NBA rumors and hearsay

[Mexi]

Blake and russell rumblings
Im Sure bosox has some info

Just heard that the celtics are more likely trade partner for russell

Lakers and wolves also interested in him

 

[Pugz]

lakers can put together the best offer and have the only chance at resigning him.

 

[bosoxlover12]

Blake and russell rumblings
Im Sure bosox has some info

Just heard that the celtics are more likely trade partner for russell

Lakers and wolves also interested in him

im trying to not be too invested in these trades until they officially happen. blake is 100x more likely though
 
 
also if danny can somehow get both, just give him GMOTY now

 

[elcheato]

He'll get both and Kawhi Leonard without moving Marcus Smart

 

[Paulius]

So yall sayin it be westbrook for IT and someone else?? Or what do the celtics gonna do with the pgs? This trade doesnt seem realistic unless they do IT dirty and get rid of him

 

[Mexi]

Im sure okc would rather have younger guys so they might be able to keep IT
But it'll probably cost a few picks. Jaylen and crowder/bradley

Its a lot for a rental. But thats how the nba works
There's no guarantee russell signs there in the offseason. Youre gonna have to give up stuff to get his bird rights

Go ahead and laugh. But if hes traded, its gonna be a package like this. Either here or another team. A lot for a rental and people will freaking hate it

 

[bosoxlover12]

If OKC is trading Westbrook Id be shocked if they didn't want to rebuild


Bradley, Smart, Jaylen, RJ, Young and the BKN pick is what the deal would most likely be -- leaving Boston with the following:

Westbrook - Isaiah - Crowder - Horford - Amir
Rozier - Nader - Jerebko - Olynyk - Mickey

It kills our bench but to upgrade the starting line from Bradley to Westbrook is immense offensively, and stays the same on defense

 

[elcheato]

This deal hinges on them really liking Jaylen Brown, which is a huge question mark.

 

[Hurricane Season]

Westbrook isn't a good defender.  He should be.  He hast he tools to be.  But he isn't.  

 

[elcheato]

First place I'm calling if I'm the Thunder is LA. D'Angelo or Ingram are probably the top prospects that could be had in a trade at the moment, and I'd want a guy with true star potential if I dealt Westbrook.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Call me crazy but I highly doubt that Boston trade is the best offer OKC could get.

 

[elcheato]

The problem with their offers is that they are just a bunch of small pieces that in total are a decent package. They can't offer a player to build a team around, which is what everyone wants when moving a star.

 

[bosoxlover12]

Westbrook is a competitor and is someone who wants to be in a winning environment.

 
I can't think of a team that is willing to offer more assets than Boston for a UFA that provides an opportunity to win.
 
Like absolutely Ingram+Russell+Randle+pick is more enticing than Boston's offer. But at the same time, is Westbrook going to want to play for that Lakers team, with no talent at all?
 
 
Supporting cast is much more important than future landscape for star players, and Boston offers the best place of a winning team with tradeable assets without losing star players. And I really cannot think of another legitimate place that offers more except maybe Minnesota (but I'm not sure if MIN wants to give up their young talent, nor do I think Russ wants to play in Minnesota)

 

[elcheato]

Not sure what the Wolves would have to give up, but playing with, at the very least Karl Towns would be a pretty damn good sell to re-sign

 

[buzzy]

I'm not saying Miami has a chance, but I don't think it's a terrible assumption someone would value Winslow higher than any of those Boston assets.
LA definitely has the best options. Honestly if I was a Lakers fan I'd rather keep building than trying to become mediocre quick though.

 

[elcheato]

I've only seen Winslow shoot insanely poor for one season, so I'd have him higher than Smart for now. Being taller helps too

 

[BwareDWare94]

I just heard than Jordan Hill signed in Minnesota. Nice.

 

[bosoxlover12]

Simply put, these are teams I think Russ would be possibly interested in a trade, based on solely the location or the talent (not mutually exclusive):
 
Boston
Golden State
Miami
Cleveland
LA Clippers
LA Lakers
Minnesota
New York
Dallas
Houston
San Antonio
Chicago
Brooklyn
 
 
I would eliminate Brooklyn, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Golden State from that list from having essentially no trading assets. Chicago, Cleveland, and the Clippers go in to the next group of having almost no trade assets, and the assets they have wouldn't make sense for a trade (Butler, Kyrie, CP3).
 
That leaves New York, Minnesota, LA Lakers, Miami, and Boston as venues. I really don't see Westbrook wanting to play in Minnesota, even though they have the most to trade potentially. The Knicks have one asset in Porzingis, and I've heard they really don't want to move him at all. I would do it if I were them, but I can fully understand not wanting to trade Kristaps. Outside of that they have nothing. The Lakers have assets, but their team sucks. Why would Westbrook want to play where the third best player might just be Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle. Miami has a really good asset in Winslow... but almost nothing else.
 
 
From these five teams, this is what I would value for the deals to be:
 
Minnesota: F Wiggins, G Dunn, G LaVine, C Aldrich
Miami: G Dragic, F Winslow, G Richardson, 2017 MIA 1st
Los Angeles: G Russell, F Randle, F Ingram, G Calderon
New York: G Rose, F Porzingis (Knicks would also receive back Singler and Morrow)
Boston: G Bradley, G Smart, F Brown, G Hunter, G Young, 2017 BKN 1st, 2018 BKN 1st
 
From the deals alone, I'd rank it MIN, LA, NY, BOS, MIA, with maybe BOS and NY switched. But again, none of these deals get even offered without an extension or the assurance of signing in Free Agency. So of these teams, do you really think Westbrook would sign long term in Minnesota? I'd think he'd rather re-sign in OKC than do that. LA? Sure its a great market, but so is Miami/Boston/NY and that Lakers team would still be trash. I don't see it. 
 
You cannot undersell the value of the 2017 1st rounder. For the past few years, that pick has been the highest valued asset the Celtics have had (over the 2016 1st) because the #9 pick next year could have gone #3 in this year. I would also personally think that Jackson/Giles/Tatum is on the same tier, if not higher, than Simmons and Ingram. Y'all mock Marcus Smart a ton, despite being a star defender in his second year of play, but he might be the fifth best asset received by OKC in that deal. Brooklyn isn't getting better any time soon, and Boston has two more years of their picks to trade away for talent.

 

[elcheato]

Love for Westbrook seems like a win win for me. We'll even throw in Cedi Osman

 

[bosoxlover12]

How is it a win for OKC? Their best two players are big men (Adams, Kanter) and they have zero backcourt. You're basically forced to trade away Kanter (which they already tried to for Horford and failed) and that team isn't in any position to rebuild.
 
You can't still be good and rebuild. Minnesota traded away Love and were bad enough to get the next year (they had the 13th pick with Love the year before). Trading Russ for Kevin Love just ensures them as a peak 6 seed for the upcoming years at best. If I were OKC I'd want to rebuild right away