I didn't get to watch any of the Finals live because the games all started at 2:30 AM local time. I was able to see a couple of them on full replay without seeing the results ahead of time. The others, I only saw the condensed games. It's funny, but the series seemingly went pretty much according to script. As expected, Denver's offense and Miami's defense were the better units, but Denver's offense had an easier time scoring against Miami's great defense than Miami's offense did against Denver's decent defense. Jokic and (to a lesser extent Murray) are just a lot more creative than what Miami had. Whether hurt or tired, Butler didn't have any of those "how the hell did he do that?" games. Other than that one bad MPJ game in Game 2, the Denver supporting cast played their roles correctly- move without the ball, get to the basket, defend without fouling.

Overall, the series feels a little like Milwaukee's win a couple years ago. Jokic and Giannis are both transcendent, generational stars in non-sexy markets whose teams patiently built complete teams around them. Two years ago, it felt like Milwaukee was destined to win another ring or two. Now, it looks unlikely. Today, it looks like Denver will likely enter next season as the favorite, but it's really hard to win another championship. It's worth soaking it in when it happens and it validates the careers of Giannis and Jokic as all-timers. We don't have a prime MJ or Lebron in the league right now hogging all the rings, so it's fun to mix in some of these teams like these- and the 89/90 Pistons, 94/95 Rockets, 06 Mavs, 11 Mavs, 18 Raptors- who totally earned it and provide some fun memories outside the meta-history of the NBA going from Russell's Celtics to the messy 70s to Magic/Bird to MJ to Spurs to Lebron to Warriors.

I'm also weirdly giddy about Uncle Jeff getting a ring. He was 1 year behind me at Georgetown and responsible for some of my favorite CBB memories of all time. The idea that someone roughly my age can still contribute to an NBA champion is mind boggling.

>>>provide some fun memories outside the meta-history of the NBA going from Russell's Celtics to the messy 70s to Magic/Bird to MJ to Spurs to Lebron to Warriors.



I think you forgot one piece of meta-history

And yes, Denver is clearly set up to contend for the next 2-3 years and will likely be the favorites going into 23/24.

Pre-draft pre-offseason 2023-24 Title Odds at DraftKings
+475 Nuggets
+550 Celtics
+650 Bucks
+850 Suns
+1200 Lakers
+1200 Warriors
+1300 Sixers
+1300 Mavericks
+1900 Grizzlies
+2500 Cavs
+3000 Kings
+3000 Pelicans
+4500 Knicks
+5000 Timberwolves
+5000 Hawks
???? Heat (not listed)

Here are my preseason predictions. I got #1 wrong in spectacular fashion so hooray. I did buy into the "Jokic defense too leaky at too important of a position to win in the playoffs" thing. Oopsie. Which stinks because I remember betting on them to win the title about a week before Murray's ACL injury 2 years ago. Oh well. That was a loser and this prediction was also a loser:

1 - Denver loses in round one.
2 - New Orleans goes over that win total over/under even if Zion plays ~40 games.
3 - Boston/Brooklyn over the field to make the Finals. (I know this isn't a hot take, but if you do the casino odds the Nets/Celtics number adds up to slightly below 50%.)
4 - Things don't go well in Atlanta.
5 - Knicks finish over .500.
6 - Pistons disappoint their modest expectations. Casey won't coach 2023-24.
7 - Thunder overshoot theirs and have to go real hard into tanking tactics, even by Thunder standards, to compensate.
8 - Similar to my East pick, I'll go Clippers and SUNS over the field in the West.
9 - For actual pick I'll go Celtics over Clippers. (I'd clearly take field over any single team, as I'm sure everyone would.)
10 - Mobley separates himself a bit from the competition from the previous two draft classes (Cade, Barnes, Ant, LaMelo, Franz (ha)) in the "Who'd you want to start a roster with?" internet chatter.

Here's the preseason thread if anyone wants to dig through: https://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/newsstand/discussion/2022_23_preseason_nba_thread

Yay, for the ABA.

Not a very good series from Butler? Didn't really fully absorb that as it was unfolding, but they got pretty easily outscored in his minutes (not that that is strictly on him, of course).

I'm happy for Denver (would have been happy for Miami too). It's always nice to get some fresh blood at the top.

