143 Comments

No. JK makes mistakes, but he doesn't shoot you out of games. BI has improved over the years, but this is still his tendency. I often call attention to JK's limitations, but I still think he will be the better player, if he isn't already.

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The Pelicans laugh at us before hanging up.

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A more jarring trade scenario that could make sense.........

Steph Curry

for

Tyreese Maxey

Nic Batum

Tobias Harris.

Batum and Harris have expiring contracts, $50M together. Maxey is an elite young PG. Steph could help take Philly to the championship. Steph/Embiid!!! whoa.

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That does not make us better.

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Jan 22·edited Jan 22

Just thinking out loud here. The Dubs 2023 redhead was DiVincenzo. The 2024 redhead is The Podz. They play the same role and position, are the same height and weight. To make the comparison more interesting, they both have similar stats. The Podz comes much cheaper though at $3.5M, and DDV @$11M approx. They were both drafted at nearly the same spot, DDV#17, the Podz @#19. If we assume that DDV has reached his ceiling, is this what we can expect from the Podz, a 9-11ppg, 4/5-rpg, 45fg%/39 3p%? While both players bring energy and disruption, neither player elevated our core group. Size matched with Curry weakens the starters. The Podz is probably not a starter on any good NBA team, but he adds value and is affordable. While I like him a lot, he would sweeten some trade deals, if needed.

TJD to me, is in another category altogether. He's a ready made NBA player who knows how to play his game, is executing at a high percentage, can score, rebound, screen, and pass. Plus, he has NOT reached his ceiling. He will get better and we will have him though 2026/7 at $2.4M. He is still being limited in minutes by a team that does not know who they are and certainly don't know who TJD is because they simply don't value and use bigs like many other teams do. This is the only big we have that has an offensive paint game. He is alert, has good, soft hands, and understands the game. Trading him would be worse than trading Kuminga. Trade neither and build their future together. The current iteration is in decline. Yes, they can still win some games but the time is now to create a future team using the core as trade material. Every year you wait, their value declines yet are making more and more money. Dray, Klay, & Wiggs, have already declined visibly. They can still be useful but not together if you want to build for the future. There are teams out there that would take any of these players if they are made available and the Warriors swallowing both pride and money to make some deals. Lacob has never been in a more difficult place than he is in right now. He is either hoping that something will present itself as a gift such as the core playing like it did with KD, or a team offering a player(S) that could lead to a new direction. Personally, I don't think Lacob can see a new direction. He knows money but not how players fit with each other. That is the GM's job. Let's hope Dunleavy has the wherewithall to understand how we transition out of this quagmire and put together a real plan of action without nostalgic references and emotional attachments to past images. We need basketball talent, young players with fundamental depth and execution skills who won't be intimidated by older, core, teammates who think they know everything and have seen everything. Even if it takes trading the one player we all don't want to trade if it can bring major talent to us, we need to really consider it. The last moment we've had as a team similar to this one was when we all experienced the Curry/Monte moment of 'they can't play with each other'. That was the defining moment of this dynasty, trading Monte for Bogut. We are in a similar place, different circumstances, but a quagmire nonetheless. Pain in thinking about it, doing it, and growing the new team. This whole process if full of pain on many levels.

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Jan 22·edited Jan 22

As a 20-year-old rookie, Podz is already as good as DDV, if not better. I think his ceiling is much higher and he has a lot more point guard/playmaking skills.

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Yeah, different calibers of prospect. Donte didn’t start developing any kind of playmaking off the bounce until his age 21 college season, and even then was more of a solid complementary guy than a natural creator. Podz at 19 was a much better scorer and rebounder than Donte at 21, and Podz at 20 against NBA competition (often NBA starters) has a higher assist rate than Donte has ever managed.

Anecdotally, Podz is just a more creative, dynamic, and daring player off the bounce (for better or worse, sometimes). As long as we’re making superficial comps based on hair/skin color, alma mater, etc.: Podz appears to have a streak of Steve Nash in him that Donte does not.

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I think it will depend on the team that he plays for in the sense of how much playing time he gets, who he's playing with, and whether he starts or not. Those 2 ginger heads are very similar to each other.

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We need someone to set hard picks or the motion offense doesn’t work. Looney has limitations, but who sets the picks and rebounds?

