2025-2026: Around the League

[eyriq]

Hawks acquiring Porzingis is a really savvy move and vaults them into top four territory. True or false?

Porzingis has played 65 games once in the last 7 years.

Good player, but one of the least reliable when it comes to injuries.

My take is that Porzingis for pennies increases the variance in their projections without lowering their floor. A lottery ticket team.

[pepe1991]

We are heading into one of craziest draft nights in terms of trades in past 10 -ish years.

Lot of teams feel comfortable about idea of fighting for a title. I have this thought for a while. Feels like we are entering some "random championship era" ,where every year we will have new champion and teams will just raise and fall in terms of 3 years.

We've been in that era for a long time my friend

A different team has won the NBA title the last 8 seasons. Longest streak of that happening in NBA history.

For sure.
It's not THAT shocking that teams are incapable of winning back to back titles, but teams show no ability to even go to finals in back to back years.

We didn't have returning finalists since Cavs- Warriors 4 years in a row.

[RookieStar]

We are heading into one of craziest draft nights in terms of trades in past 10 -ish years.

Lot of teams feel comfortable about idea of fighting for a title. I have this thought for a while. Feels like we are entering some "random championship era" ,where every year we will have new champion and teams will just raise and fall in terms of 3 years.

We've been in that era for a long time my friend

A different team has won the NBA title the last 8 seasons. Longest streak of that happening in NBA history.

For sure.
It's not THAT shocking that teams are incapable of winning back to back titles, but teams show no ability to even go to finals in back to back years.

We didn't have returning finalists since Cavs- Warriors 4 years in a row.

I got to disagree on that. BOS was poised for a back2back until injuries derailed them.

Its parity. Teams are so near each other that one slip can derail you.

[pepe1991]

We've been in that era for a long time my friend

A different team has won the NBA title the last 8 seasons. Longest streak of that happening in NBA history.

For sure.
It's not THAT shocking that teams are incapable of winning back to back titles, but teams show no ability to even go to finals in back to back years.

We didn't have returning finalists since Cavs- Warriors 4 years in a row.

I got to disagree on that. BOS was poised for a back2back until injuries derailed them.

Its parity. Teams are so near each other that one slip can derail you.

You can argue entire playoffs were decided by injuries.

Cavs, Warriors, Celtics, and at the end Pacers all had best player(s) getting hurt.

[RookieStar]

For sure.
It's not THAT shocking that teams are incapable of winning back to back titles, but teams show no ability to even go to finals in back to back years.

We didn't have returning finalists since Cavs- Warriors 4 years in a row.

I got to disagree on that. BOS was poised for a back2back until injuries derailed them.

Its parity. Teams are so near each other that one slip can derail you.

You can argue entire playoffs were decided by injuries.

Cavs, Warriors, Celtics, and at the end Pacers all had best player(s) getting hurt.

Yup... and to the team that had its alpha injured ( tatum hali ) there was no hope

[JBSouthpaw]

Nets have once in a lifetime opportunity to draft and start all 5 first round picks. That will probably unlock them something on nba 2 K


No, but for real, they are in pole position to trade up in draft. Like, trading for 3# pick and drafting VJ Edgecombe would put them on right path.

Not sure how many teams want multiple picks this draft.

[pepe1991]

Nets have once in a lifetime opportunity to draft and start all 5 first round picks. That will probably unlock them something on nba 2 K


No, but for real, they are in pole position to trade up in draft. Like, trading for 3# pick and drafting VJ Edgecombe would put them on right path.

Not sure how many teams want multiple picks this draft.

Nets

tbh they looked hopeless just year ago, Sean Marks did best he could to recover post 2023.

I think 2025 draft has solid amount of raw potential but most players will need time.

From Nets POV, it's fine, they just need team to be elevated by 2027 because Rockets hold pick swap.
In 2027 they have top 8 protected 76ers pick and unprotected Knicks pick. Nets can end up being in really nice position in 2-3 years.

[basketballRob]

Hawks acquiring Porzingis is a really savvy move and vaults them into top four territory. True or false?

Porzingis has played 65 games once in the last 7 years.

Good player, but one of the least reliable when it comes to injuries.

