Rumors, Random Thoughts, etc Version 20/20 We all got everything right...

[SlimShady83]

Is that being reported somewhere?

The wiretap is reporting it: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/282946/Jazz-Signal-Intent-To-Build-Around-Lauri-Markkanen-Rather-Than-Explore-Trade

The Utah Jazz are signaling a shift away from rebuilding mode. League sources increasingly believe the team will add talent around Lauri Markkanen this trade season rather than trade their star forward. The move would mark Utah's attempt to return to playoff contention after three seasons outside the postseason.

The idea of building around Lauri tracks with everything that the Jazz FO has been doing for the last few years. It makes perfect sense for them to be buyers next summer, but to do it early at the deadline makes little sense unless it’s an opportunistic trade for an injured but promising player who is out for the season.

What is Utah doing man, this is nuts

[babyjax13]

Is that being reported somewhere?

The wiretap is reporting it: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/282946/Jazz-Signal-Intent-To-Build-Around-Lauri-Markkanen-Rather-Than-Explore-Trade

The Utah Jazz are signaling a shift away from rebuilding mode. League sources increasingly believe the team will add talent around Lauri Markkanen this trade season rather than trade their star forward. The move would mark Utah's attempt to return to playoff contention after three seasons outside the postseason.

smokescreen to drive up asking price on Lauri

I hope so. The only logic for this I can think of is the simple belief that we can't finish bottom 8 so it is better to make the play-in. But if that is your logic, deal some future picks to get OKC to relinquish protections on our pick and hope the lottery gods smile upon you. They may also just believe Ace is *him.* I do think he is going to be really damn good but it is too early to be pushing in *unless* they think they can get Giannis in a picks-only package. George - Bailey - Lauri - Giannis - Kessler would be a contender. But I don't think we have a shot at him.

[Devilanche]

Yeah Seth is likely in his final season.

I want curry and LeBron final season to overlap. Would be nice. Maybe KD as well…

LeBron will play another season before he shares his retirement tour spotlight lol

Let him announce his and then both to announce theirs .

[Devilanche]

Utah being buyers at the deadline would be profoundly stupid.

Is that being reported somewhere?

The wiretap is reporting it: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/282946/Jazz-Signal-Intent-To-Build-Around-Lauri-Markkanen-Rather-Than-Explore-Trade

The Utah Jazz are signaling a shift away from rebuilding mode. League sources increasingly believe the team will add talent around Lauri Markkanen this trade season rather than trade their star forward. The move would mark Utah's attempt to return to playoff contention after three seasons outside the postseason.

I’m quietly optimistic at this news as an OKC fan .

[kobe_vs_jordan]

I want curry and LeBron final season to overlap. Would be nice. Maybe KD as well…

LeBron will play another season before he shares his retirement tour spotlight lol

He should go back to Cleveland, play for the minimum and help them get another championship.

2028 Olympics retirement tour i can get behind.

[K_chile22]

If the jazz don't finish bottom 4 they need to just clear house. We're in year whatever of this rebuild and they have zero foundational young guys. Just unacceptable to not try to go get one in this draft. They suck. No move at the deadline is going to change that.

[Mavrelous]

Jazz young players aren't as bad as they looked yesterday, but none of them projects to be starting quality player, except Bailey who's still young and didn't get the time to prove himself.
It makes this report about building around Markannen very odd, they need starters at the
1,2 and 3, one of them needs to be offensive 1st option and the other 2 need to be very good defenders.
Good luck finding 2 of these 3s in one off season.

[MoneyTalks41890]

Jazz need to move Lauri. Whether it’s the deal Ainge wants or not, or whether they may have been better deals in the past, find the best deal quietly here and move him.

[Slava]

Jazz young players aren't as bad as they looked yesterday, but none of them projects to be starting quality player, except Bailey who's still young and didn't get the time to prove himself.
It makes this report about building around Markannen very odd, they need starters at the
1,2 and 3, one of them needs to be offensive 1st option and the other 2 need to be very good defenders.
Good luck finding 2 of these 3s in one off season.

