Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:

Camden wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

KiwiMatt wrote:Denver trades Wil Barton and Monte Morris to Washington for KCP and Ish Smith.

There must be a trade exception or another player from Washington to make this work salary wise. Can only been seen as a salary cap move by the Nuggets as in my opinion Barton/Morris > KCP/Smith.

Yes. This seems like a very one-sided deal in favor of Washington based solely on the players involved. Must be more to it than just that.

Denver is being cautious of the luxury tax threshold. That's a big part of that deal.

Connelly must have seen the writing on the wall. These cheap owners are incredible. The valuation of their teams have increased by at least 4x. Nuts.

KCP is a really valuable player and Ish Smith is a decent backup. This also creates an opening for Bones to take on a larger role. I think this is actually a deal that works well for both sides. It also seems like one that means Beal is coming back but it works just fine for Washington either way.

monsterpile wrote:

thedoper wrote:

Camden wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

KiwiMatt wrote:Denver trades Wil Barton and Monte Morris to Washington for KCP and Ish Smith.

There must be a trade exception or another player from Washington to make this work salary wise. Can only been seen as a salary cap move by the Nuggets as in my opinion Barton/Morris > KCP/Smith.

Yes. This seems like a very one-sided deal in favor of Washington based solely on the players involved. Must be more to it than just that.

Denver is being cautious of the luxury tax threshold. That's a big part of that deal.

Connelly must have seen the writing on the wall. These cheap owners are incredible. The valuation of their teams have increased by at least 4x. Nuts.

KCP is a really valuable player and Ish Smith is a decent backup. This also creates an opening for Bones to take on a larger role. I think this is actually a deal that works well for both sides. It also seems like one that means Beal is coming back but it works just fine for Washington either way.

I disagree, Monster. I think Morris and Barton combined are far more valuable than KCP and Ish.

lipoli390 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

thedoper wrote:

Camden wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

KiwiMatt wrote:Denver trades Wil Barton and Monte Morris to Washington for KCP and Ish Smith.

There must be a trade exception or another player from Washington to make this work salary wise. Can only been seen as a salary cap move by the Nuggets as in my opinion Barton/Morris > KCP/Smith.

Yes. This seems like a very one-sided deal in favor of Washington based solely on the players involved. Must be more to it than just that.

Denver is being cautious of the luxury tax threshold. That's a big part of that deal.

Connelly must have seen the writing on the wall. These cheap owners are incredible. The valuation of their teams have increased by at least 4x. Nuts.

KCP is a really valuable player and Ish Smith is a decent backup. This also creates an opening for Bones to take on a larger role. I think this is actually a deal that works well for both sides. It also seems like one that means Beal is coming back but it works just fine for Washington either way.

I disagree, Monster. I think Morris and Barton combined are far more valuable than KCP and Ish.

I think for the Nuggets before this trade they don't have a 2 way SG. Morris value diminishes for Denver a bit IF Murray stays healthy. Barton is a good player but has his own problems staying healthy. KCP upgrades the starting lineup for Denver. Do I think finances are part of the trade and helps Denver in that way? Yes I do. Did the Nuggets give up more value? Yes I agree but I think KCP is gonna be big for that team. He is a very good fit with Murray and Jokic. If the Nuggets stay healthy this is a deal that could help them take a step forward this year. If Murray gets hurt and their PG play suffers or Bones isn't up to the task of being a good bench player...this trade looks bad for Denver. If things go well I think this upgrades the Nuggets and costs them less money...which I think we knew mattered like 3years ago.

Patty Mills is now a FA.

And Gallinari is obviously available...

Miles Bridges, oh oh! Breaking News that he may have felony domestic violence charges against him, just before he was about to have a huge payday. I wonder if Charlotte trims their offer quite a bit now.

KG4Ever wrote:Miles Bridges, oh oh! Breaking News that he may have felony domestic violence charges against him, just before he was about to have a huge payday. I wonder if Charlotte trims their offer quite a bit now.

He probably just lost 100 million if not his career (obviously who knows the situation)

kekgeek1 wrote:

KG4Ever wrote:Miles Bridges, oh oh! Breaking News that he may have felony domestic violence charges against him, just before he was about to have a huge payday. I wonder if Charlotte trims their offer quite a bit now.

He probably just lost 100 million if not his career (obviously who knows the situation)

Wow. If he's guilt of felony domestic violence, losing $100 million is sweet justice. But beyond being lighter in the pocket, he'll also spend some time in prison.

