2021 NBA Offseason Thread: Business as Usual? -- Trades/Free Agency/Retirements/Etc.

[Jhawk 1075]

Morey calling Simmons bluff ans saying he doesn’t care if it takes 4 years to get the right player. He doesn’t want garbage in a trade that just leaves them with an old embiid and no titles. Basically, I might as well waste embiids prime with Simmons on the bench than do it with bad players who won’t get us any closer to a title. Morey isn’t playing for second place it seems. Title or bust. 

[Aqua Buddha 14600]

I almost always side with players but the Simmons thing is so egregious that the owners are going to draw a line in the sand next CBA.

[d2o 1602]

18 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

Morey calling Simmons bluff ans saying he doesn’t care if it takes 4 years to get the right player. He doesn’t want garbage in a trade that just leaves them with an old embiid and no titles. Basically, I might as well waste embiids prime with Simmons on the bench than do it with bad players who won’t get us any closer to a title. Morey isn’t playing for second place it seems. Title or bust. 

Thinking that the only way to improve your team is to add more stars is flawed thinking.................at best.      Bright side it gives him a convenient excuse when his team fails...........again

[Patrick Bateman 3918]

31 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

Morey calling Simmons bluff ans saying he doesn’t care if it takes 4 years to get the right player. He doesn’t want garbage in a trade that just leaves them with an old embiid and no titles. Basically, I might as well waste embiids prime with Simmons on the bench than do it with bad players who won’t get us any closer to a title. Morey isn’t playing for second place it seems. Title or bust. 

Morey definitely has the hardware to know..... wait, he's never even played for 2nd place?  Damn.  This is nothing but an empty threat.  Totally get he has to do it, but it means nothing.  If he held on to him for 3 years wasting Embiid's prime, he'll be fired before he ever sees that 4th year.  Time (and therefore the leverage it provides) is undefeated.  Right now it's a staring contest, who will blink first?  No idea, but to take this quote as anything but organizational bluster is silly IMO.

 

[aggie08 21515]

20 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I almost always side with players but the Simmons thing is so egregious that the owners are going to draw a line in the sand next CBA.

Simmons deserves PLENTY of blame in this, but Doc Rivers, after a playoff exit, went on national television and blamed Simmons for the loss, and make it clear that his future in Philadelphia was uncertain. That kind of shit staying in the locker room is a pretty well-established unwritten rule, right alongside "don't fuck with another man's money."

The second you make it public like that, the front office's relationship with that player is never going to be the same, and they better have a plan in place to potentially move him. Great coaches like Phil Jackson can use that new tension and distrust to their advantage. Doc and Daryl seemingly cannot.

[Aqua Buddha 14600]

12 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Simmons deserves PLENTY of blame in this, but Doc Rivers, after a playoff exit, went on national television and blamed Simmons for the loss, and make it clear that his future in Philadelphia was uncertain. That kind of shit staying in the locker room is a pretty well-established unwritten rule, right alongside "don't fuck with another man's money."

The second you make it public like that, the front office's relationship with that player is never going to be the same, and they better have a plan in place to potentially move him. Great coaches like Phil Jackson can use that new tension and distrust to their advantage. Doc and Daryl seemingly cannot.

That's a fair point.  Doc certainly deserves a lot of blame here.  During the season, there should have been a focus on Simmons' shooting and putting him in situations where he had to hit a key shot sometimes.  He'll never be Steph Curry and that's fine but Simmons needs to know as a player than he can't not shoot.

It devolved into a situation where he's not wanted but he's also outright not doing anything but still with the FUPM attitude.  The owners are going to dig in about a system where they give a guy a huge long term contract and then a year later they demand a trade and blow everything up.  In the case of Paul George, he never pulled what Simmons is doing but it's still a thing.  

[Mitch Cumsteen 18551]

29 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Simmons deserves PLENTY of blame in this, but Doc Rivers, after a playoff exit, went on national television and blamed Simmons for the loss, and make it clear that his future in Philadelphia was uncertain. That kind of shit staying in the locker room is a pretty well-established unwritten rule, right alongside "don't fuck with another man's money."

The second you make it public like that, the front office's relationship with that player is never going to be the same, and they better have a plan in place to potentially move him. Great coaches like Phil Jackson can use that new tension and distrust to their advantage. Doc and Daryl seemingly cannot.

