2025-2026: Around the League

[Skybox]

I'm really sorry for Kings fans, just imaging watching a team with DeRozen, LaVine, Schröder (no, he is not a good NBA player no matter what he does on the national team), Westbrook & very good but super flawed Sabonis + giving Murray 140 Mio. Yikes, really loved watching the Webber / Divac Kings back in the day.
At least Clifford looks solid/good so far but he should as a 23 year old rookie, who's going to be 24 in february already.

They should bring back White Chocolate...I'm always getting clips of him playing in the ORL pro-am runs and he looks great. Not a HOFer, of course, but definitely the best highlight reel in NBA history

[pepe1991]

I'm really sorry for Kings fans, just imaging watching a team with DeRozen, LaVine, Schröder (no, he is not a good NBA player no matter what he does on the national team), Westbrook & very good but super flawed Sabonis + giving Murray 140 Mio. Yikes, really loved watching the Webber / Divac Kings back in the day.
At least Clifford looks solid/good so far but he should as a 23 year old rookie, who's going to be 24 in february already.

They should bring back White Chocolate...I'm always getting clips of him playing in the ORL pro-am runs and he looks great. Not a HOFer, of course, but definitely the best highlight reel in NBA history

That Keegan Murray deal is nasty.

Basically, for guy who is at best, questionable starter on okey team ( pretty much nothing but 3 and D with nothing special D and declining 3 ) they just went balls out and gave him $28M a year.
In same universe where some Santi Aldama, for same role makes $18M and is still younger than 25 y.o. Murray.
In same universe where Jabari Smith signed for near $20M total less, while being 3 years younger, stronger, faster, bigger and with some upside, or at least better equipped to play that 3 and D PF role.

Lavine is in his last year, wait until they unload $300M max for him.

What's there to say but: Vivek Ranadivé.


Hornets aren't in much better spot. I'm looking at their roster and nothing makes any sense.

[Optimus_Steel]

Lots of ex-Magics

Read on Twitter

?t=_Lwe1AGxvOvy8ZfeuFk39Q&s=19

Grave yard of second chances.

I'm surprised they are surprised

[thelead]

KCP is 2-3 from deep so far tonight. That makes it 10/17 (59%) for the preseason while Bane went 1/9 (11%).

Please don't let this be a thing when it matters

[Blue_and_Whte]

Lots of ex-Magics

Read on Twitter

?t=_Lwe1AGxvOvy8ZfeuFk39Q&s=19

Grave yard of second chances.

I'm surprised they are surprised

Add Mo Bamba to the trash heap. Looks like the Jazz waived him.

[ORLMagicGirl15]

KCP is 2-3 from deep so far tonight. That makes it 10/17 (59%) for the preseason while Bane went 1/9 (11%).

Please don't let this be a thing when it matters

I’m not sure what to make of preseason but I really hope Bane step up. I don’t think we Magic fans can take another great shooter dipping after the trade we made.

As for KCP. I really don’t care if he is 100% from 3. We gave him money and he could have shot as many times as he wanted and still decided not to show up offensively. Enjoy Memphis.

[tooler]

If Bane sucks (along with the team) then the coach will be fired. They’ll try a new approach to better utilize our players. It’s not a curse or anything.

[pepe1991]

Grave yard of second chances.

I'm surprised they are surprised

Add Mo Bamba to the trash heap. Looks like the Jazz waived him.

Half of guys were on Magic, as fans claimed they have allstar potential. Go figure

[pepe1991]

Miami Heat now lost all but 1 preseason game in last 3 years.

Not only that Embiid returned but he looks to be in good shape, lost lot of weight on first sight.

[JoshuaPotter]

Miami Heat now lost all but 1 preseason game in last 3 years.

Not only that Embiid returned but he looks to be in good shape, lost lot of weight on first sight.

While I know they are a conference rival. I hope he at least is healthy.

[pepe1991]

Miami Heat now lost all but 1 preseason game in last 3 years.

Not only that Embiid returned but he looks to be in good shape, lost lot of weight on first sight.

While I know they are a conference rival. I hope he at least is healthy.

League kind a needs him more than ever. Top tear talent is paper thin, especially on East.

Looking at "Top 10 " lists of players is kind a depressing.

[RookieStar]

So Heat waived Precious? Trash heap getting bigger

[drsd]

So Heat waived Precious? Trash heap getting bigger

Clearly the cap is broken when a quality, serviceable big like Achiuwa gets waived. I really hope the next CBA looks at the lower end of the "middle class" of the players (players in the 200-250 range).

Achiuwa is an NBA level talent. He will be picked up. But this is sad. (And good for Orlando as Miami is now a worse team).

