2018-19 NBA Thread

I would do that trade, were I the Lakers.

 

If I were NO I'd rather have Porzingis, Knox & the 1 from the Knicks.

 

He's coming off a torn ACL. That's a major red flag.

 

It's an interesting game of chicken here to me. The Pelicans can obviously get the best package if they want until the offseason - Then, Boston can trade for him, which means the Lakers have to offer more. But, Davis could tank his own value by saying he's only going to sign a longterm deal with the Lakers, or if his camp leaks out that info; teams are going to be reluctant to deal a bunch of assets for only one guaranteed year of Davis. Butttt, if the Lakers aren't willing to offer a bunch for him now or next year, they do risk him latching on to his new team, which sometimes happens. (Hi, Paul George, while Leonard staying with Toronto seems more likely now than it did at the time of the trade, although the Clippers are expected to be a strong contender for him.)

 

The Pelicans have to wait. There is literally nothing the Lakers can offer that is better than what the Celtics can offer. Boston has better young talent and potentially four first round picks in this draft.

I don't think Danny Ainge will be fazed by any "I'll only sign for the Lakers" announcement. Paul George said it and it worked out OK for the Thunder.

If I'm the Pelicans that potential Knicks offer is a non-starter for me unless the pick is number one overall -- in which case the Knicks would keep it anyway.

One thing to remember about the Pelicans -- they're a struggling franchise in a city that can't really support a pro team. Those fans LOVE Anthony Davis. If the Pelicans can't get someone in return that the city can get behind they'll be in Seattle by 2024. That player is not going to be Lonzo Ball or a broken Latvian. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Maybe.

 

I saw Kuzma, Ball, Ingram and a 1.

 

Denver is very interesting.
Murray and Ionic are off limits, but will have all the cap room in the world.

 

The Pelicans are 23rd in the league in attendance even with Davis on the roster. Without him the attendance will crater. Is there a chance that franchise moves or does the Benson estate have an emotional commitment to the city? It is hard to believe that franchise can not make more money in a large media market with more sponsorship dollars.

 

They've just never been that great of a market. Part of it could be that the market is resistant to basketball, but also, crowds tend to be "smart" about teams. The Pelicans haven't ever had sustained success, like the kind that makes you buy tickets ahead of time in the offseason. I can't remember which Baseball Prospectus yearly had the info, but one of them did have a study showing that the previous year's record had the biggest effect on team attendance, with the second biggest factor being the record in a 3 or 5-year span. Meaning, a one-year spike in record helps, but it doesn't mean you automatically sellout the next year.

 

They've ranked an average of 24th in attendance since they've been in New Orleans. They were 25th last year and are 25th this year before The Happening.

They have one of the best players in the league and play in the Western Conference, i.e. more opportunities to see better and more entertaining teams, and they're still struggling to get people in the arena. Just move them to Seattle already.

 

They have one of the best players in the league, but, they've never been considered a strong contender for a title, and pretty much always been seen as a fringe playoff contender during Davis' run. Sustained winning matters more when it comes to attendance than having a stellar individual talent.

 

Not that it matters much but he has a 15% trade kicker. But by demanding and getting a trade he gets an additional $4 mil.

In the realm of great players being attracted to play with each other, why hasn’t Davis attracted a superstar to New Orleans. It’s a great city, not cold weather.