Doc has been in the NBA since 1983. He should know better but he's also been shit on for choking away playoff series after playoff series where he's either been highly favored and/or had a 3-1 lead. He was in defensive mode when they asked that question after choking away that series to the Hawks, but he's got to know better than to say it out loud for all the world to hear. And he didn't just blame Simmons for the loss, he said that he didn't know if he could win a title with him. It's inexcusable. And even if he's right (and he probably is) or just being honest, all it did was alienate Simmons and tank his trade value. What the fuck was he thinking?

I'm not giving Simmons a pass in all of this, but he is what he is -- an uber-gifted head case with entitlement issues. And whatever advice he's getting from Klutch isn't doing him any favors, either. And Morey.... he's coming off just great in all of this too. 

I've always liked the Sixers as a franchise, but I thought the Process was an affront to professional basketball and competitive sports in general. To me, this is karma for them trying to game the system while sticking their finger into the eye of their fans and the rest of the league. It's an awesome train wreck to watch unfold in slow motion and there is not one party in any of this that is coming off well. They all look a bunch of jackasses.

[shadow_operative 15932]

Ben Simmons should go to Minnesota so that i don't have to hear about him anymore. 

[conVINCEd 21469]

10 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

Ben Simmons should go to Minnesota so that i don't have to hear about him anymore. 

Sacramento would be a better choice.

[d2o 1602]

2 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Simmons deserves PLENTY of blame in this, but Doc Rivers, after a playoff exit, went on national television and blamed Simmons for the loss, and make it clear that his future in Philadelphia was uncertain. That kind of shit staying in the locker room is a pretty well-established unwritten rule, right alongside "don't fuck with another man's money."

The second you make it public like that, the front office's relationship with that player is never going to be the same, and they better have a plan in place to potentially move him. Great coaches like Phil Jackson can use that new tension and distrust to their advantage. Doc and Daryl seemingly cannot.

And their franchise player did the same.

 

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Doc has been in the NBA since 1983. He should know better but he's also been shit on for choking away playoff series after playoff series where he's either been highly favored and/or had a 3-1 lead. He was in defensive mode when they asked that question after choking away that series to the Hawks, but he's got to know better than to say it out loud for all the world to hear. And he didn't just blame Simmons for the loss, he said that he didn't know if he could win a title with him. It's inexcusable. And even if he's right (and he probably is) or just being honest, all it did was alienate Simmons and tank his trade value. What the fuck was he thinking?

I'm not giving Simmons a pass in all of this, but he is what he is -- an uber-gifted head case with entitlement issues. And whatever advice he's getting from Klutch isn't doing him any favors, either. And Morey.... he's coming off just great in all of this too. 

I've always liked the Sixers as a franchise, but I thought the Process was an affront to professional basketball and competitive sports in general. To me, this is karma for them trying to game the system while sticking their finger into the eye of their fans and the rest of the league. It's an awesome train wreck to watch unfold in slow motion and there is not one party in any of this that is coming off well. They all look a bunch of jackasses.

I would like this post 100 time if I could

 

[Jhawk 1075]

2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Morey definitely has the hardware to know..... wait, he's never even played for 2nd place?  Damn.  This is nothing but an empty threat.  Totally get he has to do it, but it means nothing.  If he held on to him for 3 years wasting Embiid's prime, he'll be fired before he ever sees that 4th year.  Time (and therefore the leverage it provides) is undefeated.  Right now it's a staring contest, who will blink first?  No idea, but to take this quote as anything but organizational bluster is silly IMO.

 

I agree with this and also with @d2o.  Looking at the 2022 free agent class you've got Wall, Beal, Harden, Irving, LaVine, and Westbrook.  It seems that Beal really loves DC but if you could offload Simmons for expiring deals maybe you can get lucky and take him down in the summer?  

One thing I think Morey is holding out for is Dame to make some noise this summer.  Dame made it pretty clear that he wants to win and win in Portland but there was a hint of "make changes so we can win, or else".  The blazers went out and did absolutely zero to change the starting roster and didn't really do much to make a difference on the 2-deep.  Dame's contract is up in 2024 but we've seen that 2 years out period be a sweet spot for demanding a trade.  Vegas odds have the blazers slotted in the 8 spot, finishing 3rd in their division.  They aren't winning shit and are an injury away from playing into the playoffs.  If something doesn't break loose here before the trade deadline then this is absolutely the play for Morey.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Jhawk

[d2o 1602]

25 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

I agree with this and also with @d2o.  Looking at the 2022 free agent class you've got Wall, Beal, Harden, Irving, LaVine, and Westbrook.  It seems that Beal really loves DC but if you could offload Simmons for expiring deals maybe you can get lucky and take him down in the summer?  