Keyonte George looks nice. I don’t know if he’ll eventually settle into a Jordan Clarkson role or be anything more.

[Mavrelous]

Jazz young players aren't as bad as they looked yesterday, but none of them projects to be starting quality player, except Bailey who's still young and didn't get the time to prove himself.
It makes this report about building around Markannen very odd, they need starters at the
1,2 and 3, one of them needs to be offensive 1st option and the other 2 need to be very good defenders.
Good luck finding 2 of these 3s in one off season.

Keyonte George looks nice. I don’t know if he’ll eventually settle into a Jordan Clarkson role or be anything more.

Yeah, he's breaking out this year, a good scorer who isn't a PG and can't defend well, so 6th man type, he looked dreadful yesterday though, had no idea what he was doing.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Rob Dillingham for Keon Ellis?

[Mavrelous]

Rob Dillingham for Keon Ellis?

Is Dillingham that bad?

[brackdan70]

Is that being reported somewhere?

The wiretap is reporting it: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/282946/Jazz-Signal-Intent-To-Build-Around-Lauri-Markkanen-Rather-Than-Explore-Trade

The Utah Jazz are signaling a shift away from rebuilding mode. League sources increasingly believe the team will add talent around Lauri Markkanen this trade season rather than trade their star forward. The move would mark Utah's attempt to return to playoff contention after three seasons outside the postseason.

I’m quietly optimistic at this news as an OKC fan .

What will you do with all those picks lol. A good problem to have.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Rob Dillingham for Keon Ellis?

Is Dillingham that bad?

My thoughts on this are a couple things.

1) Minnesota is really freaking good, especially their 4-man line-up of Randle/Gobert/Donte/McDaniels, which in limited minutes boast a +19 Net-Rating. Small sample, but I stumbled upon it when looking at the top 4-man units and it caught my eye.

2) Dillingham's place in the league is difficult to pin-point. The league has never had so many "larger" ball-handlers. That's where the shift has gone, which prioritize size as a ball-handlers to utilize strength and power to get to the spots on the court. This, in turn, has eliminated small-ball line-ups throughout the NBA. Now, a caveat here in support of small guards is as the NBA has moved back to traditional centers, smaller guards like Dillingham can theoretically become valuable again as they can absolute cook traditional big-men in isolation or pick-and-roll.

3) Keon Ellis is cheap and should be able to be resigned around the MLE/League Average Salary.

It isn't so much that Dillingham is bad, though he is in the role he has been tasked with, but Minnesota could upgrade a roster which went to back-to-back WCF appearances.

Another player the Kings could covet is Dalton Knecht. A youngish prospect from the same draft who could help connect the offense, but I have Dillingham as having a higher ceiling with more mystique and upside than Knecht.

The other trades I like is Orlando sending 2nds + Jett, though that doesn't exactly give Sacramento a tangible prospect.

[Mavrelous]

Rob Dillingham for Keon Ellis?

Is Dillingham that bad?

My thoughts on this are a couple things.

1) Minnesota is really freaking good, especially their 4-man line-up of Randle/Gobert/Donte/McDaniels, which in limited minutes boast a +19 Net-Rating. Small sample, but I stumbled upon it when looking at the top 4-man units and it caught my eye.

2) Dillingham's place in the league is difficult to pin-point. The league has never had so many "larger" ball-handlers. That's where the shift has gone, which prioritize size as a ball-handlers to utilize strength and power to get to the spots on the court. This, in turn, has eliminated small-ball line-ups throughout the NBA. Now, a caveat here in support of small guards is as the NBA has moved back to traditional centers, smaller guards like Dillingham can theoretically become valuable again as they can absolute cook traditional big-men in isolation or pick-and-roll.

3) Keon Ellis is cheap and should be able to be resigned around the MLE/League Average Salary.

It isn't so much that Dillingham is bad, though he is in the role he has been tasked with, but Minnesota could upgrade a roster which went to back-to-back WCF appearances.

