NBA 2024-2025 General Discussion Thread

I am still in awe that Doncic wasn’t shopped around.
I swear, I think there are shenanigans with this trade. Why the Lakers, when other teams could’ve and would’ve given so much more for him?
I am not here to comment on shenanigans, but there is no question this trade is criminally bad management on the part of the Mavs. If you let the league know that Luka is available, the offers come pouring in and you can play one off another to get maximum value. To trade him in secret like this in what everyone universally acknowledges is a terrible deal is just unfathomable.

It is entirely possible you could have landed another young star for Luka. You could have gotten a treasure trove of picks for him. I'm not saying AD isn't a quality piece, but how do you not at least call OKC, Orlando, Houston, Cleveland, or someone else about some of their young talent? Heck, just wait until the off-season and see if you can deal Luka for the #1 pick/Cooper.

Trading him in secret.... it just makes no sense at all.
 
Is that pick the Bulls get back from the Spurs their own #1? If so it allows the Bulls to go fully in the tank in hopes of Cooper. I can really see why they made this deal.
 
Is that pick the Bulls get back from the Spurs their own #1? If so it allows the Bulls to go fully in the tank in hopes of Cooper. I can really see why they made this deal.
I am still convinced the NBA is gonna send Cooper to Washington because of his last name. It just makes too much sense. It won't happen but I want him in San Antonio. I hope Kon goes to the Spurs with Wemby. Spurs have #10 and #11 overall picks currently.
 
I’ll be curious if the Bulls deal Vucevic. The Bulls are bad, but not bad enough to land the top pick IMO. I feel bad for Tre. I have no idea what his contract looks like, but I can’t imagine he is too thrilled to play here. Playing with Wemby every night was probably pretty exciting.
 
Annual reminder that Kobe admitted to rape and is still revered as he is.

Not a shot at you SG, just….weed….admitted to rape.
I share your thoughts on Kobe but . . .

As I recall, he was charged with Sexual Assault in Eagle County, Colorado. He admitted to having sex with the young woman but said it was consensual. The prosecutor was inexperienced. Kobe was represented by a top notch Denver law firm headed by Hal Haddon - who, from what I understand from one of his classmates, graduated 1st in his class at Duke Law School. The defense mounted an expensive and intimidating defense that resulted in the victim refusing to testify against Kobe. The judge dismissed the case. The victim brought a civil claim against Kobe that settled for an undisclosed amount, widely assumed to be a big payment.

Did he rape her? I have my thoughts but he never, to my knowledge, admitted it.
 
I’ll be curious if the Bulls deal Vucevic. The Bulls are bad, but not bad enough to land the top pick IMO. I feel bad for Tre. I have no idea what his contract looks like, but I can’t imagine he is too thrilled to play here. Playing with Wemby every night was probably pretty exciting.
Could it be a chance for Tre to start again? He was backing up Paul in SA and also losing minutes to Castle.
 
I share your thoughts on Kobe but . . .

As I recall, he was charged with Sexual Assault in Eagle County, Colorado. He admitted to having sex with the young woman but said it was consensual. The prosecutor was inexperienced. Kobe was represented by a top notch Denver law firm headed by Hal Haddon - who, from what I understand from one of his classmates, graduated 1st in his class at Duke Law School. The defense mounted an expensive and intimidating defense that resulted in the victim refusing to testify against Kobe. The judge dismissed the case. The victim brought a civil claim against Kobe that settled for an undisclosed amount, widely assumed to be a big payment.

Did he rape her? I have my thoughts but he never, to my knowledge, admitted it.
Here’s his statement. He says that while he thought it was consensual he understands that she did not view it at consensual.


 
Could it be a chance for Tre to start again? He was backing up Paul in SA and also losing minutes to Castle.
Good point Sky. It could be tough with Lonzo and Coby running the show, but we will see.
Highly unlikely that Tre emerges as the starter in Chicago. Both Ball and White are seen as guys with more NBA future and the Bulls are already starting Josh Giddy at the point. The Bulls backcourt also includes rising star Ayo Dosunmu and they just traded for Kevin Huerter. It is a really crowded situation.

In fact, it is decently likely Tre ends up as a buyout by the Bulls as they sort out their roster in coming days. That could be a good situation for him as he could pick a team that needs some PG depth and perhaps find his way to a longer team deal. Tre is on an expiring deal. His role for the Spurs really declined this year versus the past couple seasons and he sorta needs a chance to prove himself again. He's making more than $9 mil this season but I suspect he will be looking at the vet minimum in the off-season.
 
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I'm soooo stuck on this point too. If you have cause to trade Luka, in what world are you not shopping him around to every other team in the league? He's a top 5 talent in his age-26 season – this despite being a near-270-pound marshmallow who can shoot and plays matador on defense.

The Mavs couldn't get more picks out of this deal? I just don't understand the closed negotiation with the Lakers unless we're missing some critical info. And no, Doncic being out of shape doesn't count.

Did Luka's team make it clear he's not signing the supermax with Dallas next season and the Lakers are his only landing spot? You'd still insist the Mavs front office extract more value than they did from the trade. None of it adds up, and I've yet to see a plausible theory to explain it. With the facts on the table as they are, this is generational mismanagement by Nico Harrison.
Luka can choose not to re-sign with the Lakers. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. That sort of uncertainty likely would keep many teams away.
 
Interesting takes from other teams....they can't explain the deal, but a lot of folks sustain the notion that the Mavs may know something we don't know...
 
Highly unlikely that Tre emerges as the starter in Chicago. Both Ball and White are seen as guys with more NBA future and the Bulls are already starting Josh Giddy at the point. The Bulls backcourt also includes rising star Ayo Dosunmu and they just traded for Kevin Huerter. It is a really crowded situation.

In fact, it is decently likely Tre ends up as a buyout by the Bulls as they sort out their roster in coming days. That could be a good situation for him as he could pick a team that needs some PG depth and perhaps find his way to a longer team deal. Tre is on an expiring deal. His role for the Spurs really declined this year versus the past couple seasons and he sorta needs a chance to prove himself again. He's making more than $9 mil this season but I suspect he will be looking at the vet minimum in the off-season.
Posted this in another thread, but Ball is being actively shopped by the Bulls, and has apparently drawn interest despite his injury history
 
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