2023-24 NBA Free Agency 06/30 at 6PM

[JayBirdHawk]

8 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

I’m not gonna lie.. a few years ago before Jrue was a Buck and was mentioned here and in FakeGM I didn’t want him. I thought he wasn’t as good as he is.. I was wrong. He helped the Bucks win a title and his D is legit.

That was 3 years ago but to his credit he’s okay well into the first third of his thirties.. I’ve definitely done a 140 (degree, not the full 180) on Jrue. He’s a no nonsense 2 way dude. I don’t mind that. What does it cost us?

Lots of Huerter and 2 picks proposals for an expiring Jrue is what I remember.

[JayBirdHawk]

OoooKaaaay then!!!

Damian Lillard in latest track: 'You should know that they’re the ones who chose another mission'

 

As Lillard heads to Milwaukee, he released the song “Farewell” on his Dame Dolla YouTube page a few hours after the reported trade. It included noteworthy lyrics amid his Portland exit. I can never be replaced They’ll know sooner than later. An arrow pointed at who Assumed it was greater. Amazing what I get In return for this labor. I continue leaving trails, But won’t be for the Blazers. To the fans, man, I love you. It’s unconditional. Reasons for me leaving the city’s Nothing typical, So it’s imperative Not to believe the narrative. Just know that what I left Is better than what I inherited. I leave at peace Because I know in the end, That this is business. Hope you remember all the things You got to sit and witness. In the future, man, I hope We greet with hugs and kisses, But you should know that they’re the ones Who chose another mission

 

– via Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

[AHF]

6 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Lots of Huerter and 2 picks proposals for an expiring Jrue is what I remember.

Jrue made a lot more sense before we traded for and resigned DM.  You can't fit Trae, Jrue, and DM on the same team so I really can't see the fit unless we wanted to move on from Trae which I don't think is happening.  (DM is locked in for the immediate future and is untradeable.)

[kg01]

3 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

Silva back to Miami for that Martin twin who says no! Seriously GM’s should call and troll Miami now for fun and bring their worst deals to the negotiating table .

They should also offer TOR great deals ......

..... then sit on them a couple weeks before pulling the offer off the table. 

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

OoooKaaaay then!!!

Damian Lillard in latest track: 'You should know that they’re the ones who chose another mission'

As we've all kept pointing out, both he and POR wanted the other side to initiate things.  He knows full well he wanted out as much as they wanted to move on. 

[JeffS17]

54 minutes ago, kg01 said:

As we've all kept pointing out, both he and POR wanted the other side to initiate things.  He knows full well he wanted out as much as they wanted to move on. 

Right, he tried to spin this to save face but clearly he wanted out.  This is like a guy saying "YOU broke up with ME" after he cheated on his girlfriend.

[AHF]

9 minutes ago, JeffS17 said:

Right, he tried to spin this to save face but clearly he wanted out.  This is like a guy saying "YOU broke up with ME" after he cheated on his girlfriend.

I can see a more legit way of looking at this for Lillard.  If he considers the point at which they decided to go a different path was when they decided they were no longer going to try to compete for a championship then that preceded and led to him asking out.  Until that point he had been (at least from the outside looking in) loyal to the team that rewarded him with his max contract.  So I can at least see an argument from his side that he didn't "cheat" until after Portland changed direction to something that really didn't include him.

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

OoooKaaaay then!!!

Damian Lillard in latest track: 'You should know that they’re the ones who chose another mission'

 

As Lillard heads to Milwaukee, he released the song “Farewell” on his Dame Dolla YouTube page a few hours after the reported trade. It included noteworthy lyrics amid his Portland exit. I can never be replaced They’ll know sooner than later. An arrow pointed at who Assumed it was greater. Amazing what I get In return for this labor. I continue leaving trails, But won’t be for the Blazers. To the fans, man, I love you. It’s unconditional. Reasons for me leaving the city’s Nothing typical, So it’s imperative Not to believe the narrative. Just know that what I left Is better than what I inherited. I leave at peace Because I know in the end, That this is business. Hope you remember all the things You got to sit and witness. In the future, man, I hope We greet with hugs and kisses, But you should know that they’re the ones Who chose another mission

 

– via Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

I’m sorry Dame is from Oakland but he ain’t a born rapper never was never will be. He thinks he’s a LOOOOTTY better than he actually is..

kinda like me in the court wait.. wut, nah I meant opposite I’m the ish!  

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, kg01 said:

..... then sit on them a couple weeks before pulling the offer off the table. 

Why you telling me this.. I don’t care.. when was I ever invested on landing Siakam you butthead? Huh? .. 

 

ps Masai needs to get it like the sHeet got it yesterday. Left at the alter  

[JeffS17]

Interested to hear what @benhillboy thinks about the Heat not getting Lillard.  I think they were really smart not to bring him in.