Not a very good series from Butler? Didn't really fully absorb that as it was unfolding, but they got pretty easily outscored in his minutes (not that that is strictly on him, of course).


It sounds like he may have been hurt. But really, when he has a big defender he can't bully, and his jump shot isn't falling, he can have some poor series. This is why he's like the 10th or so best guy in the league, and not, say, the 5th best guy.

Butler was 22/6/5 on 41/37/81 (6.2 FTA).

Quite close to the 23/6/5 on 54/35/85 (8.7), except the obvious problems with two-point shooting.

Bigger gap to the 29/7/6 on 46/35/81 (9.1) he had going in the playoffs up to the Finals.

If he got hurt, it was probably in Game 3 or 4 against Boston because he was average 31 ppg, 21 fga, 10 fta up to when they went up 3-0 and 23 ppg on 19 fga, 7 fta after. Pretty significant downturn in aggression.

Whoa, lucrative run for MPJ:

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
With Denver winning the NBA Championship, the $40.8M salary of Michael Porter Jr. in 2026-27 is now guaranteed.

Porter Jr. had $12M in protection that increased to full if:

✅Played in 62 games or more
✅Played 75% of playoff games
✅Wins Championship

Jokic had a positive +/- in 19/20 postseason games. The only exception was the loss to uncrowned runner-up Minnesota in round one.

Does the league round 9.5 APG up to 10 so Jokic gets the overall playoff triple double? His extremely selfish Finals run (only 7.2 per game) knocked him down a bit.

9 days until the (real) draft, you guys should probably get started? I'll take a team if needed.

Here were my preseason predictions:

*Cleveland gels and gets a top-4 seed [correct]

*Pacers are not the worst team in the East and Mathurin is top-2 in ROY voting [half-correct, Mathurin was 4th]

*Bam Adebayo makes an all-NBA team (probably third-team C) [nope, Sabonis was third-team C]

*Memphis has the best home record in the NBA [wrong, Celtics, Bucks and Nuggets were all better]

As a certified Heat and Butler hater I wanted to weigh in that I thought the crotch kick was closer than the rest of the internet did, and I think upholding the foul was defensible. It was probably a flagrant on Butler, but Gordon also crowded his landing area, and since that was the initial call I didn't think it was crazy to uphold it.

I also expressed reservations about every team with over-unders in the 50s, but I was most confident in Denver. The East teams ended up easily exceeding theirs:

Boston: 54 (actual 57)
Mil: 53.5 (actual 58)
Philly: 51 (actual 54)
Brooklyn 50.5 (actual 45)

Phoenix: 52.5 (actual 45)
Clippers: 52.5 (actual 44)
Warriors: 52 (actual 44)
Denver 51: (actual 53)

Memphis and Cleveland had O/U’s in the 40s and both won 51 games.

Whoa, lucrative run for MPJ

Porter Jr. is the big question mark re: Denver becoming a dynastic team. He's getting paid like Murray and needs to produce at Murray's level - consistently have games where he's the second-best Nugget - going forward.

I would be selling the Nuggets championship chances next year.

Murray and MPJ are incredibly inconsistent. Murray in particular came up big this whole playoffs, but I don't think he's that guy.

I don't think much of Jamal Murray as a regular season player, and initially thought the bubble run was a bit fluky. But he's now got 40 games in his last 2 post-seasons of pretty elite level offense. I think part of that is likely unsustainable shooting, but I also think a lot of it is he's able to ramp up his usage without much of a drop in efficiency or increase in turnovers, which is super valuable for a lead initiator.

Pre-draft pre-offseason 2023-24 Title Odds at DraftKings

I don't see the Heat or Clippers there, so here are the current 1-10 NBA Odds for next year on Draft Kings:

Nuggets
Celtics
Bucks
Suns
Lakers
Warriors
Sixers
Mavs
Clippers
Heat

The number of teams that won 2 titles in a short period of time is really, really small. Denver would look a bit out of place on such a list. I think they're in the top group of contenders, but I probably wouldn't go further than that myself.

I would be selling the Nuggets championship chances next year.

Yeah, a lot of people are talking dynasty, but I don't see it. The Nuggets aren't that much better than other teams and variance could easily trip them up. They also had one of the easier championship roads this year, next year will likely be tougher.