One thing I think Morey is holding out for is Dame to make some noise this summer.  Dame made it pretty clear that he wants to win and win in Portland but there was a hint of "make changes so we can win, or else".  The blazers went out and did absolutely zero to change the starting roster and didn't really do much to make a difference on the 2-deep.  Dame's contract is up in 2024 but we've seen that 2 years out period be a sweet spot for demanding a trade.  Vegas odds have the blazers slotted in the 8 spot, finishing 3rd in their division.  They aren't winning shit and are an injury away from playing into the playoffs.  If something doesn't break loose here before the trade deadline then this is absolutely the play for Morey.

Dame has come out and said multiple times over the last couple weeks that he doesnt want to leave POR.    And even if he did, why would he chose dysfunctional PHI over better orgs?

[shadow_operative 15932]

[ztejas 43526]

22 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

Is he talking about the NBA 75 list? He thinks he's one of the 75 best ever? 

C'mon Klay...

[SilasCoade 2622]

He's not a slam dunk for it but he's got a valid argument. The list has plenty of second bananas on it.

[Jhawk 1075]

1 hour ago, d2o said:

Dame has come out and said multiple times over the last couple weeks that he doesnt want to leave POR.    And even if he did, why would he chose dysfunctional PHI over better orgs?

He has been speaking out of both sides of his mouth really. Here is an article from July on him not saying he wants to leave but him saying he’s not committing to the team long term. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/.amp/news/damian-lillard-on-reports-about-trade-request-its-not-true

"I haven't made any firm decision on what my future will be," Lillard said. "There's really no need for anyone else to speak for me."

^here he is saying he hasn’t requested a trade. 
 

"We're not winning the championship, but we’ve got a successful organization. We're not a franchise that’s just out here losing every year and getting divided. We have positive seasons; we just don't end up with a championship," Lillard told Haynes. "So I feel like at this point, I basically made the decision that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you've always been."
^here he is implying (and maybe I’m reading more into it than I should) they aren’t going to win unless there are roster changes. 
Dame wants to win and wants to stay in Portland while doing so. But the reality is that he won’t be winning in Portland unless major changes happen and Chauncey being coach isn’t going to get that done. So he’s is likely going to have to make a choice and if they struggle this year to compete my guess is Morey wants to be ready to kick in any door Dame might crack open. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Ben Simmons should go to Minnesota so that i don't have to hear about him anymore. 

As the lone wolves rep here, we reject that offer.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Is he talking about the NBA 75 list? He thinks he's one of the 75 best ever? 
C'mon Klay...

Eh. Probably Top 5 shooter ever and 3 rings? I’d say he has a case

[ztejas 43526]

1 hour ago, Llogg said:

He's not a slam dunk for it but he's got a valid argument. The list has plenty of second bananas on it.

 

23 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Eh. Probably Top 5 shooter ever and 3 rings? I’d say he has a case

Whether he has a case or not being upset about not making it for someone with his career is silly. 

And personally I think he's probably close. He wouldn't make my top 75 though.

Edited October 22, 2021 by ztejas

[shadow_operative 15932]

his career is outstanding- but his career is also wildly different if he's asked to be the no.1 player on his team. that said, with a guy like Ray Allen being named to the list, i'd imagine that there's a recency bias working against Klay. perhaps if he had 4-5 more years under his belt he'd have made the list. 

[UTDD 362]

On 10/20/2021 at 11:14 PM, Jhawk said:

That’s the thing… the more Simmons acts like he is around the team the more the pre-draft questions about his work ethic seem to be true. I know GMs are trying to yank his value with their comments but I feel like the longer Simmons doesn’t participate the more his rumored reputation becomes reality. 
 

