NBA: Summer 2018 Off Season Thread

[jbindm]

Eastern Conference Power Rankings after the Kawhi deal?

1. Boston
2. Philly
3. Toronto
4. Indy
5. Milwaukee
6. Miami
7. Washington DC
8. Detroit
9. Charlotte
10. Chicago
11. Orlando
12. NYK
13. Brooklyn
14. Cleveland
15. Atlanta

 

[awd4cy]

I would say that was a good trade for Toronto if Kawhi wasn’t leaving them next summer. Surprised SA didn’t get more.

 

[xboxfever]

Reports are coming out now that Kawhi has no plans to play for Toronto either. This is a guy who I always felt if you took him away from the Spurs, is just another good player on a team. He isn’t nearly as good as he thinks and will be making league minimum in 3 years when he’s on his 3rd-4th team in 3 years. Spurs absolutely raped Toronto in this trade.

 

[srjclone]

Reports are coming out now that Kawhi has no plans to play for Toronto either. This is a guy who I always felt if you took him away from the Spurs, is just another good player on a team. He isn’t nearly as good as he thinks and will be making league minimum in 3 years when he’s on his 3rd-4th team in 3 years. Spurs absolutely raped Toronto in this trade.

Yeah, I completely disagree that Kawhi will be on veterans minimum in 3 years. He is a top 10 player in the league when he is on the floor. As for the **** going on behind the scenes I have no idea what is going on in his camp.

 

[Doc]

Blowing **** out my ass here, but what if the Canadian dollar looks pretty strong compared to ours in a year? Could Kawhi be convinced? I like the trade for Toronto. Take a shot next year, and if Kawhi doesn't stay then you can be off of Lowry's contract as well next year, and JV's the year after.

 

[jbindm]

Reports are coming out now that Kawhi has no plans to play for Toronto either. This is a guy who I always felt if you took him away from the Spurs, is just another good player on a team. He isn’t nearly as good as he thinks and will be making league minimum in 3 years when he’s on his 3rd-4th team in 3 years. Spurs absolutely raped Toronto in this trade.

I think he's a top five player in the league. Prior to the last season he had added something to his game and got better every year. A still-ascending 27 year old talent who can score and be a team's best and most versatile defender? He'll be great wherever he plays. The only thing I worry about with him is the injury history.

 

[jbindm]

Blowing **** out my ass here, but what if the Canadian dollar looks pretty strong compared to ours in a year? Could Kawhi be convinced? I like the trade for Toronto. Take a shot next year, and if Kawhi doesn't stay then you can be off of Lowry's contract as well next year, and JV's the year after.

I just don't think money is the determining factor for him. The Spurs could have offered him the supermax extension and it did nothing for them.

But who knows? Nobody thought Paul George would stay in OKC beyond last season and here we are. Toronto has excellent fan support and it's a pretty well-run organization. Maybe they can win Kawhi over.

 

[Doc]

A lot of guys have become good shooters after they've gone to San Antonio. If they can further develop DeRozan's range, he could improve quite a bit.

 

[CyJack13]

I would say that was a good trade for Toronto if Kawhi wasn’t leaving them next summer. Surprised SA didn’t get more.

I think it's still a good trade if he leaves, with Boston and Philly looming as the future of the East, Toronto's window to win the East may be this year. Kawhi in place of Derozan makes them better. Danny Green is a nice throw in piece too. After next year, they now have a lot more flexibility on which direction to go. they've been a solid team for quite a while now, I respect the all-in move here.

 

[CyJack13]

A lot of guys have become good shooters after they've gone to San Antonio. If they can further develop DeRozan's range, he could improve quite a bit.

And he already started shooting more 3's last season, so I definitely expect that trend to continue in San Antonio.

 

[CyJack13]

Reports are coming out now that Kawhi has no plans to play for Toronto either. This is a guy who I always felt if you took him away from the Spurs, is just another good player on a team. He isn’t nearly as good as he thinks and will be making league minimum in 3 years when he’s on his 3rd-4th team in 3 years. Spurs absolutely raped Toronto in this trade.

