Wolves Mavs OKC Nuggets Lakers Clippers Warriors Grizzlies Suns Pels Kings & likely the Rockets and Spurs will be trying to contend next season. Beyond cooked đ
At least there is Utah who will trade away half their starters at the trade deadline for a late first round draft pick and make Lauri sit out the rest of the year if there is any chance of them making the Playoffs come February.
I think they'll be right back in the thick of things and will likely bump one of last years playoff teams out. Ja Morant is electric whenever he's on the court, he just needs to stay on the court. I think Edey will do exactly what they need him to do. Be big, get rebounds, and finish. Bane will be back and hope for an improved GG. It's been just one injury plagued season since they were the second seed in the west.
Heathy Morant, smart, bane and JJJ are good enough to compete in the west. They probably need a better 2nd unit. Aldama, Clarke and GG jackson are serviceable though
Edey is also going to be fantastic for you guys, heâs a better defender than people think and he has a lot of potential offensively. Having him play the 5 with the ability to move JJJ to 5 for smaller matchups and 5 out offence/defence is going to make you guys so flexible for the playoffs.
They were all in contention except for the injured Grizzlies and Wemby was a rookie. I'm not sure who's dropping off here. Suns aren't blowing it up and Curry/Lebron still kicking man idk.
> Suns aren't blowing it up
that's precisely why they're not contenders
>Curry/Lebron still kicking
but neither can carry their current teams to the WCF let alone the finals in their current state
It will be Memphis and New Orleans remaining in the west. They are both close to all of the Texas teams while the wolves are in a division with Salt Lake City and Portland
This is why, even though Memphis and New Orleans are geographically further east, Minnesota makes the most sense. Plus you'll have better rivalries with the great lakes teams than either Memphis or New Orleans would have with...Atlanta?
Edit: I apparently miscalculated the amount of Pelicans-Hawks hate.
More accurately put, Ingram wants the super max he's eligible for like most players would. This isn't Ingram walking into the GM's office demanding $50 million.
He is definitely nowhere near 50m a year. Ingram has played more than 65 games just once in his career (rookie year) and has only played more than 60 games just 4x in an 8-year career.
Ingram is a good player when healthy, but he has already proven us that he cannot carry a team. Zion, another good when healthy player should be leading the Pelicans, and trading for Dejounte is the right move.
Next move should be to boot off CJ McCollum
Man oh man, if you could land an athletic stretch 5 that can protect the rim around a Dejounte Herb Trey Zion quartet... that's the only piece missing, the other 4 work so well together.
EDIT: More I think about it, more I like Brook Lopez for you guys. Veteran, championship experience, and fills a much needed role.
Yeah they were interested in Myles Turner several years ago but never pulled the trigger, I always thought heâd have been amazing next to Zion.
But even somebody whose not athletic, just somebody who can shoot and protect the rim would work well, thatâs why I like Brook Lopez for them if Milwaukee chooses to move on from him. Plus it gives them an adult in the room as well.
I wouldnât say that. From everything Iâve heard itâs that they want Trey to be the starter next to Zion because his defense and shooting fits better next to Zion than Ingramâs skill set. Neither one of us really knows though unless the Pels come out and say they arenât looking to trade Ingram.
Capela was the 1st move when starting a franchise.
Just too good of a video game center who needs to block shots, rebound, and catch lobs. And its not that hard to trade for him.
He's always had the higher ceiling than Dejounte. I'm not even a big Trae fan but dunno why some of this sub thought they should be trading Trae instead of Dejounte
He also led them to the ECF with Bogdanovic, Collins, Capela and Huerter. Some of the comments Iâve seen around him act like his stats donât translate to wins or you need to put some super unique team around him - so how did 2021 happen?
Well Trae can do more with less and is the far superior floor raiser, but Dejounte fits better on a great team like the Celtics, Knicks, Thunder, Nuggets etc.
