The Official Off-Season NBA Thread

[B Sox]

I don't see the point of LaVine leaving the Bulls to go to Portland

Would be a lateral move. He's from the PNW though.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Bulls seem much better off competitively than Portland

But if Portland can offer up a max and nobody else will then why not. Maybe bulls don’t wanna pay him

Unless he’s saying he will take less pay to win then anywhere willing to give him a brinks makes sense

 

[addict4sneakers]

Zach been underpaid for a long time. Go get your money man

 

[lawdog1]

I don't see the point of LaVine leaving the Bulls to go to Portland

Lateral move for all involved.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Would be a lateral move. He's from the PNW though.

I agree

I get it, he is from that region, but the West is gonna be nasty next year.

With Denver, the Clipper, and Pelicans getting their injured players back

Dame plus LaVine might be fighting for a play-in spot with the Lakers

And he might leave money on the table for that? Mans must really like hiking, Subarus, and got a New Balance line of duck boots he is looking to launch

 

[Mark Antony]

Gobert would be pregnant by the time Shaq was done with him. Pause?

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Why y’all approaching it like that lol. Let him go for his money. It’s possible bulls don’t want to cash him out

 

[IATT]

 

[QU!K]

I’m sad I never got the opportunity to use Pascal SiakHIM

 

[reconic supreme]

this still hard

 

[pmatic]

 

[lawdog1]

Airbrushed. Looking too buff.

 

[ballinsam23]

I was gonna say. He actually looks good.

 

[QU!K]

He looks like he’s training for Mr. Olympia.

He already had an NBA in college, I swear all he do is eat and lift weights.

I remember they said he put on 30 lbs of muscle… like why? Now he’s over like 300lbs.

He should try to get under 260. Less stress on his legs.

 

[nick.]

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be in Salt Lake City, a detail that multiple league sources connected to the Jazz have painted as a critical element of the franchise's future plans. It's of great importance to Jazz governor Ryan Smith that Utah has multiple players in that midseason classic, sources said, similar to how the Cavaliers were represented by both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen during the 2022 affair in Cleveland. It's also clear that Smith is willing to financially support a contender, and Utah leadership has no designs of entering any sort of rebuild.

Jazz staffers and various figures around the league point most directly at CAA for the whispers that seem designed to push Mitchell toward requesting a trade from Utah, particularly to New York. Jazz personnel took great umbrage to Knicks executives William Wesley and Allan Houston and All-Star forward Julius Randle sitting courtsideduring Utah's Game 1 road win over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, sources said.

Randle is a Dallas native, but Wesley and Knicks president Leon Rose were hired away from CAA, the agency that represents Mitchell, to pilot the franchise. And New York's front office has so far been unable to deliver the All-Star talent coups that organizations expect former agents-turned-executives such as Bob Myers and Rob Pelinka to deliver. The Miami Heat are being mentioned as another franchise that's closely monitoring Mitchell's status in Utah.

League personnel speak far more certainly of the Jazz looking to explore moving complementary pieces such as wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O'Neale. That could introduce All-Star point guard Mike Conley into an interesting point guard market that seems to be developing this summer.

The noise surrounding Snyder's future in Utah seems to have stemmed from when he declined the Jazz's efforts to ink him to a contract extension. Word began to swirl around the league from there. The NBA is as much a game of thrones as it is a business rooted in the sport of basketball, and the potential opening to pilot a perennial playoff contender certainly sparks wandering eyes from coaches hungry for their first or next opportunity to lead a team.

While it's unclear what exactly motivated that holding pattern from Snyder, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told B/R there was some form of a disagreement between Snyder and Utah's front office during the 2021 offseason, prior to Ainge's arrival. Snyder still has one year remaining on his contract, along with a 2023-24 option that he could choose to pick up or decline prior to that season. There's plenty of time to evaluate his own Jazz footing, especially as speculation continues to mount about the longevity of the Mitchell-Gobert pairing.

The conclusion of his lone remaining guaranteed year, or perhaps even his 2023-24 option, could perfectly align with the timing of Gregg Popovich's eventual retirement from coaching the San Antonio Spurs. Snyder steered the Austin Toros, then-San Antonio's G League affiliate, from 2007-10, and he has been one of the many names linked as the Spurs' potential successor to Popovich

The Knicks executives' controversial appearance in Dallas also raised eyebrows because of the expectation that New York will aggressively pursue Mavericks ball-handler Jalen Brunson as an unrestricted free agent. One source with knowledge of the Knicks front office even suggested to B/R that New York's efforts before the February trade deadline were primarily geared toward freeing ample cap space to offer Brunson a competitive contract this July.

But word of the Detroit Pistons' interest in pairing Brunson with Rookie of the Year finalist Cade Cunningham, similar to how Brunson has thrived alongside Dallas' supersized point-forward Luke Doncic, has been as persistent as the Knicks' rumored desire for Brunson.

The Indiana Pacers, who hired former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle last offseason, are another team known to have interest in Brunson's services. However, Dallas personnel have also shared a repeated confidence they will be able to retain Brunson after this strong postseason run in North Texas.

Expected to be a leading contender for the 2022-23 championship, the Los Angeles Clippers' loaded roster does seem to have a noticeable talent dearth at point guard beyond Reggie Jackson. Conley will turn 35 years old in October. A contending team like the Clippers would appear to be a natural landing spot for someone of Conley's ilk.

A much simpler solution for the Clippers might be waiting on the other side of a potential contract buyout for John Wall in Houston. While one source with knowledge of the situation insisted to B/R that the Wall-to-Miami speculation has become outdated in the wake of the Heat's acquisition of Kyle Lowry, the Clippers could welcome Wall on a discounted deal into a loaded salary sheet expected to soar far above the luxury-tax threshold next season.

 

[pmatic]

Traded the culture they built up for three years for Durant/Kyrie/Harden with nothing to show for it so far. But every team would do it.

 

[pmatic]

 

[nick.]

 

[nick.]

 

[rolaholic]

 

[rolaholic]

Damn surprised to see Shaq taking the high road for once

Still though, he would absolutely have him in the gulag for 30+ minutes.

The same man Ben Simmons had this to say about?

It'd get nasty

 

[akajae]

Sounds like he didn’t like thirdeyreie’s comments about him and KD running this franchise lol

I know Kyrie googling “deep” quotes like a madman.

 

[N41D]

You know damn well that’s gonna go over like a lead balloon for KAI.

This should be fun to watch.

 

[Based Jesus]

Kyrie the most skilled victim of all time

I expect some elite passive-aggressiveness from him as a response

 

[pmatic]

at most skilled victim.