With that, I wonder what the owners are going to want in the next CBA to prevent this stuff from happening again. It isn’t a major problem but it has the potential to be and this is a hell of a bargaining chip for the owners, especially with the new media money coming in just a year later. The NBPA can’t like the position they are being put in right now between vaccines and trade demands. I’m actually kind of shocked they haven’t stepped in to try and help find solutions for Simmons and philly. I don’t know what they could do but they basically shut Simmons down on the money thing and then have been silent since. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the owners are going to really play hardball for the next CBA, with Simmons as one of the poster children for their strategy.  I can even understand owners being annoyed enough at the Harden/AD situations, but at least their contracts were up soon.  Simmons is a whole different animal.

[aggie08 21515]

59 minutes ago, ztejas said:

 

Whether he has a case or not being upset about not making it for someone with his career is silly. 

And personally I think he's probably close. He wouldn't make my top 75 though.

Whatever motivates Klay is fine by me, I guess. But acting like it's some huge insult to not make the top 75 of all-time list is a bit much. Others that didn't make the cut:

Dwight

Manu

Kyrie

McGrady

Pau Gasol

Tony Parker

Zo

 

I'd probably take Klay on my team over most of those guys, but it's hard to argue that he's "better" than maybe one or two of them. So he really wasn't even all that close to making the list. Klay is 31 years old and hasn't played basketball in almost 3 years.

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by aggie08

[Patrick Bateman 3918]

3 hours ago, Jhawk said:

I agree with this and also with @d2o.  Looking at the 2022 free agent class you've got Wall, Beal, Harden, Irving, LaVine, and Westbrook.  It seems that Beal really loves DC but if you could offload Simmons for expiring deals maybe you can get lucky and take him down in the summer?  

One thing I think Morey is holding out for is Dame to make some noise this summer.  Dame made it pretty clear that he wants to win and win in Portland but there was a hint of "make changes so we can win, or else".  The blazers went out and did absolutely zero to change the starting roster and didn't really do much to make a difference on the 2-deep.  Dame's contract is up in 2024 but we've seen that 2 years out period be a sweet spot for demanding a trade.  Vegas odds have the blazers slotted in the 8 spot, finishing 3rd in their division.  They aren't winning shit and are an injury away from playing into the playoffs.  If something doesn't break loose here before the trade deadline then this is absolutely the play for Morey.

Personally, I don't think it gets to next summer, but it is a possibility I assume.  Lillard's issue is he's the guardian of his own prison.  Can a team with Damian Lillard as it's best player win a championship especially with contract without going into the tax heavily?  Maybe, if it's optimally and perfectly put together but frankly, those teams which are perfectly put together for a guy who is probably on the 2nd level of superstars is amazing difficult, especially with Dame's contract eating up as much cap space as it does.  So, if he decides he wants out of Portland, he probably has to go to a team where he's the #2 guy if he's serious about winning.  Can Philly be that team?  That's an awfully big contract for Dame.  

 

2 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

Who cares.  A bunch of dudes have beefs. 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Patrick Bateman

[Patrick Bateman 3918]

Oh Boy....... Could he be Sterling'd?

He's already released a statement.

 

[HookEm 2467]

Klay needs to pipe down.  He is not close to a top-75 player at this point.  He is a lot closer to Kevin Love than he is to Tony Parker or Dwight.

Klay Thompson - 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA (3rd x 2), 0 top-10 MVP finishes, #20 career 3s, 1 Title as #2, 2 Titles as #3, HoF probability 51.3%

Kevin Love - 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA (2nd x 2), 1 top-10 MVP finish, 1 Title as #3, 1x REB leader, HoF probability 73.5%

Tony Parker - 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA (2nd x 3, 3rd), 4 top-10 MVP finishes, #19 career AST, #57 career PTS, 3 Titles as #2, 1 Title as #3, Finals MVP, HoF probability 93.9%

Dwight Howard - 8x All-Star, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 5 top-10 MVP finishes, 3x DPoY, 6x REB leader, Dunk Champ, #7 career FG%, #12 career REB, #15 career BLK, 1 Title as #4, HoF probability 99.7%

 

 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

earlier today i learned that Damian Lillard made the list, but Bernard King and Bob Lanier didn't. that's not right. 

[conVINCEd 21469]

Did they just pick 25 new guys to add to the original 50 or did they start from scratch?

[shadow_operative 15932]

Just now, conVINCEd said:

Did they just pick 25 new guys to add to the original 50 or did they start from scratch?

Michael Wilbon participated in the voting, and today he said that he had several "top of the NBA mountain type people" tell him to not remove any of the original 50. so it sounds like it wasn't an official policy, but it was probably tacitly (or explicitly) understood by most of the 88 people voting. 

