Porzingis to Dallas (split/merged)

I dont believe for a second porzingus will sign that piddly 1 year qualifying offer. Please. He told the Knicks this to force their hand to trade him out of that trash team.

This was just another case of a player forcing his way out. He will sign a max deal. Guaranteed following his injury history. Would be moronic to do otherwise.

No no, this was plain and simple his leverage to get out of new york
 
Dallas's pick is Top 5 protected this year. They are currently #12.

The other teams in the Lottery will be in their annual Tank-a-thon and most of these teams are already well ahead of Dallas on the tanking.

Dallas either needs to get really lucky in the Lottery or they can try to Tank hard, but may wind up giving up a top 6-9 pick to Atlanta for their efforts.
But but but I thought tanking was fixed?
 
Imagine being a Mavs fan before the 2018 draft you were looking at a future of DSJ/Wendell Carter. You wake up 6 months later and you have Luka/Porzingis for literally nothing
Can't believe, Mark Cuban turned this lottery team into a contender in a single season, if Porzingis returns healthy.
 
On paper, this is a deal that makes sense for both teams. Dallas believes a few things: They can't attract big name free agents, they can build around Luka and they don't believe they will be bad enough in the next few years to add a major impact player through the draft. Why not swing for the fence and add a 23 year old superstar for essentially a player that doesn't fit (Jr) and 2 likely late lottery picks?

Knicks believe they are going to add two max deals (color me skeptical) and they get a solid prospect and some future assets for their trouble.

By the way, what a difference a year can make. At one point the Unicorn was a Giannis or Brows level type.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Is there any chance KP is slightly overrated?

Last year: 32 MPG

22 PPG (only 43%...39% from 3)
6.6 RPG
2.4 BPG
He had a stretch to start last season where he was absolutely destroying teams, sorta sputtered and faded as the season wore on, then blew his ACL out. If the Mavs get the dude constantly dropping 30 pt nights, they're in good position. If they get the inconsistent guy the Knicks were seeing before his injury, it might not be as rosy.
 
Regardless of the protections:

Giving up 3 first round picks and a bunch of cap space for Porzingis to say he wants to sign the QO and enter UFA? I get you have a season to convince him otherwise, but damn, they certainly went all in. This is all assuming that Porzingis returns to form after the injury.
It’s an acl that stopped being a death sentence long ago.

lol

Mav fans thought they had fleeced the Knicks up until this little detail came out. I'm going to laugh my ass off when Porzingis walks after next season and DSJ is balling out in NYC. Screw you, Mark Cuban.
You still take he chance easily dude is friends with Luka and probably was a big time Dirk fan and Dallas is a great city. He’s not leaving
 


Man. I just didn't see the urgency to do this. You had a bunch of money coming off the books this season with DJ and Matthews and the Barnes in 2020. Doncic and DSJ both on rookie deals for multiple more seasons. You just saw DSJ start to play really well next to Doncic when he came back from his rest or whatever. Maybe if you struck out this off-season, you make a deal like this?
Cause this is fantasy land you’re not signing free agents it’s not happening thinking like that get you overpaid guys like Barnes/Matthews. Hell the lakers haven’t signed a FA besides lebron in ages.

Porzingis wasn’t walking through that door

I keep seeing this notion all over the internet that Tim Hardaway Jr. is a great fit for the Mavs. I don't think people realize that he sucks.
Wes Matthews isn’t any better
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Cause this is fantasy land you’re not signing free agents it’s not happening thinking like that get you overpaid guys like Barnes/Matthews. Hell the lakers haven’t signed a FA besides lebron in ages.

Porzingis wasn’t walking through that door



Wes Matthews isn’t any better
Wes Matthews hasn't been lighting it up of late but Hardaway's numbers have been coming as a high usage (26%) volume shooter who isn't particularly awesome from the perimeter and is a sieve on defense (not exactly the sort of player you want to have playing next to a ball-dominant less-than-stellar defender). Matthews at least gave effort on defense and seemed content with being a complimentary piece. I realize that in your eyes the Mavs can do absolutely nothing wrong but it's not like this move is a straight up fleecing.

If Dallas has one thing in its favor, it's that the Mavs as a franchise have been so bad at drafting in the 21st century that it's not like they were probably gonna pick anyone good with those picks they traded anyways.
 

Cool cool cool but the Mavs stifled Nash's development and left him frustrated until eventually forcing him to go to Phoenix where he subsequently blossomed into the best point guard in the NBA free from Dallas so maybe not the greatest comparison to make?
He was good in Dallas they let him go thinking he was too old or something to get the max.
Wes Matthews hasn't been lighting it up of late but Hardaway's numbers have been coming as a high usage (26%) volume shooter who isn't particularly awesome from the perimeter and is a sieve on defense (not exactly the sort of player you want to have playing next to a ball-dominant less-than-stellar defender). Matthews at least gave effort on defense and seemed content with being a complimentary piece. I realize that in your eyes the Mavs can do absolutely nothing wrong but it's not like this move is a straight up fleecing.

