Kevin Durant,Kyrie Irving & DeAndre Jordan all heading to the Nets

erikthredd

Obviously KD won't be able to play that first year of his 4yr deal and season 2 might not be at full health but that franchise just got a huge boost today.

Coinstartled

Chutzpah to pay a guy $40,000,000 to sit out the first year.

GS could have justified that perhaps for past performance.

hammer1

With KD's injury I wouldn't have paid him $5M to sit out the first year.

Of course that's why I'm not a GM, and instead post here after Mr. Glicker's opinion.

keets

unless Irving has had an Epiphany, heard that loud "pop" and seen a bright flash of light, this may be the death knell for Brooklyn. it'll be money down the drain next year they'll never recover.

--- BTW, that pop and flash is his head coming outa his rear-end.

erikthredd

Durant & Kyrie cost a combined 305M,Jordan is likely at least another 20-40m on top of that and i can see a scenario where that team doesn't even make a single Finals trip over the next 4 years.

perkdog

Glad Kyrie is OUT of Boston, the guy turned into a complete Jerk

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thisistheshow

Supposedly the Knicks didn't want to offer the money to KD because of unknown after injury. Either way, should be fun to watch what happens.

DIMEMAN

To me it looks like crazy money to me to spend on a guy that can't play next year and may never be great again and a no good trouble maker! Oh well...here's to ya Nets!

erikthredd

So after the Nets signed Kyrie it pretty much made D'Angelo Russell expendable so he got shipped to the Warriors in a Sign & Trade and Iguodala got sent to the Grizzlies. Russell signed a 4yr 117M contract with the Warriors but I can't seem to find what the Grizzlies sent the Nets in this deal: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27093894/russell-joining-gsw-iguodala-grizz
All in all,Russell was pretty good insurance for while Klay is out and GS should have no problem moving him later on if they feel like it.

erikthredd

Actually Russell to the Warriors was part of a Durant sign & trade so they got something in return. When Russell gets hot from deep we could be seeing a third Splash brother.

edit: The Golden State Warriors are trading Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for protected first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 and an unprotected pick in 2026, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski.

That is a pretty solid score of picks for a 35yr old 6th man.

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doubledragon

I can't believe the GS dynasty is over. There was a time when I thought they might win 7 or 8 titles, if Durant hadn't gotten injured, and stayed in GS.

Coinstartled

@doubledragon said:
I can't believe the GS dynasty is over. There was a time when I thought they might win 7 or 8 titles, if Durant hadn't gotten injured, and stayed in GS.

Can I get you a couple aspirin or something?

erikthredd

@erikthredd said:
Actually Russell to the Warriors was part of a Durant sign & trade so they got something in return. When Russell gets hot from deep we could be seeing a third Splash brother.

edit: The Golden State Warriors are trading Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for protected first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 and an unprotected pick in 2026, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski.

That is a pretty solid score of picks for a 35yr old 6th man.

That Andre Iguodala trade details reported last night weren't true,the Warriors sent a first round pick with Iguodala to the Grizzlies as compensation for taking on his salary. The deal isn't finalized yet but its rumored that the Grizz aren't sending much or anything back in return. it will probably be something like a future 2nd round pick. That deal was a straight up salary dump by GS.

doubledragon

What will become of GS? I just can't believe it's over.

TNP777

At one point Knicks fans were downright giddy over dreams of drafting Zion and signing KD and Kyrie. Instead, they're left with this.

doubledragon

I just can't believe it's over. How do I go on?

erikthredd

@doubledragon said:
I just can't believe it's over. How do I go on?

It's not over yet,they'll have a down year until Klay is back then they retool on the fly. Russell is 23yrs old,already an All-Star and at 6-5 they can realistically start him next to Curry in the backcourt,move Klay to small forward when he returns with Green at the 4 and keep running out these centers that they've been going with for years.
That team won't be the Juggernaut Warriors with KD but until the Lakers or some other West teams start adding more major pieces then they're all pretenders not contenders.
GS can keep Russell and try transitioning thier future teams around him or they can deal him for more immediate help while trying to maximize the remaining Curry/Klay/Green years.
Whatever they end up deciding later on doesn't change the fact that everyone thought they'd lose KD for nothing and ended up getting a young all-star in return.

keets

a part of me thinks Durant and Irving deserve each other, I sort of hope they fail together and I feel sad for the other players and the Nets fan-base.

softparade

I was a huge Nets fan when in NJ. Now I completely DGAF. Yawn.

erikthredd

@keets said:
a part of me thinks Durant and Irving deserve each other, I sort of hope they fail together and I feel sad for the other players and the Nets fan-base.

KD's demeanor is much different than Kyrie's though in my honest opinion. KD seems like a quiet guy who likes his privacy and really wants to just play basketball. From all reports,outside of an argument with Draymond Green KD is pretty much loved by his teammates and he even tried playing hurt with the chance of the injury getting worse(obviously it did) just to help his team try to dig themselves out of a Finals hole. Yes he left the Warriors to sign in Brooklyn but at the last minute he had a hand in GS getting back D'Angelo Russell as some decent compensation which was much better than nothing.

