I had this same discussion with a buddy last night. In a vacuum, Simmons' contract is brutal. But specifically for a post-Dame Blazers... We're not going to be competitive next year, so who cares? After that year, it becomes a huge expiring, so really only one year to "swallow" before it could become a positive asset. We're going to be well under all the cap ceilings in that timespan, so who cares? Per the rumors, including him in a deal allows us to get additional asset, so isn't that a good thing? Looking at all the big contracts out there -- most are either of untouchable or aging players. A few (KAT, Zion, Ayton, Simmons) are young, talented but mercurial. If one of those types is being included as a negative asset but still has high potential... isn't that good thing? If he somehow figured things out... he's still an extremely skilled big man who can defend 1-5, rebound, doesn't need shots and likes to facilitate. Doesn't that sound like the perfect role player at a position that we've struggled to find good fits forever? To me, concerns about Simmons' contract is worrying about a billionaire's money and no real other concerns. In the absolute worst case scenario, he's a locker room cancer (something I've never heard anything of the sort said about him previously) and we tell him to stay home until we can trade his contract. The guy at least looks like he is at least doing all the right things to get back to playing... I see almost no downside to including him.
I'm just saying that If we're trading a top 75 player in the history of the NBA AND taking on the worst contract in the league, we'd better be getting AT LEAST a Banchero level player.
As I said about his other post, he is acting like there are no other teams Dame would be ok with. Tell me, Aaron, is Dame going to say Fuck you to the city of NY by refusing to play for them?
Yeah I know that but it’s a 2 year contract and we are basically getting 2 1s to take him for 2 season on a team that won’t be contenders.
Not adding quality veterans to a team with Dame , can be said to have hurt our team for years to come as well.
Isn't it funny thought how the dude who was taking any and all interviews prior to the draft has gone completely radio silent?
Because I don't think he's technically reporting it as something that Dame told him. He's basically saying that Dame and his agent COULD force their way to Miami.
Who knows where this is really coming from, but "Fentress is talking out of his ass" too often seems, 'situation normal'.
Yeah, I am absolutely on board the Simmons for extra picks wagon. Play him as a center that can run the break and is another ball-handler when the Blazers get bogged down in the half-court. That's absolutely fine.
He needs to come out and say this himself or i won't believe it. Damian Lillard 'remains unwavering' he only wants to play for the Heat The Portland Trail Blazers’ desire to explore alternate destinations (beyond Miami) in trade talks involving Damian Lillard hasn’t softened Lillard’s position. The seven-time All Star guard remains unwavering that he wants to play only for the Heat, a source with direct knowledge reiterated to the Miami Herald on Sunday night. – via Miami Herald
Let's let it be messy. So if the Blazers attempt to trade Lillard to a team other than Miami, a potential standoff looms. Though Lillard does not have a no-trade clause, his mind-set — at this time — is to remain resolute and adamant that Miami is the only place he wants to play. If the Blazers attempt to send him to a different location, Lillard will need to decide how he wants to handle it and how messy he wants it to become. – via Miami Herald
Not trying to be rude, but some of you just don't get it. The national media thinks it's very possible he's played his last game. He was supposed to play this summer and he opted out to "rehab". The only player who needed to rehab after taking 6 months to rehab is Greg Oden (ok, Bill Walton and some others, but you get the point). If you have to take him to get a starter, you do it... but getting a non-starter is a non-starter, imho.
Because TECHNICALLY Dame's camp could try to do that, and throwing out that speculation will get people reacting to his tweet and sharing it and talking about and, if it turns out it only was just speculation, there aren't any consequences for Fentress. It'll be another day, another story. No one could sue him for the tweet, because he was just saying they could do that. And the news cycle moves too fast these days for many people to long remember what he did ... but he will have driven a lot of views to his site and his employer's. We can see from this thread that he did that. At the same time, we can't just ignore it because it might be true. Anyway, there are absolutely reasons he could be playing very loose with the truth, implying something that he thinks, not something that he was told.
Again... SO WHAT? He's a bad contract for one year in a year where we're not going to be good and we've never been able to use cap space. If BKN's trying to leverage him as value in a trade, then yeah, they can fuck off. But if they're truly paying us to take him, we're in the absolutely perfect situation to do just that. We're rebuilding, we need to leverage every opportunity to add assets to this team. He's a high-upside/zero downside acquisition.
If that is all true, then i would expect Brooklyn to want to give us some assets to move him while acquiring Herro. Again, we want to lose games and he would be an expiring next year. I don't really see the problem. If Brooklyn refuses to give up some assets to move off him, then just tell them to fuck off and include a different third team.
I am fine with dead-weight on the roster for 2 picks in the 2 years the Blazers are in youth movement as well. I imagine he is training because he believes he can play, if he can't, that's fine too. The compensation is the 2 picks. Paying a bloated salary for these in 2 years the Blazers will be under the tax is a no-issue. And if he works out as a small-ball center, even better.
Don't post these clickbait youtube videos. They're all over Youtube where they have some bullshit headline like "BREAKING DAME TRADED TO THE LAKERS" and they link some video from ESPN that has nothing at all about that. They're meant to get people to click on them so they can get revenue.
