FA/Trade Rumors & Discussion - Durant, Kyrie, AD, etc

[DowNY]

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Pels are gonna take that deal. They get what they want, even if those LAL young players are a tad overrated.

leaking a list of teams you will sign with and then the lakers giving you the best deal. Funny

AD did the Pels a favor by providing those teams

[knickstape4ever]

That takes the Lakers out of Kyrie and Kawhi.

Only if they take on Hill too.

I think they can still get a max FA because they would trade out about 18M between Ball, Ingram, Kuz and take on 27M (Davis). Lebron (35) and Deng (5M) are really the only 2 significant salaries on the books past this season, everyone else (who wouldn't be involved in trade) is below 2M

[Strick]

The Lakers are gonna have LeBron, AD, and a bunch of G-league players by the time they agree on a deal

[Knicksfan1992]

Yeah, that probably beats anything we could offer unless we get the #1 pick, which is far from a certainty, and wasn't there a report that we didn't want to trade our pick this year anyways?

Sounds like AD to LA is a done deal, unless the Pels really try to get cheeky and think they're gonna get Ainge to actually give up assets

I'm pretty shocked they would turn down Porzingis for that but we couldn't provide the salary relief the Lakers do and I'm guessing Janis was ready to pull the "QO" card at the moment he realized KP was being floated for AD.

[DOT]

Lonzo really isn't good enough yet for them to worry about this, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was willing to pull what KP threatened the Knicks with and just sign the qualifying offer to get out of there... Lavar has always said that money isn't an issue for these kids because ultimately they own their own sponsorships with BBB. That makes that package way less appealing if I'm the Pels. It's probably still the best one out of the chit ones Rich Paul saddled them with with that list (clearly rigged for the Lakers to get him IMO) but just something that I would note from an interested outside perspective...

We should jump in as a third team and offer cap relief and DSJ and try and get Lonzo

[F N 11]

Old Lebron
AD

and a bunch of buyout guys. Annoying... Lebron is the king of killing rebuilds.

[SARGO127]

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If that’s the case, this will be done soon. LA should add Zubac and be done w it.

[Stannis]

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so stupid, take the best prospect/pick package. the only bad contract is Solomon Hill who makes like 13M next year and is a FA in 2020, that's not that bad.

Yea, I don't understand them taking a less offer because they want to dump Solomon Hill. It isn't THAT bad. Pelicans aren't counting on free agency anyway.

[Stannis]

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ydzxr8q5

I want to see this trade, but Lakers including 3 first round picks. Then I think it's fair.

[NYKHardKnock]

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so stupid, take the best prospect/pick package. the only bad contract is Solomon Hill who makes like 13M next year and is a FA in 2020, that's not that bad.

Yea, I don't understand them taking a less offer because they want to dump Solomon Hill. It isn't THAT bad. Pelicans aren't counting on free agency anyway.

hes not even making crazy money, it makes no sense LOL. It’s just helping us

[Knicksfan1992]

Pels are gonna take that deal. They get what they want, even if those LAL young players are a tad overrated.

leaking a list of teams you will sign with and then the lakers giving you the best deal. Funny

AD did the Pels a favor by providing those teams

No he didn't lol. They're much better off waiting for the Celtics. That list is rigged for him to go to the Lakers... Rich Paul knows Milwaukee has nothing the Pels want and that the Lakers can beat what the Knicks and Clippers can offer right now. It's a telling sign that every list or allusion to a list also included the qualifier that he wasn't going to Boston under any scenario. That's the only realistic team that could beat the Lakers proposed offer.

[Stannis]

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so stupid, take the best prospect/pick package. the only bad contract is Solomon Hill who makes like 13M next year and is a FA in 2020, that's not that bad.

Yea, I don't understand them taking a less offer because they want to dump Solomon Hill. It isn't THAT bad. Pelicans aren't counting on free agency anyway.

hes not even making crazy money, it makes no sense LOL. It’s just helping us

Forgot about that lol. That does help our Free Agency. In that case, please happen.

[shtolky]

I don't get the Tatum hype at all. He's been...good this season, sometimes very good. But people talk about him like he's a lock for all-NBA. I don't love the Lakers young players but I'd rather have those three vs. just Tatum, assuming the Pels would take Tatum and some of Boston's high picks.

[Knicksfan1992]

Lonzo really isn't good enough yet for them to worry about this, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was willing to pull what KP threatened the Knicks with and just sign the qualifying offer to get out of there... Lavar has always said that money isn't an issue for these kids because ultimately they own their own sponsorships with BBB. That makes that package way less appealing if I'm the Pels. It's probably still the best one out of the chit ones Rich Paul saddled them with with that list (clearly rigged for the Lakers to get him IMO) but just something that I would note from an interested outside perspective...