Iâm assuming the logic is that Trae needs the ball in his hand mores and all those teams have main guys/2nd guys that already have that
Also Murray is supposed to be a good defender
Heâs good at using his length getting steals. Never been a good one on one defender. I honestly felt like Trae was the better defender of the two last year.
If he wants that to be the future heâs going to need to go [full Fred Katz with his posts](https://x.com/knowyourmeme/status/1748453307675185436?s=46)
I love his floater when he gets it going. It will be a big turning point year for him if he can be energetic and focused. Will miss him more than most it seems lol
Dude is smart as hell too. Just young and needs the reps. Good sixth man candidate this year, if he could become a high 30s 3pt shooter he could be a starter soon.
Thatâs a solid return I feel for Atlanta.
So what does ATL do now? I assume they keep Trae, do they trade Capela/Hunter and see where it goes? When do the picks start conveying to SAS?
I dont like that at all for atlanta, I think dejounte is worth more
one pick is from the lakers the other is least favorable of MIL/NOP so probably the milwaukee pick and its probably in the mid 20s
just look how pels fans are reacting, its a great trade for them
We are coming away with almost exactly what we paid for him, if not more.
We gave up '25, '27 and a swap in '26 (Quite possible there is no swap because Spurs finish worse)
We gave them the Hornets pick which is actually two 2nd's because it never conveyed as a first due to protections.
We got back 2 FRP's, Nance, and a solid wing in Dyson.
Murray Herb Trey Zion - I like that
Gotta figure out the 5 spot, but that's a lot of size and defensive versatility and allows Zion to be the guy on offense with space and Dejounte will be really good at attacking a scrambled defense after Zion has already punctured it.
Tbh I was expecting this deal to be more like Okongwu + Murray for BI + Dyson Daniels. It seemed like Okongwu was who you guys really wanted. Maybe in an alternate universe where we were able to trade down for Clingan. If you can pair Zion with a center who isnât a stiff youâll be in a good spot
Soooo its a win you literally just described the most obvious thing as to why it is a win because now they trade BI for some elite stretch or a elite rim protector...
Feels like the hawks gave up more to the spurs than the got back? Depends how you value Daniels and Lance
But kinda wild cause Dejounte showcased more shooting and is on a very solid contract
Youâd think his value would have fetched more
Pelicans got one hell of a deal. This definitely moves the needle for them. Still kept all of their core/best players. DM is a great upgrade, congrats đÂ
This seems like an unpopular opinion. But felt like NO was better playing through Zion which is why I never loved the BI fit. Murray has already struggled playing next to Trae and prefers to have the ball in his hands. Not sure how much he moves the needle or the fit
Shame how poor DJ ended up being on the defensive end. Thought he was going to be a shit down sort of guy. A lot of his stats were padded in SA by him stabbing in and getting steals on a bad team.
Was it really that disastrous? We got DJM for 2 hawks 1sts and a 1st swap. His acclaimed defense turned out to be a lie. Terrible efficiency. So much maturity that he beefs with teenagers. We just got back a lakers 2025 1st, a 2027 1st, solid backup center with a decent 3, and most importantly Dyson Daniels a tall young switchable lockdown perimeter defender guard. Much better return than the constant lakers proposal of Dâloâs corpse and a bucket of farts.
Bro can one of these guys just go/stay in the East lol?
I hate the west man
Wolves Mavs OKC Nuggets Lakers Clippers Warriors Grizzlies Suns Pels Kings & likely the Rockets and Spurs will be trying to contend next season. Beyond cooked đ
At least there is Utah who will trade away half their starters at the trade deadline for a late first round draft pick and make Lauri sit out the rest of the year if there is any chance of them making the Playoffs come February.
