Trade Deadline winners & losers

[JasonStern]

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?

Portland.
* Afflalo greatly improves one of the weakest benches in the league - Afflalo, Kaman, and Blake are all actual NBA players. plus Afflalo can opt-out, meaning he'll likely play at a contract year level
* Gee adds bench depth and possibly beat out Wright for playing time
* the first is likely to be a late first, and if not, it's lottery protected.
* the Blazers had no intentions of retaining the players traded.
* the Blazers now have a backup plan in place this free agency should a team overspend for Wesley Matthews
* the Blazers have a better chance of retaining Aldridge, after showing that they will be active to improve the team

honorable mention:
Oklahoma City, great return considering Reggie Jackson forced their hand.

Who made the worst?
Phoenix.
traded arguably the best player and best pick. no need to pile it on beyond that.

honorable mention:
Utah.


Who was smart in standing pat?
Atlanta and Golden State. why fix what isn't broken?


Who's going to regret not doing anything?
Clippers. why not fix what is broken?


Any other general thoughts?
at this point in his career, I feel bad for Andre Miller, going from a playoff team in the east to a still rebuilding Kings team.

[Chriscross]

The Raptors won't regret not making a move at the deadline

Despite the common perception that our biggest need is a starting PF, it's actually a starting SF

What 2 month rental out there would've put our team over the top?

(Knight, Jackson, Dragic, Kanter, Afflalo, McDaniels, Young, KG, etc..?)


A minor upgrade will not put the Raptors over the top so I'm glad we didn't go for short-term gain while giving up our assets. Speeding up our timetable in order to tailor to the rest of the conference is the worst thing an organization can do.

[loserX]

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?

<snip>

honorable mention:
Oklahoma City, great return considering Reggie Jackson forced their hand.

Who made the worst?

<snip>

honorable mention:
Utah.

Curious about this (though I agree with the rest of your post). I'd say Utah got more value for Kanter than OKC got for RJ, although obviously the goals were different (OKC wanted win-now pieces and Utah didn't). And Kanter publicly wanted out of Utah, too. Do you think Utah could have gotten a lot more? Or that RJ was really worth next to nothing? (Or disagree with my assessment of the value received?)

[jbk1234]

Best Value: Milwaukee getting two young PGs for Kidd to mold and a decent end-of-bench big for a guy who they were probably gonna let leave anyway.

2nd Best Value: Utah, getting a couple picks and dumping a contract for a guy who they were probably gonna let leave anyway.

Gambled and Lost: (big picture) Phoenix, by adding IT, extending Bledsoe, and thinking they could hang on to Dragic. Saw a good analogy: the Suns lost $1000 toward the end of the night, but salvaged $200 at the end to make it look okay.

Mixed Signals: Denver. Sold an outgoing veteran, bought cap space, held on to a couple other vets. Not sure what their plan is.

Did What They Had to Do: Portland, Houston, and OKC all added some tools for this year's playoff blood bath. Miami made a good play to potentially have a solid, older team for a few years.

I Have No Idea What I'm Doing: I was all for Philly this summer, but the people in charge will be fired before they actually finish what they're doing at this rate.

If that Lakers pick is a mid first round pick in 2016 and Dragic signs a max deal this summer, do you still feel the same about the Phoenix trades?

[JasonStern]

Curious about this (though I agree with the rest of your post). I'd say Utah got more value for Kanter than OKC got for RJ, although obviously the goals were different (OKC wanted win-now pieces and Utah didn't). And Kanter publicly wanted out of Utah, too. Do you think Utah could have gotten a lot more? Or that RJ was really worth next to nothing? (Or disagree with my assessment of the value received?)

I haven't followed Utah that closely, and thus didn't realize that Kanter had wanted out. if he didn't want out, it seemed foolish to trade a big that Utah spent years developing. Robin Lopez taking time to develop was how Portland landed him for second round picks. and while I don't see Kanter being an elite big, I also don't think that he has peaked yet. but, again, I don't follow the Jazz that closely.