If Dallas has one thing in its favor, it's that the Mavs as a franchise have been so bad at drafting in the 21st century that it's not like they were probably gonna pick anyone good with those picks they traded anyways.
In my eyes lol

Ya getting Porzingis is an absolute steal Matthews and Hardaway are throw ins that don’t matter. Wes will probably be bought out and Tim won’t be resigned later
 
Apparently NYK is confident in the FA hopes in KD or AD if they get either they’ll most likely get Kyrie as well. I don’t see how the snake leaves GSW but AD I can see whose also close to Kyrie apparently.

NO will have to chose from the 2 offers

Boston: Tatum, Brown, Smart, 2019 Sac pick, Memphis 1st, and clippers 2019 1st

NYK: Robinson, Smith, Trier, Knox, 2019 NY 1st (probably top 3), 2021 Dallas 1st

Whoever gets AD most likely gets Kyrie
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Apparently NYK is confident in the FA hopes in KD or AD if they get either they’ll most likely get Kyrie as well. I don’t see how the snake leaves GSW but AD I can see whose also close to Kyrie apparently.

NO will have to chose from the 2 offers

Boston: Tatum, Brown, Smart, 2019 Sac pick, Memphis 1st, and clippers 2019 1st

NYK: Robinson, Smith, Trier, Knox, 2019 NY 1st (probably top 3), 2021 Dallas 1st

Whoever gets AD most likely gets Kyrie
If New York gets Zion in the draft and gets two quality max contract guys (in this scenario, let's say Kawhi decides to go to New York for some reason), I actually like them more than I did when they had healthy Zinger.


Zion
Knox
DSJ
(and even Mudiay)

is a nice little core for them to build around/ use as pieces to build around their max stars.
 
If New York gets Zion in the draft and gets two quality max contract guys (in this scenario, let's say Kawhi decides to go to New York for some reason), I actually like them more than I did when they had healthy Zinger.


Zion
Knox
DSJ
(and even Mudiay)

is a nice little core for them to build around/ use as pieces to build around their max stars.
No way Kawhi goes there it’s LaC when Toronto gets bounced.

You’d chose to keep Zion over trading that to get AD most likely Kyrie coming as well?
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
No way Kawhi goes there it’s LaC when Toronto gets bounced.

You’d chose to keep Zion over trading that to get AD most likely Kyrie coming as well?
I think it's more cost effective to just draft Zion and wait and see on the AD front. There's a chance the Knicks could just sign him as a free agent without having to sacrifice assets. Plus considering their reluctance to deal with fragile superstar big man Porzingis, I'm not sure how they'd feel about AD to be honest. Scott Perry doesn't seem to be one of those "gotta make a flashy move or else" GMs so I could see him being patient and approach the rebuilding process from a more relaxed stance than the Lakers did.
 
Porzingis is ''essentially cleared to play''.

Makes sense now, I think NY is the bad guys here this time, they just want to show the fans of NYK that Porzingis was the bad one ... they wanted to get rid of KP even days before this meeting, because how can you even possibly come up with a 4 player against 5 player trade in like 10 minutes.

KP is a good dude and he only had one freaking major injury, it's not like he is so freaking injury prone, the only problem might be his brother, but he can be contained.

In his rookie year he missed 10 games, last 7 games was because they shut him down, because he injured his shoulder while getting a block, but he was cleared to play.
In his second season he missed 16 games, and the Knicks shut him down for few games again at the end of the season.
 
Porzingis is ''essentially cleared to play''.

Makes sense now, I think NY is the bad guys here this time, they just want to show the fans of NYK that Porzingis was the bad one ... they wanted to get rid of KP even days before this meeting, because how can you even possibly come up with a 4 player against 5 player trade in like 10 minutes.

KP is a good dude and he only had one freaking major injury, it's not like he is so freaking injury prone, the only problem might be his brother, but he can be contained.

In his rookie year he missed 10 games, last 7 games was because they shut him down, because he injured his shoulder while getting a block, but he was cleared to play.
In his second season he missed 16 games, and the Knicks shut him down for few games again at the end of the season.
I believe they wanted to sit him for the year to tank which he was against because he wanted to play . I remember hearing this earlier
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
I believe they wanted to sit him for the year to tank which he was against because he wanted to play . I remember hearing this earlier
I mean ACLs typically take a good year to heal, especially for professional basketball athletes. I wouldn't put having Zinger sit out the year past the Knicks as that's the strategy they're already applying to dudes like Kanter but the original injury occurred in February so him still sitting out isn't too unusual.
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
High risk high reward for Dallas. I worry about Porzingis and his frame being a continual injury risk. If he can stay healthy, it makes them interesting with 2 unique pieces.