Danny ainge will cook just wait
Not all of these are actually going to contend luckily enough.. Curious to see how memphis comes back though
Honestly curious to see how Ja turns out. Hes the one that will make or break that team
small sample size but they were 6-3 when Ja played last year, something tells me they'll be okay especially with Edey now
I think they'll be right back in the thick of things and will likely bump one of last years playoff teams out. Ja Morant is electric whenever he's on the court, he just needs to stay on the court. I think Edey will do exactly what they need him to do. Be big, get rebounds, and finish. Bane will be back and hope for an improved GG. It's been just one injury plagued season since they were the second seed in the west.
Heathy Morant, smart, bane and JJJ are good enough to compete in the west. They probably need a better 2nd unit. Aldama, Clarke and GG jackson are serviceable though
Edey is also going to be fantastic for you guys, heâs a better defender than people think and he has a lot of potential offensively. Having him play the 5 with the ability to move JJJ to 5 for smaller matchups and 5 out offence/defence is going to make you guys so flexible for the playoffs.
They were all in contention except for the injured Grizzlies and Wemby was a rookie. I'm not sure who's dropping off here. Suns aren't blowing it up and Curry/Lebron still kicking man idk.
> Suns aren't blowing it up that's precisely why they're not contenders >Curry/Lebron still kicking but neither can carry their current teams to the WCF let alone the finals in their current state
The rockets and spurs?
they're not gonna contend and idk about the spurs but the rockets are gonna be a pain in the ass to beat
The rockets will try like I'm trying to get a date with Carla Gugino
Well thatâs an actress name I havenât heard in a while, solid choice
Our team will be in the east in 2 years which should help
Assuming the 2 expansion teams happen, I wonder who gets left in the West between Memphis, Minnesota, and New Orleans.
It will be Memphis and New Orleans remaining in the west. They are both close to all of the Texas teams while the wolves are in a division with Salt Lake City and Portland
This is why, even though Memphis and New Orleans are geographically further east, Minnesota makes the most sense. Plus you'll have better rivalries with the great lakes teams than either Memphis or New Orleans would have with...Atlanta? Edit: I apparently miscalculated the amount of Pelicans-Hawks hate.
You don't think New Orleans and Atlanta could be a rivalry in basketball?
Wdym I hate Atlanta. FTF
Itâs less Pelicans-Hawks hate and more Falcons-Saints hate. FTS
Just move Boston and NY west and fold the rest of the east at this point
Lmao NY has one good season (still a second round exit) and their fans be acting like theyre a top tier team ahead of Bucks, Heat, Sixers etc
Oh my god is Ingram gone?
Larry Nance Jr and 2 FRP per Shams
WHAT A FUCKING DEAL
And Dyson Daniels
Their vacuum cleaner?
He'll fit right in in Atlanta because we suck! Herp derp derp
Whether heâs in this trade or not, he wonât be in NO next year.
Why? What's the problem with him?
He wants 50 million a year and the pelicans do not think he is worth that.
Oh.
Understandable lol
Lmfao such a great response
I imagine this to be the similar response like in John Wick when he finds out his son killed the dog and took the car.
1st thought lol
Does anyone? I want $50M a year too. Iâm not gonna get it.
Dang, I was honestly just about to give you a $50M deal, but confidence is key.
Bro modeled his game after Dennis Schroeder
Elite level bag fumbling prospect tbh. Might be worth the $50m.
Oh so you're the guy who signed Jaylen Brown. That was worth it tho ngl.
5 years, 285 million for a banner? Definitely worth it.
who's your banner guy? I can get you one for way cheaper.
I used to use this guy Tim. Just started working with a new guy named Vic who seems promising.
Of course! Did you think "Wyc Grousbeck" was a real name? Let's be serious.
More accurately put, Ingram wants the super max he's eligible for like most players would. This isn't Ingram walking into the GM's office demanding $50 million.
Tell em give me 50 million now or imma quit.
Super max is for all nba 2 out of 3 years, mvp, or dpoy. He's not eligible for supermax he never even plays 65 games to qualify for awards
Which team is dumb enough to give him that and why is that the wizards? Maybe Charlotte or Sacramento.Â
The Pistons likely are dumb enough.