[d2o 1602]

 

 

2 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Did they just pick 25 new guys to add to the original 50 or did they start from scratch?

Just added 25 to the original 50

[ztejas 43526]

15 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Klay needs to pipe down.  He is not close to a top-75 player at this point.  He is a lot closer to Kevin Love than he is to Tony Parker or Dwight.

Klay Thompson - 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA (3rd x 2), 0 top-10 MVP finishes, #20 career 3s, 1 Title as #2, 2 Titles as #3, HoF probability 51.3%

Kevin Love - 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA (2nd x 2), 1 top-10 MVP finish, 1 Title as #3, 1x REB leader, HoF probability 73.5%

Tony Parker - 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA (2nd x 3, 3rd), 4 top-10 MVP finishes, #19 career AST, #57 career PTS, 3 Titles as #2, 1 Title as #3, Finals MVP, HoF probability 93.9%

Dwight Howard - 8x All-Star, 5x All-NBA 1st Team, 5 top-10 MVP finishes, 3x DPoY, 6x REB leader, Dunk Champ, #7 career FG%, #12 career REB, #15 career BLK, 1 Title as #4, HoF probability 99.7%

 

 

 

And I'd take Manu over all of them - career wise.

Except if you told me I got 2-3 years - I might take peak Dwight. 

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

Whatever motivates Klay is fine by me, I guess. But acting like it's some huge insult to not make the top 75 of all-time list is a bit much. Others that didn't make the cut:

Dwight

Manu

Kyrie

McGrady

Pau Gasol

Tony Parker

Zo

 

I'd probably take Klay on my team over most of those guys, but it's hard to argue that he's "better" than maybe one or two of them. So he really wasn't even all that close to making the list. Klay is 31 years old and hasn't played basketball in almost 3 years.

 

Klay was never a top 5 player in the league.   Borderline top 10 a few yrs.   He wouldn't be particularly close to the top of my list of snubs.

[Kermit 3158]

The fact the Russell Westbrook of all people is on this goddamn list makes it irrelevant. 

[Aqua Buddha 14600]

46 minutes ago, d2o said:

Klay was never a top 5 player in the league.   Borderline top 10 a few yrs.   He wouldn't be particularly close to the top of my list of snubs.

At one point, Klay was the 3rd best player on his own team.

[Aqua Buddha 14600]

Back on Simmons, though.  The worst part about him and what he did was that he completely devalued himself before demanding a trade and then coming with the FUPM.  Compared to say, Paul George, who demanded a trade a year into a big deal but played hard and showed up.  There is zero animosity towards him with Okie City.  Simmons basically took $100M, then played so badly that he only gets backups in an offer, and then demands to be paid the money while practicing with a cell phone or some such.

[ztejas 43526]

9 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

At one point, Klay was the 3rd best player on his own team.

There were years where Draymond was better. Or it was at least a 2A, 2B type situation. 

[Aqua Buddha 14600]

Just now, ztejas said:

There were years where Draymond was better. Or it was at least a 2A, 2B type situation. 

That's fair, too.  You could make the case Klay was better but Draymond was more valuable.  

Either way, Klay shouldn't be on this list.  Draining wide open 3's is great but if he were the #1 option on a team, he's not shooting wide open 3's.

[ztejas 43526]

1 minute ago, Aqua Buddha said:

That's fair, too.  You could make the case Klay was better but Draymond was more valuable.  

Either way, Klay shouldn't be on this list.  Draining wide open 3's is great but if he were the #1 option on a team, he's not shooting wide open 3's.

It just seems like a weird post from a guy that I like off the court. Contrasted with Harden - a no shit inclusion - who you could tell was humbled or at least faked it really well when asked about it. 

Although Klay can definitely be intense at times. 

[HookEm 2467]

47 minutes ago, ztejas said:

 

At one point, Klay was the 3rd best player on his own team

At one point, he was the 4th best player on his own team.

1. Durant

2. Steph 

3. Draymond (2017 3rd team NBA, DPOY)

4. Klay 

 

 

[SilasCoade 2622]

I'm not going to argue for him being on the list but there is some straight up slander of Klay going on in this thread. He's Gilbert arenas without the ten cent head. The idea that all his buckets are wide open threes is silly. The man is a top ten all time pure shooter. Show some respect.

