Around The NBA : 2024-25 Offseason

[Ice Man]

Cam Thomas being offered 2/28 is about as low down dirty as it gets.

Hmmm. Cam does score a lot of points. On the other hand, he is the poster child for an overrated NBA player -- a volume scorer who is neither particularly efficient nor good at any other aspect of the game, including defense.

This deal suggests to me that GMs are getting smarter. That said, yes it does seem that the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction.

[fleet]

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[samwana]

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Self proclaimed king, terrible, terrible person, terrible ad, terrible image and always finding a way make it worse.

[kulaz3000]

The sad thing about LeBron is that he doesn't need to place himself at the top of the hill constantly to prove to everyone that he is the best. He is already the best player to have ever lived in millions of peoples minds, and just because there are just as many or perhaps more that feel Jordan is the best, who gives a crap. Just the fact that you're in the discussion as being the best of all time in a sport with such history is as good as it gets.

At the end of the day, he has a massive ego, which many top athletes do, so that attribute isn't abnormal. However, he also seems extremely sensitive and concerned about about his legacy, and has this insistence to promote his achievements and his importance - he reminds me a lot of Shaq in that way, another great player who loves talking about himself and what he does, and also another sensitive person who cares deeply about what others think about him.

One of the least attractive and uncool things to do as a person, is when they self idolize themselves. It's extremely off-putting.

[Indomitable]

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Self proclaimed king, terrible, terrible person, terrible ad, terrible image and always finding a way make it worse.

It is just buffoonery now. Social media has destroyed common sense.

[MrSparkle]

I didn’t catch any Eurobasket games (can’t be bothered to figure out this landscape of more paid subscription services), but I read Vuc is retiring from Montenegro’s NT. They also lost to a terribly ranked Great Britain. Not his fault as I’m sure that backcourt sucks and he produced (empty calories as we say).

But back to Bulls. Time to average 20/10 and sub-.500 wins.

[kodo]

What do we think the punishment for Kawhi/Clippers will be?

For reference, Joe Smith / Timberwolves was 5 1st round draft picks taken away (later reduced to 3) but most importantly the voiding of Joe's contract.
The amount in the Kawhi case is much smaller, $28M vs Joe Smith's $86M.

[Infinity2152]

All these lowball offers are not GM's getting smarter, imo. No team has money. Period. These guys are restricted free agents in a summer when NO teams have money, the teams are literally bidding against themselves. Wait until next summer when a ton of teams have cap space, and see how many "bargain" contracts get signed, or RFA's at the level of Giddey, Kuminga, Thomas, Grimes getting absolutely no offers. Teams generally have to overpay to steal a RFA. Myles Turner was an UFA, wouldn't consider his contract a bargain and he's an older midlevel player at $27 mill AAV.

They're pressing so hard one or two of those guys might actually take the QO. That almost never happens, and is not a win for the team. The teams clearing cap this summer mostly have major injuries to core players.

[jnrjr79]

All these lowball offers are not GM's getting smarter, imo. No team has money. Period. These guys are restricted free agents in a summer when NO teams have money, the teams are literally bidding against themselves. Wait until next summer when a ton of teams have cap space, and see how many "bargain" contracts get signed, or RFA's at the level of Giddey, Kuminga, Thomas, Grimes getting absolutely no offers. Teams generally have to overpay to steal a RFA. Myles Turner was an UFA, wouldn't consider his contract a bargain and he's an older midlevel player at $27 mill AAV.

They're pressing so hard one or two of those guys might actually take the QO. That almost never happens, and is not a win for the team. The teams clearing cap this summer mostly have major injuries to core players.

IMO, I wouldn't really read anything re: the lack of deals as of September 3.

Kuminga seems like the one who may well sign it, but his situation is different. The Warriors do not seem to want him and only are making offers so they don't lose an asset for nothing - they want to trade him. In Kuminga's situation, you might take the health risk so you can be a UFA the following offseason and be able to choose where you go, rather than signing with the Warriors and potentially being traded somewhere you don't view as desirable.

Re: Giddey, it's pretty clear the Bulls want him to be a key piece, so while they are playing hardball now, I'll be surprised if they don't up their offer and ultimately reach a deal.

