New Anti-tanking rules going to help the Wolves?

[DNatagal]

I was thinking about the new rules today while finishing my deck. Will a team that was in full tank mode last year going to be willing to trade for a good enough player so that the team can soft tank? Will a true bottom dweller be interested in Randle or Rudy to raise the floor " just enough" to not be penalized? Connelly has his work cut out for him this off-season.

I think the Wizards may have played their trades very well at this deadline. They brought in Trey and AD and still have their top players and the #1 pick this year. That kind of thinking would really help the Wolves move on from one or both.

[WildWolf2813]

here's where the Wolves got burned by that:

2 of those teams (Washington and Utah) got a jump start on adding vet bigs who could help them win next year (AD to Washington, Jackson to Utah). Memphis is gonna keep rebuilding, but at #3 they're in prime position to add Cam Boozer, so that solves PF. Chicago to a lesser extent is also adding potentially Caleb Wilson to go with Essengue and Buzelis so PF is set there. Sacramento has PF's but they'd like to unload them to get younger, so Randle doesn't solve that.

Indiana has Siakam, NO requires them to give up on Zion and get much older-- for the record, I'd take a flier on Zion but NO won't do this, Orlando would drive Suggs to the airport, but they have Banchero, so no dice.


BK kinda checks off the boxes for everything you want out of a trade partner. The question is whether you'll be satisfied with the return.

[60WinTim]

here's where the Wolves got burned by that:

2 of those teams (Washington and Utah) got a jump start on adding vet bigs who could help them win next year (AD to Washington, Jackson to Utah). Memphis is gonna keep rebuilding, but at #3 they're in prime position to add Cam Boozer, so that solves PF. Chicago to a lesser extent is also adding potentially Caleb Wilson to go with Essengue and Buzelis so PF is set there. Sacramento has PF's but they'd like to unload them to get younger, so Randle doesn't solve that.

Indiana has Siakam, NO requires them to give up on Zion and get much older-- for the record, I'd take a flier on Zion but NO won't do this, Orlando would drive Suggs to the airport, but they have Banchero, so no dice.


BK kinda checks off the boxes for everything you want out of a trade partner. The question is whether you'll be satisfied with the return.

The BK one creates some possibilities for being a 3rd team. They get Randle and draft compensation, and the team sending us OUR guy gets Claxton or Porter.

[WildWolf2813]

here's where the Wolves got burned by that:

2 of those teams (Washington and Utah) got a jump start on adding vet bigs who could help them win next year (AD to Washington, Jackson to Utah). Memphis is gonna keep rebuilding, but at #3 they're in prime position to add Cam Boozer, so that solves PF. Chicago to a lesser extent is also adding potentially Caleb Wilson to go with Essengue and Buzelis so PF is set there. Sacramento has PF's but they'd like to unload them to get younger, so Randle doesn't solve that.

Indiana has Siakam, NO requires them to give up on Zion and get much older-- for the record, I'd take a flier on Zion but NO won't do this, Orlando would drive Suggs to the airport, but they have Banchero, so no dice.


BK kinda checks off the boxes for everything you want out of a trade partner. The question is whether you'll be satisfied with the return.

The BK one creates some possibilities for being a 3rd team. They get Randle and draft compensation, and the team sending us OUR guy gets Claxton or Porter.

Well I'll say this as someone who closely checks on what the Nets do:

They're not trading Porter. I'd even say they'd be hesitant to move Claxton, BUT I think Claxton is more open to a trade because he's just looked so disenchanted with things the last 2 years and it shows in his production. Whatever vet they add would be to put alongside Porter and Demin as they try to make the play-in. Ideally I'd love to take Traore back in a deal but I think they're more likely to move Saraf (I'll say it again: I think he sucks)

[Phenom]

BKN is an interesting case since they owe a swap to Houston next year. The incentive to win does not necessarily seem to be there. By being bottom 3 it will lower the floor of the pick going to Houston and eliminate it becoming the #1 pick. It also keeps the #1 pick available to them the following year since teams can't (reportedly) get #1 back to back years.

[WildWolf2813]

BKN is an interesting case since they owe a swap to Houston next year. The incentive to win does not necessarily seem to be there. By being bottom 3 it will lower the floor of the pick going to Houston and eliminate it becoming the #1 pick. It also keeps the #1 pick available to them the following year since teams can't (reportedly) get #1 back to back years.

their incentive to win is that they don't wanna deal with the humiliation of giving away another high pick to another team (oddly enough, Brooklyn's best lottery luck has come only when their picks have gone to other teams).

