Around the League: Week 16 1/28-2/3

[JeremyG]

You would think the Lakers would be pretty desperate right about now for a good first round draft pick to send to New Orleans!

If we can get Lonzo for a first rounder, do it right now!

[Superbone]

You would think the Lakers would be pretty desperate right about now for a good first round draft pick to send to New Orleans!

If we can get Lonzo for a first rounder, do it right now!

Only if top 2 protected.

[JeremyG]

Just make a deal.

I feel like the team needs something by Feb. 7 just for morale’s sake and to feel like the front office cares and is committed.

There’s no guarantees in waiting until free agency anyway.

[Democritus]

The only outcome that will satisfy me this year: Get Lonzo for top 1 protected. Then win the lottery, draft Zion.
Yes I know, happiness is unattainable for me.

[Hermen]

If you're Philly, would you trade the Miami pick, Simmons and Butler for Davis and Holiday?

You probably involve Houston to take Butler and give their 4 picks to NO. The Pelicans would also have to take on some salary, like Wilson Chandler (expiring I think) and probably Knight from the Rockets.

[Ring_Wanted]

PHX '19 only top1 protected is a big overpay for Lonzo Ball. They can have another suspect prospect like Jackson plus some other compensation like MIL pick, or a decently protected PHX pick, but you don't give up just top1 protection, especially in a context where LAL is getting Anthony Davis. That kind of asset should be in play only for a consolidated allstar caliber player or genuinely top prospect, which Lonzo is not despite the hype and draft position. Really, who in this league is going to pay a premium for Lonzo Ball? PHX is desperated for sure, but that doesn't mean you do allow yourself to do stupid things. That's how you keep being the clown of the class.

[Mori Chu]

I don't think I would trade our 2019 1st rounder for Lonzo Ball. And I like Lonzo a lot. I'd trade another pick for him, perhaps our pick in a later year or a current pick that isn't our own. I'd give them Josh Jackson plus such a pick. (Bye, Josh.)

I'd give New Orleans our 2019 1st rounder along with salary assets for Jrue if it were #1-(Zion)-protected.

[Shabazz]

Josh Jackson may have more value than the 4th pick in this draft.

[Ring_Wanted]

If you're Philly, would you trade the Miami pick, Simmons and Butler for Davis and Holiday?

Absolutely, but I believe they could manage to keep Butler and send more draft stock and youth instead, no need to get a third team involved. Throw in any combination of Fultz, Zhaire, Shamet, Milton and future picks.

This would be quite ridiculous in terms of players involved since Philly would need to move like 8 guys without Butler's contract to acquire Davis and Holiday, but easily half of them are cut bound, not counting the current waivable trash on NOP's roster (plus whatever expiring gargabe they could get for Mirotic or Randle).

If you are NOP you are walking away with a monster young player, 3-4 picks and some projects, while 76rs go all in with Holiday-Redick-Butler-Davis-Embiid. Weak bench in McConnell-Brewer-Korkmaz-Amir (and whatever they can snatch in the buyout market), but that starting 5 is almost a lock to make the finals.

[SDC]

If the Suns can pry away Lonzo Ball as part of this, they have to do it. His closest statistical comp is Jason Kidd. Looking at the one area where he's terrible (FT%) there's historical data to suggest it is likely to get better. Not great, but better.

Dunno about that. He’s in pretty select company. http://bkref.com/tiny/Ok1Kp

you're trading one bad FT (josh jackson) shooter for another bad FT.

[SDC]

I’d take one or two of Ball, Holiday or Mirotic.....but I have zero confidence in our non existent front office to be able to do anything of note, now or in the off season.
Sad. But true.

james jones and lebron are buddies.

[SDC]

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechec ... de/7168004

this works perfectly for all the teams involved.

[Hermen]

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechec ... de/7168004

this works perfectly for all the teams involved.

Except that NO would have too many players on their roster. And why would they rather have Jackson with all the other wings coming their way instead of Ball? Phoenix would not be in that deal.