[sco]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/nba-9-best-shooters-long-120000298.html

3. Zach LaVine, G, Sacramento Kings
Zach LaVine just had one of the best non-Splash Brothers shooting seasons in NBA history, and it flew entirely under the radar. LaVine drained 44.6 percent of his threes last year between stops in Chicago and Sacramento, roaring back to form after injuries limited to only 25 games the previous year. LaVine is equally deadly on pull-ups and typically more efficient catch-and-shoot attempts: he made 43.8 percent of his off-the-dribble threes last season on 320 attempts, and hit 44.7 percent of his spot-ups on 206 attempts. His quick trigger allowed him to make 43 percent of his tightly guarded threes with defenders within four feet of him. LaVine’s contract is so big that the Bulls couldn’t give him away before the Kings finally took the bait, but the 30-year-old could be an unrestricted free agent after this season if he opts out of the last year of his deal. It’s a shame LaVine has spent his entire NBA career in terrible situations between Minnesota, Chicago, and now Sacramento. Here’s hoping he finds a good organization where he can play off a true superstar before his prime is over.

[DuckIII]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/nba-9-best-shooters-long-120000298.html

3. Zach LaVine, G, Sacramento Kings
Zach LaVine just had one of the best non-Splash Brothers shooting seasons in NBA history, and it flew entirely under the radar. LaVine drained 44.6 percent of his threes last year between stops in Chicago and Sacramento, roaring back to form after injuries limited to only 25 games the previous year. LaVine is equally deadly on pull-ups and typically more efficient catch-and-shoot attempts: he made 43.8 percent of his off-the-dribble threes last season on 320 attempts, and hit 44.7 percent of his spot-ups on 206 attempts. His quick trigger allowed him to make 43 percent of his tightly guarded threes with defenders within four feet of him. LaVine’s contract is so big that the Bulls couldn’t give him away before the Kings finally took the bait, but the 30-year-old could be an unrestricted free agent after this season if he opts out of the last year of his deal. It’s a shame LaVine has spent his entire NBA career in terrible situations between Minnesota, Chicago, and now Sacramento. Here’s hoping he finds a good organization where he can play off a true superstar before his prime is over.

Could not agree more. Every word.

[DASMACKDOWN]

First Domino dropped. Cam Thomas signs 6M Qualifying offer with Nets.

[kodo]

So QOs have an implicit No Trade Clause? These are so rare didn't realize that.

[rosenthall]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/nba-9-best-shooters-long-120000298.html

3. Zach LaVine, G, Sacramento Kings
Zach LaVine just had one of the best non-Splash Brothers shooting seasons in NBA history, and it flew entirely under the radar. LaVine drained 44.6 percent of his threes last year between stops in Chicago and Sacramento, roaring back to form after injuries limited to only 25 games the previous year. LaVine is equally deadly on pull-ups and typically more efficient catch-and-shoot attempts: he made 43.8 percent of his off-the-dribble threes last season on 320 attempts, and hit 44.7 percent of his spot-ups on 206 attempts. His quick trigger allowed him to make 43 percent of his tightly guarded threes with defenders within four feet of him. LaVine’s contract is so big that the Bulls couldn’t give him away before the Kings finally took the bait, but the 30-year-old could be an unrestricted free agent after this season if he opts out of the last year of his deal. It’s a shame LaVine has spent his entire NBA career in terrible situations between Minnesota, Chicago, and now Sacramento. Here’s hoping he finds a good organization where he can play off a true superstar before his prime is over.

Could not agree more. Every word.

Lavine has quietly become an underrated player. Sort of like what happened to Drummond by the time we signed him. He's empty calories as a lead guy, but he does things with the ball that only a few players in the league can do. And last year he played at a decent usage. A savvy GM could make a great move by acquiring him for probably cap filler and a little bit of draft capital, for a guy who's frankly probably as effective as someone like Mikal Bridges right now.

[Chi town]

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[kulaz3000]

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Dodged a bullet there. I really liked him. He already had some foot concerns, and now an ACL tear. Not a great start to a young career, but I still young enough that he can turn things around quickly.

Injuries suck.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

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Self proclaimed king, terrible, terrible person, terrible ad, terrible image and always finding a way make it worse.

A terrible, terrible person huh? What's he ever done that's so bad? In a league full of sex offenders and guys who never shut up with their stupid, offensive opinions, LeBron has been squeaky clean for over 20 years. This ad isn't even that bad, good lord.

Also, Jason Whitlock seems like an actual bad person, remember that time he made fun of Jeremy Lin because "Asians have small penises"? The guy is the ultimate **** grifter; was once a reasonable journalist until he realized he could make more money leaning into the MAGA crowd and perpetuating racist stereotypes about his own people. There's a term for that...

