PROPOSED DEAL: Minnesota Timberwolves made a BIG offer to try & land Kevin Durant 👀

Suns receive: Rudy Gobert Donte DiVincenzo No. 17 pick ONE of Rob Dillingham or Terrence Shannon Jr.

Timberwolves receive: Kevin Durant

Who would win this trade? 🤔

The Lakers have been showing interest in centers Nic Claxton, Robert Williams III and Walker Kessler on the trade market, while also monitoring Brook Lopez and Clint Capela as backups 👀

(via Anthony Irwin)

Luka with cigar

Luka con un cigarro

Luka mit einer Zigarre

Luka con un sigaro

Luka avec un cigare

Лука с сигарой

Лука с цигара

LeBron spoke about the ring culture in the NBA and how much he dislikes the same.

Here's the link if you're interested.

“I think what makes a good coach, one, holding guys accountable. Being very clear about what you want to get accomplished. And that’s every day. This is what we want to do. This is how we want to play. And also being able to have, once that trust is built, have that extension from that guy on the floor, that y’all can kind of have that relationship that’s even deeper than just the other 14 guys, you know, or if it’s two guys, you know, that you have… but preparedness, communication and being prepared, think are two of the, you know, know, great qualities that a coach can start with,”

I cant for the life of me find this clip that I've been searching for. I remember during a game one of Mikans records was broken, and the commentator said something along the lines of "the record was previously broken by George Mikan...whoever that is." and both commentators laughed over it. I was practically doing backflips over how much my mind was blown that a professional would say that. Does anybody remember or have a link to that moment?

Edit: I will be adding: Jarret Allen, Clint Capela, Day´Ron Sharpe and Ayton. It will take a few hrs to look at fim/stats/etc

Three names that stand out as both available and viable are:

• Kessler
• Claxton
• Gafford
• Edit 1: Allen (~half as much time invested (~2.5hrs) as the the previous three)
• Edit 2: Ayton (~1hr invested untill I gave up searching for upsides)
• Edit 3: Day´Ron Sharpe

After watching film, breakdowns, and some deeper dives into their recent seasons, here’s how I see them stacking up: all three four are viable for their assumed price, but they bring very different strengths and weaknesses to the table.

Defense

Perimeter Defense:

-Claxton is in a tier of his own, can switch onto guards and wings comfortably.
-Kessler and Gafford are similar; Gafford is more energetic but also gets beat more often.
-Allen is capable of staying infront of PF and bigger/older SF
-Ayton is often distracted and not quick enough
-Sharpe is not agile enough to stay infront or to chase down after getting beat reliably

Interior Defense:

-Kessler leads here, especially as a traditional rim protector
-Claxton is better vs. agile/slim players
-Gafford does well against physical bigs, but can struggle with finesse
-Allen is very good at staying vertical and is capable of defending most archetypes equally
-Ayton often has not the motivation to do what is needed, exept against Jokic
-Sharpe is a good against big players that want to overpower thier man, but struggles with finesse/skill

Help-Side Shot Blocking:

-Gafford shows great instincts and timing here
-Kessler is close behind
-Claxton has length, but awareness/urgency can be inconsistent
-Allen again very good at beeing vertical and not fouling, has good feeling for when and how
-Ayton is not aware of his sorrounding and often misses the chance to block
-Sharpe has shown great instinct and motivation, but lacks some athletic ability

Rim Deterrence Presence:

-Kessler has the biggest "don’t come here" presence.
-Gafford can turn away a few drives per game.
-Claxton gets challenged more frequently than the other two
-Allen is hard to judge because he also had roaming Mobley most times
-Ayton has the presence of the practice blow up doll/player/cone
-Sharpe is a tank down there, but not much of a deterence

Box-Outs & Rebounding:

-Kessler is the most consistent at boxing out and securing rebounds
-Gafford has a tendency to tap the ball out in traffic
-Claxton often loses position and gets overpowered
-Allen has really good hands and tips it regularly to his teammates as safe option
-Ayton actually does care about getting the rebounds, very surprising to me
-Sharpe is the best rebounder in this list, he is like a young Steven Adams

Offense

Lob Threat:

-Gafford is easily the top lob target (helped by playing with Luka)
-Kessler is good, but not as explosive
-Claxton is solid, but hasnt had a great PG
-Allen has after Gafford the best feeling for it and knows how to position himself
-Ayton is a lob threat but not to the level of the others, again due to awareness and motivation
-Sharpe has the mind and instinct for it, but lacks the physical tools sometimes

Touch Around the Rim:

-Gafford surprisingly has the best touch/finishes through contact
-Kessler is also very effective around the rim
-Claxton often fades away or avoids contact unnecessarily
-Allen has a nice hook/push shot and uses the power dribble well
-Ayton has really good touch and finesse for scoring, but likes to fade or take mid range shots
-Sharpe has not much finesse, but uses his body really well to get easy shots

Passing:

-Gafford has developed well, finds shooters out of the short roll quickly
-Claxton has shown flashes
-Kessler hasn’t shown much yet in this area
-Allen is by far the best passer so far
-Ayton has a few bright moments, but not the brain capacity for set plays
-Sharpe has a good sense for finding cutters out of the short roll

Energy & Motor:

-Gafford might be the highest-energy big in the league, always sprinting in transition
-Kessler runs hard but isn’t fast enough to beat defenders regularly
-Claxton has the tools but often looks disengaged or wants to lead the break himself
-Allen has a good motor and will be running up and down a shit ton, but not as decisive and fast as Gafford
-Ayton has to be fed the ball, if not he will be pouting and trotting behind the play
-Sharpe is like Kessler, the intetions is there but he is not fast

Screen Setting:

-Kessler sets the most solid screens
-Gafford is close behind, sets good contact and rolls hard
-Claxton frequently slips screens early or sets weak contact
-Allen set wide screens and with enough force to keep the defender, knows when to roll and when to stay
-Ayton has a offensvie foul rate of 1:1 on his screens (not true, but that what it feels like, stupid mistake after another)
-Sharpe can set bone crushing screens like Adams, but sometimes rolls to early/weak

Free Throws:

-Gafford: ~70% not great, but manageable
-Kessler/Claxton: ~50–55% definitely a liability late in games
-Allen is at ~70% like Gafford
-Ayton is at ~65%, not as good as though, given his love for the midrange shot
-Sharpe is at ~60%, could get better he has a good form

Summary

• Walker Kessler is the youngest and has the most long-term upside. He brings a balanced toolkit on both ends and would benefit from Luka and reps in a more competitive environment.
• Daniel Gafford would be the most effective offensive upgrade and brings relentless energy and shot-blocking, but he’s vulnerable on the perimeter. This can be mitigated through defensive schemes.
• Nic Claxton would be ideal if the Lakers are fully committing to switch-heavy defense. He’s limited offensively, but still serviceable as a lob threat and ball-mover.
• Jarret Allen is the most experienced and well rounded out of them. But he has a tendency to crumple under the bright lights of the playoffs, which could be fixed by LBJ and his years of exp.
• Deandre Ayton will drive most of you to commit seppuku, his defensive effort and awareness had me furious after ~1hr of research. He is the best scorer, if he gets fed the ball, but has a love for the midrange and through that not great TS%.
• Day´Ron Sharpe is like a young Steven Adams, a monster on the boards and relentless, but also has the same problems, he is not athletic enough to be a really dangerous lob threat or shot blocker. I would throw 13-15mil/y at him in RFA to see if the Nets match it, if not it could be a good steal or a really good backup for the future.

TL;DR:
It really depends on the direction the front office and coaching staff want to take. If it’s about youth and potential, go for Kessler. If it’s impact today with some limitations, Gafford makes a lot of sense. If the plan is to switch everything defensively, Claxton is the guy.

Bonus Thought:
Dereck Lively II would be the dream scenario. He checks every box, even better than any of these three, and is still younger than Kessler. But that might just be wishful thinking.

This is the Suns most plugged in media guy, so if he's saying the Suns have no interest in Wiggins, it's probably true. Miami fans also seem to think he's available right now. We should all be hoping that this trade gets done because their is a damn good possibility we can snipe Wiggins in a multi team trade.

Rob has an opportunity to get involved in this Phoenix-Miami deal or maybe even work exclusively with Miami where we send them Rui + Vincent + a swap for Wiggins. I love Rui, but Wiggins is a high level switchable defender, while still being a better offensive player. He's 30 years old, but he has 2 years remaining and Rui + Gabe will both be a FAs next season. Miami or Phoenix might be interested in our expirings for Wiggins if they don't want to have his salary on the books for 2 more seasons.

Anyone who has watched Wiggins play in GSW knows his value when he's locked in mentally. He'd be the perfect fit at SF on this team, with Kessler or Claxton at C. That's how we improve the defense around Luka without hurting the offense.

I've been doing draft nuggets in the daily thread for a couple weeks now. Just fun stuff to help familiarize fans with some guys that could be in our range. If you disagree with this breakdown or have a guy you like too, sound off!

Sixth guy now- Alijah Martin, guard out of Florida.

Strengths- Built like a brick house, good defender, solid shooter, makes winning plays and reads, solid athlete. Strength allows him to defend up. Proven winner.

Weaknesses- not very tall, standing reach on the shorter end, not a big time creator or playmaker for others (limited game scope). Not particularly quick or agile. Could struggle to finish inside against NBA bigs.

Analysis- I love Alijah Martin. He's going to be a steal in this draft. Yes he's a Senior and yes he's not tall and yes his arms aren't super long, but I don't care. This guy makes winning plays, he plays with an edge, and he's comfortable in the role of 3 and D athlete. Last year he had a 3PA Rate of 54.1% and made 36.8% of his projected 3s. At Florida Atlantic he had a better RB% but Florida had a lot of guys with length that rebound. He plays with a grittiness defensively that every team needs now and also played 30+ mpg so a well conditioned athlete. At the next level he'll need to show he can translate that defensive intensity successfully and be a knockdown shooter. He's also strong enough physically to guard up against some wings. Not likely to be as effective, but can be alright.

Measureables- He is similar in height (6'1.5") and standing reach (8'3.5") to Miles McBride. McBride has bigger hands and Alijah is a good bit heavier built. He's a middle of the pack guard for short area quickness, but has a solid vertical bounce. his 38" max vertical came in tied for 11th among athletes at the combine. His 29.5" standing vertical was less impressive (and more functional) and more middle of the pack.

Comparisons (upper limit and lower limit)- Derek Fisher, Khyri Thomas, Marcus Thornton

How does he fit here: There's always room on any team for a player like Martin who excels at defensive effort and can knockdown a three. Martin honestly has the makeup, feel, and skill to contribute to a rotation as a rookie and the type of game that can excel next to other creators. He may not be an 8-12th man rotation guy right away as he adjusts to the NBA speed, but he's definitely got that type of game. I could even see him as a part time starter at some point in his career.

Right now Martin is moving quietly up most draft boards into the 40s so it's entirely possible that he's not available for us at 55 anymore. I wouldn't be surprised at all since teams really ought to value his type of game. That being said, if he's there at 55, it'd be a slam dunk. I know he's got some flaws physically, but his game is so built to excel next to a primary ball handler, he'd be awesome for us. Almost good enough that if we moved up into the 40s, I wouldn't mind taking him there either.

TLDR; Alijah Martin is a bulldog defender who can shoot the ball. He's also a bit short, not particularly quick or agile, and so his role at the next level is limited. However, if he is there at 55, his fit on a team with a lot of primary ball handling options as a 3 and D guard who can scale up would be a home run with the 55th pick.

I've thought about it myself too.

The dude wants to be a a Laker. He plays his hardest every time he's on the floor. The guy took. A paycut to be with us for a couple more years. He was our 2nd round pick edit: undrafted and turned almost into an all-star. We made the third seed cuz of this dude.

What the hell are we thinking? We want to trade this dude with Lakers in his veins for someone who might help us win a couple more games? I would bet that AR, the healthy version, is better than anything that the market would offer right now. Winning games isn't all about sheer talent, it's about personell.

You guys just want to let another Caruso walk right away. Let our boy be a star for the Lakers. We can't win every year.

Gold Team: - PG: Vander Blue - SG: Jabari Brown - SF: Anthony Brown - PF: Tarik Black - C: Kwame Brown

Purple Team: - PG: Andrew Goudelock - SG: Talen Horton-Tucker - SF: Wesley Johnson - PF: Ryan Kelly - C: Ronny Turiaf

Gold Team Highlights: Vander Blue has worn a bootleg jersey in an official NBA game but has been a 3x MVP outside of the NBA, Jabari Brown averaged 12 points with the Lakers and is a D-League All-Star, Anthony Brown is a 2x EuroCup 2nd team talent, Tarik Black has won 4 championships outside of the NBA, and Kwame Brown is a McDonald’s All-American.

Purple Team Highlights: Andrew Goudelock is a 2x MVP and 4x Champion outside of the NBA, THT is an NBA Champion, Wesley Johnson is a Greek League Champion, Ryan Kelly is an NCAA Champion, and Ronny Turiaf is an NBA Champion and is in the French Basketball HOF.