[Wormwood]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

[SDC]

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechec ... de/7168004

this works perfectly for all the teams involved.

Except that NO would have too many players on their roster. And why would they rather have Jackson with all the other wings coming their way instead of Ball? Phoenix would not be in that deal.

they can buy out KCP. he's just salary filler. new orleans has no need for lonzo since they already have jrue holiday. jackson, kuz, and ingram are multi-positional players.

[In2ition]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

Does looking at the glass half empty make you feel better? I think perhaps you are being a bit too optimistic, Worm. The win totals keep going down each year, why would that change? I thought the Suns were going to go against the grain and prove that you don't need an established pg, thumbing their noses at the group think, but ultimately failing miserable and alienating their star player.

[Wormwood]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

Does looking at the glass half empty make you feel better? I think perhaps you are being a bit too optimistic, Worm. The win totals keep going down each year, why would that change? I thought the Suns were going to go against the grain and prove that you don't need an established pg, thumbing their noses at the group think, but ultimately failing miserable and alienating their star player.

Forecasting models usually predict regression towards the mean. The Suns would struggle to find a way to get worse, and at this point making nearly random decisions would make them better.

[In2ition]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

Does looking at the glass half empty make you feel better? I think perhaps you are being a bit too optimistic, Worm. The win totals keep going down each year, why would that change? I thought the Suns were going to go against the grain and prove that you don't need an established pg, thumbing their noses at the group think, but ultimately failing miserable and alienating their star player.

Forecasting models usually predict regression towards the mean. The Suns would struggle to find a way to get worse, and at this point making nearly random decisions would make them better.

Yeah, that seems to be the case, but you forgot that they will probably go through a rash of season ending injuries next year from their starting lineup and run a string of 20-30 different 10 day contracts to fill out the roster for the season, therefore playing over their head, but only able to muster around 13 wins on the season.

[Superbone]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

Does looking at the glass half empty make you feel better? I think perhaps you are being a bit too optimistic, Worm. The win totals keep going down each year, why would that change? I thought the Suns were going to go against the grain and prove that you don't need an established pg, thumbing their noses at the group think, but ultimately failing miserable and alienating their star player.

Forecasting models usually predict regression towards the mean. The Suns would struggle to find a way to get worse, and at this point making nearly random decisions would make them better.

Yeah, that seems to be the case, but you forgot that they will probably go through a rash of season ending injuries next year from their starting lineup and run a string of 20-30 different 10 day contracts to fill out the roster for the season, therefore playing over their head, but only able to muster around 13 wins on the season.

And don't forget that Jackson is a closet axe murderer. It's just a matter of time.

[In2ition]

All the mental masturbation is probably nice and healthy, but no one wants to come to Phoenix. Our front office is incompetent. We're going to sit tight, or not be able to put a deal together. We'll go into the draft and get like the 4th pick and spend it on the best player available, who is almost certainly another small forward. We'll strike out in free agency, or radically overpay for Rozier, whom we will discover to be only marginally better than Melton and Okobo (despite the stats that already tell us this).

Win total in 2019-2020 is only 3 wins better than the previous season.

Book it.

Does looking at the glass half empty make you feel better? I think perhaps you are being a bit too optimistic, Worm. The win totals keep going down each year, why would that change? I thought the Suns were going to go against the grain and prove that you don't need an established pg, thumbing their noses at the group think, but ultimately failing miserable and alienating their star player.

Forecasting models usually predict regression towards the mean. The Suns would struggle to find a way to get worse, and at this point making nearly random decisions would make them better.

Yeah, that seems to be the case, but you forgot that they will probably go through a rash of season ending injuries next year from their starting lineup and run a string of 20-30 different 10 day contracts to fill out the roster for the season, therefore playing over their head, but only able to muster around 13 wins on the season.

And don't forget that Jackson is a closet axe murderer. It's just a matter of time.

Oh you're right. I can't believe I forgot that and the domestic abuse charges and subsequent suspension leveled on _______ too, along with the front office drug distribution scandal.