Outside Butler's amazing Bucks series where he scored 38 PPG on 60% shooting (44% from three), he averaged 24 points on 42% shooting (31% from three).

In Game 5, Denver and Miami combined to shoot 14/63 (exactly 2/7 or 22.22%) from the 3-point arc.

It was a textbook display on both sides on "how to defend the three", and I'm curious to see what the 28 other teams learn from the game tape.

Seeing if I can get everything on our mock from the last thread. I'm adding myself a second team without a FRP (a la MHS and Mouse).

1. San Antonio - DCA:
2. Charlotte
3. Portland – MHS:
4. Houston
5. Detroit
6. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
7. Indiana - Votto:
8. Washington
9. Utah – Tom Cervo:
10. Dallas - mikef:
11. Orlando (from Chicago) – Athletic Supporter:
12. Oklahoma City – Mellow Mouse:
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans
15. Atlanta
16. Utah (from Minnesota) – Tom Cervo:
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State – sardonic :
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix) – JJ1986:
22. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
23. Portland (from New York) – MHS:
24. Sacramento – asinwreck:
25. Memphis - Willard:
26. Indiana (from Cleveland) - Votto:
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City)
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn) – Tom Cervo:
29. Indiana (from Boston)
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Second Round: Picks 31-58

31. Detroit
32. Indiana (from Houston)
33. San Antonio - DCA:
34. Charlotte (from Charlotte via Philadelphia and Atlanta)
35. Boston (from Portland via Atlanta, LA Clippers, Detroit, and Cleveland) – MHS:
36. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
37. Oklahoma City (from Washington via New Orleans) – Mellow Mouse:
38. Sacramento (from Indiana) – asinwreck:
39. Charlotte (from Utah via New York)
40. Denver (from Dallas via Oklahoma City)
41. Charlotte (from Oklahoma City via New York and Boston)
42. Washington (from Chicago via Los Angeles Lakers and Washington)
43. Portland (from Atlanta) – MHS:
44. San Antonio (from Toronto) - DCA:
45. Memphis (from Minnesota) - Willard:
46. Atlanta (from New Orleans)
47. Los Angeles Lakers
48. LA Clippers
49. Cleveland (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans)
50. Oklahoma City (from Miami via Boston, Memphis, and Dallas) – Mellow Mouse:
51. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
52. Phoenix
53. Minnesota (from New York via Charlotte) – Mellow Mouse:
54. Sacramento – asinwreck:
55. Indiana (from Cleveland via Milwaukee and Detroit)
56. Memphis - Willard:
— Chicago (from Denver via Cleveland; forfeited by Chicago)
— Philadelphia (forfeited)
57. Washington (from Boston via Charlotte)
58. Milwaukee - DCA:

to be assigned

tshipman: Wash or NOP or Miami
jmurph: a team

I think Charlotte is the most interesting team in the draft in terms of assets and way forward. I already have a team, but if I didn't I would jump on them.

A lotta noise about teams wanting to trade up for Scoot. Interesting spot for Charlotte given the possible overlap between LaMelo and Scoot.

The "most intriguing" version of Charlotte is drafting Brandon Miller and signing Dillon Brooks, to pair with Bridges and LaMelo. They would be hated by everyone (deservedly so), but could play a really fun/gritty version of hoops.

I'll take Charlotte or Houston if they're unclaimed (isn't there an actual Horcats fan here? I don't think we have any Rockets fans).

Charlotte, Portland, and OKC seem to hold the keys / most interesting decisions this off-season.

As soon as someone takes Charlotte, I am ready to discuss what it would take to move up from 6 to 2.

It's been almost sad to watch MPJ become a better (though still limited) defensive player and connector because he was so much more athletic two years ago. If he were to combine this fringe-average basketball IQ with what he could do physically back then he'd be easily worth the max.

Re: How good are/were the Nuggets

Nate Duncan made an interesting point on a recent pod that I haven't seen made elsewhere. Typically, when we are attempting to figure out who the great teams are in an individual season we look towards point differential. By point differential the Nuggets are very "meh" as far as champions go. However, given the massive gap between Jokic on/off, you could argue that the Playoff Nuggets are a great team since Jokic spends so much more time on the court. To some extent, this applies to much of LeBron's career (especially that second CLE run) where the gap in quality between when he was on the court vs off played out in CLE constantly overperforming their regular season metrics in the playoffs.