So just a reminder, besides being the best perimeter defender in the league, the last time Kawhi was healthy in the playoffs he put up 27/8/5 on 52/45/93 shooting. Just another guy...LOL

 

[rholtgraves]

I think he's a top five player in the league. Prior to the last season he had added something to his game and got better every year. A still-ascending 27 year old talent who can score and be a team's best and most versatile defender? He'll be great wherever he plays. The only thing I worry about with him is the injury history.

Injury history and being a headcase.

 

[rholtgraves]

If Toronto doesn't trade him, does Kawhi even suit up for Toronto this year?

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

No not really. Pretty balanced trade from my perspective. Poeltl has a good upside and has been a solid bench piece (same with Green).

DeRozan + 2019 first rounder is more than fair for Kawhi considering he has one year on his deal left and three years left of control on DeMar, not to mention Kawhi is an absolute head case. Dealing Kawhi to Toronto also keeps him out of the West for a year.

Well you know Toronto. I'm not really familiar with Poeltl. I feel DeRozan is highly overrated, Toronto's draft pick won't be a lottery pick.

I totally expect Toronto to turn around and deal Kawhi to Lakers and will get from LA what Spurs couldn't. That why I feel down the road Toronto wins this trade.

 

[jbindm]

Injury history and being a headcase.

I don't really get the headcase argument. He's quiet and somewhat publicity-shy, but that's a good thing.

He felt like his injury wasn't healing, and when the Spurs publicly called him out on it he got pissed off and decided he was done with them. That's not crazy.

 

[CloneFan4]

Well you know Toronto. I'm not really familiar with Poeltl. I feel DeRozan is highly overrated, Toronto's draft pick won't be a lottery pick.

I totally expect Toronto to turn around and deal Kawhi to Lakers and will get from LA what Spurs couldn't. That why I feel down the road Toronto wins this trade.

If anyone can get what Toronto wasn't able to get from DeMar come post-season, it would be Popovich. If he buys in I'm interested to see if he can take a big step forward under Pop.

I think a big factor in all of this was the fact that Kawhi's team let it be assumed that he wouldn't resign with anyone other than LA. That killed his trade value and led to teams like Boston, Philly, and eventually the Lakers pulling out of any negotiations. There's rumors circulating that the Lakers are so confident that Kawhi will sign with them next summer that they feel there is no need to deal for him this summer.

The Spurs salvaged what they could, and at that I think they still came away with a fair deal.

 

[Rabbuk]

I don't really get the headcase argument. He's quiet and somewhat publicity-shy, but that's a good thing.

He felt like his injury wasn't healing, and when the Spurs publicly called him out on it he got pissed off and decided he was done with them. That's not crazy.

Wasn't the issue that multiple doctors cleared him?

 

[jbindm]

Wasn't the issue that multiple doctors cleared him?

I think the deal was that Spurs team doctors cleared him but he was going outside the club for other opinions. Then Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both kinda/sorta called him out in the media for not playing.

 

[mb7299]

Man alive when the Raptors want to put the clamps on teams next year they will be elite with OG, Lowry, Siakam, Leonard, Ibaka. This is truly their only year they have a shot at the title glad they swung for the fences. Boston and Philly will be battling it out the next five years at minimum otherwise.

 

[CYdTracked]

This is why I don't watch the NBA anymore. Star players basically seek out trades or load up a team full of stars when they hit free agency so it's hard to get too attached to a player because rarely do they stay with the same franchise for all or the bulk of their career like the stars of the 80's and 90's did. Second, I feel bad for DeRozan because he actually wanted to stay in Toronto and was a casualty of Leonard's trade demand. Both players are going to teams they don't want to be a part of but DeRozan is the biggest victim because he was committed to Toronto which is a place most All Stars probably have on their list as a place they want to avoid.