2022/23 NBA REGULAR SEASON THREAD "TANKING FOR WEMBANYAMA"

just trade LeBron, Lakers got the last good thing they're gonna get from him last night, and Bron himself deserves the chance to contribute to something other than whatever the hell they got going in LA right now

lebron can’t be traded this season

they would never trade him without his consent anyway you gotta keep the free agent pipeline flowing

which is also why KD will never be traded to memphis, new orleans etc no matter how podcast minutes are spent discussing teams with the most assets

idk LeBron saying "I feel like I can still contribute to any team" and things of that nature makes it sound like he'd be okay with a trade, dunno how his contract is set up right now though. obviously its not gonna happen this stuff is just fun to think about

couple good games tonight celtics sixers classic matchup of eastern conf powerhouses, and kyries first game with dallas vs rival clips

idk LeBron saying "I feel like I can still contribute to any team" and things of that nature makes it sound like he'd be okay with a trade, dunno how his contract is set up right now though. obviously its not gonna happen this stuff is just fun to think about

― frogbs, Wednesday, February 8, 2023 4:45 PM (two minutes ago)

he signed an extension w/ the lakers before this season even tho he had literally no reason to. it just seems like raising his family in LA is more important to him than criss crossing the country chasing one more title

couple good games tonight celtics sixers classic matchup of eastern conf powerhouses, and kyries first game with dallas vs rival clips

― lag∞n, Wednesday, February 8, 2023 4:48 PM (two minutes ago)

i saw rob will and horford were both questionable for the game tonight which put a damper on that one for me but the mavs game should be fun

what they gotta play horf vs his son joel embiid cant be tearing families apart like that

nate duncan does this thing on his twitter feed every day noting how many match ups from the previous night were “high quality” (the two best players from each team all playing) and the numbers are fairly depressing

yeah its not a great sitch

he signed an extension w/ the lakers before this season even tho he had literally no reason to. it just seems like raising his family in LA is more important to him than criss crossing the country chasing one more title

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, February 8, 2023 3:50 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

if he winds up on his son's team this takes care of itself

I mean who knows what goes on in his mind, maybe he thought the Laker situation was salvageable during the offseason but doesn't anymore. idk I always thought the plan was to end up back in Cleveland somehow

the lakers paying two first round picks to fill out their rotation w/ decent role players bcuz they traded away their whole team of decent role players for westbrook... it's all so stupid. they should just eat this season but they were obv always gonna cave to lebron's pressure, even tho he has no leverage

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, February 8, 2023 4:17 PM (forty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

it’s an extremely cursed situation, but given that all of that stuff is in the past I can see why the lakers, or at least lebron, could think those picks are essentially meaningless. bron won’t be there at that point and they can just rely on free agents wanting to come there in the future. obviously you’d like to use those to acquire players a bit more…impactful…but inflation is crazy

the plot thickens!

ESPN Sources: Three-team trade is largely hinging on how Minnesota values D’Angelo Russell in potential deal and their return of draft assets. Lakers and Jazz have significant deal structure in place, but Minnesota has been engaged elsewhere on Russell too.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2023

duelling leaks. next we will hear tht the lakers are taking many calls on russ

is the deadline midnight tonight or midnight tomorrow night?

tomorrow 3pm eastern

let's hope for many trades. as ilh has often noted trades are good. even bad trades are good. hurray for trades!

trades trades trades

me when i see a blockbuster deal going down: "hell yeah very nice"

me when i see there's no trades: "hm not so good"

it’s an extremely cursed situation, but given that all of that stuff is in the past I can see why the lakers, or at least lebron, could think those picks are essentially meaningless.

well, we know lebron doesn't give a fuck about the picks. nor should he. the front office on the other hand....

good luck blake

Celtics starters tonight:

Blake Griffin
Grant Williams
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Derrick White

76ers starters:

Joel Embiid
P.J. Tucker
Tobias Harris
De'Anthony Melton
James Harden

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 9, 2023

gross

are the celtics drunk?

btw I’ve been in oakland the past couple of days and the 4pm start times are so disorienting

blake griffin with 3 straight 3s lol he’s reading jordan’s posts

blake unstoppable i always believed in you blake

ok I just saw the Drake Lebron video, what an odd fellow

they really shouldve lost that one

ESPN Sources: The Lakers are finalizing deal to land Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade including Mike Conley and picks to Timberwolves and Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected 2027 LA first-round pick to Jazz.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

Also in deal: Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to Jazz, Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Timberwolves, sources said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

very excited we picked up Nickeill Alexander Walker, a real NBA basketball player who exists and that I have been a big fan of

did you know hes shai gilgeous alexanders brother

oh he's great the blazers had him for one day and then traded him to new orleans, i'm a huge fan based on what i've seen (nothing) xp

I wish he was Walker Alexander so his nickname could be NWA

lakers got three rotation players for russ a first and second(s?) its not too bad

Lakers, Jazz and Timberwolves are finalizing trade sending D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles, Russell Westbrook and first-round pick to Utah and Mike Conley Jr. and second-round pick compensation to Minnesota, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 9, 2023

i bet russ is so mad rn

lol ya

Beasley and Vanderbilt are great pickups

3 and D, though not in one player unfortunately

even russell makes sense for they need someone to do stuff when bron sits

oh my god RWB goin to Utah lmao

xps - I just found out that Nickeill Alexander Walker was a Trail Blazer for exactly one day last February. I think I blinked at the wrong moment and missed it.

celtics are tough when they hit threes, missing three starters playing much of the first quarter drunk and theyre up by ten

trader

Danny Ainge took the salary filler from the Gobert trade and a vet he didn't need and got the pick the whole league wanted. Man's still got it.

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) February 9, 2023

he really is legendary

this is my own pop psych bullshit but I think D'lo will benefit from being someplace where there's a huge presence like Lebron and he doesn't have ambitions of being "the guy"...KAT is too weird and Ant is too young for him to really defer

his role makes a lil more sense too where in minny theyve got a better guard

heh ok

If Russell Westbrook and the Utah Jazz can agree to a buyout following the three-team trade, the Los Angeles Clippers are said to have interest in the former MVP, per @ChrisBHaynes. pic.twitter.com/HA2HREnBOY

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 9, 2023

not a trade, but has a good chaotic feel to it. and ballmer has too much money anyway.