Kyrie on the other hand wants to get all of the attention and always thinks he's the smartest person in the room. Put a microphone in front of the guy and he'll ramble on for 10 minutes straight thinking he's having this intellectual conversation that will have the listeners thinking "WTF is he talking about" by the end. Most of his teammates hated him by the season's end and that is a complete understatement. His condescension towards his younger teammates basically ruined this team's season. A person that covers the team that had intimate knowledge of Lebron & Kyrie's relationship in those early years after Lebron came back to Cleveland compared how Kyrie treated Tatum & Brown to how Lebron treated him at the beginning. He hated the fact that Tatum,Brown and the rest of that young 2017-18 C's team had playoff success without him that there where numerous playoff games where he wouldn't even come to the stadium to sit on the bench with the team during those games. Now fast forward to getting knocked out of these recent playoffs and then deciding he is going to sign elsewhere,ultimately it's Brooklyn and there was likely a point where he might have just signed alone without KD ,never did he give Boston the chance to attempt to sign & trade him even if it meant just bringing back worthless salary. Late saturday and early sunday Boston was trying desperately to work a 3way S&T with Kyrie going to the Nets,Kemba coming to the C's and Rozier going to the Hornets that if pulled off would have changed Boston's maneuverability regarding their own free agents,meaning they could have re-signed Horford and/or Marcus Morris. He could have showed some class on the way out like KD did by helping his old team out but he wouldn't do it.

I hope Kyrie fails miserably without KD so we all get to see,again, that he's nothing more than a Robin and will never be a Batman.

erikthredd

@keets did you guys in Cleveland hear about this from a couple weeks ago? Kyrie calling a Boston sports talk radio show under a fake name to defend himself saying Celtics fans didn't appreciate him enough.
https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/did-kyrie-irving-really-call-into-a-boston-radio-show-to-defend-himself-you-be-the-judge

hammer1

erikthredd

Someone needs to remind Green that they're 1-2 without Durant and ultimately Green's stupidity cost GS the greatest season in NBA history.

TNP777

@erikthredd said:
Someone needs to remind Green that they're 1-2 without Durant and ultimately Green's stupidity cost GS the greatest season in NBA history.

factual

SanctionII

The NBA probably loves the new dynamic that has arisen.

The media coverage of the goings on in the NBA world, including the 24-7-365 coverage of the top players in the league (including factual and imaginary musings about the personalities of these players and how they relate to each other, their teams, their coaches, the league, the sports media and the fans) is mirrors reality TV and Soap Opera DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!

It all means more and more publicity for the league, the sports and the players. More publicity and attention means ........................... "MO MONEY", ...................... "MO MONEY,...................... "MO MONEEEEEEEEEY"

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:
@keets did you guys in Cleveland hear about this from a couple weeks ago? Kyrie calling a Boston sports talk radio show under a fake name to defend himself saying Celtics fans didn't appreciate him enough.
https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/did-kyrie-irving-really-call-into-a-boston-radio-show-to-defend-himself-you-be-the-judge

This reminds me of how KD was caught with the fake Twitter accounts.

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:
@keets did you guys in Cleveland hear about this from a couple weeks ago? Kyrie calling a Boston sports talk radio show under a fake name to defend himself saying Celtics fans didn't appreciate him enough.
https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/did-kyrie-irving-really-call-into-a-boston-radio-show-to-defend-himself-you-be-the-judge

This reminds me of how KD was caught with the fake Twitter accounts.

Yup in that sense they're very much comparable. Knowing their history dealing with the sports media/social media in general, NY was the worst place for them to go play basketball IMO. If they don't start making Finals appearences once KD is back healthy that NY media will eat them alive.

On a sidenote,for years NBA fans have been complaining about their being no parity in basketball and providing Kawhi doesn't ruin it all by jumping on the Lakers bandwagon we may finally see a league where numerous teams have a legit shot at winning a title.

hammer1

Jump kawhi jump

erikthredd

@SanctionII what did you think of getting Russell back in a sign & trade then losing Iguodala?

keets

I would never argue that Durant isn't a great player, I think he is, but I also think he's weak and selfish. there are plenty of NBA players who are selfish and it sometimes seems that quality is necessary for greatness in the NBA, but Durant just strikes me as weak. I think that in the end he left the Warriors because, along with his agent and advisers, the analysis was that during the 2020-21 season it will be better to be in Brooklyn than Golden State.

as to helping his Team, that's a joke, right?? he's taking $40 million to ride the pine-pony as he recuperates?? if he wasn't so selfish and greedy and really wanted to help his Team he could take a percentage of that for himself as salary and leave the rest for the Team to get some talent. I suppose every player in the NBA would take the money, though.

SanctionII

Eric.

