of changing teams.  If he goes to the Warriors, by Steph's own admission things aren't likely to change much in terms of their ability to compete.  And if he goes to the Suns, it would probably make their current 'how did they fail' season that much worse.  Even though I'd rather see him Golden State - or more specifically Kuminga in Miami -, it'd make more sense for Jimmy to go to Phoenix, since they've adopted a build-a-roster-on-the-fly type of mentality anyway.  That's perfect for transient stars like him and KD.

Trade Talk: Beverly vs. Johnson + Horton-Tucker

Lakers Get	Jazz Get
Patrick Beverly	Talen Horton-Tucker
	Stanley Johnson

I've been picking on the Jazz a lot of late.  But just yesterday I was really thinking about it and came to the conclusion that in the 30+ years I've been following the NBA, I don't remember them ever having been garbage.

During the Stockton + Malone years, they were perennial playoff threats, if not flatout contenders.  And that team they had during the aughts with Deron Williams and AK-47 and them was also pretty promising.  And I also forgot about that time they were able to poach Carlos Boozer away from the Cavs.

What I can't really remember tho is what transpired between Williams compelling Jerry Sloan to quit and the Gobert + Mitchell years.  But even as recently as last season, like everyone knew that the Jazz at least had the potential to go all the way.  And now, with Danny "the Genius" Ainge onboard, they were able to get something like 10 players (!) for Rudy Gobert, i.e. the same type of package the Nets attempted (and failed) to get for KD himself.

So now that the alpha dog is undisputedly, as things currently stand, Donovan Mitchell, there's really no need to have someone like Patrick Beverly on the roster.  My assumption is that Mitchell is going to run the Jazz's offense, which in turn is not going to rely much on set plays.  So as I said before, you need dudes out there who can run around and keep up with him.  And now, the Jazz may have even scored two of those.

No one really knows how Stanley Johnson and especially Horton-Tucker is going to pan out.  But I feel, even though he didn't put up a ton of points last season, that the Lakers should kept Stanley.  Well, I really felt like that when Malik Monk was still around, because at least imo, those two complemented Lebron well.

One thing I can say about Patrick Beverly is that he's one of the very few players in the NBA who can make his present felt even without the ball, and LBJ is not likely to concede the point to him.  So that means the real reason the Lakers brought him over is to defend the other team's PG.

The problem is though that you need a G next to Lebron that can actually shoot - something that the Lakers really didn't have last season.  That's why, when I first promoted the idea of Beverly going to LAL, I included Mike Conley in that equation also.  A couple of days ago, I saw NBC for the first mention Russell Westbrook in a potential trade with the Jazz, which is something I suggested over a month ago.  So maybe this isn't over yet.  And hey, LAL, might as well go out and pickup Hassan Whiteside also.

CONCLUSION

I was reading something else on NBC today like the Lakers acquired Beverly in advance of trading Westbrook, which would make this transaction look more sensible from their perspective.  But I must admit that a defense of AD + Westbrook + Beverly + Lebron (if he's vested) would probably be pretty difficult to score on.  I still remember when Beverly clipped Westbrook, and reportedly they've had "beef" since.  But maybe that can kind of 'competitiveness', if they're on the same roster, can result in more inspired play, now that they both have something prove.

Meanwhile, I admire what the Jazz are doing.  There's too many superstars looking for new homes for the system to accommodate them all, and you can't just be like 'we're going to tank' with someone like Donovan Mitchell on your squad.  So the best these organizations can do is at least field the most competitive roster they can (like the Trailblazers).  And Utah still has so many assets that I don't think their wheeling and dealing is done yet.`

Trade Talk: The Beard vs. Simmons, Curry & Drummond

Sixers Get	Nets Get
The Beard	Seth Curry
Paul Milsap	Andre Drummond
	Ben Simmons

Dafuck?!  I definitely feel as if the Brooklyn got the best of this one for a number of reasons.

At the top of the list would be Joel Embiid and James Harden incompatibility.  And what I mean by is that their styles are too similar.  Offensively they're more or less the same player but at different heights.

Logically Harden, who plays point, is going to have the ball in his hands more.  The Beard possesses the skillset to score at will and has kinda grown accustomed to dribbling as much as he wants.  So I wonder how that's going to effect Embiid, who himself is a borderline chuck.  I guess what we're looking at, unless the Beard decides to transition more to a spotup shooter, is even more iso from Philly though this time with a more-talented backup(?) to Embiid.

When I first heard of this trade, I didn't know that Curry was included.  I was thinking that Harden would start at the point and Curry the 2, and Maxey would go to back to the bench.  But now it looks like Harden will start at the 2, and Maxey remains at point, which sounds perfect except even if at the 2 I doubt the Beard would really let him run the point anyway.

