Exclusive Woj - Anthony Davis has Requested a Trade.

Well you play him and he gets injured you lose a lot of his trade value. You also don't give yourself much of a chance to get into the upper parts of the lottery in a pretty top heavy draft. Ticket sales will suck the rest of the year with or without AD, everyone in that town knows he's gone.

It sucks because Lonzo can't shoot and he's not that good at getting to the basket, Kuzma is basically just an ok streaky offensive player, same with Ingram and your two firsts will be like 20ish 1st round picks. Also your cap relief no stars are coming to NO without a star already there so the cap relief just means your getting a chance for more mediocre players. That is not a good package. Let's say Dame demanded a trade if that was the return the Blazers got NO ONE in Portland would be happy with that deal because it sucks...

 

Ohhhhhh boyyyyy (maybe reading too much in this):

 

Just cause you have a star, doesn’t mean you have to play him.

AD with a bunch of DNP-CD’s.

“We just want to ensure our top off-season trading asset does not become “damaged goods”. We call it Asset Protection.

League may not be happy but can’t do anything about it.

 

It's hilarious that dipshit Lavar Ball thinks his son is good enough that they can place any sort of demand as to which team his son is traded to (see ESPN.com). Lonzo is average.

 

For anyone who thinks blowing it up is a good plan. For a 4 year stretch the Lakers had picks #7, #2, #2, and #2 and didn't do shit with them. They got super lucky that LeBron chose to go there otherwise they'd still be years away from the playoffs let alone contention.

 

100% what they should do.

 

As with all plans you need a bit of "luck" or whatever you'd like to call it. No guarantee that any "plan" will lead to a championship. Gotta hope the right players find their way to your team somehow though. I totally see why teams would think the Draft is their only chance to get the right players. New Orleans got AD and turned that into 2 playoff appearances.

 

That package isn't terrible, it just isn't as good as the Pelicans can get somewhere else. Why should they take less just because the Lakers don't have any premium assets outside of LeBron? Think those draft picks are going to net much once you pair AD and LeBron? None of the players offered by the Lakers are looking like anything more than consistent role players. I don't see any of them as being on an All Star track. As for how not playing AD will go with:

A) The league - The league can't force the Pelicans to risk a major asset by playing him.
B) The fan base - The smart ones already know AD is gone and will be fully on board with tanking.
C) AD - Who gives a rip?
D) Ticket sales - The Pelicans are concerned about ticket sales next season and the seasons thereafter. Getting the best deal possible out of AD will further that objective.

 

Who cares what AD thinks? Who cares what the NBA thinks?

 

Man there is some gold on Woj's twitter comments:

 

No doubt that the "blowing things up" option works a lot better for teams who historically draw big time free agents. The Lakers being one of those few. The reason being is when you do blow things up you have two options.
1) Building through high drafts picks
2) Using the cap space to draw stars.

Most teams only have the first option when their team is bad. They don't get bailed out by getting a super star

 

you forgot the 3rd leg of the tripod, making trades.

 

LOL hes garbage! Inefficient, poor defender with no motor or spirit.

 

Thankfully you're not the GM of the Blazers.

 

Poor babies