T&T board top 25 highest trade value - Vote for #3!

[giberish]

Vote: Jokic

To me it came down to Jokic vs Embiid as youngish players playing at an MVP level. I trust Jokic's health more going forward so he gets the nod (IMO both are better and younger then Davis).

Nom: Ja

[shrink]

LeBron

Fast forward to 2030 LeBron: “Hey Luka, congrats on another MVP award. As a free agent, don’t you think it’s about time you wrote yourself into NBA history and came to the Lakers? Here in LA, we win championships, and have the very best players in NBA history like, ahem, yours truly. Sure, your Hornets look promising, but we have a full cast for you here, and more waiting to come to LA. So wouldn’t you like your final four year run be as a Laker?”

Nominate Zion

So...here's my thoughts on LeBron, and I'll admit up front they're a bit unorthodox/contrarian.

I don't think Bron has a ton of specifically trade value (relative to his on-court and financial impact). Obviously he has immense value to the Lakers as a basketball player, and to the league both as a player and as a marketing focus/brand ambassador/etc. Because of this he has IMMENSE personal leverage. He's also 36, an absolute lock first ballot HOFer and one of the greatest players of all time even if he retires tomorrow. He's won multiple championships and has hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. But trade value specifically is driven by buyers as well as sellers. There's nothing to stop him from just...retiring if he ends up in a situation that isn't to his liking. So the list of teams that are potential serious buyers in a trade for LeBron are basically current championship contenders who are also in cities that Bron would want to live in which leaves (by my count) the Clippers, Heat, and maybe Nets as possibilities.

Again, not to shed any doubt on his value as a player. Just think he's in a unique situation compared to every other superstar in the league where he could legitimately just walk away if he wanted to and still walk away with his legacy 99% intact.

Good post. This goes into the whole nature of “trade value,” which almost by its definition, is a hand-waving experience that involves a lot of shrugging.

For example, suppose LeBron becomes disenchanted with the Lakers, and says he is willing to move to the Clippers, Heat, or maybe the Nets. Wouldn’t those teams put up virtually anything to bring him in as a “king-maker?” (pun intended). He also gives that franchise the cache as the best in the NBA, and that lasts. Right now, the Lakers will always be the team that LeBron chose.

Or we could say “LeBron will retire a Laker,” so his trade value is zero. Not happening, never will. Or we could say, “if LeBron wants to leave the Lakers, he will only go to one specific team. That doesn’t drive up his value, and he may even try to get them to take less so he gets to keep the talent on his new team for his next championship series.

Yes, I agree with you. Quantifying the trade value of LeBron is nearly impossible. It’s not like you can just compare expected future basketball production, like debating between Luka and Giannis. LeBron’s value spreads far beyond that. LeBron is an entity unto himself, and as he has shown so many times before, normal rules don’t apply to him.

[gswhoops]

LeBron

Fast forward to 2030 LeBron: “Hey Luka, congrats on another MVP award. As a free agent, don’t you think it’s about time you wrote yourself into NBA history and came to the Lakers? Here in LA, we win championships, and have the very best players in NBA history like, ahem, yours truly. Sure, your Hornets look promising, but we have a full cast for you here, and more waiting to come to LA. So wouldn’t you like your final four year run be as a Laker?”

Nominate Zion

So...here's my thoughts on LeBron, and I'll admit up front they're a bit unorthodox/contrarian.

I don't think Bron has a ton of specifically trade value (relative to his on-court and financial impact). Obviously he has immense value to the Lakers as a basketball player, and to the league both as a player and as a marketing focus/brand ambassador/etc. Because of this he has IMMENSE personal leverage. He's also 36, an absolute lock first ballot HOFer and one of the greatest players of all time even if he retires tomorrow. He's won multiple championships and has hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. But trade value specifically is driven by buyers as well as sellers. There's nothing to stop him from just...retiring if he ends up in a situation that isn't to his liking. So the list of teams that are potential serious buyers in a trade for LeBron are basically current championship contenders who are also in cities that Bron would want to live in which leaves (by my count) the Clippers, Heat, and maybe Nets as possibilities.

Again, not to shed any doubt on his value as a player. Just think he's in a unique situation compared to every other superstar in the league where he could legitimately just walk away if he wanted to and still walk away with his legacy 99% intact.

Good post. This goes into the whole nature of “trade value,” which almost by its definition, is a hand-waving experience that involves a lot of shrugging.

For example, suppose LeBron becomes disenchanted with the Lakers, and says he is willing to move to the Clippers, Heat, or maybe the Nets. Wouldn’t those teams put up virtually anything to bring him in as a “king-maker?” (pun intended). He also gives that franchise the cache as the best in the NBA, and that lasts. Right now, the Lakers will always be the team that LeBron chose.

Or we could say “LeBron will retire a Laker,” so his trade value is zero. Not happening, never will. Or we could say, “if LeBron wants to leave the Lakers, he will only go to one specific team. That doesn’t drive up his value, and he may even try to get them to take less so he gets to keep the talent on his new team for his next championship series.

Yes, I agree with you. Quantifying the trade value of LeBron is nearly impossible. It’s not like you can just compare expected future basketball production, like debating between Luka and Giannis. LeBron’s value spreads far beyond that. LeBron is an entity unto himself, and as he has shown so many times before, normal rules don’t apply to him.

All true. I think at the end of the day, LeBron would have so much leverage to dictate the terms of any potential trade that the return wouldn't be as large as his impact on a franchise would expect. Like to take the first hypothetical, if he says "trade me to the Clippers/Nets or I retire," I think the Clippers and the Nets would absolutely be willing to empty the clip for LeBron, but he would probably want to play with Kawhi/KD and leave enough other pieces in place to be a championship favorite post-trade, so the return would be constrained somewhat.

[basketballwacko2]

I've got AD and LBJ close to equal in value but AD's age being younger gives him the edge.

LBJ should be next although Tatum is close behind.

[Dr Positivity]

BTW...why aren’t these votes done with a poll?

And nominate via thread.

Just askin for a friend...

I think it's good for activity to make people write it out, threads can fall to Pg 2 pretty fast

[Dr Positivity]

Davis and Lebron neck and neck

[babyjax13]

Jokic
Nominate: Lillard

[Dr Positivity]

Vote

Davis 9
Lebron 8
Jokic 2

Nomination

Zion 7
Lillard 5
Morant 2
George 1
Butler 1