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

Even if we trade both 27 and 29 completely unprotected and we end up having the worst record in the league each year, the lottery odds have flattened out and just look at the number of busts in recent years. Wiseman and Isaac Okoro were Top 5 picks in the 2020 draft and already look shaky. 2019 had Jarrett Culver, Coby White, Jaxson Rui Hachimura and Cam Reddish in the Top 10, I'd gladly trade any of them. Bagley, Knox Bamba were Top 10 picks in 2018. At least half of Top 10 picks end up being career role players, and the ones who end up better than at likely will never be as good as a 30 year old Kyrie. Negotiate for protections sure, but I don't really care if we have to give them up unprotected.

 

So far the Nets game plan seems to be working. Trade talks for Durant are picking up and the league hasn't come back with anything yet. By Kleiman agreeing to to publicly hurt Durant's reputation with that stunt, Tsai has some breathing room to work with. But if they don't close a deal soon my guess is that the league & owners will find a way to make it difficult.

If Durant goes, Irving is certainly ours for the taking!!

 

Morey will give up Tobias w/ scraps and be called a genius.

 

Honestly if I’m the Nets I’d rather just keep Kyrie than trade him for Russ. Especially since Kyrie’s contract is also expiring. Guys like Harris and Curry can be moved to other teams.

If I were them I’d want picks too. Especially since they’d likely just buy out Russ.

 

Freaking shoot me if he ends up in Boston

 

I think Kyrie was the one that didn't fully embrace the Harden trade.

 

I wouldnt risk ruining the chemistry of their team with KD if I were Boston

they're a borderline championship team that just got better in offseason, and adding KD doesn't necessarily mean they'll get better, especially if they're giving away important glue guys like Smart.

with that said, I hope they do it and it blows in their face.

 

KD will end up in Boston . He has a chance for another easy ring .

 

LeBron killed chemistry

 

What chemistry was this?

 

He taught us chemistry is overrated.

 

I’ll be honest, I’ve gone back and forth on this looking at it from the Nets perspective, and if I’m Sean Marks I’m still not sure if I’d accept even the best package the Lakers would realistically offer (ie Russ + 2 unprotected firsts for Kyrie and one roleplayer).

Their pick situation is complicated, I think they will have a first round pick but due to the swap status they’re not incentivized to tank next year. Trading KD does not mean it makes sense for them to blow it up and rebuild. Some of the hypothetical packages they could get would still keep them highly competitive.

So if I’m trying to win games next year, obviously I’d prefer Kyrie over Russ in a vacuum. Reportedly Kyrie is willing to buy in and play out the season with Brooklyn, which I understand why people may be skeptical of the reports, but it’s believable to me because Kyrie’s image has taken a hit so he does legitimately need to bolster his value in his contract year.

So if I’m not incentivized to tank AND the KD trade return has already put me in position to compete in the East, to swap Kyrie for Russ means I’d be changing directions and essentially punting the season now.

Are 2 future picks in 5+ years worth that, when there is so much unknown (and if I’m Sean Marks, I’m not even sure I’ll still be employed at that time)? I’m not sure it is.

I would definitely need them to be completely unprotected for me to consider it. The whole proposition there is that if you’re getting me to change course and punt the season for picks so far out, there better at least be a chance that those picks end up being very good. It’s arguably already not a great chance (the Lakers could still be decent, lottery odds may pan out unfavorably, the player at that spot may just be a bust), so if you’re asking to protect the picks and completely remove ANY chance of that pick being a game changer? Where is my incentive?

AND just to make the financials make sense and not tack on a massive luxury tax bill for my owner, you’re expecting me to just throw in one of two roleplayers (who are both two of the best shooters in the league on reasonable contracts)? Curry and Harris have value. I still want them on my team because I think they’re good players, but I could also get more value for them in other trades.

You might argue, “well Kyrie is expiring, are you going to risk him walking for nothing?” I’d say… well maybe? If I want to compete and the alternative is that I’m giving up this year, that risk might be worth it. I also think the threat of that risk is overstated. The idea that if I don’t take the Lakers offer now, Kyrie will sign with them next summer, isn’t too believable to me. I’d be skeptical that the Lakers can practically open up that much cap space.