[ImHeisenberg]

As a Knicks fan I love three things they did at the deadline:

1. Did not get Dragic because we would overpay him this off-season if we did.

You didn't get Dragic because your broke down team couldn't pony up anything of value.

[djthesonicsfan]

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?
Blazers - They think they can win it all. Doubt it but AA is going to do nothing but help.
Miami - Getting Dragon was the perfect trade... if they resign him. And I've got to like their chances compared to the Lakers or the Knicks. But the Heat are going cold now that Bosh is out & their season is over. Crap. We know how that feels.
notSonics - Trading Jackson? It clearly had become addition by subtraction. Augustine? Likely he runs the second unit as good or better all things considered. Kanter? Possibly huge... if he resigns and Brooks successfully manages playing time and roles. Neither a sure thing. Singler & Novak? I'm not convinced. Trading away his beloved picks/prospects? Presti already has several young talented guys sitting on the bench and waiting their turn in the pipeline. Dipping a toe into the tax? Brilliant Presti move ahead of Durant's free agency. But the best aspect of the trade is that Presti improved the team relative to the other legit contenders ahead of yet another title run. That said, I intend to scowl inappropriately all day in honor of Perk. He will be missed in multiple ways more than any analytic guy will ever understand.
Cavaliers - I'll give it to them for getting Mosgov earlier.

Who made the worst?
76ers - Philadelphia has now officially over taken Seattle as worst city to be an NBA fan.
Suns - I'm convinced the only competent people in their organization are the medial staff.

Who was smart in standing pat?
Warriors - Duh
Hawks - Let's say it together... "team chemistry matters!"

Who's going to regret not doing anything?
Warriors - Because they're going to be so sad after we kick their asses in the opening round of the playoffs.

Any other general thoughts?
I will never tire of watching Kate Upton in the Game of War commercials.

[cl2117]

Wanted to wait for the dust to settle, but here are my thoughts (teams listed in each category in order of where I think they should rank):

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?
Bucks- Turning Brandon Knight, a RFA who I think they were going to be at best hesitant to resign this summer, into MCW, Plumlee and Ennis was the best value that any team got out there. Both MCW and Ennis should benefit from being under Kidd and Plumlee is a nice addition despite his struggles in Phoenix. Considering they just bought out Sanders, it's a nice benefit to bring in a "prospect" big man soon after to pair with Henson in their youthful front court. I love every part of the move for them. Biggest win in my eyes.

Detroit- They turned Singler, Augustin and a pair of seconds into Jackson, which is great value. Granted, Jackson was driving his value into the ground recently, objectively I feel like his value should be much higher than this. They get him for a song and I think you take the good value and figure out what to do with Jennings later. It's a really good price to pay to audition a guy who could break out.

OKC- Maybe I'm over thinking it, but one of my favorite parts of this move is that it's a signal from Presti to Durant that he's ready to make moves and not stick exclusively to the "grow your own" strategy that has served him so well thus far. But beyond that it greatly improves their bench, which should make them one of the most dangerous 7th/8th seeds ever. If Jackson hadn't started to torpedo his trade value, I might have viewed this deal a little less favorably, but given the circumstances I still like it. Augustin and Novak should make contributions, but Kanter is the real prize and could be a real difference maker off the bench. Even if Kanter gets lured away by big money this summer, if he contributes in the playoffs I feel like it's worth it.

Who made the worst?
Phoenix- I'm not here to beat a dead horse, so I'll keep it brief. I don't mind the returns for Dragic and Thomas, but the Knight deal was beyond a head scratcher. To lose the Lakers pick, Ennis and Plumlee and come away with only Knight is bad. I just can't see a justification for it. The Bucks were the clear winners for me and by the transitive property the Suns are the clear losers.