I think that GS, KD and the Nets jointly decided to do a sign and trade. The reasons for doing so are unknown. I do not know how the CBA works and do not know how the salary cap works. However I understand that a sign and trade benefited GS significantly, much better than if KD simply left as a free agent and GS received nothing in return.

To the extent that neither KD or the Nets received any significant benefit from doing a sign and trade with GS, then both KD and the Nets deserved props for choosing to help GS position itself better. I am sure that KD and the Nets will receive similar treatment from GS in the future.

As far as Russell coming to GS goes, it should be interesting to see what happens in 2019-2020. Barring a move by GS to trade him this summer [I do not know if that is even possible, as I heard the rules would not allow GS to do so until after the new year] then I could see GS starting Curry at the 1, Russell at the 2, McKinney at the 3, Green at the 4 and Damian Jones at the 5. Whenever Klay Thompson returns he could take the 2 spot or 3 spot (I like him at the 3). If that happens then GS would be absolutely lethal from the perimeter. Russell in only 23 years old. I understand he is a very talented offensive player and that he does not play hard on defense. That will not work in GS and he will likely end up being in the best cardio shape of his career next season.

If Russell is not a fit with GS, I expect that management will look to trade him for one or more younger players during the season to shore up the roster.

What intrigues me about GS next season is whether Cousins will return. I understand that he is not receiving much interest from other teams beyond a 1 year deal for modest money. I think that if he chooses to return to GS on another 1 year contract; and if he spends the off season putting in the work to fully recover from his injuries he may have a breakout year next year. He has talent galore. If he is fully healthy and is not hampered by his prior injuries I could see him being in the best condition of his career and having a monster year, particularly on offense. With Damian Jones being back from his injury and continuing to develop GS, with Cousins, could be more than adequate at the 4 and 5 spots next year [Green, Cousins, Jones and Looney]

I also think that resigning Looney was a very good thing for GS as he played very well last season.

The Western Conference next season will be loaded and very competitive. GS will be fighting for a playoff spot, but I think that as the year progresses GS will play some very entertaining basketball. Once Thompson returns to the lineup the quality of play will be very much improved.

doubledragon

I just wonder if that rift between KD and Draymond Green had a lot to do with KD leaving GS. Draymond really let him have it verbally. There was also a little beef between Curry and KD about the Under Armour shoes comments. I just think there was too much bad blood between KD and the other players on the team.

daltex

@keets said:

as to helping his Team, that's a joke, right?? he's taking $40 million to ride the pine-pony as he recuperates?? if he wasn't so selfish and greedy and really wanted to help his Team he could take a percentage of that for himself as salary and leave the rest for the Team to get some talent. I suppose every player in the NBA would take the money, though.

If, as reported, he really had four teams offer him a Max salary, why would he not take one of the four?

LarkinCollector

@doubledragon said:
I just wonder if that rift between KD and Draymond Green had a lot to do with KD leaving GS. Draymond really let him have it verbally. There was also a little beef between Curry and KD about the Under Armour shoes comments. I just think there was too much bad blood between KD and the other players on the team.

KD didn't get enough fan love, waaaa: https://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Kevin-Durant-free-agency-why-did-he-leave-fans-NBA-14065397.php

erikthredd

@SanctionII I honestly would have preferred Boston ending up with Russell at PG over Kemba just from an age & salary standpoint he would have fit so much better with the Tatum & Brown timeline. I think he'll be a great asset for GS going forward whether it's to keep him or move him. IIRC it's the first or second week of December when teams can trade a free agent they signed.
With Boston only having middle level exception type money to spend these past few days Looney's name kept getting mentioned locally as a potential big man signing but they ended up going with Enes Kanter instead.
Cousins has been rumored here as well. There was a report last night saying he was meeting with the Celtics who knows if it's true or not. If they can get him here I'd take that chance on him especially with Horford going to Philly. Ultimately I do think he ends up back in GS though and if he returns anywhere close to his All-Star days,GS will still be in the driver's seat. I'd take a top four of Curry,Russell,Green & Cousins over 99% of the league. I may be in the minority but I think the Warriors "demise" is greatly exaggerated. this current team might need some time to find a new identity but the same can be said for most of the new look teams after these past few days.

keets

If, as reported, he really had four teams offer him a Max salary, why would he not take one of the four?

since you cut/pasted my reply I will assume you read it. I don't know what I could explain if you don't understand it.

erikthredd

@keets I meant helping his old team,the Warriors,on the way out with a sign & trade. I agree that the majority of that first year of salary could definitely have helped bring in more talent for the Nets.
I agree too with your weak assessment as well. Jumping to GS when he couldn't beat them will always be viewed as taking the easy way out and unfortunately for Durant that label will always stick with him.
That being said if there are any great NFL players that are sick & tired of constantly losing to Brady,Belichick & the Pats they are all more than welcome to come sign with New England this season to hopefully finally win a SB Ring before this train eventually stops running for good in the next few years.

keets

erikthredd

GS signed Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein to a two year deal. I think he could turn into a very solid pickup.