That and the team across town is very close to going to the NBA Finals pushing them even further into irrelevance. Like Bill Simmons continues to point out, they're a second class citizen even in their own building because the Liberty have become so popular at Barclays. They gotta start showing some sort of improvement whether it's from the FIVE firsts they drafted or through signing guys to raise the floor. They have a really good coach in Jordi Fernandez but they have no real reason for fans to go out to games unless it's to watch other teams at a much cheaper price than at MSG (I know-- I probably save $100-200 bucks and get much better seats just to watch the Wolves at Brooklyn)

[Phenom]

BKN is an interesting case since they owe a swap to Houston next year. The incentive to win does not necessarily seem to be there. By being bottom 3 it will lower the floor of the pick going to Houston and eliminate it becoming the #1 pick. It also keeps the #1 pick available to them the following year since teams can't (reportedly) get #1 back to back years.

their incentive to win is that they don't wanna deal with the humiliation of giving away another high pick to another team (oddly enough, Brooklyn's best lottery luck has come only when their picks have gone to other teams).

That and the team across town is very close to going to the NBA Finals pushing them even further into irrelevance. Like Bill Simmons continues to point out, they're a second class citizen even in their own building because the Liberty have become so popular at Barclays. They gotta start showing some sort of improvement whether it's from the FIVE firsts they drafted or through signing guys to raise the floor. They have a really good coach in Jordi Fernandez but they have no real reason for fans to go out to games unless it's to watch other teams at a much cheaper price than at MSG (I know-- I probably save $100-200 bucks and get much better seats just to watch the Wolves at Brooklyn)

If they win enough to not be in the bottom 3 they have a great shot to give the number one pick to Houston. By being bottom 3, the Rockets can't get pick 1 from them. The lottery is no longer an incentive to win if you owe your pick.

[WildWolf2813]

BKN is an interesting case since they owe a swap to Houston next year. The incentive to win does not necessarily seem to be there. By being bottom 3 it will lower the floor of the pick going to Houston and eliminate it becoming the #1 pick. It also keeps the #1 pick available to them the following year since teams can't (reportedly) get #1 back to back years.

their incentive to win is that they don't wanna deal with the humiliation of giving away another high pick to another team (oddly enough, Brooklyn's best lottery luck has come only when their picks have gone to other teams).

That and the team across town is very close to going to the NBA Finals pushing them even further into irrelevance. Like Bill Simmons continues to point out, they're a second class citizen even in their own building because the Liberty have become so popular at Barclays. They gotta start showing some sort of improvement whether it's from the FIVE firsts they drafted or through signing guys to raise the floor. They have a really good coach in Jordi Fernandez but they have no real reason for fans to go out to games unless it's to watch other teams at a much cheaper price than at MSG (I know-- I probably save $100-200 bucks and get much better seats just to watch the Wolves at Brooklyn)

If they win enough to not be in the bottom 3 they have a great shot to give the number one pick to Houston. By being bottom 3, the Rockets can't get pick 1 from them. The lottery is no longer an incentive to win if you owe your pick.

regardless, Houston will swap with Brooklyn and if the Nets don't improve, that's another lotto pick squandered.

the draft is weak anyway, but they'll have nothing to show for being bad.

[Phenom]

their incentive to win is that they don't wanna deal with the humiliation of giving away another high pick to another team (oddly enough, Brooklyn's best lottery luck has come only when their picks have gone to other teams).

That and the team across town is very close to going to the NBA Finals pushing them even further into irrelevance. Like Bill Simmons continues to point out, they're a second class citizen even in their own building because the Liberty have become so popular at Barclays. They gotta start showing some sort of improvement whether it's from the FIVE firsts they drafted or through signing guys to raise the floor. They have a really good coach in Jordi Fernandez but they have no real reason for fans to go out to games unless it's to watch other teams at a much cheaper price than at MSG (I know-- I probably save $100-200 bucks and get much better seats just to watch the Wolves at Brooklyn)

If they win enough to not be in the bottom 3 they have a great shot to give the number one pick to Houston. By being bottom 3, the Rockets can't get pick 1 from them. The lottery is no longer an incentive to win if you owe your pick.

regardless, Houston will swap with Brooklyn and if the Nets don't improve, that's another lotto pick squandered.

the draft is weak anyway, but they'll have nothing to show for being bad.

If they can make a playoff push next season, then great. It doesn't seem realistic at the moment.