Around the NBA - July 2017 Edition

[dviss1]

I think MIL should go after him. They need a legit PG (I think Brogdon is more of a SG). They have so much young talent, they just need that 2nd star next to Giannis, and PG is where the hole is.
They could package Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon, John Henson, and Matthew Delevedova for Channing Frye and Kyrie Irving.
This trade would give Milwaukee a lineup of Irving/Middleton/Snell/Antetokounmpo/Monroe. That could compete for a Finals spot. What this trade would also do for MIL is it would give them with apx. $20M in cap space next summer. They'd simply have to trade away Teletovic (who will have 1 year, $10M remaining) to get around max cap space. The guy they would go after is Cousins, pairing him with Giannis, Kyrie, Middleton, Snell, Maker, Wilson, and others. While trading away Parker would be a risk, he's been injury prone which makes it easier to send him out. The rest of the trade is dumping the long term, bad contracts of Henson and Delevedova while upgrading their starting PG (Brogdon to Kyrie).

As far as CLE, with Jabari being a PF, I think they'd swap Love for Melo and KOQ to start a lineup of
Lebron/Brogdon/Melo/Parker/Thompson
Delevedova/Smith/Korver/O'Quinn/Henson
This team would likely still be the favorites in the east, while being better set up to rebuild should Lebron leave (Brogdon+Parker is a good start). They would never be able to get under the cap with Lebron, and wouldn't be able to sign anyone without him, so adding those contracts doesn't hurt them.

Giannis is not a PF.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Would Kyrie fit well in Philly alongside Fultz? I'd think that if Cleveland went full rebuild, they could get a strong bunch of assets by sending Lebron to Boston, Kyrie to Philly, and Love to LA.

 

[BBert]

Say it ain't so, Kyrie!

 

[BonesJones]

Lowry - too feast or famine - especially in the playoffs. Kyrie for the win.

Wall - I'd take him over Kyrie for his defense, passing and leadership. Kyrie is a better scorer. Wall is significantly better at pretty much everything else.

Dame - Yeah, I'm a homer, but Dame has the better stats (higher scoring, more assists, higher PER, better TS%, etc.) over the last three years, is a better leader and the clincher for me is Dame is much more durable. Even if you don't include his first season, when Kyrie missed 31 games, he's missed 80 games in the last five years. In that same span, Dame has missed a total of 14 games. Dame has also improved every year he's been in the league. Kyrie has been up and down, but really isn't much better now than he was a rookie. That probably has something to do with all of his injuries.

BNM

How not? Have you seen how much he's bulked up this offseason? He can play any position. He started at PF during the playoffs last year. Middleton, Snell, and Giannis can guard 1 through 4, giving them good switchability with that lineup.

 

[-Ace-]

 

[TBpup]

Giannis is not a PF.

He is if he plays for Stotts.

 

[Minstrel]

 

[BonesJones]

Would Kyrie fit well in Philly alongside Fultz? I'd think that if Cleveland went full rebuild, they could get a strong bunch of assets by sending Lebron to Boston, Kyrie to Philly, and Love to LA.

Philly could offer the LAL pick if BOS doesn't get it (6 or lower), and if BOS gets it, PHI could offer the 2019 SAC Unprotected 1st. Other than that, I don't know what they'd do. Okafor doesn't have much value. Philly's picks won't be top 10 anymore. They won't trade Fultz.

So if Philly really wanted Kyrie, they'd have to give up Ben Simmons and the LAL/SAC pick. I don't know if they'd do that.

 

[Natebishop3]

Kyrie really wasn't that good without LeBron. He was okay.

 

[BonesJones]

Damn. For as crazy as Ben Simmons can be, this trade idea is pretty good. Send NYKs 2018 1st to PHX instead and I think he'd have a legit chance of happening.
Bledsoe/Lebron/Carmelo/Love/Thompson would be very interesting.

 

[BonesJones]

Kyrie really wasn't that good without LeBron. He was okay.

He was also extremely young.

 

[Boob-No-More]

He was also extremely young.

And also extremely injury prone. He missed 54 games his first two seasons, and hasn't fared much better since.

He makes a good No. 2 when playing beside someone who is as dominant and durable as LeBron, but given this guy's injury history, I'd hate to be relying on him as my No. 1 option. How do you build a team around a guy who consistently misses ~20 games a year?