In the mock draft, the Spurs are interested in adding veteran talent (around Wemby, not for Wemby). I don't expect Wemby to help a lot on the court next year a la Duncan and Robinson, who each spent four years in college. Duncan was 2 years older* at debut, Robinson 4.5 years older. But I want to develop him (and see what we have in Wesley, Branham, and Sochan, who were quite young and quite bad last year) with a plan to be a contender in 2024-25. The Wemby window opens quickly and can close in an instant, we're not going to waste any of it.

I think development of all four guys needs to happen on a on a team that can credibly go toe-to-toe with the NBA's best, and the Spurs don't currently have that team outside of Wemby and Vassell. Looking especially at adding a starting point guard and a 3/4 wing. Starting that pursuit with PG, since I think everything flows from there.

I've got a handful of targets but of the top tier only Memphis has a mock GM assigned. Willard - if you would consider moving him, we want Ja. We don't care about his upcoming suspension, and we are willing to bet on our team culture keeping him in line.

Offer: Keldon Johnson (takes the Brooks roster spot) + Devonte' Graham (solid backup PG behind Tyus Jones promoted to starter) + 5 future first rounders (1 each 2024-28)

*Duncan played his entire freshman season at Wake at age 17 (averaging 10 pts, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game)

I'm a mild Hornets fan, but happy to let someone else play the role due to the reasons in #27. If everyone needs to take two teams, I'll take Miami in addition to Indy.

On the trading block for the Pacers:
TJ McConnell (2 years/$18M remaining)
Daniel Theis (1 year $9.1 guaranteed, team option for 24-25)

the Bucks have only the last pick in the draft but I'm willing to be a proxy for them in trades etc if we need one. spivey is here more than me though so he can do it if he wants.

In the interest of getting names on the board, I can take...New Orleans.

I'd take Detroit for the draft. Don't think I'd do any trades most likely, unless anyone wants to give picks for Bojan for some reason.

Yay, for the ABA.

Which leaves the Pacers & Nets still to go, though of course they at least won ABA titles (3 for Indy, 2 for then-NY), unlike the Nuggets (& Chapparals/Spurs). Denver was of course the last of the 4 to make the NBA finals, despite definitely being the best of the 4 post-merger teams.

KG - I'm happy for you to do it.

[33] It's not just Jokic. The four man unit of Jokic, MPJ, Murray, and Gordon had a +15.5 net rating in the regular season, which I think is solidly in line with most past champions (and then a +13.3 in the playoffs).

I mean, the depth weakness is clear, it's hilarious and terrible that 2023 DeAndre Jordan saw the floor in Game 5 of the NBA finals, but a Nuggets team that gets lucky with health always looked very, very good (and of course the playoffs schedule is conducive to playing more minutes per game).

I believe I've participated in the draft every year so far. Might as well keep the streak alive. How about Atlanta?

As the Washington GM, my top priorities are retaining Kristaps Porzingis on a full max, re-signing Kyle Kuzma to a lucrative contract, and finding veteran talent that fits my team in exchange for number 8 overall, which will cost too much money given our other salary commitments

So tship is a method actor, noted.

Alternate joke: wild way for us to find out Ted Leonsis is a thread regular.

Do I get to be Charlotte, is that how it sorted out?

If so I’m quietly willing to listen to offers on LaMelo. And not so quietly willing to listen on Hayward (expiring!) and Rozier.

As a certified Heat and Butler hater I wanted to weigh in that I thought the crotch kick was closer than the rest of the internet did, and I think upholding the foul was defensible. It was probably a flagrant on Butler, but Gordon also crowded his landing area, and since that was the initial call I didn't think it was crazy to uphold it.

I think the refs had a legitimate reason to rule how they did, but that's the problem. The league has decided you can't actually defend shooters to the point the refs can rightly decide kicking a guy in the nuts is a foul on the guy getting kicked. They needed to do something to prevent dirty plays like Zaza on Kawhi but I think they've gone way too far.

The road to the 9 seed runs through our nation's Capitol, baby!!!

I am likely keeping Ja, but will think about it. Interested to see exactly what this suspension is...and he may need a fresh start, but I don't see Memphis fans being interested in a rebuild, so I will need immediate value back.

jmurph - I think you just claimed Charlotte.