Meanwhile Brooklyn got Ben Simmons (yikes), Seth Curry (what?!) and Andre Drummond (oh my gosh).  It's like they got an entire team for the Beard.  That's one of the good things about signing a certified superstar, even if he's transient, like you can get a whole team for him in a good trade.  My biggest gripe with the Nets post-Allen has been lack of interior presence.  Well, problem solved.

Then you have Seth Curry who can take on the role of Joe Harris.  And Ben Simmons, aka the superstar who's afraid to shoot, will be perfect around perennial chucks Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.  And this team should be formidable even when Kyrie isn't playing.

It's a shame that we never got to see the Durant-Irving-Beard teamup in the playoffs.  For a second there they were playing so well that even I was about to call them contenders.  But that iteration of the Nets was a doomed experiment from the jump, since all three of them have health issues even besides the vaccination drama.

CONCLUSION

If KD were healthy, I would say the Nets have a chance to take the East.  If he had this type of backup last season, they would have definitely gotten pass the Bucks.

And as for the Sixers, let's hope that the Beard stays healthy, as sitting here picturing what this roster would look like without him ain't exactly pretty.  But I think Milsap's style of play may fit well with the Sixers and perhaps make him more effective than he's been in years.

Trade Talk: Sabonis vs. Haliburton, Hield and Thompson

PACERS GET	KINGS GET
Tyrese Haliburton	Justin Holiday
Buddy Hield	Jeremy Lamb
Tristan Thompson	Domantas Sabonis
	2027 2nd rounder

I wrote about the Kings earlier this season, before even watching them play.  Well I did finally get a chance to watch them recently when they squared off against Golden State in Cali.  And Sacramento looked more like a really good college team than an NBA squad.  That's when I realized that having said earlier that their roster was rife was talent may have been a bit hasty of a conclusion.  But there is a lot of potential talent - players who, if they find themselves in a different environment, may prosper, blazi fukin blah.  Like it may be any basketball player's dream to make it to the NBA, but no one in their right mind would actually want to be drafted by the Kings.

The one player on Sacramento who really represented, outside of established vet and former-Warrior Harrison Barnes, was rookie Davion Mitchell.  And going back to being drafted by the Kings, he's someone I foresee like getting seriously injured before finding himself on a championship squad.  And no, I'm not trying to jinx dude or wish him bad luck or anything like that.  It's just that his style of play reminds me a lot of other ferocious little dudes like Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose, who went about expeditiously fucking their bodies up in the NBA.  But one thing I will say about Davion is that he does look quite diesel for a smaller NBA player, so who knows.

The one player who really underwhelmed me was Tyrese Hailburton.  And believe me, I'm not trying to diss dude.  It's just that I've been reading so much about him being the next big thing, and like he didn't really do shit against the Warriors.  It kinda reminded me of when the Cavs recently played the Warriors also in Cali, that night when Klay returned.  Darius Garland is a young All-Star, one of my personal favorites tbh.  But it's like Steph could have posterized him with him 3s if he really wanted to.  And the point is that no matter how 'promising' a player may be, like unless he comes into the NBA a straight-up star from the jump, then there's likely to always be a tier of players, albeit a small group, who is simply better.

So, it may be cool to watch Haliburton play alongside Malcolm Brogdon.  But who knows if the Pacers really intend on keep any of these new guys.  Buddy Hield is someone who, to my remembrance, has disappointed since coming into the NBA.  When I was watching him flunk against the Warriors I was saying to myself, 'yes, this looks exactly like the type of player GM Lebron would want to bring to LA, someone who will end up getting fans even more frustrated'.  And again, I'm not trying to diss dude.  But it's hard to imagine Indiana being intent on keeping him.

And then finally, there's Tristan Thompson who, for whatever reason, was benched against the Warriors, even though he wasn't listed as injured.  My general belief when it comes to professional athletes, especially the active ones, is that it's never a good thing when your name is in the news, or even worst gossip circles due to your off-court activities more than what you do on the court.  Bigmen age slower in the NBA, and Tristan Thompson is still supposed to be a contributor.  But now it's like he's someone you would want on your roster probably because, being affiliated with the Kardashians, he can sell some tickets.  And even then, it ain't really like that.  You know what I mean?  It ain't like having Kanye on your roster.

Then, there's Domantas Sabonis.  A few weeks ago, I salivated at the prospect of him potentially ending up on the Sixers.  But instead, damn.  But then again, who knows - maybe he'll be exactly what the doctor ordered alongside the likes of Harkless and Holmes and the rest of the gang.  And it's like now I'm looking the Kings' roster from that Warriors' game, and Marvin Bagley isn't even listed at all.  So it's like dang, dude is getting paid $10mil+ to sit somewhere and chill - my personal dream if I were to ever make it to the NBA.