Philadelphia-For the MCW trade it's not the value I have a problem with, it's the direction. Hinkie has proven that he can drive a tank better than most other GMs, but at a certain point you have to start driving this team towards wins don't you? I feel as if I should reserve judgement because the value isn't bad, but I'm still confused. I do have a problem with the McDaniels trade. Kid was outplaying his draft position (32nd) by a good margin and you turn around and trade him for the 37th pick? Why?

Miami- (in retrospect) Don't get me wrong, the Dragic deal was a win for them for what they gave up, but with news of Bosh being likely done for the year with blood clots they no longer look like a team that could threaten an upset in the playoffs. On top of that they're going to have to give Dragic big money this summer or they will have ended up paying 2 firsts for a rental without even making a real playoff bid.

Middle Ground:

Good:
Boston- I get that people are questioning the fit for Boston, but the value here is great. They essentially turned a trade exception from trading Pierce into Tyler Zeller (who is having a strong year and on the hook for another at the rookie scale) and Thomas who is signed to a reasonable deal. He can either be a part of the future or a trade chip down the line, but for that price you take the player and figure it out later.

Houston- KJ McDaniels for the 37th pick? Hell yes. McDaniels can actually contribute right now and they got him for nothing. Small move, but still really solid.

Utah- The return isn't anything special, but they had clearly decided that Kanter was not going to be a part of the future so to dump Novak, add a protected 2017 first, a 2nd, Jerret and Pleiß is nothing to scoff at for a guy who wasn't going to be on the team next year either way. I feel like Kanter's lack of defense and the potential he gets overpaid handcuffed them in a way that this return isn't really complaint worthy.

Bad:
Denver- I was in the camp that felt like them getting a first for Afflalo wasn't going to happen, so kudos for that, but I still don't like them paying a separate first to dump McGee. I get why they did it, but I still feel they would have benefited by holding on until this summer. McGee must have really been doing damage in that locker room for that to have been worth it.

Brooklyn-Based purely off the deal they didn't make. If reports that King walked away from a Lopez deal in an attempt to squeeze more out of Presti are true, it's a huge mistake in my book. I have no problem with the KG deal other than I'm a little saddened as a Celtics fan that they got Young who could be good enough to snag a couple extra wins for them in 2016.

Portland- I think they overpaid for Afflalo. I appreciate what they're trying to do and if he turns the tide in a couple playoff games it'll be worth it, but at the moment I think it's an overpayment.

Who was smart in standing pat?
Atlanta, GSW, Chicago- They're all fine where they are. I like the chemistry on each squad.

Who's going to regret not doing anything?
Toronto- I felt like they had the expiring contracts and assets to make some deals. Maybe nothing worthwhile came up, but I thought they had the opportunity to be more active and bolster their roster.

LAC- They've been healthy up until recently and since they got hit by a few injuries, I think it's evident they have some depth issues. It depends on how they fair with the buyouts, but if they can't attract some solid bodies I feel like they'll have some trouble. It's not really their fault though as they don't have the kind of contracts that lend themselves to being moved. Selfishly I'm glad Prince is headed back to Detroit instead of being available for LAC.

Any other general thoughts?
This was a really fun deadline. Thought it was going to disappoint, but didn't. I find it interesting that most of the top squads stood pat for the most part. I'm most excited to keep following the Bucks with their new youth, but also see how Kanter fits in with OKC, McDaniels in Houston, whether Afflalo was worth the price and of course how Thomas meshes with Smart and Bradley in Boston.

[JasonStern]

Portland- I think they overpaid for Afflalo. I appreciate what they're trying to do and if he turns the tide in a couple playoff games it'll be worth it, but at the moment I think it's an overpayment.

I disagree.

Barton = limited upside; wouldn't be retained as the Blazers are committed to McCollum
Robinson = zero value other than expiring contract, hence why he Denver bought him out immediately
Claver = 15th man on Portland's bench

so the only thing of value is a lottery projected late 1st. and looking at what Portland has done drafting in the 20s recently - Nolan Smith, Elliot Williams, Victor Claver - the chance of them getting a better player than Afflalo is small. plus the pick has lottery protection and becomes two future 2nds should anything catastrophic happen.

so now that we understand that Portland gave up very little, the question becomes did they receive even less? from a talent standpoint, absolutely not. Afflalo averages more points per game than all three Blazers players traded. so the only real knock on Afflalo is his contract situation.

