The cobbled together, stuff we held on to during the playoffs mega super rumor and team direction thread.

[sturt]

10 hours ago, sturt said:

 

Pondering this. And no, I've never been much of a Julius Randle fan.

But, the Knicks have gotten themselves into a pickle. They've committed significant money to a player following his career season, and though his stats remained stout, they irrefutably took a step back this past season.

Do you like what Julius Randle could be to a championship team?... getting minutes at SF, PF and as a small-ball C?... a player with some legitimate defensive chops,.. one with some size and/but who also is a consistent dime maker... a player with some grit and attitude.

I know, I know... but the salary. And not just the salary, but the length of the contract.

 

Then I think of it this way... that's exactly what I've been saying about Ben Simmons... his contract is that of a top-tier player in the league, but most wonder if that's a realistic hope for someone who has always been plagued by shooting woes.

It's not exactly the same, but Julius Randle does check some of the same boxes as Simmons... doesn't guard as many positions, but he does guard multiple ones... doesn't guard as effectively as Simmons, but he's still pretty well regarded... doesn't throw the rock around as proficiently as Simmons, but he makes more and better passes than most who are his size...

 

And as I think about it, then, Randle constitutes a lower-ceiling of production, but also represents a lower-risk, being about 20-25% cheaper. And this is a contract that extends through, for most players, what should be expected to be Randle's prime years... 27-30.

 

And. He's very possibly much more available for a much cheaper price if the general sentiment is accurate that the Knicks FO is now having severe buyer's remorse.

 

"Hi, Scott? Scott Perry? I'm calling for our mutual good friend Travis Schlenk down here in Atlanta. How ya doin?.... Hey, Travis and I've been bouncing a thought around the room, and he dared me to call you up and see what you thought... hope you don't mind... ya see, we hate to lose Gallo, but as you might know, we're having to give that some serious thought just because of the structure of the contract. That $21,450,000 is hard to justify, of course. Think you might be able to relate. That $26,136,000 is probably about as jarring for you. But wanted to gauge your interest in a what-if... what if we were to guarantee all of Gallo's money for this season, and send him to you in exchange for the four-year contract you gave Julius Randle... would you give that some thought? We know it's risky, but as you're aware, we feel like we need to swing for the fences as our young core gets into their mid-20s these next few years, and we're thinking maybe Julius would be a fit for us. Of course, Julius has that trade kicker, as we know, so that would be a deal breaker if he wouldn't waive that... we're prepared to do a straight-up flip of one year of Gallo for four years of Randle. Appreciate your time, Scott. Give it some thought in the next 24, and let us know. Thanks. Take care!"

 

 

 

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[nathan2331]

7 minutes ago, sturt said:

 

If Lavine and Ayton are both interested in signing with us over other teams, the Bulls/Suns don't have much leverage in negotiations. Bogi+Kev+Gallo+Capela and picks should be enough to do both deals without needing to throw in Hunter or JC. I'm more skeptical about Lavine joing us, but I think Ayton is an easier deal to do since the Suns would be getting back a good starter on a good contract as Ayton's replacement.

[sturt]

2 minutes ago, nathan2331 said:

If Lavine and Ayton are both interested in signing with us over other teams, the Bulls/Suns don't have much leverage in negotiations. Bogi+Kev+Gallo+Capela and picks should be enough to do both deals without needing to throw in Hunter or JC. I'm more skeptical about Lavine joing us, but I think Ayton is an easier deal to do since the Suns would be getting back a good starter on a good contract as Ayton's replacement.

  

On 5/21/2022 at 10:19 AM, NBASupes said:

From his contacts and this is basically what I’ve put together from our conversations over the last couple of weeks. Teams feel Atlanta is looking to improve their guard play this offseason.

They don’t get the vibe that Capela is available outside of a few teams. They don’t get the feel that Kevin Huerter or De’Andre Hunter is available. They don’t get the feel that JC is truly available. They don’t believe Okongwu is available at all. In other words, Atlanta been declining a lot of offers and teams have tried but Atlanta goals are clear and it’s hard to meet them from many team’s perspective. His WAS contact who’s said Atlanta been in contact with them a lot, it wouldn’t shock them if the bench was massively different but the starters were all the same.

