Official 2018-2019 NBA Off Season Thread!!!

[Al Bundy]

Will Lebron leave Cleveland? Will KD stay in Oakland? Who goes first to the sorry ass Suns? Will the Sacramento Kings do anything to not be a bottom tier organization? Drop draft stuff in here.
Draft Order.


1 Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton C Arizona

2 Sacramento Kings
Marvin Balgey III PF Duke

3 Atlanta Hawks
Luke Doncic PG Slovenia (Traded to Mavericks)

4 Memphis Grizzlies
Jaren Jackson JR PF Michigan State

5 Dallas Mavericks
Trae Young PG Oklahoma (Traded to Atlanta)

6 Orlando Magic
Mohamed Bamba C Texas

7 Chicago Bulls
Wendell Carter Jr. C Duke

8 Cleveland Cavaliers (via Nets)
Colin Sexton PG Alabama

9 New York Knicks
Kevin Knox SF Kentucky

10 Philadelphia 76ers (via Lakers)
Mikal Bridges SF Villanova (Traded to Suns for Zhaire Smith)

11 Charlotte Hornets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG Kentucky (Traded To Clippers)

12 Los Angeles Clippers (via Pistons)
Miles Bridges SF Michigan State.(Traded to Hornets)

13 Los Angeles Clippers
Jerome Robinson SG Boston College

14 Denver Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. SF Missouri

15 Washington Wizards
Troy Brown Jr. SF Oregon

16 Phoenix Suns (via Heat)
Zhaire Smith SF Texas Tech (Traded to Philadelphia)

17 Milwaukee Bucks
Donte DiVincenzo SG Villanova

18 San Antonio Spurs
Lonnie Walker IV SG Miami

19 Atlanta Hawks (via Timberwolves)
Kevin Huerter SG Maryland

20 Minnesota Timberwolves (via Thunder)
Josh Okogie SG Georgia Tech

21 Utah Jazz
Grayson Allen SG Duke

22 Chicago Bulls (via Pelicans)
Chandler Hutchison SG Boise State

23 Indiana Pacers
Aaron Holiday PG UCLA

24 Portland Trail Blazers
Anfernee Simons SG USA

25 Los Angeles Lakers (via Cavaliers)
Moritz Wagner PF Michigan

26 Philadelphia 76ers
Landry Shamet PG Wichita State

27 Boston Celtics
Robert Williams C Texas A&M

28 Golden State Warriors
Jacob Evans SG Cincinnati

29 Brooklyn Nets
Dzanana Musa SF Bosnia-Herzegovina

30 Atlanta Hawks (via Houston Rockets)
Omari Spellman PF Villanova.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

GS drafted and developed their core stars and won a NBA championship with them. It is alot different than Lebron going to Miami or now LA.

So did the Penguins. And the Red Wings. And the Blackhawks.

My point is, those teams still had to find a way to get under the cap and play by the same rules as everyone else. Luxury tax doesn't allow that.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Marian Hossa is a forward in the NHL, who 10 years ago, was arguably one of the best free agents and players in the league.

He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through the season, who lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Red Wings. The next year he signed a 1 year deal to join the Red Wings instead of returning to the Penguins, who ended up beating the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals again.

After that, he signed a long ass contract in Chicago and has won 3 cups there.

Point is, he was able to have the flexibility to chase a cup, but under the restriction of a hard cap in which teams had to clear way for his salary. Warriors/Cavs/whoever don't have to really do that, which ends up ruining the balance of the league.

Why don't they have to do that? A soft cap still puts restrictions on what they can do. Which is why KD took paycuts. Lebron/Wade took pay cuts. Cousins is taking a pay cut this year. Etc. Unless you also want to make it so players can't take less than they're worth, it's all moot.

I can't criticize a player for going somewhere to win. It just seems hypocritical to me.
Posted via Mobile Device

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

So did the Penguins. And the Red Wings. And the Blackhawks.

My point is, those teams still had to find a way to get under the cap and play by the same rules as everyone else. Luxury tax doesn't allow that.

Everybody does play with the same rules. Every owner can pay luxury taxes. Some aren't willing. Their loss. Some are. Their gain.

OKC owner could have one of the best teams ever right now but he wasn't willing to pay the luxury cap to keep harden. I bet he knows better now.

It's all an even playing field for all teams.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by -King-

Why don't they have to do that? A soft cap still puts restrictions on what they can do. Which is why KD took paycuts. Lebron/Wade took pay cuts. Cousins is taking a pay cut this year. Etc. Unless you also want to make it so players can't take less than they're worth, it's all moot.

I can't criticize a player for going somewhere to win. It just seems hypocritical to me.
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm not criticizing Boogie for doing what he did.

I am criticizing the system that allows what he did to be possible.

And a soft cap still varies team to team and places an incentive to do well and draft great players.

The only way to really do that is to tank, which ends up leading to 5-10 teams tanking for the lottery.

Hard cap would force the Warriors to make tough decisions instead of paying the luxury tax every season, which really doesn't impact them what so ever since they're in the Bay Area and are about to move into a new arena.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

So did the Penguins. And the Red Wings. And the Blackhawks.

My point is, those teams still had to find a way to get under the cap and play by the same rules as everyone else. Luxury tax doesn't allow that.

I think alot of NBA fans and execs agree including Silver with going with a hard cap. The problem is the players union isn't going to go for it unless they get something huge in return which I don't know what that would be.