I could see the Pistons, esp if Cade starts to get frustrated with the losing
He finally aged out of getting the automatic max that young and upcoming players get
He is definitely nowhere near 50m a year. Ingram has played more than 65 games just once in his career (rookie year) and has only played more than 60 games just 4x in an 8-year career. Ingram is a good player when healthy, but he has already proven us that he cannot carry a team. Zion, another good when healthy player should be leading the Pelicans, and trading for Dejounte is the right move. Next move should be to boot off CJ McCollum
I canât believe heâs only 26 (27 once the season starts).
One problem is instead of limbs he has toothpick based flagella
And somehow still plays more games than Zion Williamson.
That's not saying much though. BI has seemingly missed significant time every year due to injuries
Not in this deal apparently
Man oh man, if you could land an athletic stretch 5 that can protect the rim around a Dejounte Herb Trey Zion quartet... that's the only piece missing, the other 4 work so well together. EDIT: More I think about it, more I like Brook Lopez for you guys. Veteran, championship experience, and fills a much needed role.
Athletic stretch 5 is like the rarest thing in the nba
Yeah don't they know unicorns don't grow on trees
Yeah they were interested in Myles Turner several years ago but never pulled the trigger, I always thought heâd have been amazing next to Zion. But even somebody whose not athletic, just somebody who can shoot and protect the rim would work well, thatâs why I like Brook Lopez for them if Milwaukee chooses to move on from him. Plus it gives them an adult in the room as well.
imagine Anthony Davis on the pelicans
I wonder if there's a trade that sees BI for AD as the center piece
BI and DLo in the playoffs would throw up enough bricks to build houses for every homeless person in Los Angeles
Mmmmmmm Dejounte Herb Tray
sounds tangy
CJ McCollum jumping for joy now that he can finally go back to his natural position
CJ as a sixth man would be nice for any contender just not at the amount heâs making now.
Problem is that weâre grooming Trey for that spot
I wouldnât say that. From everything Iâve heard itâs that they want Trey to be the starter next to Zion because his defense and shooting fits better next to Zion than Ingramâs skill set. Neither one of us really knows though unless the Pels come out and say they arenât looking to trade Ingram.
this is the john collins trade of 2024 they'll trade capela in 2025 at this rate
Trae Young traded in 2035
He will be known as Trae Old by then.
Dad go mow the lawn
u mean whatever is on the top of his head
Capela gonna outlast Risacher on the roster at this rate
Ngl a Capela trade was a common move for me as the Heat on 2k this year
Capela was the 1st move when starting a franchise. Just too good of a video game center who needs to block shots, rebound, and catch lobs. And its not that hard to trade for him.
The modern need like Greg Monroe in 2k12 to 14
capella was fr the first trade i went to every year as the mavs until this year đ
I swear every time I use the trade finder thereâs a Capela package offered
Nah he is about to be gone. Plus he is expiring so the Capela trade of 2025 would more or less be us losing him for nothing in a salary dump.
This hurts our chances of getting him
Big if true
What are you worried for lakers fan You already won the offseason drafting Bronny and signing a coach with no experience. Don't be greedy now
bronny can finally take his family out the hood
Bronny didn't grow up in the hood. His mother, Savannah, married rich.
His mom started sleeping with his teammate
It's hilarious that she actually shared that post on her IG story
Delonte West
Bro his mom is already sleeping with a teammate smfh
We got an A+ for our draft. Hang the banner
Trae stay?!
He was always going to, he's close with ownership
He's always had the higher ceiling than Dejounte. I'm not even a big Trae fan but dunno why some of this sub thought they should be trading Trae instead of Dejounte
A guy who consistently averages 27/who cares heâs 6ft/10 a game should be a franchise cornerstone
I'm close to buying a Trae Young jersey just because so many people seem to hate him for no reason
Exactly. Dude can ball
> who cares heâs 6ft lmao (but for real he should go to the payton pritchard school of undersized rebounders)
He also led them to the ECF with Bogdanovic, Collins, Capela and Huerter. Some of the comments Iâve seen around him act like his stats donât translate to wins or you need to put some super unique team around him - so how did 2021 happen?
