iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
One way smaller guards are out of style apparently
[NBA] Trade Deadline Season 2026 Open Thread
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Joshyjosh31
Starter
lol that fine really gonna hurt them
Interesting sidenote on the Zubac I don't think I saw...
OptimusRhyme
Jive Turkey
so perrys big move was fixing his offseason mistake that everyone knew was a mistake before he did it
This is the same Pacers front office that we basically settled on 1-1 swap without FRP compensation on the Hali-Domas deal, right? Seems like even in this new pick era they are happy to move them around and we should have gotten a pick in that deal. I know I will beat that drum to death because I really like both players but feel ultimately we are now here.
Told you, there were 2 camps, Fox and Domas. I suppose we know what side Monk was on. The losers in all of that fiasco was the fans but also the players at the time. They had something relatively good going if they could build on it but it all went to crap and the fans now have this to watch. Just sucks
I've never disputed the two camps, what is wild to me is that the one we bent over backwards for is the one who burned the whole campsite down.
That’s a different story. The whole organization from owner to players to coaches to GM all had a part. Doesn’t even matter anymore. Wished they could have fixed crap instead of the organization being here at this moment. Maybe the organization will get it right but does anyone have faith in that? Really hard to have hope they get it right
I don't have much faith but that's also largely because we kowtowed to the disgruntled player we spent 7.5 years catering to, brought in another player who stinks and broke the roster, and now are catering to a bunch of other disgruntled players. When we buy them out so they can sign on good teams for free over the next 2-3 weeks it will just make it worse.
Honestly its just the small sniff of a chance I'll get to see a championship parade in my hometown before I shuffle off that keeps me hanging on and the less likely it is to happen means it will be even more special if it does.
Maybe I should have taken a gap year and I could have seen the Surge parade..
Dime Dropper
All-Star
Clippers get a haul for Zubac. Meanwhile people would be happy to accept RJ and a second for Sabonis? Absolutely non-sensical.
The NBA is certainly strange. I get that Zubac is a better defender but he's not exactly a rim protector and Sabonis is better in literally every other facet of the game. Doesn't make sense that he can't get a similar or better return.
The NBA is certainly strange. I get that Zubac is a better defender but he's not exactly a rim protector and Sabonis is better in literally every other facet of the game. Doesn't make sense that he can't get a similar or better return.
sactowndog
Hall of Famer
Even with the worst record in the league they are likely to fall to 5.
sactowndog
Hall of Famer
Because Monte routinely acquired people undersized for their position.
Define "happy."
sactowndog
Hall of Famer
The fact we could not move Sabonis just shows how many teams feel about him and the thoughts of many on the Hali Sabonis trade.
Toronto tried to tempt us to take on the Poeltl death contract and we rightly said no.
Monte saddled us with a raft of expensive and/or undersized players with the exception of Keon. Funny enough Keon was the only one with value.
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ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
I think the question is, can you really be a contender with a starting 5 who is not a known as a defender?
Padrino
All-Star
I suppose it depends on what you mean when you say "contender", but Houston is going to be an upper-tier playoff team for years to come with a Domas-like in Alperen Sengun. They're just far better built around him than the Kings have ever been around Domas.
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
I got to thinking about a team like Indiana last season. If we swap Sabonis for Turner, with everything else the same on the roster,...do they still get to game 7 of the Finals? I really don't think so.
Maybe there is a single exception in the league, but it seems that most organizations would not choose to make that investment and bet
sactowndog
Hall of Famer
Sengun is longer 7” wingspan versus 6’ 10” and averages 1 block a game versus .2
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Padrino
All-Star
That thought-exercise isn't particularly compelling, because if the Pacers had decided to keep Sabonis instead of Turner, everything else would not have been the same with their roster. Keeping Sabonis would have necessitated different follow-up moves than the ones they ultimately made.
That said, you roll with the talent you get in the NBA. It's not always your choice. Not everybody can luck into an NBA Rushmore-encroaching Nikola Jokic or a gravity-defying freak of nature like Victor Wembanyama. If Sabonis is one of your central pieces, you work around his flaws. Same for Sengun, or for any other All-NBA talent that isn't in the superstar conversation.
Houston's 4/5 combo of Smith Jr. and Sengun is hilariously similar to the Kings' 4/5 combo of Murray and Sabonis. The Kings' problem is not that they traded for Domantas Sabonis; their problem is that they traded for Sabonis without possessing enough assets in the cupboard to keep their "win now" push going. Indiana, for the record, could be making a similar mistake, depending on how the ping pong balls bounce in the upcoming draft lottery.
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Padrino
All-Star
This kind of hair-splitting is... silly. Sabonis is not a good defender. Sengun is not a good defender. Let's not pretend otherwise. Their on-court impact is also similar, though Domas' impact on winning has been a bit more pronounced at his peak. I expect Sengun is going to be much closer to Domas as a talent than, say, Nikola Jokic, as much of the hyperbole would have fans believe.
sactowndog
Hall of Famer
Sengun averages 5 times the number of blocks per game in terms of rim protection. That is hardly hair splitting. I don’t know because it isn’t posted but I would guess he has greater than 4 inches standing reach which is also not hair splitting.
Domas is significantly undersized. The fact he does what he does is a testament to his extreme skill level. I think Domas will actually be a better coach than player.
Padrino
All-Star
Rim protection! 5 times the number of blocks! To the tune of 33rd in the league, right behind known defensive maestro Deandre Ayton. I swear, man, sometimes I wonder if you're an NBA parody Twitter account disguising itself as a human being.
Alperun Sengun is a very, very good basketball player. He's an All-NBA level talent. He should be in many All-Star games, and like Domas, there might be a season or two where he cracks the top-10 in MVP votes. But let's not pretend that little extra length from Sengun is offering the Rockets a great deal more defensive potential from the center position. You're just not watching if that's the case. Houston's my #1 watched team this season; they're actually my favorite NBA team currently, and a top-5 defensive squad in spite of Sengun's deficiencies on that end.
However, Houston has done a much better job compensating for Sengun's deficiencies than the Kings ever have with Domas. Their length and aggression on defense at every other position makes them a suffocating presence to deal with, particular in Udoka's unpredictable every-possession-a-different-defensive-look kind of scheme. That is a well-coached team playing well beyond their limitations.