I like Smith Jr. I like him a lot. DJ still is relevant. But it’s the Knicks, I have no faith in them turning things around.
 
If the Knicks land the 1st pick I'm thinking they'll pick Zion over trading it away to New Orleans. Zion is the biggest prospect to come out in years.

Apparently NYK is confident in the FA hopes in KD or AD if they get either they’ll most likely get Kyrie as well. I don’t see how the snake leaves GSW but AD I can see whose also close to Kyrie apparently.

NO will have to chose from the 2 offers

Boston: Tatum, Brown, Smart, 2019 Sac pick, Memphis 1st, and clippers 2019 1st

NYK: Robinson, Smith, Trier, Knox, 2019 NY 1st (probably top 3), 2021 Dallas 1st

Whoever gets AD most likely gets Kyrie
NO already has an offer from the Lakers as well: Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, Zubac and a 1st which is a crazy high offer to me.
 
If the Knicks land the 1st pick I'm thinking they'll pick Zion over trading it away to New Orleans. Zion is the biggest prospect to come out in years.



NO already has an offer from the Lakers as well: Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, Zubac and a 1st which is a crazy high offer to me.
To me that isn't a crazy price. Potential All Stars are nice to have but young proven Superstars don't come up for trade to often. All Stars don't win Championships superstars do.
 
To me that isn't a crazy price. Potential All Stars are nice to have but young proven Superstars don't come up for trade to often. All Stars don't win Championships superstars do.
I'm not in total disagreement, but there are concerns:

1) LeBron is not young, he'll be 35 next season. Modern science is keeping his body in great shape, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him start to fall off sooner than later.
2) Davis has a pretty long injury history. He's yet to play a whole season. He's missed less games in recent years which is a good sign, but there's still some concerns there.

If scenario 1 and/or 2 become an issue, then the Lakers are down the river without a paddle. And considering the potential loss of a 1st round pick in the deal, they probably wouldn't see the likes of any upcoming talent any time soon.
 
I'm not in total disagreement, but there are concerns:

1) LeBron is not young, he'll be 35 next season. Modern science is keeping his body in great shape, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him start to fall off sooner than later.
2) Davis has a pretty long injury history. He's yet to play a whole season. He's missed less games in recent years which is a good sign, but there's still some concerns there.

If scenario 1 and/or 2 become an issue, then the Lakers are down the river without a paddle. And considering the potential loss of a 1st round pick in the deal, they probably wouldn't see the likes of any upcoming talent any time soon.
Most teams have a small Championship window, if you can get a talent like AD IMO you have to do it.
 
Most teams have a small Championship window, if you can get a talent like AD IMO you have to do it.
But the bar for the Lakers isn't "Championship." It's "Dynasty" and "Legendary." I mean, of course Lakers ownership and execs and fans will be ecstatic if an aging Lebron James and an in-his-prime Anthony Davis can bring the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Los Angeles, but once something gives out in Lebron's admittedly cyborg-like body, it's game over, and then Davis is right back where he started in New Orleans: a lonely superstar, though this time in a market with very bright lights and very big expectations.

On the flip side of that coin, if I'm the Lakers, I'm looking at Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma and I'm saying, "They might someday develop into nice pieces, but these guys aren't going to win us a championship." So why not package them together and swing for the fences with Anthony Davis? The mistake wouldn't be in parleying young talent into a superstar, but in signing Lebron James in the first place. It sounds crazy to consider a world where signing Lebron James could ever be thought of as a mistake, but in my opinion, the only way to maximize such a signing would be if all the other pieces of a championship contender were already in place.

As is, if the Lakers trade for Anthony Davis before the deadline, they cannot offer a max contract to another all-star in the summer, and it would take some serious cap maneuvering in order to sign an all-star in the summer and then trade for Davis afterward. So it's Lebron and Davis and whatever misfits they could surround them with and a "championship or bust" mentality for a couple seasons until something goes "pop" in Lebron's marvel-of-science of a body... and then what? If they surrender future first-rounders in a deal for Davis, then it's back to where the Lakers have been for the last half-decade: struggling to attract the high-wattage talent they're used to courting in free agency.

I guess I just find the Magic-Pelinka "all-in" strategy to be deeply flawed in a Western Conference where the Warriors are still at the top of the food chain, and where the competition beneath them gets more fierce by the day. It was always too hard to imagine Magic Johnson being patient as president of basketball operations, but I'm not sure that a possible James/Davis pairing is as profoundly game-changing as many think it would be. They'd tear up the highlight reels for a year or two, but again, Lebron is 34 years old, and he's got a nearly-unprecedented number of miles on him. Father Time remains undefeated, after all.