Afflalo has a player option for next year. but presuming the Blazers retain Aldridge, Matthews, and Lopez this off-season, they would not have the cap space to acquire Afflalo in free agency. so if Blazers management actually covets Afflalo, then this was the only way to acquire him. and, acquiring him provides a hedge against Matthews leaving in free agency should another team overpay him. it also helps provide depth at the 2/3, as Nicolas Batum's play has deteriorated recently due to injury.

but Afflalo might not opt out, as the year after next is when the salary cap increase happens, allowing him to receive a much larger contract next season. in that scenario, the Blazers get one year more of Afflalo at fair or discounted market value.

but the potential for him to opt out actually helps in the absolute worst case, in which he becomes a complete locker room cancer. in that case, which is unlikely given the fact he is potentially playing in a contract year, the Blazers simply let him opt out after, and all they are out is a late 1st round pick.

and arguably the most important part of the trade is that it increases the chances of Portland retaining Aldridge. remember two and a half seasons back when there were rumors of Aldridge being disgruntled? Aldridge asked Olshey for more help. well, since then, Olshey has acquired Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Chris Kaman, Steve Blake, Meyers Leonard, and CJ McCollum, and the team has gone from a lottery team to making the second round of the playoffs.

I'm not seeing how it's really much of an overpay. who else could Portland have acquired that is better than Afflalo for Barton/Robinson/Claver/late 1st? and would that player be okay coming off the bench, as Afflalo has stated?

[cl2117]

Portland- I think they overpaid for Afflalo. I appreciate what they're trying to do and if he turns the tide in a couple playoff games it'll be worth it, but at the moment I think it's an overpayment.

I disagree.

snip

I'm not seeing how it's really much of an overpay. who else could Portland have acquired that is better than Afflalo for Barton/Robinson/Claver/late 1st? and would that player be okay coming off the bench, as Afflalo has stated?

Fair points all around. My basis on the overpayment isn't that it's not worth it, it's more that I don't think anyone else would have given up a first rounder for Afflalo (even a late one) and therefore he could have been had for less than what they paid. I personally was surprised that Denver managed to snag a first for him. As I said above I think it'll be worth it if Afflalo makes a difference in the playoffs and thus justify the price.

You can overpay and still have it be worthwhile, which could still be the case, but that will depend on how Afflalo plays in Portland.

[HartfordWhalers]

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?

This has to start with Milwaukee. The team is gelling, safely an East playoff team. And they just took half a step back to take 2 steps forward. Its the type of leadership Milwaukee hasn't had -- it is the exact opposite in fact -- and it was incredible. It helps that I think they fleeced Phoenix.

Detroit -- Reggie Jackson for what amounted to peanuts. Dragic goes for 2 1sts - 1 entirely unprotected. Knight goes for a king's ransom. MCW goes for a very likely lotto pick. IT goes for a late 1st. And Reggie Jackson gets spare parts and a 2nd. They could hardball RJ and have him take the q/o next year, and then walk after that. And its a great deal. It is a great deal especially with the Jennings injury and the push for 8th this year. Really, Detroit should be listed first, but the trade seems so obvious that its hard to give them credit for it. Why didn't Boston go for RJ and keep the 1st? Why didn't Miami offer 2 2nds for RJ and keep the 2 1sts?

Who made the worst?