Once Willard officially spurns my Spurs offer for Ja, I'd offer either Keldon Johnson (if you want a young wing) or Doug McDermott + Khem Birch (if you want expiring contracts) for Rozier.

I have been doing some research on OKC. I am a bit overwhelmed by their future assets combined with all the young players they have, especially since we haven't seen what Chet can do.

If someone has a trade they are desperate to make I might be willing, but right now there are too many options to completely wrap my head around with this team. I am more than willing to give up a J Williams just to make my life easier though (mostly kidding).

Other than time to let my young team mature, I think frontcourt beef with some experience (and you know ... talent) is what we want to get better, and honestly, I kind of think it is go time.

I think this is where we stand:

1. San Antonio - DCA:
2. Charlotte - jmurph:
3. Portland – MHS:
4. Houston
5. Detroit - Crosseyed and Painless:
6. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
7. Indiana - Votto:
8. Washington - tshipman:
9. Utah – Tom Cervo:
10. Dallas - mikef:
11. Orlando (from Chicago) – Athletic Supporter:
12. Oklahoma City – Mellow Mouse:
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans - Hot Wheeling American:
15. Atlanta - DLGM:
16. Utah (from Minnesota) – Tom Cervo:
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State – sardonic:
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix) – JJ1986:
22. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
23. Portland (from New York) – MHS:
24. Sacramento – asinwreck:
25. Memphis - Willard:
26. Indiana (from Cleveland) - Votto:
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City) - jmurph:
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn) – Tom Cervo:
29. Indiana (from Boston) - Votto:
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Second Round: Picks 31-58

31. Detroit - Crosseyed and Painless:
32. Indiana (from Houston) - Votto:
33. San Antonio - DCA:
34. Charlotte (from Charlotte via Philadelphia and Atlanta) - jmurph:
35. Boston (from Portland via Atlanta, LA Clippers, Detroit, and Cleveland) – MHS:
36. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
37. Oklahoma City (from Washington via New Orleans) – Mellow Mouse:
38. Sacramento (from Indiana) – asinwreck:
39. Charlotte (from Utah via New York) - jmurph:
40. Denver (from Dallas via Oklahoma City)
41. Charlotte (from Oklahoma City via New York and Boston) - jmurph:
42. Washington (from Chicago via Los Angeles Lakers and Washington) - tshipman:
43. Portland (from Atlanta) – MHS:
44. San Antonio (from Toronto) - DCA:
45. Memphis (from Minnesota) - Willard:
46. Atlanta (from New Orleans) - DLGM:
47. Los Angeles Lakers
48. LA Clippers
49. Cleveland (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans) - DCA:
50. Oklahoma City (from Miami via Boston, Memphis, and Dallas) – Mellow Mouse:
51. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
52. Phoenix
53. Minnesota (from New York via Charlotte) – Mellow Mouse:
54. Sacramento – asinwreck:
55. Indiana (from Cleveland via Milwaukee and Detroit) - Votto:
56. Memphis - Willard:
— Chicago (from Denver via Cleveland; forfeited by Chicago)
— Philadelphia (forfeited)
57. Washington (from Boston via Charlotte) - tshipman:
58. Milwaukee - Ken Griffey:

Still need owners: Phoenix, Clippers, Lakers, Denver, Houston, Miami, Toronto

There are a few teams without picks (Bulls, 76ers at least), anyone can claim them for trading but not needed for the draft

Memphis is hanging on to Ja.

I am interested in "big game hunting". We have several 1st round picks coming up, including this year, and you may like Ziare Williams.

For salary matching purposes (S Adams/Kennard) expire after next season. Clarke makes 12.5

Tyus Jones could be included if somebody wants to trade a big time dude and still contend.

Looking for an elite wing or somebody like KAT.

Once Willard officially spurns my Spurs offer for Ja, I'd offer either Keldon Johnson (if you want a young wing) or Doug McDermott + Khem Birch (if you want expiring contracts) for Rozier.

I'm interested. Rozier for Johnson straight up? Call it in?

Straight up. Done.

As soon as someone takes Charlotte, I am ready to discuss what it would take to move up from 6 to 2.

I don't think I'm interested in anyone Orlando would actually be willing to trade, so it would probably need to be picks. Do you have an offer?