We should jump in as a third team and offer cap relief and DSJ and try and get Lonzo

I'm pretty sure the Knicks know they're in on Durant or else they would jump in on that IMo. I actually think it should be Frank though instead of DSJ

I like DSJ and Lonzo better than Frank and Lonzo

[F N 11]

They gotta give up Zubac to make this worst than the Melo trade.

[shtolky]

What would be the Lakers cap space number if this proposed deal went down that includes Hill?

[knickstape4ever]

Lonzo really isn't good enough yet for them to worry about this, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was willing to pull what KP threatened the Knicks with and just sign the qualifying offer to get out of there... Lavar has always said that money isn't an issue for these kids because ultimately they own their own sponsorships with BBB. That makes that package way less appealing if I'm the Pels. It's probably still the best one out of the chit ones Rich Paul saddled them with with that list (clearly rigged for the Lakers to get him IMO) but just something that I would note from an interested outside perspective...

We should jump in as a third team and offer cap relief and DSJ and try and get Lonzo

I'm pretty sure the Knicks know they're in on Durant or else they would jump in on that IMo. I actually think it should be Frank though instead of DSJ

I like DSJ and Lonzo better than Frank and Lonzo

I don't get all the Lonzo love. Smith's been the better pro

[Stannis]

Pelicans must get Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Zubac, Josh Hart, 3 First Round Picks, 2 Second Round Picks, Cash

Then I think it's a fair deal.

[DowNY]

leaking a list of teams you will sign with and then the lakers giving you the best deal. Funny

AD did the Pels a favor by providing those teams

No he didn't lol. They're much better off waiting for the Celtics. That list is rigged for him to go to the Lakers... Rich Paul knows Milwaukee has nothing the Pels want and that the Lakers can beat what the Knicks and Clippers can offer right now. It's a telling sign that every list or allusion to a list also included the qualifier that he wasn't going to Boston under any scenario. That's the only realistic team that could beat the Lakers proposed offer.

Only way Celtics beat that offer is if they offer Tatum.
I don’t see the celtics doing that with AD not wanting to sign an extension and without Kyrie fully committed.
It would be Broken Haywood, Old Horford & AD.
Then AD leaves.

[SelbyCobra]

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what he's saying is the knicks are a destination because everybody thinks durant is coming. it's like i said yesterday, so many of these media guys are convinced.

I personally think Klutches co-sign via the AD rumors is a huge deal. I also am not convinced it means anything specifically with AD, but instead is a signal from the Lebron group that things have changed and the Knicks are a viable landing spot.

It's been a long journey since the last major Knicks FA cap space when they put forth just about the wrongest foot possible with the clueless/classless James Dolan, chucklehead D'Antoni, and a wheelchair-bound old white man in Donnie Walsh in the room to sell James on coming here and effectively working for them. Yes that's disrespecting any business/basketball acumen they have, but it's the optics.

Since then Lebron has become an outspoken activist for the empowerment of athletes on the whole, and also specifically for black athletes getting into positions of power - both officially by title and unofficially by using there star power more effectively to control their path. That's the kind of isht those holding positions of power with the Knicks since Lebron's time in the league have hated. Lebron has really funneled a ton of money and time in the pursuit of growing his own power as an individual, and encouraging other athletes to do the same.

Since then the Knicks have arrived at a point now where they have highly-credentialed black men in positions of power helming the day-to-day operations of the organization, and who are conscious of that modern player's mindset. Most importantly they have created the perception that they are relatable to it (the mindset). While it doesn't hurt, I don't necessarily think that a FO has to be black in order to curry this favor, but they just have to be RELATABLE. A huge problem for the Knicks historically has been the clumsiness/ignorance with which they try to sell themselves to the modern athlete.

Of course Dolan is still there and still a problem, but almost every team in the league outside of SAC and CHA is going to have similar issues with those optics. With Mills, Perry, and Fizdale the Knicks are positioned perhaps better than any other team in the league to be accepted as a place where legitimate star players can go to have power and create something together. I don't think it's any mistake that a guy as well connected and diligent as Perry ended up hiring a coach that is unquestionably the best coach in the league to try and draw star players attempting to form like Voltron.

Besides Perry doing major work as the GM to even make it attractive in the first place, I think this is exactly why the Knicks - with the worst record in the league - are on AD's list issued by the Lebron-influenced Klutch, and rumored for KD/Kyrie, and why the Celtics led by Danny Ainge, who has the perception of treating players like cold hard assets, are not.