Heat FO probably weren't looking forward to trying to retool their roster with a guy that's taking up near 40% of the cap and is a complete liability on defense. The new CBA that fully kicks in next year would have made roster building absolute hell for them. Buterl/Lillard/Bam would take up $130M of cap space with a luxury floor at ~$170M. And $180M is the highest you can go without losing bi-annual or MLE. Also can't sign n trade above $180M (so no flexibility, just vet minimums because they'd also be giving away draft capital...), not to mention the owner is coming deep out of pocket to support that which I'm sure was a consideration.

So they'd have 12 roster spots and ~40-50M to spend on those. So basically Butler/Bam/Dame and a bunch of vet minimums. Maybe one guy on an MLE. I don't think that's a championship contender. If Dame was a two-way player, I would like that roster but he's not -- he's barely above Trae Young level defense, imo given Trae's slight improvement, probably comparable.. So in my opinion, they were in a delicate situation where Dame wanted to come to Miami but they probably weren't completely sold on it, so they intentionally dodged a bullet by not giving great offers to Portland.  Now they're trying to save face with the fans and players  

[AHF]

20 minutes ago, JeffS17 said:

Interested to hear what @benhillboy thinks about the Heat not getting Lillard.  I think they were really smart not to bring him in.

 

They were "really smart" maybe in the way that a guy who asks out a girl and gets turned down is smart for not going out with her.  If they could have done it, they absolutely would have.  They probably already had the banners ready to announce the deal.  

[benhillboy]

4 hours ago, JeffS17 said:

Interested to hear what @benhillboy thinks about the Heat not getting Lillard.  I think they were really smart not to bring him in.

Heat FO probably weren't looking forward to trying to retool their roster with a guy that's taking up near 40% of the cap and is a complete liability on defense. The new CBA that fully kicks in next year would have made roster building absolute hell for them. Buterl/Lillard/Bam would take up $130M of cap space with a luxury floor at ~$170M. And $180M is the highest you can go without losing bi-annual or MLE. Also can't sign n trade above $180M (so no flexibility, just vet minimums because they'd also be giving away draft capital...), not to mention the owner is coming deep out of pocket to support that which I'm sure was a consideration.

So they'd have 12 roster spots and ~40-50M to spend on those. So basically Butler/Bam/Dame and a bunch of vet minimums. Maybe one guy on an MLE. I don't think that's a championship contender. If Dame was a two-way player, I would like that roster but he's not -- he's barely above Trae Young level defense, imo given Trae's slight improvement, probably comparable.. So in my opinion, they were in a delicate situation where Dame wanted to come to Miami but they probably weren't completely sold on it, so they intentionally dodged a bullet by not giving great offers to Portland.  Now they're trying to save face with the fans and players  

I never cared about Lilliard outside his ‘18-19 campaign and never thought for a second Riley, Arison, nor Spo were interested.  His regular season adjusted shooting metrics and playoff rating, on/ off, and win share metrics are mediocre to ass.  His off ball and defensive acumen will cause a public rift with Giannis by AS break I would assume.

NBA media (especially social) isn’t worth a second of my time.  How the hell is a player in Herro they didn’t even need for a deep playoff run and some late 1sts a trade centerpiece for a “superstar?”  The fact that Bam’s name was never mentioned was a clear indicator there was nothing to see there.  Lilliard’s unreciprocated desire to come was only out of his perceived need to ride someone’s coattails at this stage of his career which he needed all along.  
 

Jimmy’s tampering joke (related to the heat being fined over Lowry) going viral shows how bored NBA fans are in the off-season ( I’m only aware about these outlandish rumors from ESPN headlines, never clicked or indulged in any) They do have major question marks in terms of if their latest couple draft picks can contribute, if Spo can squeeze anything out of Thomas Bryant, how Richardson fits and improves, and how Jimmy/ Love/ Lowry minutes will be managed but they’ll be fine.  Their path to the playoffs the past 5 years was always due to how soft the Southeast was and still is.  They need a PG who can start and willingly BU extremely bad but a ball dominant one with no leadership intangibles commanding $60 mil is on the total opposite end of the spectrum of what they covet.

Edited September 28, 2023 by benhillboy

[NBASupes]

5 hours ago, JeffS17 said:

Right, he tried to spin this to save face but clearly he wanted out.  This is like a guy saying "YOU broke up with ME" after he cheated on his girlfriend.

Man, they had to move on, Dame, the team was REBUILDING. Can't rebuild with you

[JeffS17]

2 hours ago, AHF said:

They were "really smart" maybe in the way that a guy who asks out a girl and gets turned down is smart for not going out with her.  If they could have done it, they absolutely would have.  They probably already had the banners ready to announce the deal.  

Really?  I highly doubt they were that interested.  And the facts of this offseason support that -- they didn't even try very hard to bring in Lillard.  They have shown no interest in going all-in for top heavy teams in the past... Fans love big name players as does the media, but I have a hard time believing that experienced FO was really bought into the Lillard hype.  How can you look at your potential starting lineup below and call this is a contender?  Not to mention your future is very bleak as Lillard/Butler age.