BNM

 

[dviss1]

Is Bledsoe a better fit than Kyrie? I just don't see him as a good floor spacer...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bledser01.html

 

[Natebishop3]

Seriously one of the most overrated players in the league, and he wouldn't have been an All-Star in the West the past few seasons. Not even close.

 

[Sarni]

Problem with trading someone like Kyrie, who is still young, has a good contract and is considered a very top tier in his position, is that you would expect to get amazing return but won't.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Seriously one of the most overrated players in the league, and he wouldn't have been an All-Star in the West the past few seasons. Not even close.

This is actually one time where I hope an all star moves from East to West. I hope some team in the West is dumb enough to give up valuable assets for a guy who is too injury prone to build a contender around.

BNM

 

[dviss1]

This is actually one time where I hope an all star moves from East to West. I hope some team in the West is dumb enough to give up valuable assets for a guy who is too injury prone to build a contender around.

BNM

Not if he goes to Minny. Wonder who they'd give up.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Not if he goes to Minny. Wonder who they'd give up.

I was thinking of MIN. They seem to be on the right track for the first time in a decade and a half, but they are MIN. So, I hold out hope they will find a way to screw this up.

BNM

 

[Blazers Roy]

We're living in a time where stars ask to be traded to Minnesota.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Philly could offer the LAL pick if BOS doesn't get it (6 or lower), and if BOS gets it, PHI could offer the 2019 SAC Unprotected 1st. Other than that, I don't know what they'd do. Okafor doesn't have much value. Philly's picks won't be top 10 anymore. They won't trade Fultz.

So if Philly really wanted Kyrie, they'd have to give up Ben Simmons and the LAL/SAC pick. I don't know if they'd do that.

Saric, Covington, and 2 picks wouldn't be enough from Philly for Kyrie?

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ycnly5na

 

[H.C.]

Please name 5 PG's better than Kyrie.

This might be more difficult to do if you said name 15 point guards better than Kyrie.
Seeing as people already did it... I don't need to do I?
Guy is playing with Mewtwo and basically puts up the same numbers as Kemba.

Point is, it's real easy to look good when you're playing with a created player. What did you do without him?

 

[TBpup]

How do you build a team around a guy who consistently misses ~20 games a year?

BNM

That is why I'm hesitant in regards to Nurkic. He has averaged missing a lot more than 20 games per season so far. I like what he brings but there is zero track record of stability. Now he is suddenly doing all this work before a contract year.

I've seen this movie before.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Dame
CJ
Carmelo
Love
Nurk

We all love Nurk, not just Dame, CJ and Carmelo.

 

[Boob-No-More]

That is why I'm hesitant in regards to Nurkic. He has averaged missing a lot more than 20 games per season so far. I like what he brings but there is zero track record of stability. Now he is suddenly doing all this work before a contract year.

I've seen this movie before.

Serious question: how many of Nurkic's missed games in DEN were DNP- CD? I know he had knee surgery during his second season, and of course, the non-displaced fibular fracture in POR, but when I look back at his game logs and box scores in DEN, it seems like there were a lot of games where he was dressed and eligible to play but didn't.

BNM

 

[AFully22]

The only thing I see this Kyrie situation doing for the Blazers is making it highly unlikely Melo or Love is coming to PDX, which is a bummer but probably was always a long shot either way.

Seems more and more likely that we start next season with the same roster we ended it with, plus Collins and Swanigan. Bummer.

 

[joeBlazers]

NBA in the news every single freaking day ... clicks, money, money, money ... Talk Radio is all over this.
In the meantime, Many NFL players got arrested in Dallas and some college coach got busted with Escorts ... in the name of Jesus.

 

[1eyejack]

1. I don't bet.
2. I don't gamble.
3. I don't make wagers.
4. MF I don't know you!

Lol, didn't have to take it literally. My opinion is he'll leave and if I'm the owner and I think he's leaving I trade him now!

 

[RipCityDSCPL]

What is this preferred landing spot bullshit? Dude, you got no leverage.

All of a sudden Minnesota is a preferred destination now??? WTF????

Portland is Fargo.

 

[Natebishop3]

All of a sudden Minnesota is a preferred destination now??? WTF????

Portland is Fargo.

When you have Wiggins, Butler, and KAT.... yes.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

I mean, is irving really a good fit next to jeff teague though?