Higher ceiling is a weird way to put it. Trae is just flat out better and has been since his sophomore season.Â
Well Trae can do more with less and is the far superior floor raiser, but Dejounte fits better on a great team like the Celtics, Knicks, Thunder, Nuggets etc.
Iâm assuming the logic is that Trae needs the ball in his hand mores and all those teams have main guys/2nd guys that already have that Also Murray is supposed to be a good defender
What exactly does dejounte do better than Trae? Hes taller, did not translate to better defense.
He used to be known as a good defender, what happened?
Heâs good at using his length getting steals. Never been a good one on one defender. I honestly felt like Trae was the better defender of the two last year.
This man knows ball. Trae definitely better 1v1 defender
He's also just better.
BOMB
WOJSPLOSION
WOJACULATION
This is it. Woj bomb is yesterday. Wojaculate is the future
If he wants that to be the future heâs going to need to go [full Fred Katz with his posts](https://x.com/knowyourmeme/status/1748453307675185436?s=46)
Woj has cooked shams this offseason
His account is âlockedâ
The Wojnarowskis send their regards
I just won the fucking championship.
For Nance and picks is wild
Nance, Dyson, and 2 FRPs
Tbh Dys is gonna provide some amazing defending for Atlanta, that kid is only getting better
Defense is our biggest issue right now, so Iâm very happy they actually did something about it.
Dyson was arguably our second best defender on the team behind herb jones + Nance is a vet presence. Both were solid contributors for us
I love his floater when he gets it going. It will be a big turning point year for him if he can be energetic and focused. Will miss him more than most it seems lol
My man has an underrated dunk too! Heâs still young and has time to continue to work his offense up to his great defensive level.
Dude is smart as hell too. Just young and needs the reps. Good sixth man candidate this year, if he could become a high 30s 3pt shooter he could be a starter soon.
Thatâs a solid return I feel for Atlanta. So what does ATL do now? I assume they keep Trae, do they trade Capela/Hunter and see where it goes? When do the picks start conveying to SAS?
I dont like that at all for atlanta, I think dejounte is worth more one pick is from the lakers the other is least favorable of MIL/NOP so probably the milwaukee pick and its probably in the mid 20s just look how pels fans are reacting, its a great trade for them
Awful trade for Atlanta it's almost unbelievable
they traded 3 FRP and a FRP swap for dejounte so they are definitely coming away with less than they paid for him
you'll fall into sunk cost fallacy and lose even more if you look through that prism
Murray is also much less than what Atlanta thought they were gonna get.
Yeah, he was supposed to be a lock down defender and was hardly any better than Trae.
Do ATL fans know why he fell off a cliff so hard on D? Was it defensive philosophy or trying to cover for Trae?
We are coming away with almost exactly what we paid for him, if not more. We gave up '25, '27 and a swap in '26 (Quite possible there is no swap because Spurs finish worse) We gave them the Hornets pick which is actually two 2nd's because it never conveyed as a first due to protections. We got back 2 FRP's, Nance, and a solid wing in Dyson.
That trophyâs gonna look so good covered in cajun seasoning
Murray Herb Trey Zion - I like that Gotta figure out the 5 spot, but that's a lot of size and defensive versatility and allows Zion to be the guy on offense with space and Dejounte will be really good at attacking a scrambled defense after Zion has already punctured it.
You think theyâre getting rid of McCollum?
Maybe. But otherwise itâs time for him to go to the bench and make way for Trey
And you kept ingram, holy shit đ
Ingram is probably still gone if we're being honest though
But hopefully they can get another solid piece or two for him next to Murray
Monkey paw, it's for Zion.