Another player the Kings could covet is Dalton Knecht. A youngish prospect from the same draft who could help connect the offense, but I have Dillingham as having a higher ceiling with more mystique and upside than Knecht.

The other trades I like is Orlando sending 2nds + Jett, though that doesn't exactly give Sacramento a tangible prospect.

290 minutes isn't small, it's respectable at this stage, I'm surprised it's that effective, even more surprised it's more effective in the ANT off minutes, but then it IS small sample of 93 minutes.
Wolves need the theoretical Dillingham role more than Ellis.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Wolves need the theoretical Dillingham role more than Ellis.

This is true, but there is also the probability or likelihood of something occurring.

I am more confident that Ellis can fulfill a role as a meaningful contributor on a title team. I have a hard time seeing Dillingham, at this stage in his young career, being able to pull strings in a high-leverage postseason series. Teams like Denver, the Lakers, and Oklahoma City will all eat someone like Rob Dillingham alive defensively to a point where he can't see the court.

Dillingham is the most high-risk/high-reward prospect, while Ellis is more of a sure thing in a more limited role.

[YayBasketball]

Fun, unrealistic one. Heat probably say no. How untouchable is Ware? Only for Giannis trade?

Pels/ Weaver get obsessed with a target again (Ware) and gear up to potentially overpay to get the near perfect frontcourt partner for Queen. They start by trying to make it a Zion based deal, Riley/ Heat balk. Not a Heat culture guy. Then they switch the discussion to Herb. While Heat culture material, not close to enough of a game changer to consider giving up Ware. Okay then, Murphy. Now they get Heat's attention.

Locked in player in his prime on good contract, with more ceiling room to soar outside the Pels mess and into a new real organization. TMIII takes Heats offense to a new level. Still not enough though, Riley says. 'Okay, we'll throw in Missi to help replace the Center spot for you, and we need another salary to give you to stay under the tax. Alvarado is Heat culture and Arroyo tells you how great he is, a new Puerto Rican hero in Miami. You throw in rookie Jaku who doesn't play for you, so we can better PR sell this as a good rebuild style trade for us. Honestly you could probably get Matkovic, Herb and/or Bey out of us, too, somehow. We just can't take the PR hit of giving up anymore picks.

MIA get: Murphy III, Missi, Alvarado

NOP gets: Ware, Rozier, Jakucionis

Bam/ Missi
Wiggins/ Jovic
Murphy/ JJJ
Powell/ Larson
Herro/ Davion/ Jose
----

Ware
Queen


Fears

[tcheco]

If Jazz gets a top3 picks this draft, is easy to see them trying to make the playoffs next year.

Keyonte/Collier
Ace/Walter Clayton
Dybantsa?/Brice
Lauri/Filipowski/Hendricks
Kessler/FA

That's a team costing around 130M with Kessler extension and rookie contract? one max contract space?
Keon Ellis, Ayo are possible free agents that can help, they can throw a max at Trae Young if they feel like it, Coby White or Grimes could be targets too...

[babyjax13]

Jazz young players aren't as bad as they looked yesterday, but none of them projects to be starting quality player, except Bailey who's still young and didn't get the time to prove himself.
It makes this report about building around Markannen very odd, they need starters at the
1,2 and 3, one of them needs to be offensive 1st option and the other 2 need to be very good defenders.
Good luck finding 2 of these 3s in one off season.

Kessler is already a starting caliber player and Keyonte is averaging 23p and 7a on 59%TS. I think we've found at least 3 long-term starters among the young players.

[babyjax13]

If Jazz gets a top3 picks this draft, is easy to see them trying to make the playoffs next year.

Keyonte/Collier
Ace/Walter Clayton
Dybantsa?/Brice
Lauri/Filipowski/Hendricks
Kessler/FA

That's a team costing around 130M with Kessler extension and rookie contract? one max contract space?
Keon Ellis, Ayo are possible free agents that can help, they can throw a max at Trae Young if they feel like it, Coby White or Grimes could be targets too...

I don't think White or Grimes are better than Keyonte, I am not sure that Young will be moving forward, either?