NBA '17

[4everwarriors]

Taught Kennard woulda bin a purfect pik four da Bucks, hey?

[wadesworld]

Taught Kennard woulda bin a purfect pik four da Bucks, hey?

No. Would've been horrendous. Thank goodness him and Bam were taken before we could've messed up and taken them. Now just hope Patten goes beforehand. Then it's all gravy.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I was hoping for Justin Jackson.  Just missed him.

[wadesworld]

I was hoping for Justin Jackson.  Just missed him.

I agree with this analysis.

If possible to get an extra pick I'd love to trade down into the very late first or early second and get Rabb or Bell.

Wouldn't hate Giles but could also turn out to be a total bust. But at 17 I'd much rather go boom or bust.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I'm surprised by the Wilson pick but don't hate it. Adds to the #alllengthteam

[4everwarriors]

Sure dat wusant Derrick Wilson dey picked, hey?

[wadesworld]

Has size and athleticism and should be able to stretch the floor. Potential is there. Not sure I would've went that route but could pay off.

[4everwarriors]

See, hey?



Gery Woelfel: Bucks were very interested in Kennard and wanted to bring him in for workout. Kennard's agent told them hewouldn't get to 17. He was correct – via Twitter GeryWoelfel

[wadesworld]

http://www.totalprosports.com/2017/06/25/the-jimmy-butler-trade-was-so-bad-for-the-chicago-bulls-that-nba-2k-rejects-it/

Lol.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

http://www.totalprosports.com/2017/06/25/the-jimmy-butler-trade-was-so-bad-for-the-chicago-bulls-that-nba-2k-rejects-it/

Lol.

If you have ever tried to trade anyone in 2k, you would know how impossible it is.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Team President Phil Jackson is supposedly getting fired by the Knicks today.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If you have ever tried to trade anyone in 2k, you would know how impossible it is.

Man, I remember the good old days of NBA Action 98 where they had a force trade button. The 96 Bulls had nothing on my super team of Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, and David Robinson.

[cheebs09]

Paul George to OKC for Oladipo and Sabonis. They should be interesting next year.

[wadesworld]

That is a horrible move for OKC. Quite a haul for a 1 year rental.

If the rumors are correct that Boston offered 3 firsts, Jae, and another starter I have to assume the 3 firsts were Boston's firsts for the next 3 years.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Well so far twitter has said the complete opposite in the fact that this is a great trade for OKC. Maybe you can convince Russ to stay longer and if not, you can blow the whole thing up really easily.

[wadesworld]

You just traded away 2 young pieces for a guy who has said multiple times he's going to be playing for the Lakers in a year and has already started recruiting other players to join him there in a year in which your absolute best case scenario with him is losing in the 2nd round as a 4 seed.

[cheebs09]

Some of it is getting rid of Oladipo's contract. He's making $20 million per year. It's almost a salary dump that brought back an All-Star. I doubt he resigns, but there is a possibility.

[MU82]

You just traded away 2 young pieces for a guy who has said multiple times he's going to be playing for the Lakers in a year and has already started recruiting other players to join him there in a year in which your absolute best case scenario with him is losing in the 2nd round as a 4 seed.

Maybe OKC management already has determined that those young pieces cannot help put together a championship puzzle and that one of them (Oladipo) is drastically overpaid.

[drewm88]

That is a horrible move for OKC. Quite a haul for a 1 year rental.

If the rumors are correct that Boston offered 3 firsts, Jae, and another starter I have to assume the 3 firsts were Boston's firsts for the next 3 years.

You are literally the first person I've seen who's called this anything but a steal for OKC. A salary dump and Sabonis for an All Star who pairs very well with Russ. If it doesn't work, or if it's not looking good midseason, you can swap him for assets probably as good as what they gave up.

If it does work, maybe Russ convinces him they can both make it work there long term.

[forgetful]

The OKC trade just makes the East more dreadful and the West stronger.  It is crazy how unbalanced team talent is in the NBA.  At some point they should consider dropping East vs. West when they get to the playoffs and just seeding teams top to bottom. 

[GGGG]

Zach Lowe pretty much agrees that this was a good deal for OKC:

"This is almost a risk-free gamble for the Thunder. Oladipo is a nice player, but he's 25, and still hasn't developed into the two-way wing monster some projected. He's an average 3-point shooter opponents leave open, an erratic drive-and-kick guy, and a so-so defender with inconsistent habits. He's coming off the worst season of his career by most measures, though playing alongside Westbrook in the highest-usage season in recorded NBA history deflated everyone's numbers. Still: The fit was awkward.

Oladipo is fine. He's also making $21 million per year, a price point at which you hope to get better than fine. Domantas Sabonis, also headed to Indiana, is a mildly intriguing prospect who might turn into a playmaking power forward with some 3-point range. He flamed out after a promising start -- not unusual for rookies -- and attempted 67 free throws all season. You give up that stuff in a second for Paul freaking George. Paul George is a boss. In the worst case, he and Westbrook leave, and you start a new tanking scheme. (Whether Presti would stick around to guide it is an interesting hypothetical.)"