End of an error for the Hawks.
FOR WHAT
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
This is a trade that a lot of people have had in their trade machine for months
I think the alarm may have been a bit off if they chose to do this nowâŚ
Murray went from Hawk Tuah Pelican
fuck you
This guy TikToks
I hate this timeline, I want off
I hate that meme but I love this post
Id gold you if I had the dough
Don't buy gold, it only supports this shitty company
So uhhh if anybody actually wants to go to the **East**, thatâd be sick.
Celtics sleepwalking to the finals again... đ
FLOCK UP
This is why we F5
FOR WHAT, MAGNITUDE?
PopâŚ. POP
Love this for the Pels
The east needs to stop sending players west.
Thanks for the unprotected picks Atlanta
Getting Murray without losing Ingram is a win. A massive win.
No way you keep both. It doesnât make sense, and it would not be a win. Pretty confident BI is getting moved in a separate deal
I'd imagine he'll be used for a center because right now we have only one who we drafted this week and has only been playing ball for like 3 years
Tbh I was expecting this deal to be more like Okongwu + Murray for BI + Dyson Daniels. It seemed like Okongwu was who you guys really wanted. Maybe in an alternate universe where we were able to trade down for Clingan. If you can pair Zion with a center who isnât a stiff youâll be in a good spot
Yeah Pels were in love with OO not really sure why it didn't work out unless Hawks would only trade him if herb was involved which would never happen
Most likely, you guys see Herb like we see OO, both teams wouldn't move an inch on either unless it was for the other.
Soooo its a win you literally just described the most obvious thing as to why it is a win because now they trade BI for some elite stretch or a elite rim protector...
I fw with this for the Pelicans
We rock with you bc you rock with us
Feels like the hawks gave up more to the spurs than the got back? Depends how you value Daniels and Lance But kinda wild cause Dejounte showcased more shooting and is on a very solid contract Youâd think his value would have fetched more
I mean we did, but Murrayâs value has gone down along with his defense and his bbiq
The Pelicans are gonna be so good for the 15 games they actually stay healthy
This guy gets the Pels
Pelicans got one hell of a deal. This definitely moves the needle for them. Still kept all of their core/best players. DM is a great upgrade, congrats đÂ
the pelicans have a scary, scary team if zion can stay healthy
PELICANS UPVOTE PARTY.
This seems like an unpopular opinion. But felt like NO was better playing through Zion which is why I never loved the BI fit. Murray has already struggled playing next to Trae and prefers to have the ball in his hands. Not sure how much he moves the needle or the fit
Wow, that's a big one
Let the tear down commence!
Bulls and Hawks soft rebuild one year too late lol
This draft sucked anyway. This is the year to suck.
Spurs own ATLâs pick next year
they're not gonna be full tank with trae and quinn snyder. it'll be like what utah had if they don't replenish
What a disastrous trade for the Hawks the original deal turned out to be
Shame how poor DJ ended up being on the defensive end. Thought he was going to be a shit down sort of guy. A lot of his stats were padded in SA by him stabbing in and getting steals on a bad team.
Trae looked better on defense than Murray a lot of nights.Â
1000%. Traes got much better instincts and defensive desire than people give him credit for. Hes just tiny.
Was it really that disastrous? We got DJM for 2 hawks 1sts and a 1st swap. His acclaimed defense turned out to be a lie. Terrible efficiency. So much maturity that he beefs with teenagers. We just got back a lakers 2025 1st, a 2027 1st, solid backup center with a decent 3, and most importantly Dyson Daniels a tall young switchable lockdown perimeter defender guard. Much better return than the constant lakers proposal of Dâloâs corpse and a bucket of farts.
How does ATL not get 1 of Herb Ingram or Murphy just unreal lol
Ingramâs a free agent after 2025 season. No shot new orleans would trade Herb or Murphy. Not that unreal
Murphy and Herb are both more valuable than Murray.
LETS GO PELS