Damian Lillard

Duncan Robinson

Caleb Martin

Jimmy Butler

Bam Adebayo

And who do you have coming off the bench?  Kevin Love and Josh Richardson?  Is that a contender?  To get that deal done, it was going to have to be Herro + Jovic + picks at a minimum, and I'm assuming they offload Lowry as well (if they don't they're in even worse shape...)

[JayBirdHawk]

Dame's mouth piece, the tales they tell!

 

Lillard then said if a deal couldn't be worked out with the Heat, he would prefer to rescind his trade request and return to the Trail Blazers.

Cronin's response to the seven-time All-Star was that there was no coming back.

[kg01]

11 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Dame's mouth piece, the tales they tell!

 

Lillard then said if a deal couldn't be worked out with the Heat, he would prefer to rescind his trade request and return to the Trail Blazers.

Cronin's response to the seven-time All-Star was that there was no coming back.

I bet when Haynes turned in that report the 'Written By' line had erasure marks where the name 'Lillard' was blotted out.  Guy has no shame.

Let's say he's telling the truth.  So they saying they couldn't leak the rescinded trade request as loudly as they leaked the trade demand?

Fkouttahere, man.

Next thing they gonna be selling 'n tellin us is Liami never wanted him in the first place.  Yeah ok. 

[kg01]

14 hours ago, benhillboy said:

I never cared about Lilliard outside his ‘18-19 campaign and never thought for a second Riley, Arison, nor Spo were interested.  His regular season adjusted shooting metrics and playoff rating, on/ off, and win share metrics are mediocre to ass.  His off ball and defensive acumen will cause a public rift with Giannis by AS break I would assume.

NBA media (especially social) isn’t worth a second of my time.  How the hell is a player in Herro they didn’t even need for a deep playoff run and some late 1sts a trade centerpiece for a “superstar?”  The fact that Bam’s name was never mentioned was a clear indicator there was nothing to see there.  Lilliard’s unreciprocated desire to come was only out of his perceived need to ride someone’s coattails at this stage of his career which he needed all along.  
 

Jimmy’s tampering joke (related to the heat being fined over Lowry) going viral shows how bored NBA fans are in the off-season ( I’m only aware about these outlandish rumors from ESPN headlines, never clicked or indulged in any) They do have major question marks in terms of if their latest couple draft picks can contribute, if Spo can squeeze anything out of Thomas Bryant, how Richardson fits and improves, and how Jimmy/ Love/ Lowry minutes will be managed but they’ll be fine.  Their path to the playoffs the past 5 years was always due to how soft the Southeast was and still is.  They need a PG who can start and willingly BU extremely bad but a ball dominant one with no leadership intangibles commanding $60 mil is on the total opposite end of the spectrum of what they covet.

Man this was an aggressive post.  Welcome back, hillbilly.

You and I seem to agree on Lillard as a player. 

But I disagree with the notion that MIA didn't want him and it was all a sports media fairy tail.   

Their lack of offseason moves seems to align with the notion that Lillard was destined to be there.

[AHF]

2 hours ago, kg01 said:

But I disagree with the notion that MIA didn't want him and it was all a sports media fairy tail.   

Their lack of offseason moves seems to align with the notion that Lillard was destined to be there.

It would be insane for the Miami front office to let the rumor mill run wild and get their fan base all excited over Lillard coming if they were never interested.  We've all seen the sour grapes / bitter responses from the fan base.  Some don't care ala Benhilly but many others are outraged, calling for an investigation, let down, etc.  No need for any of that drama when the Heat could have just leaked that they weren't interested and squelched the rumors.  They absolutely tried to make this happen on a big discount and came up short.

[Sothron]

It is interesting that when Portland told Dame there would be no trade to Miami he rescinded his trade request. But the team told him there's no going back. Kinda wild to me. I get they are rebuilding and you can't do that with a player like him on the roster. Still cold though.

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, Sothron said:

It is interesting that when Portland told Dame there would be no trade to Miami he rescinded his trade request. But the team told him there's no going back. Kinda wild to me. I get they are rebuilding and you can't do that with a player like him on the roster. Still cold though.

He tried to strongarm them into doing a trade with Miami at a severe discount.  I am sure he burned his bridge at that exact point.  It is one thing to softly ask for a trade.  It is quite another to do what Lillard did which was to have his agent call teams and tell them he wouldn't play for them if they traded for him.  If you doubt that actually happened, remember that the NBA had to issue an official memo / statement that called Lillard and his agent out by name which is not something you do casually:

Quote

“We have advised Goodwin and Lillard that any future comments, made privately to teams or publicly, suggesting Lillard will not fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade will subject Lillard to discipline by the NBA,” the league’s memo reportedly read.

This was the moment that Lillard:

For him to pretend now like he was sad to leave is just damage control PR.

[kg01]

9 minutes ago, Sothron said:

It is interesting that when Portland told Dame there would be no trade to Miami he rescinded his trade request. But the team told him there's no going back. Kinda wild to me. I get they are rebuilding and you can't do that with a player like him on the roster. Still cold though.

Definitely cold but, as AH alludes, there's probably a bunch of stuff done and said by the player and agent that weaponized the org against him.