DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum NBA Continued...

This one is crazy.

Golden State trades Iggy and draft picks to Memphis for DeAngelo Russel.

Iggy was critical of the Warriors in a few recent interviews. That might be why (and he's obviously a lot younger).

They don't have KD and Thompson could be out a large portion of the year. Russel is an all star, but he also had the 3rd or 4th highest usage rate. Will he really have the ball that much more than Curry?

The Golden State Warriors are acquiring All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade arrangement with the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania of Stadium.

The Warriors will also acquire Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier from the Nets, Charania reported.

In order to make room for Russell, the Warriors are trading veteran swingman and 2005 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala to the Grizzlies.

j/c:

It will be very interesting to see where Kawhi Leonard will (or will not) go.

All this NBA news has me pumped up for the coming season! Exciting times in basketball land.

I think that the Warriors just wanted to get "some" asset in return for losing Durant. I get the feeling they'll flip Russell for a better fitting player later on.

j/c:

Whiteside has been such a massive disappointment. Dude could’ve been beyond dominant. I guess we can hope he figures it out in Portland.

My favorite part about Whiteside is listening to AC talk about how soft he is.

If the Lakers don't get Leonard, they missed the boat on adding any kind of complimentary pieces for Lebron and AD. Heck, even if they land Leonard, there aren't many other pieces available.

Cousins?
Danny Green?
Marcus Morris?
Kelly Oubre Jr.?
Willie Cauley-Stein?

And could they even afford them?

Dang.

If they land Leonard, they could sign you and me and still win the Chip.

If they're willing to offer the mid-level exception, I'd accept, all 5' 10" and 155 lbs. of me. Something tells me I'd be a defensive liability too.

I heard we might know by this evening.

If the Lakers miss out on Leonard, this will be bad, very bad.

There are rumors out there that Iguodala will force a buyout w/Memphis and sign w/the Lakers. Pelinka was once Iggy's agent.

Korver is going to get bought out and end up on the Lakers too.

(Probably.)

I heard Cousins would want to join the Lakers. He did play with AD for half a season. Boogie looked up and down in the Finals, but maybe he needed one more offseason the aid his Achilles and he was also nursing another injury too.

Cousins?
AD
Leonard?
Lebron
Kuzma
Korver?
Iggy?
Danny Green?
Rondo?
Cauley-Stein?
Punchsmack
Vers

Could be fun to watch.

I doubt Boogie is willing to take a minimum contract. Same thing with Danny Green.

Same here, but why are they still available then? The free agency frenzy has swallowed up almost everyone, but Cousins and Green can't find a team that's willing to throw money at them? I would think they've had good offers, I'm wondering if they're waiting to see what Leonard does.

Green has a title with the Spurs and Raptors, so I don't think he's chasing a ring (though three with three different teams would be rad). He has to be chasing cash at this point, but again, why hasn't he signed anything yet?

Teams still have their mid level exceptions which is about $9 million.

If Leonard goes back to the Raptors then I’d guess Green goes back to Toronto. The other guys you mentioned are all minimum players for one reason or another.

Rondo went scorched earth at the end of the season, so I doubt he back.

Well, he's one of the few that didn't seem to mind Lebron force feeding him the ball with a millisecond left on the shot clock.

LOL

You said, they could put us on the team. I'm running with it. I can wave a towel with the best.

Quoting again because there's news...



Something tells me this isn't just about his damaged wheel, it's also about his crappy attitude on the court. If you're losing your edge a bit there's usually a few teams lining up to squeeze the last few drops of your talent. However, mix in a bunch of technical fouls and teams won't come knocking. Hey Draymond, this will happen to you too.

Truthfully I think it has to do with his work ethic off the court in addition to having lost a step.

I'm pretty sure my vertical is better than his right now. Did anyone see him try and jump for a rebound in the playoffs? It was cringe worthy.

The dude was also way out of shape in the finals and was just turning the the ball over left and right.

I saw a funny tweet about the Nets. Went something like, it's going to be hard for them to win with their injury situation. Kyrie has bad knees, Durant has a bum Achilles, and DeAndre has no heart.

At this point, Kawhi is approaching Brett Favre territory with his long decision process. It's three teams, meet with them for an hour and make a decision. This has been going on since Sunday (and probably a lot earlier because they had to hide the tampering). Every other free agent has made a decision.

And I heard Kawhi's camp told each team if they leak anything to the media, he'll cut them off the list. That's why there's radio silence.

My gut feeling is that when these free agency decisions linger, and nobody is really sure where they are going to go, they usually aren't going to re-sign with their current team.

What’s the rush?

Assuming the Lakers, almost every other free agent is already signed. If you wait long enough, they’ll be signing G-leaguers for the entire bench.

For the Clippers or Raptors, they have a full roster ready to go. It’s not a big deal for them, although they could have moved on to someone else if Kawhi announced his decision last Sunday night.

In my opinion, the tougher decision was made by KD and he was ready 90 minutes before the start of free agency on Sunday.

Actually, wouldn't the Clippers be in a bigger spot? They had room for 2 max free agents, and now they may only get 1, if that.

The Clippers traded for Maurice Harkless and then signed Patrick Beverley and Rodney McGruder. Rodney and Harless are bench fodder but Beverly is legit. Those aren't huge moves but they were able to do something with some of the non-Kawhi money.

The Lakers have ~6 players, two of which are $2M/year guys (Dudley and Daniels). On most rosters, those guys are roster spots 11 and 12. Adding Kawhi would be huge, but there are quite a few roster spots they need.

I'm not worrying because none of the teams waiting are the Cavs and while I think Kawhi is great, I'm no big fan of his. I could imagine the LA fans. This wait has to be frustrating.