[conVINCEd 21469]

He’s been on the shelf for 2+ years.  Out of sight, out of mind.

[ztejas 43526]

17 minutes ago, Llogg said:

He's Gilbert arenas without the ten cent head.

Strange comparison. Klay's had the better career but Gil was much more talented. Klay only has one regular season as good as Arenas' 3 year prime. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18551]

I just can't put a guy on the 75 who's peak individual achievement is two third team all nba awards and has only played 8 seasons. Sorry Klay. If you have never even been considered one of the best four dudes at your position in any season, you can't be one of the best 75 ever. 

Guys like Dennis Johnson and Alex English got screwed. I was glad that they put Nique in there. He was the most egregious snub on the original list. 

As a spurs fan, I was bummed that neither Manu or Tony made it but I get it. 

 

[SilasCoade 2622]

51 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Strange comparison. Klay's had the better career but Gil was much more talented. Klay only has one regular season as good as Arenas' 3 year prime. 

Good players on bad teams out up better numbers than good players on good teams. Disagree on talent disparity.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Klay should be on the list because of this quarter alone

[conVINCEd 21469]

I agree Klay is on the fence.  The argument in his favor is that he is one of the best shooters ever who is also a plus defender (who knows if that will be the case coming off of 2 years of rehab, probably not).  He’s made an all-defense team.  He allows Steph to take the easiest perimeter defensive assignment so he can be the energizer bunny on offense.  I could go either way.

[ztejas 43526]

26 minutes ago, Llogg said:

Good players on bad teams out up better numbers than good players on good teams.

Extremely debatable and depends on what you're talkng about. I was comparing efficiency numbers and advanced stats anyway. Not volume stats. Gil in his prime was a 25-30 ppg scorer in a fairly low scoring era and did it very efficiently for what league average was back then. He made 2 3rd teams and a second team all NBA and the Wiz made the playoffs all 3 of those seasons. 

Klay was never that good from an individual talent standpoint. You're entitled to your opinion but I'm not budging on him vs. Gil. Klay was a great fit for some very good Ws teams but I don't think he was ever good enough to put up 30 a night as a #1 option and get his team to the playoffs on top of it.  

[Murfdogg21 4423]

7 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

his career is outstanding- but his career is also wildly different if he's asked to be the no.1 player on his team. that said, with a guy like Ray Allen being named to the list, i'd imagine that there's a recency bias working against Klay. perhaps if he had 4-5 more years under his belt he'd have made the list. 

If anything I think the recency bias is in his favor. There were plenty of #2/3 guys on championship caliber teams who made a few All-star games decades ago that the casual fan today doesn’t know and would slip the mind of voters in these kinds of polls. Klay had a couple badass seasons and he is an all-time shooter. In 30 years the kids won’t be talking about him. 

[Jhawk 1075]

On 10/22/2021 at 7:08 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

Back on Simmons, though.  The worst part about him and what he did was that he completely devalued himself before demanding a trade and then coming with the FUPM.  Compared to say, Paul George, who demanded a trade a year into a big deal but played hard and showed up.  There is zero animosity towards him with Okie City.  Simmons basically took $100M, then played so badly that he only gets backups in an offer, and then demands to be paid the money while practicing with a cell phone or some such.

There is definitely a right and wrong way to exit a franchise and honestly this whole situation could have been avoided even after doc and embiid ran their mouths in the summer. Simmons could have quietly gone to morey and told him that he needs to be traded and preferably before the season. Lay it out like morey looks like a hero because he gets to do a blockbuster trade and Simmons gets out. It appears that Simmons doesn’t even want to go to a winner so there could have been a ton of options. Instead both sides went from zero to eleven so fast that we are all injecting Simmons drama directly into our veins and the two parties that matter in the equation have a 99.99% chance of getting pennies on the dollar for Simmons until he proves he will play hard and play well. The sixers did him dirty after the loss. Simmons did everyone dirty before the loss with his play and then after the loss by not being the bigger man and trying to figure out a diplomatic way out of philly. 

[SilasCoade 2622]

Washington might be able to swing a reasonable Simmons trade: Bertans, Kuzma, A. Holiday for Simmons. Salaries match up. Fills need for Sixers. And Morey can pretend that Kuzma is the young star he was holding out for. I assume Sixers would have to throw in some draft picks or swaps or something. Washington gets to unload Bertans, who they have to regret paying that much for.