“You still have two teams that are significantly above, not just the cap, but the tax,” Silver said. “Now [the hard cap is] something that we’ll continue to look at. There are pros and cons to doing it. Historically, one of the issues in our league was we didn’t necessarily want to break up teams. There is a different sense in the NBA than the NFL, and the chemistry and dynamic that comes together with a group of players.”

Any changes in the cap system would need to be collectively bargained, of course, with the National Basketball Players Association.

“You could do more to achieve parity, but you also don’t want parity of mediocrity either,” Silver said.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I think alot of NBA fans and execs agree including Silver with going with a hard cap. The problem is the players union isn't going to go for it unless they get something huge in return which I don't know what that would be.

Oh, yeah. Union would never approve of it and the only way it would get passed is if the owners wanted to do another lockout.

I think it's the only feasible way to bring more balance to the league and you can ultimately do that through raising the cap annually and have it tied to revenue generated throughout the league, but I don't think the owners would like that either.

Point is, hard cap, IMO, is the only way to stop this shit and the only way that happens is through a lockout.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

GS drafted and developed their core stars and won a NBA championship with them. It is alot different than Lebron going to Miami or now LA.

Golden State also got tremendously lucky that Curry had those ankle injuries that depressed his value. Without those, they wouldn't have been able to fit in the salaries of guys like Iguodala and later Shaun Livingston, who were absolutely vital to them winning.

Of course, all of NBA history is changed if Clay Bennett isn't a ****ing charlatan. He screwed Seattle by moving that team, then wanted to cut costs when he had Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, so he forced Presti to trade Harden, and Presti did a terrible job both extracting value in the first place and keeping around coaching mongoloid Scotty Brooks. If Bennett just bit the bullet on the tax, the Warriors dynasty probably never happens because OKC is a better team.

[Sassy Squatch]

Durant/Curry/Thompson/Green/Cousins. . That lineup probably beats quite a few franchises all time top 5 players.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

I'm not criticizing Boogie for doing what he did.

I am criticizing the system that allows what he did to be possible.

And a soft cap still varies team to team and places an incentive to do well and draft great players.

The only way to really do that is to tank, which ends up leading to 5-10 teams tanking for the lottery.

Hard cap would force the Warriors to make tough decisions instead of paying the luxury tax every season, which really doesn't impact them what so ever since they're in the Bay Area and are about to move into a new arena.

But why should they have to make tough decisions in order to keep their players? Why should they be penalized for being great at drafting and attracting great players?
Posted via Mobile Device

[dj56dt58]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Golden State also got tremendously lucky that Curry had those ankle injuries that depressed his value. Without those, they wouldn't have been able to fit in the salaries of guys like Iguodala and later Shaun Livingston, who were absolutely vital to them winning.

Of course, all of NBA history is changed if Clay Bennett isn't a ****ing charlatan. He screwed Seattle by moving that team, then wanted to cut costs when he had Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, so he forced Presti to trade Harden, and Presti did a terrible job both extracting value in the first place and keeping around coaching mongoloid Scotty Brooks. If Bennett just bit the bullet on the tax, the Warriors dynasty probably never happens because OKC is a better team.

The warriors were pretty damn good before kd..that dynasty still happens

[BigCatDaddy]

The irony in Lebron being the Superteam architect now biting him in the ass. Makes you wonder what the NBA landscape looks like has he opted to spend his entire career in Cleveland.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by -King-

But why should they have to make tough decisions in order to keep their players? Why should they be penalized for being great at drafting and attracting great players?
Posted via Mobile Device

Because with almost any other team, the only way to get in a position close to the Warriors, is through tanking. The Warriors were super lucky with how Green turned out relative to his pick.

Why should they be able to get away with paying an all star center well below market value and artificially depress players' wages as a result of being lucky to have Green turn out the way he did?

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

The irony in Lebron being the Superteam architect now biting him in the ass. Makes you wonder what the NBA landscape looks like has he opted to spend his entire career in Cleveland.

Since LeBron has been in the league, what he did in Miami wasn't even the first super team.

Boston was.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by -King-

Everybody does play with the same rules. Every owner can pay luxury taxes. Some aren't willing. Their loss. Some are. Their gain.

OKC owner could have one of the best teams ever right now but he wasn't willing to pay the luxury cap to keep harden. I bet he knows better now.

It's all an even playing field for all teams.
Posted via Mobile Device

Presti would rather pay the luxury tax for Carmelo Anthony than for James Harden. Let that sink in for a minute.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Because with almost any other team, the only way to get in a position close to the Warriors, is through tanking. The Warriors were super lucky with how Green turned out relative to his pick.

Why should they be able to get away with paying an all star center well below market value and artificially depress players' wages as a result of being lucky to have Green turn out the way he did?



Since LeBron has been in the league, what he did in Miami wasn't even the first super team.

Boston was.

Cousins is a grown ass man. If he wants to take less than he's worth to get a ring, wtf is wrong with that?

If mahomes turns out to be the real real and gronk wants to take a discount deal to be our TE2, will you have a problem with that?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Because with almost any other team, the only way to get in a position close to the Warriors, is through tanking. The Warriors were super lucky with how Green turned out relative to his pick.

Why should they be able to get away with paying an all star center well below market value and artificially depress players' wages as a result of being lucky to have Green turn out the way he did?



Since LeBron has been in the league, what he did in Miami wasn't even the first super team.

Boston was.

The Showtime Lakers were a super team. Russel's Celtics were a super team. Jordan's Bulls were certainly a super team.