Kawhi wants out of SA

[Gronk Brady]

What would it even take from Portland's side? CJ + Aminu + future first? And then we lose him to the L@kers after that? Too much risk for me.

It’s definitly worth it... if Blazers make a legit run with Kawai, he will not leave... and if the experiment fails, you dump CJ’s contract and rebuild the next generation around Collins, Simons, and Nurk... what are you really risking losing?? A mediocre capped out roster built around two undersized gaurds... worth the risk

 

[BBert]

Gutting the team to trade for a player that doesn't want to be here and is going to leave after one season isn't a risk; it's suicide.

There's a reason why the conversation is only about a handful of teams. There are only a handful of teams he's willing to play for. Portland isn't one of the them.

The guy sat out all of last season, even after being cleared to play for crying out loud. Why wouldn't he do it again?

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Sometimes, though, the perception of who the "best player" is is flawed. For instance, it was assumed OKC was getting the "best player" in the Paul George deal, but now it seems that Indiana did. While Kawhi might be the best player now, it's possible that Ingram is actually better long-term.

Yeah, but PG13 hasn’t ever won a championship or been the finals MVP, and was playing with Westbrook...

 

[Pinwheel1]

What would it even take from Portland's side? CJ + Aminu + future first? And then we lose him to the L@kers after that? Too much risk for me.

If I am Pop I would be interested in Collins, Simons, Trent and a #1. (We would have to throw in matching contracts as well)
But if I am him I would go young. Pop would still make them competitive.

Personally I would offer ET, Simons, Trent and a #1.

 

[dviss1]

Can I quote you on that in a few years? Fultz has a bit more promise than a project. At a minimum I would expect CJ plus defense.

Really? Fultz can't shoot.

 

[BBert]

I have a gut feeling Kuzma isn't a Popovich kind of guy

 

[dviss1]

LeBron is a free agent, they don’t need to give up anything to bring him. Actuallly getting Kawhi would be part of the pitch to LeBron, you would definitely have him more interested if he knew he was going to play with Simmons, Embiid and Kawhi than with the first two alone. Also it means that Lakers won’t get him which weakens their pitch.

LeBron is not a free agent. He has a player option.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

If I am Pop I would be interested in Collins, Simons, Trent and a #1. (We would have to throw in matching contracts as well)
But if I am him I would go young. Pop would still make them competitive.

Personally I would offer ET, Simons, Trent and a #1.

Throw him a few more acres of Willamette Valley Vineyards.

 

[Reep]

Really? Fultz can't shoot.

I agree something isn't right there, but the dude did average 23.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, 3.2 tpg, 1.6 spg, 1.2 bpg, 35.7 mpg, .476 FG, .413 3PT, .649 FT as a Husky and likely will play better defense than CJ will ever be able to do. I know it is a risk, but it's also high reward.

 

[Natebishop3]

I really want the Spurs to mess this up and toil in mediocrity for a while.

 

[Reep]

It’s definitly worth it... if Blazers make a legit run with Kawai, he will not leave... and if the experiment fails, you dump CJ’s contract and rebuild the next generation around Collins, Simons, and Nurk... what are you really risking losing?? A mediocre capped out roster built around two undersized gaurds... worth the risk

If I could have Kawhi for two years guaranteed I would agree with you. But, if you trade away all those assets (and you would have to give up some of the young promising guys to get it done) and Kawhi is injured for part of the year (highly likely) then you end up in mediocrity and he bolts for the L@kers after one year.

 

[e_blazer]

It’s definitly worth it... if Blazers make a legit run with Kawai, he will not leave... and if the experiment fails, you dump CJ’s contract and rebuild the next generation around Collins, Simons, and Nurk... what are you really risking losing?? A mediocre capped out roster built around two undersized gaurds... worth the risk

Good grief. You're risking the value that CJ has both as a player and a trade asset. I know you have him pegged as garbage, but 99.99% of the basketball world disagrees with that assessment.

 

[e_blazer]

I really want the Spurs to mess this up and toil in mediocrity for a while.

Not at the expense of turning the Lakers into a superteam. A discontented Kawhi in San Antonio screws them up enough.

 

[dviss1]

If I could have Kawhi for two years guaranteed I would agree with you. But, if you trade away all those assets (and you would have to give up some of the young promising guys to get it done) and Kawhi is injured for part of the year (highly likely) then you end up in mediocrity and he bolts for the L@kers after one year.

And then he would be dead to me and most fans for leaving to don the piss & purple.

Let's not even go through that.

 

[Propagandist]

What would it even take from Portland's side? CJ + Aminu + future first? And then we maybe lose him to the L@kers after that? Too much risk for Olshey.

Fixed.

 

[Reep]

In my dreams the L@kers trade Ball for Kawhi, Kawhi remains injured and never returns to starter level and Ball (Lavar) causes Pops to retire and the Spurs implode.