CONCLUSION

When I first heard of this trade I felt sorry for Domantas.  But now it's like if he's not personally in a rush to win a championship, this isn't that bad of a move for him.  After all, even after parting ways with a trio of expendables, the Kings still have enticing trade chips in Bagley III and even D'Aaron Fox, if they decide to go there (which they probably won't now that they've traded Haliburton, unless they're thinking of maybe making Justin Holiday a permanent starter).

The Pacers look like they're tanking or resetting, except for the fact that they appear extremely loyal to Brogdon.  He's a player that, if not for injuries, would probably be a perennial all-star in today's NBA.  But tender he is, which then makes you question why Indiana seems so intent on keeping him as opposed to letting Malcolm explore greener pastures.

Trade Talk: Kyrie vs. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Etc.

I definitely didn't see this one coming, even if the signs were already kinda there.  Last week I wrote an article about players I feel got disrespected players this offseason, and if I had foresaw this trade, especially considering that it seemed like for a time the Celtics were considering drafting Markelle Fultz, I would have definitely added Isaiah Thomas to that list.  I mean this is someone who has carried the Celtics, who were utterly garbage just a few short seasons ago, into Championship contention, is winning NBPA awards, on the verge of developing into a perennial All-Star averaging damn near 30ppg, didn't even demand a trade nor threaten to leave as a free agent but got traded anyway, and yet Boston fans are still burning his jersey.  It's treatment like this that sometimes contributes to why NBA players and other professional athletes, when they become free agents, seem so unsympathetic of their fanbases.  Here are the details of the trade, as reported by Yahoo Sports:

Boston Celtics Get:	Cleveland Cavaliers Get:
Kyrie Irving	Isaiah Thomas
	Jae Crowder
	Ante Zizic (?) 2018 First-Round Draft Pick

BOSTON CELTICS: C

PROS

1.  They get Kyrie Irving, the only pure point-guard who is arguably a better scorer than Isaiah Thomas.

CONS
 
1.  In addition to losing Kelly Olynk and trading Avery Bradley this offseason the Celtics have now practically gutted their team, even though they were apparently only one (star) player away from winning a Championship.

2.  Even though the Celtics now have arguably a superteam they're not so good that they'll dominate right off the bat, especially since they lost most of their key role players.

3.  Factions of the Celtic fanbase have shown how unappreciative they are, considering that between the eras of the KG-Pierce-Allen superteam and the arrival of Isaiah Thomas they were one of the worst teams in the Association.

4.  It's easy to understand what the Celtics are doing as far as selling tickets but hard to comprehend how committed they are to actually winning a Championship, i.e. building a team that can actually beat Golden State, since in order to do so a team has to be as good, if not better, defensively than they are offensively.

5.  The idea of trading away Thomas, who recently had hip surgery, because of his injury is only semi-valid in this case considering that Irving has an even worst injury history.

6.  I don't believe being traded away to Boston will grant Irving's wish of getting "his own team", unless the Celtics really are stupid enough to put all of the talent they've thus far amassed under the leadership of Irving, who still really hasn't proven sh*t besides being one of the best one-on-one players in the NBA.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: A

1.  They get rid of Kyrie Irving, who recently staged one of the greatest demonstrations of malcontent against an organization in NBA history.

2.  They got two players who can now compete against Golden State - and potentially another next year - in exchange for one.

3.  They handled Irving's trade request professionally despite a high level of social-media pressure, as in getting dissed in the spotlight often make people respond stupidly in return.

4.  They arguably haven't done anything this entire offseason to make the team better - until now.  It's not always the early bird that catches the worm.

5.  If the 2018 Draft pick they acquired from Boston via Brooklyn winds up being in the top three, as it potentially could, then they can add other skilled and/or popular player to convince Lebron to re-sign with the Cavs next offseason, and hopefully having Irving publicly shun him and other experiences have taught him hard enough lessons to not dis the incoming, talented rookie like he did Andrew Wiggins.

6.  We all know that Kyrie Irving can hit clutch shots, even in the biggest games, but even in that regard Thomas may be better.

CONS

1.  The way Kyrie Irving demanded a trade really didn't make the organization look good as in a place other players would want to be, but, surprisingly to me, as proven by the aforementioned NBPA Players Voice Awards, Lebron James is still considered the player his peers would most like to play with.

2.  If Thomas doesn't completely recover from his injury this may prove to be a bad deal.

3.  D-Rose probably isn't going to get as much playing time, but who knows.

CONCLUSION

I don't think I've ever seen two rivals at the top of their Conference make a trade like this.  The Celtics are one of the most intelligent teams in the NBA, right up there with the likes of the Heat and Spurs, but right now they seem a little starstruck to say the least.