Fake Charlotte is willing to trade Hayward ($31.5, expiring) in exchange for a similar $ contract with an additional year(s?) if draft considerations are included.

@Mellow/OKC how about Clint Capela? Make me an offer if interested.

Hombre and I will take the Lakers.

jmurph, I'll offer you picks 6 and 11 for pick 2.

Still need owners: Phoenix, Clippers, Lakers, Denver, Houston, Miami, Toronto

I will take Toronto to cross one off the list.

Raptors are open for business. Planning to keep Barnes, OG, resign Poeltl and Trent.

Siakam is on the trade block.

Van Vleet available in S&T.

Will listen on Trent S&T or if someone wants to come in hot for OG.

Boucher is available.

In trades, looking for young starting PG and other young talent to build around Barnes and OG. Would take back 23/24 firsts, but prefer young players over distant picks.

I'll take Denver.

jmurph, I'll offer you picks 6 and 11 for pick 2.

I'm tempted since I don't technically care about Charlotte and it's more fun to fake draft more picks, but in the interests of realism I think that's probably not enough so I'll pass.

For teams without picks: 27, 34, 39, and 41 are potentially gettable from Fake Charlotte.

Fake Brooklyn has a lot of role players making too much money and needs to clear some salary to keep Cam Johnson. Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Patty Mills are all available in trade. Joe Harris is available for nothing if anyone wants to take on his salary. Ben Simmons is available, but I don't want to just dump him.

I will take HOU. Will likely operate on assumption that I am getting Harden.

4th overall is on the table. No player is off the table.

I am not up to speed on CBA, but have heard that doesn't apply right now?

JJ1986 - Spurs are interested in DFS. We have cap space so we don't have to send you any salary back, although Devonte' is a salary match (only for 1 year) and could be useful to you.

Offer 1: Devonte' for DFS
Offer 2: Pick 32 for DFS

1. San Antonio - DCA:
2. Charlotte - jmurph:
3. Portland – MHS:
4. Houston - Oriole Tragic:
5. Detroit - Crosseyed and Painless:
6. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
7. Indiana - Votto:
8. Washington - tshipman:
9. Utah – Tom Cervo:
10. Dallas - mikef:
11. Orlando (from Chicago) – Athletic Supporter:
12. Oklahoma City – Mellow Mouse:
13. Toronto - aberg:
14. New Orleans - Hot Wheeling American:
15. Atlanta - DLGM:
16. Utah (from Minnesota) – Tom Cervo:
17. Los Angeles Lakers - Hombre/rr:
18. Miami
19. Golden State – sardonic:
20. Houston (from LA Clippers) - Oriole Tragic:
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix) – JJ1986:
22. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
23. Portland (from New York) – MHS:
24. Sacramento – asinwreck:
25. Memphis - Willard:
26. Indiana (from Cleveland) - Votto:
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City) - jmurph:
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn) – Tom Cervo:
29. Indiana (from Boston) - Votto:
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Second Round: Picks 31-58

31. Detroit - Crosseyed and Painless:
32. Indiana (from Houston) - Votto:
33. San Antonio - DCA:
34. Charlotte (from Charlotte via Philadelphia and Atlanta) - jmurph:
35. Boston (from Portland via Atlanta, LA Clippers, Detroit, and Cleveland) – MHS:
36. Orlando – Athletic Supporter:
37. Oklahoma City (from Washington via New Orleans) – Mellow Mouse:
38. Sacramento (from Indiana) – asinwreck:
39. Charlotte (from Utah via New York) - jmurph:
40. Denver (from Dallas via Oklahoma City) - asinwreck:
41. Charlotte (from Oklahoma City via New York and Boston) - jmurph:
42. Washington (from Chicago via Los Angeles Lakers and Washington) - tshipman:
43. Portland (from Atlanta) – MHS:
44. San Antonio (from Toronto) - DCA:
45. Memphis (from Minnesota) - Willard:
46. Atlanta (from New Orleans) - DLGM:
47. Los Angeles Lakers - Hombre/rr:
48. LA Clippers
49. Cleveland (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans) - DCA:
50. Oklahoma City (from Miami via Boston, Memphis, and Dallas) – Mellow Mouse:
51. Brooklyn – JJ1986:
52. Phoenix
53. Minnesota (from New York via Charlotte) – Mellow Mouse:
54. Sacramento – asinwreck:
55. Indiana (from Cleveland via Milwaukee and Detroit) - Votto:
56. Memphis - Willard:
— Chicago (from Denver via Cleveland; forfeited by Chicago)
— Philadelphia (forfeited)
57. Washington (from Boston via Charlotte) - tshipman:
58. Milwaukee - Ken Griffey:

Trade 1: SAS trade Keldon Johnson to CHO for Terry Rozier

Still need owners: Miami, Clippers, Phoenix

14. jmurph Posted: June 13, 2023 at 10:11 AM (#6132615)
Does the league round 9.5 APG up to 10 so Jokic gets the overall playoff triple double? His extremely selfish Finals run (only 7.2 per game) knocked him down a bit.

Threshold stats shouldn't allow for rounding up. IMO, you need to hit at least 10.000000 in each of the three categories.

Oddly, I wouldn't object to saying he averaged 10 assists these playoffs.

Still need owners: Miami, Clippers, Phoenix

I'll take Miami.

aberg, could we do a trade focused around Buddy Hield for Siakam? Hield isn't young, but he can probably do what he does indefinitely, and Toronto needs shooting. Both are signed for one more year, Hield is $19M and Siakam is $37M. would also love to pry your #13 pick loose if you don't have a player you love.

Pacers need frontcourt help and secondary rebounding.

Maybe something like: [Hield + TJ McConnell + #26 pick + 2024 FRP, top-5 protected] for [Siakam + #13], or just ignore the picks, with McConnell to make the salaries match.

Aliyah Boston is so much better than I thought she was going to be. Guess she really was sacrificing a lot to play within the South Carolina system.

aberg -

Depending on how it goes with the Nets, Spurs may be interested in one of Boucher/Siakam/Anunoby.

We may also be interested in FVV but we can/will just outbid everyone in FA if we want to go that direction.

#2 is gettable from Charlotte, but I don't want to go back too far.

Looking for, uhhhhhhhh, some NBA players (and picks, of course).

Miami is interested in moving Tyler Herro. Would love to get back pick(s) or size (open to player types). We are also open to moving our own pick(s) to bring in a name.

In real news:

-Brian Windhorst on ESPN

-"If Bradley Beal gets traded between now and next Thursday, I think people are going to be very surprised at the price and potentially how low it's going to be because his contract is not attractive"

(I will not be surprised at a low price, that's probably the worst contract in the league at the moment.)

If someone wants Sacramento, I won't stop you. But I'll take the Kings if needed.

I would be surprised if Beal is traded, but if he is the destination that IMO makes the most sense is the Clippers (for Powell, Morris, and RoCo).

-Brian Windhorst on ESPN

-"If Bradley Beal gets traded between now and next Thursday, I think people are going to be very surprised at the price and potentially how low it's going to be because his contract is not attractive"

the sixers make a ton of sense, imo.

with harden going out (likely/hopefully), and tharris's contract finally expiring, the sixers have a number of ways to make the money work.

beal fits seamlessly into the offensive role that harden will leave, with any additional overrun getting eaten by tyrese maxey's continued growth.

at 30 years old, beal should have plenty of tread left to help out embiid.


it solves a lot of issues for the sixers, imo.

at 30 years old, beal should have plenty of tread left to help out embiid.

Beal games played:

19-20: 57/72
20-21: 60/72
21-22: 40/82
22-23: 50/82

Beal games played:
19-20: 57/72
20-21: 60/72
21-22: 40/82
22-23: 50/82

for who?
for what?

Look, guys, I'm flattered by the interest, but Brad Beal simply isn't available. We view him as the core of our ninth seed contending club.

We would have to be blown away with offers. Talents like Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Ayton or Ish Smith would have to be the starting point for any deal.

We are interested in packaging the number 8 pick in a deal for Siakam. We think a deal like that would give us seventh seed upside.

Ha! TShip, as someone who went to many many Wiz games over the years, I insist you try to fix them in this exercise rather than continue their terrible ways. They have a new front office now! It's a new day!

...

I'm pretty sure Beal is now sub-All Star level, though it's hard to tell for sure because he can't stay healthy. Also he is owed more than $200 million over the next four years. Good luck to the Wiz.