There are some really interesting questions regarding free agent and trade possibilities around the League right now. Here are a few of them, all likely to have a domino effect that could impact the Wolves:

1. Will Brunson leave the Mavs and, if so, will he sign with the Knicks as he's reportedly inclined to do?

Although the media buzz is that Brunson will sign with the Knicks, there's probably a chance that won't happen. Apparently Brunson is meeting with Dallas and Miami in addition to the Knicks. So he's certainly keeping his options open for now. And at the end of the day, the Mavs can (and likely will) offer more than the Knicks can offer if only because CBA rules allow the Mavs to offer a 5th year while other teams are limited to offering 4. That's a big deal. The Knicks are reportedly going to offer $110 million over 4 years. That's $27.5 million per year. If the Mavs simply matched the per-year salary for 5 years, they'd be offering a $140 million deal. I supposed you could say, what's another $30 million when you're already making $110M. Well, my answer is that it's another $30 million. :) And because they have his Bird rights, the Mavs can actually offer more than $27.5 million per year for those 5 years. In other words, the Mavs can offer Brunson the proverbial "offer he can't refuse" - short of a horse head in his bed. :) In addition to the money, the Mavs offer Brunson a better chance than Knicks for a championship. Brunson's heart may be in New York, but his wallet and championship aspirations are probably in Dallas.

Brunson's decision could have significant implications for the Wolves. If Brunson stays in Dallas, then the Knicks will still be desperate to add a high caliber starting PG. The best free agent PG available is Tyus Jones, but I don't see him quite at the level the Knicks are looking for. With Murray going to the Hawks, there are only two high-caliber starting PGs that appear to be available on the trade market - Brogdon and DLO. I don't have a particular trade in mind and a DLO trade involving the Wolves and Knicks wouldn't necessarily be bilateral. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few days.

2. Will the Hawks trade John Collins?

The Hawks have been shopping Collins for several years now. The Hawks interest in trading a guy whose stat sheet is so impressive has always made me suspicious. His substance violation suspension added to my suspicion. And obviously, teams around the League have had some doubts about Collins, which helps explain why he hasn't been dealt in spite of Atlanta's ongoing effort to move him. And here's a recent report, which serves as a further sign of concerns about Collins:

Chris Kirschner on John Collins' trade market: From talking with people since the draft, it seems like the market for Collins has decreased quite a bit. Now, I'm not really sure who's interested in him... As it stands now for John, the market has definitely dwindled down for him. It's not a possibility the Hawks just keep him. The Hawks aren't going to just trade John for nothing. We're talking about someone who's a really good player. - via Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

It's also widely reported that the Hawks are not done dealing. They are still intent on reconstructing their roster for next season. If the Hawks can't trade Collins for the value they want, then that likely causes them to focus on moving other players. And that's where the Wolves come in because, if the Hawks don't move Collins, I would think they'll be more inclined to move Capela.

3. Will the Pacers trade Brogdon, Myles Turner or both to a team other than the Wolves and, if so, to what team?

I expect the Pacers to move both Brogdon and Turner this summer. It's just a matter of when and to what team. The Wolves have reportedly shown interest in Turner. And the Knicks seem to have Brogdon as their plan B if they can't sign Brunson. But who knows who might swoop in and trade for either one.

What Indiana does or doesn't do with these two guys certainly has potential implications for the Wolves. The team that trades for Brogdon obviously wouldn't have an interest in trading for DLO. And if Myles Turner ends up traded to another team, then of course, the Wolves would be looking elsewhere if interested in trading for another big.

4. Will the Nets end up trading Kyrie this summer after he opted in?

I still think this is very possible. The Lakers would sure love to get him apparently.

Jake Fischer: 'Kyrie Irving definitely was considering taking the taxpayer mid-level exception to play for the Lakers before he opted in. That's just the truth. He was definitely talking about it with people in his circle. And people on the league, we're talking about that reality, because that was the only way for him to get to the Lakers this season. - via Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

I love this report. We all probably remember Kyrie saying: "There are more important things going on in the world than basketball right now." That was his stated rationale for taking some time off from the game "for personal reasons" while continuing to get paid. Of course, he's famous for taking time off with pay. But it's always for a higher purpose like taking a stand against vaccination. I can imagine Kyrie contemplating the possibility of passing on the money to sign a mid-level deal with the Lakers and thinking about how he'd posture that in the media as another an act of principle - foregoing big money in favor of following his heart. Well, as it turns out, there truly are more important things than basketball to Kyrie. One of them is money! Although I'm sure Kyrie will tell us that he stayed in Brooklyn out of loyalty to his friend, Kevin Durant. :)

lipoli390 wrote:Jake Fischer: 'Kyrie Irving definitely was considering taking the taxpayer mid-level exception to play for the Lakers before he opted in. That's just the truth. He was definitely talking about it with people in his circle. And people on the league, we're talking about that reality, because that was the only way for him to get to the Lakers this season. - via Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

I love this report. We all probably remember Kyrie saying: "There are more important things going on in the world than basketball right now." That was his stated rationale for taking some time off from the game "for personal reasons" while continuing to get paid. Of course, he's famous for taking time off with pay. But it's always for a higher purpose like taking a stand against vaccination. I can imagine Kyrie contemplating the possibility of passing on the money to sign a mid-level deal with the Lakers and thinking about how he'd posture that in the media as another an act of principle - foregoing big money in favor of following his heart. Well, as it turns out, there truly are more important things than basketball to Kyrie. One of them is money! Although I'm sure Kyrie will tell us that he stayed in Brooklyn out of loyalty to his friend, Kevin Durant. :)

Ha. He already did.

Remember Shams' tweet about it? I mentioned that day that obviously it came directly from Kyrie's camp...

"Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant."