2019 Offseason Thread

[King_B_Mack]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

Yahoo Sports

Verified account

@YahooSports
Follow Follow @YahooSports
More
Kawhi Leonard plans to meet with both the Lakers and Clippers during free agency, sources tell @ChrisBHaynes.

The Knicks are trying to secure a meeting as well.

That dirty son of a bitch Woj. Spreading his lies to other reporters as well. We all know the Clippers aren't getting a meeting with anybody. Ballmer is just paying people to say they are while he sits in his office with Doc and pictures of all the top free agents.

Adrian Wojnarowski

Verified account

@wojespn
Following Following @wojespn
More
Free agent Kawhi Leonard is expected to allow the Toronto Raptors to make the final meeting presentation among the teams visiting with him in Los Angeles next week, league sources tell ESPN. The incumbent often prefers to go last in trying to convince a player to stay with team.

2:56 PM - 27 Jun 2019

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

So can we please put that narrative to bed for good?

Anyone scheduling meetings with the Hawks, Kings, Mavs? Up and coming teams with cap space?

Why the Nets and Clippers if market doesn't matter?

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I'm not about to prop Pelinka up like some salary cap, trade, free agency genius because he cleared a little cap space.

Definitely not some genius move from Rob.. Wagner and a 2nd round pick is more than enough for nearly any team to agree to the other two and waive them. If their goal was to get to max room it was always going to be relatively easy to get there IMO.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

That narrative is false. It just gets repeated so often that it makes some people believe it.

Product is what matters the most. Lakers and Knicks are the most valued franchises in the league. And what have they got to show for it since the turn of the century? Amar'e and 34 year old LeBron.

What I'm trying to say is that statistically the "Superstars only want to go to big markets" narrative shows an extremely weak correlation.

Players want to go where they can win and where they feel they'd enjoy playing. KD joins the Warriors who were already a winning team. Chris Paul to the Rockets who were already a winning team. PG says screw the Lakers and joins OKC. LeBron and Bosh join Wade in Miami. Winning seems to be more important than anything.

You think if Jordan and Pippen were still on the Bulls today, people wouldn't be trying to join them because they are in Chicago? Lol

And when we talk about exposure, as mentioned plenty of times before, being in a "small market" doesn't affect players nearly as much as we used to think with the birth of an online world...and to top that off, with national TV coverage it's the good teams that get put on TV the most. Not the best market teams. The market follows the talent plain and simple.

So can we please put that narrative to bed for good?

Diehard already beat me to it, but like he said no that narrative isn't false and until somebody other than Paul George deciding to STAY in OKC it's going to keep going. The Eastern conference is wide open there are teams in the East that are a superstar away from actually being able to compete for a title legit and they aren't even thoughts on these guys' minds for their decisions. Kawhi literally just forced his way out of SA there isn't a single more winnable place in the league not named Golden State than with Pop and SA and he wanted out. Toronto is just the place that was willing to give up the farm for the chance to hope he'll resign with them and not go to a bigger market like LA that he was pretty much all but guaranteed to be heading to when he was trying to force his way out of town. Winning doesn't matter nearly as much as playing with your friends/expanding your brand/having to work less with superstar teammates surrounding you and the last several years of free agency proves that.

[The 24th Letter]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I wonder of that jersey exchange thing works if you bought LeBrons #23 jersey last year...I wonder if he's going.back to #6...

Woj said the Lakers may not even get a meeting with Kawhi, now they have one...they at least got their shot. That's the last place I'd want to see him though personally.

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I don't know that market matters nearly as much as it used to, but I do think location matters a lot.. Even in the PG case, dude said he liked it there. Most players, the LA, NY, Texas locations are going to be attractive.. Many of them are also big markets.

[TMagic]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

Anyone scheduling meetings with the Hawks, Kings, Mavs? Up and coming teams with cap space?

Why the Nets and Clippers if market doesn't matter?

Y'all can listen to whatever you think is being put out there about who is meeting who or what reasons they have for meeting. The only thing that is concrete is that signature.

If anything, you are just proving my point. Nets and Clippers made the playoffs this year. All the other teams you listed did not. No one was talking of going to the Nets or Clippers last year.

Again, the two things that appear to matter the most is winning and money.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

If KD resigns in GS, you're right. If he goes anywhere else, you're wrong. That's how we'll know.

[jfsolo]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I actually had an idea that LeBron might give up the #23 for AD. It's too bad that #25 is retired because that would be a perfect troll against the Kobe loyalists.

Philosophically with how the Lakers think as an organization, they can't help but go for another max player, but even though getting Kawhi would be ridiculous, I think that I'm in the depth building club.

Nerlens is one of the guys I'd like to see us go after, but someone may offer him a bit too much for our budget with all of the needs we have.

[jeebs9]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I never knew Dumars got fined 500k for leaking stuff to Woj in exchange for the positive publicity Woj gave them(along with breaking basically all Pistons news during a specific time, he'd get confidential league memos sent to him to report on and at one point even claimed Lebron to Pistons could be a thing,maybe even most likely scenario). Basically same thing people are claiming the Clippers are doing right now. A guy who happened to be part of BOTH teams, Lawrence Frank.


Lol I know, "stay off reddit".

Maj, this is actually ok lol. That other stuff you were posted about buying homes and that kind of stuff. It will make your mind blow up. I've wondered for a long time now. Where and How Woj got his stuff from? Does he know a ball boy?

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I actually had an idea that LeBron might give up the #23 for AD. It's too bad that #25 is retired because that would be a perfect troll against the Kobe loyalists.

Philosophically with how the Lakers think as an organization, they can't help but go for another max player, but even though getting Kawhi would be ridiculous, I think that I'm in the depth building club.

Nerlens is one of the guys I'd like to see us go after, but someone may offer him a bit too much for our budget with all of the needs we have.

I think we'll definitely see some clutch guys land there.. Nerlens, KCP.. And when it gets down to filling the roster with only min guys I think it's a lock that we see guys like Korver, JR, Melo, Jeff Green filling in those last spots lol.

If the DLo for 20 a year thing is accurate they could still get 2-3 other solid valuable role players before they get to the min deals. Even then, I'm not sure that DLo money split with two 10 mil guys wouldn't be better though.

Like mentioned before I've always wanted to see Bron and Kawhi on the same team.. But having 3 guys at that level would leave a bad taste in my mouth honestly. That opinion might change once they start kicking *** on the floor though lol.. But having guys 5-13 be min players wouldn't be good.

[Majingir]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

Reports saying that Raptors will be final team Kawhi will meet with.

If the date for the Clippers meeting is true, do we really have to wait a whole week again until we hear the decision?

[BleacherBum2310]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I don't think it's happening but hope yall keep that same energy that you did for KD if Kawhi goes to LAL.

[cima]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

I actually had an idea that LeBron might give up the #23 for AD. It's too bad that #25 is retired because that would be a perfect troll against the Kobe loyalists.

Philosophically with how the Lakers think as an organization, they can't help but go for another max player, but even though getting Kawhi would be ridiculous, I think that I'm in the depth building club.

Nerlens is one of the guys I'd like to see us go after, but someone may offer him a bit too much for our budget with all of the needs we have.

I think the thought process is say LeBron, AD, or 3rd max guy goes down with injury. 2 of the 3 plus ring chasers, Kuz, their exception, and vet mins give you a better shot at winning than say just AD and depth. If LeBron goes down and it's AD/Pat Bev/Brook Lopez/Kuz or whoever they would sign for depth, that's likely not a championship team. But if it was AD/Kawhi/Kuz or AD/Kyrie/Kuz, I think that team could still contend despite being without LeBron. He's still obviously the most important player though.



But again that's why it matters who that max FA is. I wouldn't break the bank on a Kemba or a Jimmy.

[TMagic]

Re: 2019 Offseason Thread

If KD resigns in GS, you're right. If he goes anywhere else, you're wrong. That's how we'll know.

I mean, you can go that route...Cite this ONE off-season and this ONE scenario while ignoring that KD could be unhappy with the warriors or whatever, all the while also ignoring that KD + another star would automatically lead to winning on any team in the East down the line. Sure.

Or...or...you can look at the last 20 years for examples. But I'm no expert 🤷🏾*♂️

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Operation Sports mobile app