Any teams for Beal make sense outside of Heat and Sixers? Clippers seem like they could make it happen, I think. Pelicans maybe? Mavericks? Magic if they want to rush things for some reason? Knicks?

Seems like he won't generate some sort of grand return but that's what I'd have thought about Gobert 12 months ago.

Beal's contract is weird because of the no-trade clause, does that mean he doesn't give a fig and wants $50m/year to play 55-60 games a year? Or that he knows he's not long for Washington and wants to dictate a trade to a team that has a chance?

The New Orleans Pelicans are interested in trading up to draft Scoot Henderson and any deal would almost certainly require the inclusion of either Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram.

A source tells Marc Stein that the Pelicans would consider trading Williamson if it meant they could draft Henderson.

Fake Charlotte is all ears!

Zion for Gene Hackman + #2 would be interesting! If LaMelo and Zion are ever both healthy it would be must-see TV.

I'd love to see the 15 games a year that LaMelo and Zion play together.

Real Charlotte should do that in a millisecond. The only thing that matters is getting high-upside guys in gym that give LaMelo a reason to stick around.

I doubt Beal has the worst contract in the league, though I’m not sure and haven’t looked. He still looks like a good player though. On/off numbers are a plus, WS48 is around average but my impression is that a guy who can shoot with efficiency and create his own shot is a lot more valuable than a big man who shoots 57% but all up close and has a similar WS48. It was concerning that Beal only made 30% of his 3s in 2021-22, but he was back to normal levels last year and also shot 55% from 2.

I mean, if Miami were to offer a Proven Point Guard like Kyle Lowry, we would be open to a deal for Beal.

TShip, as someone who went to many many Wiz games over the years, I insist you try to fix them in this exercise rather than continue their terrible ways. They have a new front office now! It's a new day!

I'm building the talent. If we just improve by one seed a year, our championship core of Kuzma/Porzingis/Beal will be ready to hoist the O'Brien by 2031. There are no shortcuts on this journey to 49 wins.

sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity insisted that the Sixers will not be pursuing Beal and are not interested in him as a long-term building block. The concerns on Philadelphia’s end are all the obvious ones laid out above. Committing $200 million to a player over the next four years under a CBA that is punitive for expensive teams is not a route they’re looking to travel.
[...]
Even if Beal were a perfect option, there would be trepidation about going after him. But when you consider the market variables next to Beal’s own limitations — he has played just 90 games in two years, has taken fewer and fewer threes in recent years, and has not accomplished much of anything from a team perspective — he does not scream “must acquire” even if you’re simply flipping Tobias Harris’ contract, a role player, and picks to get a deal done.

i do not agree with these sentiments.

Re: Allyiah Boston, Indiana is still far and away the team most likely to finish with the worst record over the past 2 years and thus has the best chance in the lottery to win Caitlin Clark. That would be a Sue Bird / Stewie level pairing, but younger.

re: Beal being maybe the worst contract: The other options are all either much better players (George, Kawhi, Lillard) with injury concerns or much younger (Towns, Trae Young, maybe Zion). Or Gobert. I'd take Beal, but Gobert is pretty close.

re: Beal being maybe the worst contract: The other options are all either much better players (George, Kawhi, Lillard) with injury concerns or much younger (Towns, Trae Young, maybe Zion). Or Gobert. I'd take Beal, but Gobert is pretty close.

ja morant, anyone?

jordan poole and rj barrett are pretty borderline.

I think Gobert is pretty clearly the worst contract in the NBA, but I am also a big Gobert hater, so take that for what it's worth.

Like yeah, Beal has the NTC, but in reality, Gobert has an even more restrictive set of contract circumstances.

Beal makes more money than Gobert, for longer, misses more games, and isn't as good. Beal's deal is way worse than Gobert's.

jordan poole and rj barrett are pretty borderline.

These are good examples of how bad Beal's deal is for a team: I would probably rather have Beal than either of these guys without thinking about the money, but I would absolutely not trade either of them straight up for him in real life.

After all these years I still get the Charlotte and New Orleans franchises confused.

Votto- I value Siakam quite a bit more than Hield, so probably not going to find a match there. We'd be needing to talk about Mathurin and picks.

DCA- could make something work. I love Sochan, and really like Vassell and Tre. Maybe include Tre as part of a S+T.

Flip