My take is that Porzingis for pennies increases the variance in their projections without lowering their floor. A lottery ticket team.

Atlanta also got around a $21m TPE that they intend on using.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

[Skybox]

Yikes... ATL now MIA?

SouthEast isnt gonna be a cakewalk... its gonna be bloody

That trade hasn't even happened yet, probably won't happen... and I think it subtly makes Miami worse anyway.

WcJ
Herro
Brown
Jovic
Ware

Twin towers plus twin scorers and a 3pt shooting PG. On paper its scary but when you look at the names then yeah... soft without Bam

MIA would be worse but BOS would be right back in the thick of things...and a MONSTER when Tatum returns

[JBSouthpaw]

That trade hasn't even happened yet, probably won't happen... and I think it subtly makes Miami worse anyway.

WcJ
Herro
Brown
Jovic
Ware

Twin towers plus twin scorers and a 3pt shooting PG. On paper its scary but when you look at the names then yeah... soft without Bam

MIA would be worse but BOS would be right back in the thick of things...and a MONSTER when Tatum returns

Not so sure about BOS, KP, Brown, Holiday plus Hortford will be gone when Tatum comes back & they'll have to pay Simmons too.

[Skybox]

WcJ
Herro
Brown
Jovic
Ware

Twin towers plus twin scorers and a 3pt shooting PG. On paper its scary but when you look at the names then yeah... soft without Bam

MIA would be worse but BOS would be right back in the thick of things...and a MONSTER when Tatum returns

Not so sure about BOS, KP, Brown, Holiday plus Hortford will be gone when Tatum comes back & they'll have to pay Simmons too.

Bam is better than all of them and if we thought we could re-up Simons for a more reasonable rate, certainly BOS could...they'd miss Brown, but Bam is another level, imo.

[Optimus_Steel]

According to Serbian media, Jokić ain't staying.

He is tending to his horses?

[RookieStar]

MIA would be worse but BOS would be right back in the thick of things...and a MONSTER when Tatum returns

Not so sure about BOS, KP, Brown, Holiday plus Hortford will be gone when Tatum comes back & they'll have to pay Simmons too.

Bam is better than all of them and if we thought we could re-up Simons for a more reasonable rate, certainly BOS could...they'd miss Brown, but Bam is another level, imo.

Naaah. White Tatum and Bam is gonna be the core. Everyone had problems with BOS because they spam 3s. You think Bam can do that? Plus they have no shotblocking tower in the paint anymore. But the biggest drop off in that is Tatum wont have a partner in crime in scoring.

So yeah they get worse

[pepe1991]

According to Serbian media, Jokić ain't staying.

He is tending to his horses?

horses tell him to ride a Maverick

[JBSouthpaw]

MIA would be worse but BOS would be right back in the thick of things...and a MONSTER when Tatum returns

Not so sure about BOS, KP, Brown, Holiday plus Hortford will be gone when Tatum comes back & they'll have to pay Simmons too.

Bam is better than all of them and if we thought we could re-up Simons for a more reasonable rate, certainly BOS could...they'd miss Brown, but Bam is another level, imo.

Even IF Bam was at a higher level than Brown, (I disagree, I think Bam is one of the most overrated players in the league) it won't be enough. 26-27 Tatum makes $58M, Bam 48M, and White 38M, that's $128M for those 3, Simmons will be looking for $25M a season too.

[pepe1991]

Diabolical trade by Pelicans

[Skybox]

So after unloading Jrue and KP...is BOS out of the financial woods yet?...or do they need to shed more.

I'd love to grab Hauser into MLE for srps - or better yet Goga and/or Howard

[drsd]

You can argue entire playoffs were decided by injuries.

Cavs, Warriors, Celtics, and at the end Pacers all had best player(s) getting hurt.

One could argue the Magic was also crippled for the playoffs via injuries. Could the Magic beat the Celts with a healthy Suggs and M-Wagner?
We will never know; but injuries are part of the game!

[Idiosyncratic]

Diabolical trade by Pelicans

That trade was insane. That pick could legit be #1.

Like there is a chance Queen is amazing and the pick ends up 10th or something, but that doesn't change the fact that the value in the moment is way over what anyone else pays for that kind of move.

[fendilim]

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