2018-19 NBA Thread

Pistons make a couple of minor deals — Stanley Johnson to the Bucks for Thon Maker and Reggie Bullock to the Lakers for a No. 2 pick and some guy named Svi

 

Johnson for Maker is a nice challenge trade - I like Maker more than Johnson.

 

NBA trade deadline: Wizards deal Otto Porter to Bulls for Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker and draft considerations

 

Tyler Johnson is making $19M NEXT YEAR!!!

 

It's trade currency.

 

If you go through the payroll team by team it's amazing how often some mediocre player is one of the highest paid guys on the team. Timing is everything -- if your contract was up in a year when the salary cap bumped up and someone got desperate, you could really cash in.

The Wizards are paying some dude named Ian Mahinmi more than $31 million over this year and next. I have never heard of Ian Mahinmi. He's averaging 4 points per game.

 

The Wizards are lovely. They basically dumped Otto Porter for luxury tax relief (Jabari Paker has a team option next year that can be declined and Portis is a solid player that can probably be dumped in another trade or the offseason), instead of future assets, so that's also delightful for fans.

 

Well, you know, they don't need future assets -- they're built to win now with John Wall, whose max deal kicks in next season!

 

Wall's contract is incredible. Bravo to him and his agent. A life-wrecker for the team.

 

How many of the players being moved in recent days are actually expected to contribute and how many of them were dealt to move contract money around? Have a hard time getting excited about any of this stuff. Minor tweeks at best - and it seems like 70 percent of the teams doing the trading have no shot at the playoffs. Is the point you figure you can lose more with a guy with a bad contract, than someone with a good one?

 

I've come to the conclusion that at least 75 percent of all NBA trades, and that's probably a low end guess, are made solely to move money around. It's how a guy like Carmelo Anthony, who has almost no on-court value whatsoever at this point, gets traded to the Bulls who have no intention of ever playing him.
For a long time, "Theo Ratliff's expiring contract" was a regular punchline in Bill Simmons' NBA columns.

 

Markeif Morris traded for Wesley Johnson.
But the fat dumb and lazy Dweight Howard is still collecting a paycheck. Played in 9 games this year and is out with vague and fake injuries.

They don’t need to tank, they just suck, hard. Get Howard back in uniform and run his ass until it falls off. And fuck you ernie for signing the load without a thorough physical.