[pepe1991]

So Heat waived Precious? Trash heap getting bigger

Clearly the cap is broken when a quality, serviceable big like Achiuwa gets waived. I really hope the next CBA looks at the lower end of the "middle class" of the players (players in the 200-250 range).

Achiuwa is an NBA level talent. He will be picked up. But this is sad. (And good for Orlando as Miami is now a worse team).

I find him kind a bad.

6'7 center

[tiderulz]

So Heat waived Precious? Trash heap getting bigger

Clearly the cap is broken when a quality, serviceable big like Achiuwa gets waived. I really hope the next CBA looks at the lower end of the "middle class" of the players (players in the 200-250 range).

Achiuwa is an NBA level talent. He will be picked up. But this is sad. (And good for Orlando as Miami is now a worse team).

I find him kind a bad.

6'7 center

yeah, i dont understand it either. is he NBA talent? maybe, but that would be 15th man talent. He just isnt good at anything.

[drsd]

6'7 center

So, do you not consider Achiuwa as a 200-250 range player?

[basketballRob]

I like Achiuwa. He has around a 7'1" or 7'2" wingspan. He's better than Castleton.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

[pepe1991]

6'7 center

So, do you not consider Achiuwa as a 200-250 range player?

I'm sitting on replay button for an hour, struggling to collect thoughts.

It's fascinating thing really, maybe i'm just dumb today, or i can't gather all the points I want to say.


Anyway let's just turn it in bulletpoints:
- nba as a League has talent problem
- Ringer's top 100 list pass 35-36 spot is nothing but role players list, now having 1 good season in contract year turns you into "top 50" . That is scary thought.
- salary inflation is a thing, higher end role players & stars & semi-stars make market for bench players & rotation bodies very questionable
- too many teams in nba have no desire to compete or win games
- entering new season, half of nba teams from roster construction POV are dumb & pointless
- because so many teams don't try to win ,they collect bunch of "young= potential" guys and they take so many roster spots from actually good players
- it's never ending cycle of trail & error because as i said, so many teams don't compete for anything.
- tanking is still most used rebuild strategy no matter how harmful for product it is
- by the age of 23-25 "future allstars -potential" turn into" no job in nba" , case and point Fultz & Bamba




Bottom line,Achiuwa is very athletic player but dumb as bricks when it comes to decision making and not very skilled player, given size. He was always guy with very low BBIQ but in past year(s) he was "potential" guy. But now , at age of 26, he no longer fits bad teams "young = unlimited potential " agenda and he is too bad of a player to fit contenders "best player i can get- winning plays" guy.
If you look at Fultz & Bamba, that 24-25 -26 years is age when League cancelles such players from existence.

NBA , due lenght of court, 3 point line distance, how it's played, how it's officiated, how bent so many basketball rules are in favour of athletic plays & freaks puts sort of filter on many guys who are great at basketball.
So on one side of a spectrum, from pure basketball skills POV some Saša Vazenkov is top 150 player, but doesn't have athletic profile for nba.
And guy who wins DPOY & All nba 1st def team ( Gobert) is getting removed out of rotation for a rookie Victor & at that point out of nba- Yabusele in world cup.




but yea... NBA is way more interested into being athletic freak show where nothing really matters than some uber-competitive league. League is way more interested into finding new Lamelo Ball than new Caruso.
Last year during one podcast one guy asked pannel how many Nets 2024-25 players will be in nba pass 2027. And they figured that among like 15-17 men, only 3-4 will actually have serious nba career. It is very telling.

[drsd]

I'm sitting on replay button for an hour, struggling to collect thoughts.

It's fascinating thing really, maybe i'm just dumb today, or i can't gather all the points I want to say.

I can't tell if you think Achiuwa is worth a one-year league min deal or not.

Last season by PER he was the 50th ranked PF. That puts him in the "barely a back-up" range f players. Sounds spot on to me.
Look, even if Achiuwa is deep-bench quality, he's not a guy who should be cut. He is not a 400-450 level player, in my opinion.

So back to my point: the next CBA needs some more protections for these 200-350 guys. By definition there are 150 of them, and that's 150 votes in the player's union!

but yea... NBA is way more interested into being athletic freak show where nothing really matters than some uber-competitive league. League is way more interested into finding new Lamelo Ball than new Caruso.

I LOVEeeee Caruso and am not that amazed by Ball. If I was a GM choosing between these two, on talent alone, I am a Caruso guy. Then considering the player salary lines, Caruso is probably the best combo-guard per salary player in the NBA. He is Mr Moneyball!

Caruso backing up Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort is almost unfair for the League. Sam Presti continues in God-mode as a GM.

[RookieStar]

I kinda think Precious is like Bo Outlaw. Undersized big who sticks around because of effort?