Individually? I'm not a fan of:
Phx's 4 team deal for Knight
OKC's 3 teamer for Kanter
Denver paying to dump McGee

Phx does have the Dragic deal where I think they scored outstanding value and Denver got great value for Afflalo, so lets just single out how much I hated this deadline for OKC:

If someone proposed RJ for Kanter as a trade basis, I would have argued that Utah needed to add value, not OKC. Not tons, but some. So, instead OKC tosses in a 1st, Pleiss, and loses Perkins (not sure thats a good thing come the playoffs) while getting the cap hit of Novak (I think he is a useless player come the playoffs). Oh, and stays in the tax?

I hate everything about this deal. WHo looks at OKC's roster and says, you know what they need? More scoring and less interior defense for the playoffs out West? Also, less insurance behind Westbrook. I wish the Sixers still had Kwame to trade to Presti, while he is collecting former high picks at over inflated prices. He is outsmarting himself at this stage, imo.

Who was smart in standing pat?

GS. Lakers. Orlando. Orlando gets a new coach time with Harkless and Nicholson, which was an under rated staying pat move.

Who's going to regret not doing anything?

They really had no flexibility to, but the Clippers will regret that a series of boneheaded gm moves put them in that corner.

Boston got jack squat for Bass, didn't flip Bradley (I would have), didn't get anything of value for Prince, and spent a very late 1st on a guy that I'm not sure why they did it. It wasn't bad value, but the whole trade deadline left me massively underwhelmed with Boston, and thats before remembering they had all those TPE's.

Philly failing to get a Budinger and picks for TPE deal down (WOj said it was in talks) was also a big fail. The team didn't hit the floor as a result, and more picks are always great. And once you went into next years cap space for Mcgee, why not keep going?

Any other general thoughts?

I said Philly was tanking next year when the McGee trade went through, but trading MCW is a whole other level of continuing the tank. For those saying Philly fans lost out this trade deadline, the diehards who right now are the only ones that really care, are almost all really excited. This was not the popular type of move, but it fits with the explicit goal of creating a championship level dynasty when they can and only caring about that. It is an exciting time.

Isaiah Canaan is about to get an ungodly amount of minutes, shots, and possessions. I'm not sure anyone individually won more than him.

[Texas Chuck]

wow Hartford Whalers loves Reggie Jackson to a point that I think no one else including Reggie Jackson even does.

I agree Detroit got a good price on him, but the reason he didn't bring nearly as much as any other of the major PG's who moved is because he's not nearly as good at basketball. Even Isaiah Thomas is night and day better than Jackson. No way he had more value than Kanter--as proved by the market.

He is an inefficient scorer who fancies himself a primary option. And he really doesn't bring much else to the table. Couldn't disagree with you more on him. Just not that good of a player and proved when he was running the team what a disaster it was. Detroit doesnt have a Kevin Durant to make him look better either.

He's worht a cheap look, but he's not a quality starting PG by any means

[Trader_Joe]

Brooklyn-Based purely off the deal they didn't make. If reports that King walked away from a Lopez deal in an attempt to squeeze more out of Presti are true, it's a huge mistake in my book. I have no problem with the KG deal other than I'm a little saddened as a Celtics fan that they got Young who could be good enough to snag a couple extra wins for them in 2016.

I read about every tweet and report there was...never saw it was King attempting to get more. In fact I heard from about 1pm on it was in OKC's court.

But, that was a blessing.
It would have been a massive mistake taking on RJ.

-Look at the Thunder fans reactions, most call it addition by subtraction.
-BK would have had 3 PG's making about $40m combined next year and not one of them is a top 20 PG.
-It would have kept BK in the tax next year
-Jackson can't shoot, especially from 3, which is a major weakness of this team
-He's not a great distributor.
-His teammates have called him out as selfish.

I would have rather taken expirers with some minor incentive than RJ.

[TRNBA12]

Of the MCW/Knight/Isaiah flip the pick-up I like is Boston and Isaiah. Isaiah has been as good statistically in his career if not better than Knight. He's selfish? Maybe, but he's young, controlled, I don't think Dragic and Bledsoe are blameless in that situation, etc. I think Boston has a reasonable chance of ending up with an all-star PG out of this deal for cheap

[buckboy]

The last few details are still trickling in, but most of the blood has been shed! Time to weigh in with our knee-jerk opinions

Who do you think made the best moves this deadline?