And if I am worried about him leaving in free agency, I’m still not in a rush to trade him. If at least for now I believe he’s going to commit to the team and play, I’d bet that his value will increase and maybe mid-season another contender is willing to gamble on him after they see him actually play dependably. His value could rise even solely on the virtue of being a large expiring contract. Worst case, if he is set on leaving in free agency, I can at least hope to get some value back in a sign and trade.

The only factor that would get me to bite the bullet and just accept whatever the Lakers offer is if behind the scenes things are too untenable. If I think the reports of Kyrie buying in are BS, if there is personal beef between Kyrie and my owner, etc. But even then, I bet I still have the leverage to get the Lakers to give up both picks completely unprotected.

 

Yeah but if Kyrie wants Nash and Marks gone too ..how is that supposed to work out?

 

That report is significantly less believable to me than the idea that Kyrie is willing to buy in and play for Brooklyn without drama.

The NY Post is trash, I’ve never heard of these “reporters”, and dude’s source sounds like a kindergartener.

“He feels that Nash is terrible and Marks is bad”, come on lmao. If it was really coming from Kyrie, it would be more like “Sources close to Irving say he still has an abundance of love for Marks and Nash, but feels that their chakra frequencies are no longer aligned due to the lunar cycle”

I don’t even believe KD cares that much about Marks and Nash. He just wanted to publicly demand something so unreasonable to put pressure on the Nets to trade him.

 

Kyrie is gone as soon as the Durant trade is finished.

 

Kyrie is just such a wildcard, it's tough to read the guy. As soon as you think you have a read on him, he changes course. Nets could also just want to avoid that headache altogether. I think publicly, he's going to say the right things (at least for now), contract year as you mentioned. Behind the scenes, I really don't know. Neither would surprise me. At least with Westbrook, for better or worse, you know what you're getting. With the KD to Boston deal, they'd have so much defense that they can weather Russ. But I don't think Russ is a Net, he's either going to a 3rd team who's giving the Nets a player(s) they want or if we give up enough then they will just buy him out.

Nets are good enough and deep enough that they can flip KD for talent. Flip Kyrie/Seth for draft picks to replenish their empty coffers and still be one of the four best teams next year in the East. Also, if they get Smart they don't need either Kyrie or Russ. Just look at the depth chart in the Boston scenario and if they just bought out Russ.

Claxton/Sharpe
Simmons/O'Neale
Brown/Warren
Harris/Cam Thomas
Smart/Mills

I think that's a team that can make some noise and get closer to the type of team that Marks likes.

 

The East isn't that weak..that bunch would be fighting for a 6th or 7th seed.

 

eh, while i agree that bkn may not love our package, i think it's incredibly dangerous to let him walk for nothing when you've been offered picks with no long-term salary. and again, supposedly we'd have hield/turner for russ/2 1sts, so what if they get hield/turner for kyrie instead?

but whatever, i don't want him that bad. i'd rather have the hield/turner or conley/bogdanovic return, tbh.

that begley piece seems like it came directly from durant, right down to trying to remind people that magic wanted a coach fired. ok, we get it, burnerbro. you're trying to manage impressions again.

and trying to make sure marcus smart doesn't become part of the trade AFTER you've narrowed your teams down to like, 4? gtfo. seriously. i could see bkn taking that, calling boston, and saying "fine, brown/smart/picks and kd's yours right now!" it might piss me off enough to do that.

lol, right? tyrese maxey had a good (not great, imo) 2nd year after a pretty meh rookie year, and he's on equal footing with jaylen brown as a trade centerpiece? when he's attached to one of the league's worst contracts (well, not it's only two years, but still bad)? further, philly only has pick swaps going forward because they already owe their 23, 25, and 27 picks from the harden deal. 2029 is the first time they can offer a clear first.

and yes, it's funny that it would be called "genius". morey basically attached himself to harden, and that's how all this happened. when he and harden couldn't make it work in houston, they reduced the franchise to rubble and just waltzed out the door together while the media lauded each. ick.