re: The Official NBA Free Agency/Offseason Thread Update: MITCHELL TO CLE

Can we get a better backup big for $6 million this season? I don't think that we can. If we trade Jaxson now, are we really comfortable with JV, Zion, Nance, and Billy as our only established bigs? That would just be very poor roster balance.

Yes, I'm hopeful that Trey can step up in weight class and guard more 4s, but Trey wasn't really ready to do that last season at a high level.

Yes, I'm optimistic about Lidell and his ability to contribute, but championship contenders don't have to count on rookies.

So, I don't buy the rhetoric here that we don't need Jaxson this season. In my view, he is critical depth at an affordable price, and we would be foolish to trade him right now for a guard.

Knicks are still trying to dump about 8 million more in salary. If they’re willing to give up a 1st rounder to Orlando I wonder if those teams would be interested in something like this

NYK: Jaxson
Orlando: Graham, Temple,2023 1st from NYK
Pels: Fournier, Reddish

Knicks dump 17 million in salary
Orlando gets a pick for using their cap space
We get a shooter in Evan and an expiring Cam to evaluate for a year. We also open a roster spot to sign EJ to a full deal.

That seems like the sort of around the edges move we would make, and next year we could move Fournier for pennies to stay under the tax if needed.

The same deal could work with Knicks sending out Burcs and Reddish, but we would likely have to send them some 2nds back at least

The thing to remember with Fournier’s contract is the 4th year is non guaranteed, it’s a team option. So basically next off-season you have an 18 million dollar expiring contract, which could hold some value.

I don’t view Jax as a center anymore, Nance is our backup center moving forward.

Jax is strictly a 4 where we already have Zion and Trey, Ingram can play there as can Herb and EJ.

I’m moving Jax in the off-season, at the deadline the little value he has will be gone.

Apparently KD still wants to play with Kyrie too, so it could get very interesting.

I wondered on draft night if this was the type of move the Knicks maybe trying to set themselves up for.

quote:

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The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began. Irving only appeared in 103 regular-season games in Brooklyn, a three-year run ravaged in Year 1 by a nagging shoulder injury; in Year 2 due to absences for personal reasons; and in Year 3 due to Irving’s unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city that didn’t create a professional athlete exemption in its vaccine mandate until weeks before the NBA playoffs began.

The Nets, as the Daily News reported in late May, have been unwilling to give Irving a long-term contract extension with significant financial guarantees. They do not believe Irving is committed to doing what it takes to be on the floor every game for his teammates.

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Something like that, yeah.

I saw someone talking about this, and it got me thinking...

Who is legitimately going to offer Kyrie a Max, and give up assets to get him?

A lot of the usual suspects don't make sense for either them, Kyrie, or the Nets.

For instance the Knicks could, but they really want Brunson, and wouldn't be able to go after him if they do this with Kyrie.

Kyrie might be stuck going back to the Nets

I do wonder if you could see a team that has a shitload of young players and assets saying "frick them kids", like Houston or OKC.

I certainly wouldn't if I were them. And I sure as shite hope it isn't us

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How many games did Durant, Kyrie, and Harden play together? Like 13-15?

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40ish
i heard on the radio this morning that vince carter & hakeem olajuwon played more games together with the raptors in 2001 than irving & durant did with the nets over three seasons