 

[dviss1]

In my dreams the L@kers trade Ball for Kawhi, Kawhi remains injured and never returns to starter level and Ball (Lavar) causes Pops to retire and the Spurs implode.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Lakers Trade Rumors: Brandon Ingram Named as Part of Possible Kawhi Leonard Deal

 

[Reep]

Lakers Trade Rumors: Brandon Ingram Named as Part of Possible Kawhi Leonard Deal

Isn't that rather obvious (not criticizing you, but the source)? Who else do L@kers have that Spurs would want?

 

[handiman]

Sometimes, though, the perception of who the "best player" is is flawed. For instance, it was assumed OKC was getting the "best player" in the Paul George deal, but now it seems that Indiana did. While Kawhi might be the best player now, it's possible that Ingram is actually better long-term.

Mmm, no. The trade worked out surprisingly well for Indiana, but that doesn't mean Oladipo is a better player than George. I guarantee you, all contractual things being equal, every single team in the league would take George over Oladipo without a moment's hesitation.

Now, you could use that trade as a counter-argument to my point that the team acquiring the best player in a trade always comes out ahead. But, it's a murky argument because of the Carmelo trade. If OKC stood pat after the PG trade, they have a superstar tandem and decent depth. Instead, the emptied the cupboard of depth to acquire Melo, who didn't fit particularly well and was obviously (to anyone paying attention) over the hill already. With just the PG trade, I think OKC comes out ahead.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Mmm, no. The trade worked out surprisingly well for Indiana, but that doesn't mean Oladipo is a better player than George. I guarantee you, all contractual things being equal, every single team in the league would take George over Oladipo without a moment's hesitation.

Nothing more than speculation there. Comparing their performance last year, you'd be hard-pressed to find a metric showing George to be a better player. Total win shares, perhaps--otherwise everything's in Oladipo's favor. Even if you compare to George's best season (probably 2015-16), Oladipo is comparable. Removing biases from the analysis, they're actually very comparable.

 

[bradk8605]

I think I found the perfect offer for getting in on the Kawhi sweepstakes.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ybut7nd2

 

[craigehlo]

I guarantee you, all contractual things being equal, every single team in the league would take George over Oladipo without a moment's hesitation.

It's actually the other way around after seeing their performances in the playoffs. PG fell in love with his streaky 3-point shot, while Oladipo was in full attack mode.

 

[craigehlo]

Send him East unless you get both Ingram and Kuzma. The price the Lakers have to pay for a super team needs to be them mortgaging their future for a short term window before LeBron is washed.

 

[BBert]

I really want the Spurs to mess this up and toil in mediocrity for a while.

Like 20 years

 

[handiman]

Nothing more than speculation there. Comparing their performance last year, you'd be hard-pressed to find a metric showing George to be a better player. Total win shares, perhaps--otherwise everything's in Oladipo's favor. Even if you compare to George's best season (probably 2015-16), Oladipo is comparable. Removing biases from the analysis, they're actually very comparable.

You don't honestly believe that, do you? George's overall impact on the game is so far beyond Oladipo's, it's not even funny. Swap George back onto Indiana in Oladipo's place and you've got a team challenging for the East title.

It's actually the other way around after seeing their performances in the playoffs. PG fell in love with his streaky 3-point shot, while Oladipo was in full attack mode.

Oladipo's rebounding and assist numbers were good in the playoffs, but his shooting numbers where down.

 

[Reep]

You don't honestly believe that, do you? George's overall impact on the game is so far beyond Oladipo's, it's not even funny.

Before last season I would have agreed with you. I did watch a couple of OKC games last year and still can't figure out why George was so anemic there.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Before last season I would have agreed with you. I did watch a couple of OKC games last year and still can't figure out why George was so anemic there.

It is interesting that Indiana got better by losing their 28 ppg scorer from the year before and OKC got worse by adding him.
Or should I say Indiana got better by adding Oladipo and OKC got worse by losing him?

Maybe the rumors are true about PG. Not a good locker room guy. I listened to a Lakers talk show on a drive home last summer when they were contemplating trading for him. This is while he was still a Pacer. Surprised that many Lakers fans who called in were leery about him. Maybe the local boys knew something...

 

[oldfisherman]

Trade rumor.
Kawhi to Philly for
Saric, Covington, & first.

 

[handiman]

It is interesting that Indiana got better by losing their 28 ppg scorer from the year before and OKC got worse by adding him.

There are too many moving parts for that head-to-head comparison to be valid.

Sabonis was a great addition to Indiana.

Melo was a terrible addition to OKC and left them with no depth.

Even so, OKC and Indiana had the exact same record, despite Indiana having the softer schedule. Take George and Oladipo off each team, and which roster would you rather have as a starting point?