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

i couldnt really root for most guys on the team last yr, this yr I might actively root against the chiuawa and brick

 

Without going to the reach on the ceiling of THT, which I think is high but not all that, would THT develop to be that guy while in our roster AND trying to contend for a championship?

I'm also into thinking post-Lebron, I expressed it here. But I can't honestly think on a way where you extend him and don't trade THT. How do you do that? Literally explain where it works for all parties, meaning THT has the time and opportunity to have big minutes playing his style while LeBron (and Russ) are on the roster and you're at least top 3 West.
LeBron is bigger than basketball. We have to accept that and embrace these years the best we can. It's good we keep on a leash after Russ fiasco, but it's impossible you don't try to have the best team DURING his window


Those LeBron and Pat tweets are alarming.
I can't fathom a backcourt with Russ and Pat, that's a long card you're playing if you trade for Pat now and roll with Russ into the season

 

THT could find places to fit if russ were gone. russ's arrival killed any chance he had.

whatever, i'm pretty sure that if things continue apace, we'll be in for yet another regime change.

 

Personally..I wouldn't mind a minor move for a guy like PJ Washington or Jared Vanderbilt. It's not some sexy trade, but a long guy that can play the 3-4 wouldn't be a bad pickup.

 

First time as far as I can recall that someone connected to the Lakers is reporting that they would actually consider John Walling him.

So yeah to the point about THT’s opportunity to develop on this roster, if you end up just sending Russ home then in theory you have cleared some of the logjam in the ballhandling/playmaking department and could have tried to give THT an opportunity to develop (and increase his value).

Although I’d argue that you’d risk lowering THT’s value by holding onto him longer into this final year before his player option, especially if he played at the same level he did last season.

 

i mean, sure. who exactly are we trading for them? we just traded THT for beverley. AD?

seriously, if we wall him, fire everyone immediately. you've had a full 8 months to plan for this. if your grand solution is "pay him 50 million dollars not to play while we miss the playoffs again", you deserve all that's coming.

 

They CAN’T “Wall” him. All that happy HS talk from Ham would be exposed as just that. He’s getting traded is my best guess. But it’s already happy HS talk it seems by bringing in Beverley. They sure as hell aren’t going to play them together on the same team. Couldn’t stand that. Would make Slick right.

 

No man..Washington and Vanderbilt both make around 5 mill per. I'd trade Gabriel and use that 2.75 trade exception we have to eat the difference.

 

Stay tuned.

 

No.

 

I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that we’re still keeping Russ.

And it may be for the best. His feud with Pat Bev may be exactly what was needed to light a fire under him and get him to buy into focusing on defense. Really they both may bring out the best in each other, set the tone for Darvin Ham’s philosophy.

It will be the ultimate Hollywood story to watch hated rivals eventually become BFF’s. I’m imagining Russ and Pat hoisting the championship together, giggling as they tell the media “WE tricked y’all!”

Good times ahead!

 

Nonsense

 

if they pay russ to stay home then pelinka needs to be fired immediately. deng just came off the books and they're going to repeat the s*** again with russ?

f*** that

 

Eh, obviously I want to trade Russ ASAP but if you’re telling me that there are no trades out there and we have to wait it out through the deadline, I’m fine with (and may even prefer) telling him to sit at home until we can find a trade. He’s simply a terrible fit. The idea of trying to give it a go with him would be destined to fail. I don’t think there’s any reason to waste that time and energy just to have him drag us down on the court AND in the locker room.

I’d be much more content watching a Beverly/Nunn PG rotation then a Westbrook/Beverly rotation with Nunn likely pushed out. I think there is an element of addition by subtraction in sending Russ home.

And I don’t think it’s at all comparable to the Deng situation.

I’m confused because I could have sworn some you were even more receptive than I am to the idea of holding on to Russ until closer to the trade deadline so that his expiring contract appreciates in value and allows you to get a better trade return and/or preserve picks. Not seeing why actually playing Russ until then, when we know it’s not a good fit, would have to be part of that equation.

 

even if TEs could be combined with players (they can't), what exactly are minny or charlotte's motivating factors for dumping useful young rotation players? it's not like they're the lakers or something.

 

feel like we're moving from "relax, the beverley trade is really just part of a larger set of moves that rids us of westbrook" to "everyone get used to just paying westbrook to go away" pretty quickly.

i've never fully been on the pure addition by subtraction team with russ, btw. yes, he pretty much harmed us on the floor last year, but it's not like we have anyone lined up that we're certain will be better.

i also think that once you go into paying guys not to play, you're further damaging the trade value, if only because you're further demonstrating just how over the barrel you are. as others have said--you're basically admitting that you've lied about everything, too.

so yeah. if our offseason moves are to sign third string players and then trade THT/stan for bevs and pay russ to stay home, everyone in the front office should be fired on opening night.

 

More like BeverLEAVEy and by that I mean get the f*** off my team

 

Rob has had plenty of time to deal Russ. Multiple GMs managed to move him and that contract when it had more years on it.

Not managing to get something done by camp is a failure in my book.

 

Pelinka pushing pretty hard to make something happen here, including trying to get a 3rd team involved with Indiana to avoid giving up the 2 FRPs. Some rumors that Indiana's appetite is decreasing a bit, though.

Hearing that Pelinka has about 1 year left (including next summer) to make something happen. 3 seasons of consecutive early playoff exits/misses with no major moves (aside from WB) would be considered grounds for him getting fired, or losing a lot of influence to Kurt Rambis (Phil Jackson's proxy). Remember Kurt Rambis was the one who pushed for the bigger lineup that helped bring the 2020 chip, and received a lot of internal credit for sticking to the triangle philosophy with that lineup (point forward in James, two 7 footers in AD & McGee playing the 4/5, etc).

This is going to be an exciting finish to the offseason!!