[MU82]

Zach Lowe pretty much agrees that this was a good deal for OKC:

"This is almost a risk-free gamble for the Thunder. Oladipo is a nice player, but he's 25, and still hasn't developed into the two-way wing monster some projected. He's an average 3-point shooter opponents leave open, an erratic drive-and-kick guy, and a so-so defender with inconsistent habits. He's coming off the worst season of his career by most measures, though playing alongside Westbrook in the highest-usage season in recorded NBA history deflated everyone's numbers. Still: The fit was awkward.

Oladipo is fine. He's also making $21 million per year, a price point at which you hope to get better than fine. Domantas Sabonis, also headed to Indiana, is a mildly intriguing prospect who might turn into a playmaking power forward with some 3-point range. He flamed out after a promising start -- not unusual for rookies -- and attempted 67 free throws all season. You give up that stuff in a second for Paul freaking George. Paul George is a boss. In the worst case, he and Westbrook leave, and you start a new tanking scheme. (Whether Presti would stick around to guide it is an interesting hypothetical.)"

This is a reasonable viewpoint.

[wadesworld]

You are literally the first person I've seen who's called this anything but a steal for OKC. A salary dump and Sabonis for an All Star who pairs very well with Russ. If it doesn't work, or if it's not looking good midseason, you can swap him for assets probably as good as what they gave up.

If it does work, maybe Russ convinces him they can both make it work there long term.

I would put it at about 50x more likely that Paul George convinces Russell Westbrook to head out to LA after the 18-19 season than it is that Russell Westbrook convinces Paul George to stay in Oklahoma City long term.

You just traded a 25 year old who averaged 16 and 4 next to a point guard who shot the ball 24 times per game and a promising rookie to move yourself from the 6 seed in the West to the 4 seed in the West, and 1 year later you'll be right back to the 6 seed.  And you're going to be sitting at the 4 seed, telling everyone who will listen that you're a true contender now with Russ and PG, and then trade PG midseason?  Yeah, that's not happening.

Oladipo and Sabonis will do much more for the Pacers in their careers than Paul George will do for the Thunder.

But I do hope the Thunder enjoy beating the Grizzlies in the first round and getting swept by the Warriors in the 2nd round next year.

[MUBurrow]

You just traded a 25 year old who averaged 16 and 4 next to a point guard who shot the ball 24 times per game and a promising rookie to move yourself from the 6 seed in the West to the 4 seed in the West, and 1 year later you'll be right back to the 6 seed.

Oladipo and Sabonis will do much more for the Pacers in their careers than Paul George will do for the Thunder.

But I do hope the Thunder enjoy beating the Grizzlies in the first round and getting swept by the Thunder in the 2nd round next year.

Oladipo and Sabonis "doing more" for the Pacers over the next couple of years wouldn't be a good reason for the Thunder to not make this trade.That production isn't in a vacuum and needs to be seen as part of a greater franchise direction. If Westbrook leaves, they're in a full on rebuild with or without George. Sure, Sabonis could have been a part of that. But with his contract, Oladipo was never going to bring a useful return (or at least not for 2-3 years, until his expiring contract IS the value).

The part of your post that I underlined above is ultimately the real context for your evaluation of this trade, but we've definitely been down that road earlier in this thread.

[wadesworld]

Oladipo and Sabonis "doing more" for the Pacers over the next couple of years wouldn't be a good reason for the Thunder to not make this trade.That production isn't in a vacuum and needs to be seen as part of a greater franchise direction. If Westbrook leaves, they're in a full on rebuild with or without George. Sure, Sabonis could have been a part of that. But with his contract, Oladipo was never going to bring a useful return (or at least not for 2-3 years, until his expiring contract IS the value).

The part of your post that I underlined above is ultimately the real context for your evaluation of this trade, but we've definitely been down that road earlier in this thread.

Not really.  The context is with or without Paul George the outcome of next season, the only season they will have Paul George for, is more or less exactly the same.  Compete in, and possibly win, a first round series and then get completely overmatched in the second round.  So why in the world would you trade away assets when you're losing the asset you got in return for them in a year?

The only teams that should've considered trading for George were the Rockets, Spurs, Cavs, and Celtics if they landed Hayward.  If you aren't going to win a title, or at least make a serious run for one, with Paul George next year, it makes no sense at all to trade him.  And the Thunder are nowhere near on par with the Warriors, or even the Rockets or Spurs.

And Oladipo's $21M is going to be just fine 3 years from now.  You aren't paying attention to what's happening with player contracts if you think $21M for a good scoring guard is something that is going to hold a franchise back.  The guy is 25 and averages 16 and 4 for his career.  He had a 51% eFG% last year (for comparison, Russell Westbrook had an eFG% of 47% last year).