 

[JayBirdHawk]

10 minutes ago, sturt said:

 

(           )

[sturt]

4 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

[nathan2331]

9 minutes ago, sturt said:

  

 

Perhaps I'm wrong, but if Huerter is the needed to complete the deal for Ayton or Lavine I think he's gone. Salaries need to be matched and he may be the makeweight in a trade. I don't think we're shopping him, but he's a useful trade piece.

[terrell]

Trae just got PAID$$

 

[GameTime]

7 minutes ago, terrell said:

Trae just got PAID$$

 

 

[sturt]

[terrell]

3 hours ago, bird_dirt said:

I have a suspicion that Lavine will resign with the Bulls after using the Hawks as leverage to increase what the Bulls will eventually pay him. IIUC, he can get an extra year and $50 something million more from Chicago than anyone else. Maybe he doesn’t get that full amount, but he can negotiate for something more than what anyone else can pay him. 
 

Maybe if the Hawks get Ayton first, we become a little more attractive, but I also have to think as things currently stand, Bulls are better than the Hawks. They were the best or second best team in the East when healthy. 
 

The facade will likely waste the Hawks FO time trying to bring him here, and potentially lose out on getting someone else. 
 

I wish they would prioritize SGA over Lavine.  Go for someone already under contract that is team controlled would be safer than trying to negotiate and woo both a player and a team. 

But they might not have a PG.. Lonzo's knee is concerning I hear....

[Spud2nique]

21 minutes ago, GameTime said:

 

So the NBA’s total points and assists is all 3rd team huh. I bet they didn’t even wanna give him that. F U Adam Sliver.  

[RedDawg#8]

What do we know and feel about this as it relates to Lavine?

https://www.nba.com/amp/bulls/news/zach-lavine-injury-update-1

[nathan2331]

Just now, RedDawg#8 said:

What do we know and feel about this as it relates to Lavine?

https://www.nba.com/amp/bulls/news/zach-lavine-injury-update-1

It's concerning, but if we want an upgrade at SG, there aren't many other options.

[Spud2nique]

55 minutes ago, sturt said:

 

(            )

This isn’t your prototype guy. you been jacked if your account? 

[JayBirdHawk]

18 minutes ago, sturt said:

You are missing the key word 'feel'

[RedDawg#8]

4 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

So the NBA’s total points and assists is all 3rd team huh. I bet they didn’t even wanna give him that. F U Adam Sliver.  

I understand that everyone on the 1st and 2nd team played on better trams with much better records. However, Ja missed and ton of games and his record when in the lineup was a lot closer to Trae, and that should have given him the nod over Ja. 

I’m still happy for Trae though

[terrell]

2 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

LaVine flew to Los Angeles just before the All-Star break to visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- who performed LaVine's ACL surgery in 2017 and Tuesday's procedure -- and received a platelet-rich plasma therapy, a cortisone shot and had fluid drained from his left knee to continue playing the rest of the season. He missed 13 of the team's final 43 games for maintenance on his knee.

Who misses games 1st next season with "knee soreness"? Lavine, Dre, or Bogi?

Edited May 25, 2022 by terrell

[nathan2331]

3 minutes ago, terrell said:

Who misses games 1st next season with "knee soreness"? Lavine, Dre, or Bogi?

Lavine can take as much time off as he needs to so long as he's ready come playoff time. McMillan needs to do a better job next season.

[terrell]

1 hour ago, capstone21 said:

And a reason why we should look elsewhere… we need another scorer yes but we need solid D just as much or more

Wiggins or SGA would be good fits next to Trae.. Not sure how available they are though...

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by terrell

[Spud2nique]

Ayton news:

 

 

HAWKS pistons blazers hornets

 

Last offseason, Phoenix balked at the five-year, $170 million-plus maximum figure during Early Bird negotiations with Ayton's representatives. The Suns then quietly gauged his trade value in February, sources told B/R, including one structure with Indiana that featured Domantas Sabonis. 

Now, there are three teams most often linked by league personnel as Ayton's potential suitors on the open market: Atlanta, Detroit and Portland. Multiple team executives also pointed to Charlotte, with a clear hole at center, and San Antonio, one of the few teams with significant cap space, as possible landing spots for Ayton.