**homer alert--Milwaukee. Couldn't be happier with what we got for Knight. And really, I didn't even care as long as he was gone. I just didn't want us to overpay him.

Who made the worst?

If I were a Phoenix fan I would feel like I got kicked in the nuts like 40 times.

Who was smart in standing pat?

I think the usual suspects here. GSW, Atlanta. If GSW could've shed some salary I'm sure the would've.

Who's going to regret not doing anything?

Toronto, although I'm not sure what they could've done. Seems like a wing may have been in order. Chandler?

Any other general thoughts?

Best trade deadline in a long time. The Bucks make a deadline deal every year and I've hated almost all of them. Refreshing to see my longtime favorite team finally make a proactive move and sell a guy when is value is highest.

[JasonStern]

I'm not seeing how it's really much of an overpay. who else could Portland have acquired that is better than Afflalo for Barton/Robinson/Claver/late 1st? and would that player be okay coming off the bench, as Afflalo has stated?

Fair points all around. My basis on the overpayment isn't that it's not worth it, it's more that I don't think anyone else would have given up a first rounder for Afflalo (even a late one) and therefore he could have been had for less than what they paid. I personally was surprised that Denver managed to snag a first for him. As I said above I think it'll be worth it if Afflalo makes a difference in the playoffs and thus justify the price.

while Afflalo probably could have been had for less, Portland couldn't have acquired him for less. they have no second round picks for years due to the Lopez and Robinson trades. and if Denver was willing to trade Afflalo for that, then suddenly the Bulls and Clippers become potential buyers.

the Blazers traded the 12th, 14th, and 15th most valuable players on their roster, so let's look at what talent they could have added to entice Denver. Wright likely is gone at the end of the season, but he has zero value to a rebuilding Denver team. Freeland might have value, but he's currently injured, and that would leave Portland without a third string center. Leonard and McCollum would likely have value for Denver, but both of them are worth more than a late 1st round pick, so including either would be more of an overpay on Portland's part. so that only leaves Crabbe as a trade piece, and who knows how much value Denver would put on him giving his limited playing time.

so working under the presumption that Denver either undervalued Crabbe or Portland overvalued Crabbe, the only other way to adjust the trade would be to change the protection on the pick. but given the fact that the pick becomes two second round picks if the Blazers miss the playoffs for the next two seasons, is giving that up positive value for Portland? the Blazers future for the next few seasons depends on retaining Aldridge. if he walks, the Blazers are a lottery team with how competitive the west is. and the competitive west means that top 20 protection versus lottery protection buys you next to nothing, because the win discrepancy between the two conferences means that the eighth seed in the west is still going to have something like the 19th pick. look at what loose protection did to the Lakers when Howard walked. loose protection of high picks is way more dangerous than trying to salvage a pick in the 18-20 range.

plus, overlooked due to Afflalo being the centerpiece of the trade, is that Gee has value for Portland. before the trade, small forward was Portland's biggest position of weakness. now, while the talent level may be questionable, at least there is depth. and either Gee will get playing time, or he will light a fire under Wright's ass, and someone is likely to produce more in limited minutes.

on paper, this looks like a really good deal for Portland. the real question from a value standpoint for Portland is, if they were willing to take on Afflalo's salary, why do it at the trade deadline instead of when Orlando was shopping him during the off season? but that goes beyond the scope of "Trade Deadline winners & losers".

[cl2117]

I'm not seeing how it's really much of an overpay. who else could Portland have acquired that is better than Afflalo for Barton/Robinson/Claver/late 1st? and would that player be okay coming off the bench, as Afflalo has stated?

