2018-19 NBA Thread

If he won't commit to a team, doesn't that mean teams would be trading for only a year of him? The value in trading for him is that you can re-sign him without having to have the cap space, right?
You need only to have at least two teams he would sign with to maintain his trade value.

 

That’s still seems like a very underwhelming offer.

 

True. I mean, that young trio reuniting with Julius Randle, this would essentially be the 2017-18 Lakers in New Oleans.

The Pelicans would be wise to try to get back someone who appears to be a future All-Star. That’s probably the main thing holding up this deal. If I were Dell Demps, I’d also make sure that the draft picks were beyond 2021, when LeBron is no longer LeBron.

 

The way I see it the Pelicans have four available teams Davis claims he'll sign with (Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, Bucks). One team has made an offer right now (Lakers). Two teams will likely make an offer after the season (Knicks, Celtics). The Clippers, if they are interested, are doing it under the radar. The Bucks have said they are willing to trade anyone outside of Giannis but their best trade piece (Khris Middleton) is in a walk year.

So we've seen the Lakers offer. I assume it's not going to get any better or change much between now and July 1. If the deal doesn't get done I'm not sure if Davis plays again this season and that might force the league and the player's association to jump in before the deadline to help broker something.

The Knicks offer probably depends on the lottery. If they go 1st or 2nd. Then they have Zion or Barrett or Morant or whomever might rise into that No. 2 slot + possibly Kevin Knox and probably the unprotected pick they got from the Mavs along with whatever else to make the numbers work. If they are 3rd or lower it might have to include both of the first rounders they got for Porzingis and more.

The Celtics are interesting. I think their offer depends on how they do in the playoffs. If they are two rounds and out I could see Ainge deciding to throw caution to the wind and try to put together a team to win in 2020 and let the chips fall where they may. That might mean convincing Kyrie to do a one-one type deal and trading Tatum for Davis, hoping that if they win both guys will want to stay together and come back. If they get to the Finals and lose, they might be less convinced they need to do anything other than negotiate with Kyrie.

 

Is Dell Demps really the current longest serving GM in the league not named Buford(Popovich) or Ainge? Okay - he's the ninth. But that's equally stunning.
Grunfeld, Wallace and Norman's longevity equally surprising.

 

I think their ownership situation has been so tenuous, that it makes it easier to stick around. Chris Wallace has been Grizzlies GM since 2007, although I think his duties have been changed over time.

 

Paxson has been in the Bulls' front office for a long time. He'll have a job as long as the Reinsdorfs own the team.

 

Watching the Celts play against the Thunder yesterday, it sure looks like Tatum's an afterthought, especially on the O end. He rarely touches the ball and almost never when there's a play specifically designed to utilize his skills. Damn shame after seeing what he can do last year. Small sample size, I'm not pretending to act as if I've watched him all year but that's my impression. If NO got him, he could turn into a Paul George, an elite scorer, 2 way special. Of course, AD's not going to Boston because his dad said so; I don't see Ainge giving up Tatum + draft picks and others if he's only getting AD for one year.

 

Tatum has not been the same this season. This is undoubtedly a way-too-simple explanation, but he spent the offseason working out with Kobe and seemed to pick up on all of Kobe's bad habits.

Still, if I'm New Orleans, THAT'S the guy I want. I hold out for the Boston offer. Boston has up to 4 first round picks this year. A deal centered around Tatum and picks would be the best they could hope for.

I don't think Ainge is going to be scared off by suggestions that Davis won't re-sign. If the Celtics can nail down Kyrie he'll bet that Davis will stay. Either way it's worth rolling the dice.

Those other teams -- the Knicks, Clippers, Bucks, Bulls -- don't really have the assets to offer.

And I'll say again: watch out for Houston.

 

The Bulls could put together a package of Markkanen, Wendell Carter and two unprotected high No. 1s and cap relief for the Pelicans. I’d take that deal over anything the Lakers offered.

 

I agree that Tatum is better than anyone the Lakers have to offer. However, Kouzma is intriguing.