2022-23 Team Developments: News / Trades / Free Agents / Rumors

Because getting a player the Nets no longer wanted worked out so well (DJ). I think if I was in the NBA, making friends with a star player (like how DJ got here) is probably more important for you longevity than any individual fundamental or technique.

 

Lazy retiring players are not the way to go with this roster full of lazy retiring players

 

That trade gets under the luxury tax apron for 2022-2023. It might be a bit easier now to do such a trade as opposed to waiting for free agency to start and trying to dump off Westbrook on somebody. By the time we find somebody to bite, Monk could sign with another team.

 

Honestly, why would Monk want to come back to this team at a huge discount?
It’s top two players can’t stay healthy and they will be awful again because there’s no money to build a proper team because of the Westbrick deal.

 

Who says no to this?

Westbrook to Minnesota for Pat Beverly (expiring contract), Tauren Prince (3 and D SF/PF who is also a expiring contract) and Malik Beasley (capable scoring combo guard who’s on a short contract, expires after next season).

Basically trying to salary dump the failed Westbrook experiment and getting back role players that fit better on flexible contracts

 

It's wishful thinking!

All of you that are trying to trade Westbrook are going to be so disappointed when he opts out to resign for 4 years and 100 million.

 

Minnesota probably says no

 

No, the Entire Laker Nation will be so disappointed if Rob has an aneurism and makes that deal.

 

Yeah, there's going to be quite the meltdown afterward.

 

i've moved into hoping for it, tbh. i fear that we're in such a weak negotiating position for any trade right now that we just can't win there. and we can't afford to just wait out russ's contract with another year of "vet min reloaded".

signing him to a longer-term, lower-dollar deal is the only way to salvage this mess. and tbh, FA in 2023 probably won't be that great unless you think a) jokic doesn't sign an extension and b) we'd have a legit shot at him. even so, moving 1.5 years of russ at about 30 million will be doable if need be, imo.

 

We're planning for 2024.

Stuff is always fluid.

But the only players locked up then are THT and AD.

 

right. this would only add a partially guaranteed russ deal to that, still leaving a max slot+ open. work around the margins in the interim so that we can be ready to pounce on opportunities then and shortly after. booker and towns (who are friends, right?) are scheduled to be FAs then, and i'm guessing they'll both be possible moves. luka, tatum, and mitchell will be closer to their opt outs, which means trade demands will have more influence then. we can be competitive in the short-term while prepping for that time, imo.

just don't waste assets on a lost cause this year.

 

I want off of Russ completely.

Easier said than done, though.

But if it's possible, I'd rather just move away from him entirely.

 

are you willing to a) attach assets and b) probably get worse? because i think that's what it would take.

i mean, the whole league is watching us wishing we didn't move kuz/harrell/kcp/1st for him. so we're not going to just get three rotation players back for him. we're going to have to send out ANOTHER pick AND take back big salary for guys people want to dump.

 

I’m not following how re-signing Russ to a long term (but lower dollar) deal helps avoid another year of “vet min reloaded”?

Wouldn’t we still be well above the cap, with THT, Reaves, Nunn, Johnson (if their options get picked up) as our only trade chips?

Unless I’m missing something, feels like for next year, we’re almost in the same position regardless of whether Russ is making $45 million or $25 million.

The main difference I can see is that if Russ opts out and signs a new deal, we could trade him in the middle of next season… but I’m skeptical that Russ at $25 million with multiple years left is significantly more tradeable than Russ at $45 million expiring in a few months.

If we can’t dump Russ this summer in a deal that makes sense, I think I’d rather just eat the final year of his deal and wait for it to expire. Try our best to adequately re-tool with minimum contracts/MLE (ie pieces that actually fit). See if we can get more biters on a THT/Nunn package in the summer. Convince Russ to be a sixth man. And then be done with him after his contract expires.

Probably not the best use of one of Lebron’s final years, but I don’t think retaining Russ for longer is a much better alternative. I’m open ears though if I’m missing something about how this approach would give us some better options.

 

Agree. If Rob can’t see that there’s a young, athletic movement in the NBA right now idk what else to say. Tired of seeing our senior citizens getting cooked by fresh legs.