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Jan 22·edited Jan 22

Jakob Poeltl?

Paul for Poeltl and Thaddeus Young's expiring contract works in the trade machine. I don't really think the W's would or should do that, but it's plausible that Toronto might. And it would give us a legit 7-footer in the dime store Andrew Bogut mold, for those who've been coveting that...

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Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's ass

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If we trade for Poeltl, we pretty much need to trade Looney or TJD. There aren't enough minutes for all three unless you see TJD as a 4 rather than a 5. Poeltl's deal runs through '26-'27, the last year a player option, at $19.5M per year.

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T…….J……..D……..!

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TJD can't play 48 minutes every night. If we trade Looney, we need to get a legit center who can defend the paint, set picks, and rebound.

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Well, that is acceptable then :)

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In your occasional, 'where are they now'? post.

I did not know that the Fort Wayne Mad Ants had Jordan Bell ... and Elfrid Payton (minus the floppy hair).

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I've been finding myself going to my local park and watching pick up games to get my basketball fix, which I've never done before. I don't know how long I can watch with so many turnovers, no effort on defense, sloppy passing, no coaching, iso and heat checks, certain players jawwing at each other, complaing about their minutes. I really can't wait to watch our Du... oh wait. Never mind.

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Sea Dubs have been fun to watch! Enjoy watching Donovan Williams, and Garuda doing well.

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Garuda is my favorite coffee blend, makes delicious cappuccinos. I miss the days when Peets would sometimes switch up their in-store blend away from Espresso Forte.

I wonder how Usman is doing in SC, though.

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He's going to replace Draymond when we trade him.

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Sorry, typo.

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No, thank you!! I've been sitting on this pun since last summer, biding my time, waiting for an opportunity ...

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Sorry bro. I'll play better next time. I'll play so good steph is gonna be like, "Steve let's give that guy the 15th spot."

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OT: Open up and say “Awwwww!” I made a new video from the animal shelter where we volunteer. We have a tiny new fawn named Clover. There’s also an update on Irving and Shirley; the 3-day-old orphaned goats in a previous video I shared are now two months old, have been joined by two more orphaned goats. They’re rambunctious and really cute. https://youtu.be/EmlSmTkCjRY?si=SDZREprRVrxBvt5l

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Question, the goats presumably came from someone’s herd. Does the goat farmer not want them back?

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These were feral goats.

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Who's in the Feral GOAT's 5 then?

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Jan 22Liked by Eric Apricot

Jason Kidd, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Anthony Lamb....

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Patrick Ewing

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Cat Mobley

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Jeremy Lamb (Stockton Kings)

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Tony Farmer (Dubs PF 1999-2000)

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Aaaawwwwwwwwwww.

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Bridges and DFS would be fire, but would they learn to play in the offense by the playoffs?

In fact, has any Kerr motion offense era mid -season acquisition of a player ever resulted in a good playoff performance?

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There really haven’t been many. Matt Barnes is the only one that comes to mind.

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Didn’t Matt Barnes get hurt before the playoffs and not play?

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KD got healthy before the playoffs so M. Barnes was a lot less necessary by then.

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Yeah just mean in terms of playoff impact, Barnes is hard to quantify because he didn’t play.

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All of the so-far proposed trades look like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. None will move the needle.

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Jan 21·edited Jan 21Liked by Eric Apricot

In the latest Lowe/Simmons trade chatter podcast, Simmons utters the word “Charlotte” … and Lowe instantly knows what he’s about to ask: LaMelo Ball, Hayward’s expiring, and ALL THE PICKS you can legally offer (four unprotected first rounders plus three swaps) to GS for #30.

Both agree that there’s no way GS would — or should — do it. Simmons related how he would rather have had Bird retire a Celtic than have seen him traded for peak Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. And Lowe says that’s what’s beautiful about sports fandom.

Lowe also gives a nice tribute to Dejan at the end of the show.

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I love bill Simmons podcast.

Just gonna say, people need to know that is him just shooting the shit with his friends for the most part. If you need background noise while working, give it a listen.

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Agree. The shows with Cousin Sal are the best. (Parent corner shit is usually pretty good)

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I think the Knicks could put together a better package for Steph AND give him a better chance at winning something. In the unlikely case he gets traded, I'd bet it's one of these two spots.

