Building around Coby-Giddey-Matas

[nomorezorro]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

[Indomitable]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

When someone shows you who they are believe them.

Zion will have to lose it all to wakeup.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

Why willingly invite cancer into the organism ?


Zions a bum. Chicago food will have him at 400lbs in like a 2 months

[sco]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

Zion is interesting, to be sure. No player is perfect, at least not one that someone would consider trading. If we could get Zion for Coby, PWill and the POR 1st + filler, I'd say yes. That would be a decent discount. You end-up needing a capable 3pt shooting C to make-up for Zion, but we sorta have that. Trotting out a line-up of Ball/Huerter, Giddey, Zion, Matas, Collins would be darn interesting.

[kodo]

A lot of the PG defense ends up being reliant on your C anyway, not your PG. LA just kept screening until they got Vuc on the screen and attacked him, so whoever the PG was ended up being irrelevant. And that's standard for almost all teams. We could have had Caruso on the team and they just would have forced switches and attacked Vuc and ignored Caruso. Our D was never that good even when AC played, because a guard defender is easy to just manipulate out of the picture. Centers are always impactful on the D, even mediocre ones. They're guarding the rim, the paint, and having to defend out in space 1 on 1 against your Luka's.

[kodo]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

I'd have to imagine a Zion trade includes Coby + Patrick + picks, and we'd say No to anything including Giddey.

Are we really better with Coby off the team and Zion on the team for maybe 30 games?

[sco]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

I'd have to imagine a Zion trade includes Coby + Patrick + picks, and we'd say No to anything including Giddey.

Are we really better with Coby off the team and Zion on the team for maybe 30 games?

It's a bet that Zion, in another city, with a fresh start stays "healthy". If he does, and plays 65 games, then definitely. If he self-destructs, his deal is one of the more protected ones in the league.

[Jcool0]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

That is an all in move and if it doesn't work might end this team before we have any idea how good it is. Id be a tad more comfortable if we knew if the back injury ended his season was because they want the #1 pick or because he could no longer play. But he also wasn't playing back to backs. So this all seems like another Ball situation.

[CROBulls]

You absolutely trade for Zion, even if it means trading White.

[Jcool0]

You absolutely trade for Zion, even if it means trading White.

[nomorezorro]

fwiw, apparently the same reporter has said the offers the pelicans have previously gotten for zion have not been compelling at all — basically trying to get him as a pure salary dump

if the league just thinks he's toxic and ownership really gives a mandate to trade him, it's not out of the question that you could get him with like, ayo and a pick or two as the biggest pieces headed to new orleans

[ShouldaPaidBG]

Zion the player is great obviously but based on his taste in women, his brain is too fried to be relied upon.

[Chi town]

reporting from a dude who's been dialed into the pelicans FO situation:



i've thought for a while now that the bulls should be very highly motivated to go after zion, especially if you can get him at a distressed asset price, but the emergence of giddey has muddied the water a little bit. do you think you can get enough spacing out of a giddey/coby/matas/zion lineup? can you acquire zion without giving up one of the "core three" — and if not, does it matter that the player that it's easiest to trade is coby, who is also the best shooter of the group by some distance?

still would be very interested in going after zion just because he's so good when healthy and he's got a pretty favorable contract structure if things go south, but i'm a lot less certain of how i would go about it than i was three months ago

When someone shows you who they are believe them.

Zion will have to lose it all to wakeup.

Bingo.

[Chi town]

Zion the player is great obviously but based on his taste in women, his brain is too fried to be relied upon.

Saw he has like 6 kids already.

Crazy.

Dude Shawn Kemp 2.0

[Jcool0]

Zion the player is great obviously but based on his taste in women, his brain is too fried to be relied upon.

Saw he has like 6 kids already.

Crazy.

Dude Shawn Kemp 2.0

I think he just has one.

[pipfan]

White/Giddey/Matas/Zion/Collins
Jones/Ball/Huerter/Phillips/Smith
Terry as 11th man

That's a FUN lineup
Vuc or Collins/Ayo/PWill/#13/Port pick/2027 pick (not sure on protection)

If Zion is healthy, that team is a semi-contender

NO does this if they get Flagg

Murray/Ayo
CJ/Hawkins
Murphy/Jones
Flagg/PWill
Missi/Collins or Vuc
Plus the #13 pick, plus Alvardo/KellyO as deep bench

[ShouldaPaidBG]

Zion the player is great obviously but based on his taste in women, his brain is too fried to be relied upon.

Saw he has like 6 kids already.

Crazy.

Dude Shawn Kemp 2.0

That's obviously not ideal but I'm more referring to the specific cornstar that caused him drama that is built like a bad cartoon character

[GoBlue72391]

If you max Giddey and Coby, this is the outcome you're looking at season after season building around them as the core. Except it'll be even less fun since they'll be making 4 times what they're making now.

[DrModesty]

While Zion is a depressed asset relative to his talent, I still think the Bulls have no shot at getting him without Matas in the deal and you possibly need to put in #12 on top of that.

Coby is not a high value asset. The $12m contract is positive value, but that is suppressed somewhat by it being expiring. On a well built team Coby is the 6th man who starts when your perimeter scorers are injured or have extended poor form. He is in the same class as Malik Monk (who I prefer slightly to Coby). I think Coby in isolation would return a pick in the 18-25 range. Add in to this, that the Pelicans have C.J McCollum who is a very similar player to Coby and Jordan Hawkins on the bench as a solid but unremarkable prospect in the same vein. So he isn't filling a hole for them.

The #12 pick is something that has real value, but not premium value. You can argue that Zion doesn't deserve premium value because of his availability issues. I agree with this, but #12 is actually far away from premium value. Even Matas himself is not premium value. Matas is a good, borderline very good prospect. But I don't think he is viewed as a virtually guaranteed star. I think people around the league would have him as similar value to a guy like Derrick Lively rather than Amen Thompson who is an actual premium asset. The Pelicans would need someone on the level of a Matas in the return to sell to their fanbase. Someone who for sure will be a good player and has a chance of turning in to an all star caliber player.

Remember that by talent Zion is an untradable player who would actually fetch a clear all star, plus a good prospect, plus many picks and swaps. An offer of Matas even with #12 added would be seen as a joke if Zion didn't have his issues. With the issues, Matas represent a real offer the Pelicans would have to take seriously and may possibly out compete others. I wouldn't give up Matas for Zion given his risk and additionally he doesn't seem like a good fit with Giddey who would be the only other real consequential player you have. But that likely means no Zion in Chicago.

[Chi town]

So AK has a lottery pick, future 1sts and the POR pick, with 65M in expiring contracts to add to Buz Giddey Coby to build a contender.

He will surely mess it up unless he strikes gold again in our pick or a trade for another Giddey.

I see him using our pick.
Bringing everyone back.
Unloading our assets at the deadline for upgrades to make us playoff safe but not true contenders.

I see a Rockets build adding our version of a FV and Brooks as tough vets to get us over the top. Rockets used cap space. We will use everything.