Fair points all around. My basis on the overpayment isn't that it's not worth it, it's more that I don't think anyone else would have given up a first rounder for Afflalo (even a late one) and therefore he could have been had for less than what they paid. I personally was surprised that Denver managed to snag a first for him. As I said above I think it'll be worth it if Afflalo makes a difference in the playoffs and thus justify the price.

while Afflalo probably could have been had for less, Portland couldn't have acquired him for less. they have no second round picks for years due to the Lopez and Robinson trades. and if Denver was willing to trade Afflalo for that, then suddenly the Bulls and Clippers become potential buyers.

snip

Fair enough. I didn't realize they had dumped all their 2nds until 2019. I was operating under the impression that they could have slung a couple seconds along with Robinson/Claver/Barton and maybe Crabbe and gotten the deal done, but obviously that wasn't an option for them.

Given that, you're right they couldn't have gotten him for less and I think you're also right they probably couldn't have gotten a better fit for the same package. So I'd definitely change my view and take it out of the middle of the road "bad" section.

I really don't have a problem with the deal for Portland at all, it was just that I didn't think Afflalo was going to net Denver a first round pick after what he brought back for Orlando last year and considering that he is having a worse year. But if you don't have the option to pay any less, then you really have to just decide whether he's worth a little bit of an overpayment (and I think he is).

Thanks for the breakdown though, appreciate the info, makes a lot more sense now that I better understand the context.

[cl2117]

Brooklyn-Based purely off the deal they didn't make. If reports that King walked away from a Lopez deal in an attempt to squeeze more out of Presti are true, it's a huge mistake in my book. I have no problem with the KG deal other than I'm a little saddened as a Celtics fan that they got Young who could be good enough to snag a couple extra wins for them in 2016.

I read about every tweet and report there was...never saw it was King attempting to get more. In fact I heard from about 1pm on it was in OKC's court.

Snip

Good catch. Was basing my assessment off this thread http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1373740#start_here, but looking back on it now it seems like there's no actual support for the OPs story (at least provided). Checked it out and you're right it seems like the ball was in OKC's court and Presti just decided to go another route.

Not sure whether not grabbing RJ is actually a blessing, although I think your argument is fair. I probably like Jackson more than most though.

[Trader_Joe]

Brooklyn-Based purely off the deal they didn't make. If reports that King walked away from a Lopez deal in an attempt to squeeze more out of Presti are true, it's a huge mistake in my book. I have no problem with the KG deal other than I'm a little saddened as a Celtics fan that they got Young who could be good enough to snag a couple extra wins for them in 2016.

I read about every tweet and report there was...never saw it was King attempting to get more. In fact I heard from about 1pm on it was in OKC's court.

Snip

Good catch. Was basing my assessment off this thread http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1373740#start_here, but looking back on it now it seems like there's no actual support for the OPs story (at least provided). Checked it out and you're right it seems like the ball was in OKC's court and Presti just decided to go another route.

Not sure whether not grabbing RJ is actually a blessing, although I think your argument is fair. I probably like Jackson more than most though.

No worries, I was just wondering if I missed something.
We shall see about RJ but for now, we have more pressing needs IMO.

[bondom34]

I read about every tweet and report there was...never saw it was King attempting to get more. In fact I heard from about 1pm on it was in OKC's court.

Snip

Good catch. Was basing my assessment off this thread http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1373740#start_here, but looking back on it now it seems like there's no actual support for the OPs story (at least provided). Checked it out and you're right it seems like the ball was in OKC's court and Presti just decided to go another route.

Not sure whether not grabbing RJ is actually a blessing, although I think your argument is fair. I probably like Jackson more than most though.

No worries, I was just wondering if I missed something.
We shall see about RJ but for now, we have more pressing needs IMO.

I'd agree you didn't need rj, my reasoning they were a loser was they really should have done something, anything to get a little youngere and cheaper. Thad's nice, but doesn't really fit that. They're in the same position as when they entered the day essentially, where I think the winners of the day are teams who achieved some meaningful goal. I think OKC, MKE, PHI, MIA, PDX, and HOU at least did that.