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Nets lost after being up 18. Not just us…

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I'm gonna need some sort of explanation as to why we wouldn't want to grab Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney Smith in exchange for Wiggins/Kuminga/Moody?

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Keep scrolling down, someone laid it all out near the beginning of the thread.

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People really want to hang onto JK and Moody.

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Yep. And Bridges ain’t all that.

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He's more than we've got but it's a very speculative move regarding our future. Bridges for Wiggins works on my team but doesn't solve the Klay/Green/YG's conundrum.

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deletedJan 21
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Core? Hardly.

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6 & 7 sounds all right, but I'm not sure if the Nets and the 76ers would want to agree to the trade.

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Why would you swap Kevon Looney for Paul Reed? They have the same salary, contract length, and play the same position. Loon is actually heavier which is important for post defense. Loons stats are better in virtually every category. If it were just these 2 players, trade machine says -1 wins for Dubs & +1 for the Sixers. The full trade as proposed is -2 for the Dubs and +2 for the Sixers.

Time to stop worrying about this season (it's tank time) and get the payroll in order for the off season.

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Jan 21·edited Jan 21

Purely emotional decision-making from me, but any trade that gives away Kevon Looney or Gary Payton II gets an automatic no. While I would like to keep a lot of other guys, it does seem like something needs to change and any trade pretty much needs an expiring contract, a young gun, or something. But I can't see us getting back anyone who's as likable and good for our team as those two. Also, no trading Steph, obviously.

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Emotional? For the right player(s), they are gone. You know that's true.

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I'm on the keep Loon and GP2 team! Agree Loon has not shined this year, but in times of change his wisdom and maturity may tip the balance. For GP2, the health is a (big) concern, but he really changes the dimensions of a basketball court. If I recall correctly, the Warriors were + with him on the court and - without him in the 2022 Finals -reasonable argument that we don't win without him, and our defense is {CENSORED}.

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If you are going to change the structure of this team, Loon should be included in trades. He can't compete with the younger, bigger players that are coming up.

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On one hand, Looney and GP2 are great players and have been amazing during the 2022 championship year and the postseason. On the other hand, Looney has not been good this season. GP2 is still our best PoA defender, but he's been hampered by injuries in the past two seasons. I'm unsure if we want to hang onto a player who is prone to injuries.

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One good season doesn't make a player great.

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I’m in this line. By all accounts Loon is one of the most beloved culture-setters/mentors on the team, and GP2 is not far behind in terms of the infectious energy and joy he brings. Plus they’re both super-efficient, high IQ, winning players.

I wouldn’t say either is untouchable, but I don’t think of them as mere throw-ins in type of the lateral-ish deals compiled in these diaries.

Steph, Loon, GP2, and the four young’uns are the guys I’d like to hang onto, barring something *really* interesting coming back. Anyone else can go, imo.

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They can go in a reset. Both have weaknesses that are apparent.

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That's where I at and I would include D$G at this point but he is on a thin tightrope.

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With GP2 it comes down to how much faith you have in him being able to stay healthy for an extended period. If he's healthy, he's a valuable contributor. But he's making $9M next season with a player option, and he gets injured with alarming frequency. Other teams surely see that too, so I think GP2 is staying here, as his trade value is probably very low.

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A healthy GP2 is worth a lot more than $9 million. Just wondering if he'll every really be healthy again for any stretch of time.

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Maybe. The market set that price at the start of last season. He's worth what the market says he's worth, so I guess we'll find out this summer.

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That’s interesting because for me the trades most worth pursuing are Looney and GPII. Payton is duplicative to some extent. TJD without Looney is a risk but everything is.

I think trying to trade the high salaries is too tricky for both sides, in most cases. And I don’t want to trade away the future. So Looney and GP are the guys. I’d put Wiggins on the list completely if I thought anyone wanted him.

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To make a significant difference, we would need to trade more valuable pieces. Looney and GPII have relatively little trade value at this point. A team might bet that a change of scenery gets Wiggins back to being Two-Way Wiggs but not at a high price.

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Everyone forgets it depends on who you bring back in our trades. Steph is the only untouchable.

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I'm actually re-thinking this belief in light of who the Warriors have become. He may be the key to our future, not having him.

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He should be back in time for Orlando's playoff push and if/when they make the post season.

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