[MrSparkle]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/nba-9-best-shooters-long-120000298.html

3. Zach LaVine, G, Sacramento Kings
Zach LaVine just had one of the best non-Splash Brothers shooting seasons in NBA history, and it flew entirely under the radar. LaVine drained 44.6 percent of his threes last year between stops in Chicago and Sacramento, roaring back to form after injuries limited to only 25 games the previous year. LaVine is equally deadly on pull-ups and typically more efficient catch-and-shoot attempts: he made 43.8 percent of his off-the-dribble threes last season on 320 attempts, and hit 44.7 percent of his spot-ups on 206 attempts. His quick trigger allowed him to make 43 percent of his tightly guarded threes with defenders within four feet of him. LaVine’s contract is so big that the Bulls couldn’t give him away before the Kings finally took the bait, but the 30-year-old could be an unrestricted free agent after this season if he opts out of the last year of his deal. It’s a shame LaVine has spent his entire NBA career in terrible situations between Minnesota, Chicago, and now Sacramento. Here’s hoping he finds a good organization where he can play off a true superstar before his prime is over.

Could not agree more. Every word.

Lavine has quietly become an underrated player. Sort of like what happened to Drummond by the time we signed him. He's empty calories as a lead guy, but he does things with the ball that only a few players in the league can do. And last year he played at a decent usage. A savvy GM could make a great move by acquiring him for probably cap filler and a little bit of draft capital, for a guy who's frankly probably as effective as someone like Mikal Bridges right now.

I dunno. I think he's fairly rated. If he was on a $25M salary, that trade return could've been better. Even then, 3 solid bench players (and near/expiring salaries) and the lotto pick seems like a great return (even though the hypothetical 2021-2023 return could've been better, and disregarding that it was our own pick). I'd make that trade 7x a week. Lavine is a great scorer, but he's a big problem at $47M (esp. on a team with shaky defense, leadership and playmaking). His defense and intangibles aren't adequate enough (and his offensive IQ/playmaking isn't good enough to compensate, be a #1 option). His BPM with the Kings was negative! His on/off was also negative.

He's definitely a top-10 SG though (Reaves, Powell, Herro, Bane), and if you were a contender willing to pay 2nd apron, I'd gladly add him to the mix.

How traditional bigs and PGs died though... it's been overlooked how the traditional SGs have also died. There's still a job for a prime Ray Allen or Klay Thompson, but their value would be in how low their usage is (with high efficiency). If you're not a successful NBA triple-threat/creator, you're just better off shooting open 3Ps at a 35% clip than being a sieve and shooting 39% on more defended shots. "Role-player diversity" has died. Height/physique/position don't matter; are you able to defend 2+ spots and shoot 3Ps? Even the elite specialists like Gobert and Duncan Robinson can't hang in post-season anymore; quite radically compared to just 4Y ago. Herro made a jump maybe cause he successfully added PG responsibilities (dunno the ceiling there).

[jnrjr79]

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Self proclaimed king, terrible, terrible person, terrible ad, terrible image and always finding a way make it worse.

A terrible, terrible person huh? What's he ever done that's so bad? In a league full of sex offenders and guys who never shut up with their stupid, offensive opinions, LeBron has been squeaky clean for over 20 years. This ad isn't even that bad, good lord.

Also, Jason Whitlock seems like an actual bad person, remember that time he made fun of Jeremy Lin because "Asians have small penises"? The guy is the ultimate **** grifter; was once a reasonable journalist until he realized he could make more money leaning into the MAGA crowd and perpetuating racist stereotypes about his own people. There's a term for that...

FWIW, the rate of criminality in the NBA is lower than that of males of the same age cohort in the general population. Always bugs me when people portray the NBA as full of lowlifes.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

FWIW, the rate of criminality in the NBA is lower than that of males of the same age cohort in the general population. Always bugs me when people portray the NBA as full of lowlifes.

People making millions of dollars a year are probably not going to rob people or sell drugs, good point. Having public relations employees and a team of agents working for you might reduce some of the faux pas. That isn't the point. I'm not making NBA players out to be "lowlifes". I'm questioning why LeBron is a "terrible, terrible person" when he's done nothing wrong, illegal or even immoral like cheating on his spouse or being an uninvolved father or coercing women into getting abortions (send da video) or saying that the Jews control the world etc. I think signing a deal with a shoe company known for its sweatshops is kind of immoral but nobody actually cares about that.
I mean we have a 30 page thread discussing a guy who got "tricked" into statutory rape. Kobe Bryant actually admitted to raping a woman and he's a hero. A guy who beat the everliving **** out of his girlfriend is being paid 75 million dollars to dribble a ball. Karl Malone is honored by the NBA every other week. John Stockton is spreading lies about vaccines.

What did LeBron ever do? He has an ego, so does every professional athlete; he's also the best player of all time, it seems warranted. Otherwise he seems like a genuinely nice guy who's managed to stay clean in 22 years in front of the limelight in the social media era. I find the "outrage" regarding this totally innocuous marketing video to be....well weird, frankly. Old man yells at cloud kinda thing.