IMO, if the Lakers strike out on Kawhi, this will be a lost season. They couldn't have spent that $32M on talented tier 1 and 2 players. They might have nothing. Heck, AD gave up $4M to help their cap and if they get nobody, that would sting.

Kawhi flew back to Toronto. No announcement yet.

The Lakers are so screwed.

I disagree w/your take, but it's just opinions.

The Lakers have two of the best five players on the planet and a third member of that group won't play this year. I disagree on the Lakers having a poor off-season. Hell, landing AD was the biggest move of the year.

Agreed. Being a Lakers fan I've been embarrassed by the dysfunction this past season. However, they seem to have at least righted the ship somewhat and are moving in a better direction. Signing KL remains to be seen but even if they don't they can still sign some good role players to support what they already have and be a force this coming season. Give it more time and see what happens.

That’s my point. Who are those good role players? They can’t trade much since they have no assets (6 current players). There are only three or four remaining unsigned players off the “Top 75 best free agents” list. One being Danny Green and he’s rumored to be following Leonard.

Yes, getting AD was amazing, but they moved heaven and earth following that trade to move up to $32M from $23M in cap space, including convincing AD to wave a $4M bonus. What do they have to show for that $32M? Nothing (assuming Leonard is staying in Toronto). As someone stated, Cousins is the biggest name remaining and he’s getting no interest by the rest of the league.

Seriously, outside of getting a bought out Korver, there’s not much else being talked about. They needed a bench and could have spent that $32M on role players, but they’re all gone. Lebron, KD & Kuzma are a great threesome, but after that there’s nothing, literally nothing.

Also, if they tick off AD, he can walk as an UFA in one year.

There is a reason they are the favorites to win it all next year and it's w/out Kawhi.

I actually hope the Lakers don't get Kawhi, because it would be unfair if they did. I would prefer a more competitive league.

I wonder about the betting odds because they're still thinking Kawhi will pick the Lakers. That's not so much about what Vegas thinks, it's about what people are betting. And people can be stupid. :-)

Anyway, if the Lakers did get Kawhi, I'd still ask who would be taking up the rest of the roster spots. Maybe it's less of a concern, but they need to sign NBA level players and there aren't that many available right now.

I expected the Seth Curry, JJ Redick and Danny Green's of the world to do whatever they could to join this team, but they didn't. And if nobody took less to join the new Lakers train this year, will that change next year?

I don't think you two are wrong in saying the Lakers will be more than fine, I'm just debating how it'll look if the Lakers strike out with Kawhi. Sure, AD is a huge get, but they also did everything they could do to get Kawhi (again, assuming he's staying in Toronto). Missing out is a big blow to the LA ego. Think about it, AD didn't sign as a free agent, he was traded. Yes they got Lebron, but no other free agents are picking the Lakers, which says something. It's like seeing the Knicks plan to sign two max, then striking out (not the same, but you know what I mean). It's one thing to see the Pacers or Clippers miss out on Kawhi, but the Lakers?

Wow ... 5 firsts plus more for Paul George?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-f...kc-per-reports/

The wait is over. After spurious rumors, helicopter chases and a whole lot of silence, Kawhi Leonard has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the deal is for four years, $142 million. Leonard had reportedly narrowed his choices to the Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors prior to his decision.


Chris Haynes
✔
@ChrisBHaynes
Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

In a shocking addition, the Clippers have agreed to a deal for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Thunder will reportedly receive an incredible number of draft picks, along with forward Danilo Gallinari and second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the deal.


Adrian Wojnarowski
✔
@wojespn
The Clippers are sending the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps, league sources tell ESPN. Those picks go to OKC with Gallinari and SGA.

There had reportedly been discontent brewing between George and former MVP Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, and when Leonard pushed George to make the move to the Clippers, he reportedly formally requested a trade.


Adrian Wojnarowski
✔
@wojespn
After Leonard pushed George to find a way to get to the Clippers, Paul George approached the team and requested a trade, league sources tell ESPN. OKC was left with no choice and made the best out of a difficult situation, per sources.

The Raptors acquired Leonard last season in a blockbuster deal, and Masai Ujiri's big risk paid off with the first title in franchise history. Leonard was spectacular on both ends of the floor in the postseason, and hit one of the most famous shots in NBA history with his series-winning buzzer beater in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.

George had a breakout season with the Thunder last year, and will form one of the league's best one-two punches along with Leonard in Los Angeles.

Kawhi Leonard agreed on a four-year, $142 million max contract with the Clippers.

The Clippers pull off one of the craziest nights in NBA history, landing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George within minutes. According to report, Kawhi met with PG earlier in the week, and said to the Clippers that it would be unlikely he would sign unless the Clips could land George. Now, the Clippers have two of the best two-way players along with Patrick Beverley at point guard. They're instantly a contender for an NBA title.

Jul 6, 2019, 2:49 AM ET
https://www.rotoworld.com

Oklahoma City is trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and four unprotected first round draft picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

That's a Woj bomb. Woj adds George approached the team and requested a trade after Leonard pushed for George to find a way to the Clips. The Clippers convinced Kawhi to come start his own super team and pull off a massive deal to give them two of the NBA's best wings. Last summer, just about everyone expected George to go to LA, but instead he opted to stay with an announcement coming at a party with a Nas concert there. He'll be the 1B to Kawhi as the Clippers lose much of their depth with this stunning move. George is still likely to be a first-round pick in fantasy leagues and now he won't have share the ball with Russell Westbrook.

SOURCE: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter
Jul 6, 2019, 2:03 AM ET


https://www.rotoworld.com

I was hoping Kawhi would stay w/Toronto.

Also..........that was a lot to give up for Paul George. Gotta think about that move.