I wonder what Miami is offering for Dame. If it's this level of stupidity Dame might be on the Blazer roster when the season starts.
I wouldn't take it personally that Siakam doesn't want to leave Toronto. He's one year away from qualifying for the 35% designated extension. If he gets traded, that all goes away. It's one of the main reasons why I think Dame suck around and didn't raise a stink until this summer. He got that 35% extension and now POOF he magically wants to vanish.
The main reason that the Charlotte hornets drafted Brandon Miller was LaMelo Ball. In the podcast with Bill Simmons that someone posted earlier, Simmons said if LaMelo Ball was the reason Miller was drafted, the front office should just pack up their things and leave. These are the front offices from which Cronin-bashers believe that somehow Cronin can get whatever they see in the trade machine, and it makes sense, duh! Cronin what's your problem!
It has nothing to do with taking something personally, it shows that just because a trade makes sense to a Blazer fan, it doesn't mean there was any chance of it happening.
Cronin doing damage control? I dunno what's worse in this insinuation. That we offered 3 for OG or that Masai rejected it.
Looks like this OG/Pascal stuff came from Lowe. Tending to believe it more. Does anyone have espn+? https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/in...lazers-breakup-actually-began-eight-years-ago
Yeah, it seems kinda fishy that all these failed trades are leaking right now. I just don't believe for a second that we offered #3 for OG.
Damned if you do (2nd year in a row making a terrible offer to masai and thankfully getting turned down) ... Damned if you don't (you lied to dame! you never made a trade offer for him!)
So Joe tried to get a trade done and still took Accountability on not getting it done for Dame and Dame still pissed and saying only Miami. Seems legit.
The important part is free: I heard lots of stuff about us trying to get both OG + Siakam in the same deal. I don't think even Masai would be dumb enough to decline #3/Simons for one of OG/Siakam. The Zion stuff was Sharpe+3+Simons. Understandable why we turned that down.
He does say this - "I have not heard convincing evidence that a sensible deal exchanging the No. 3 pick (and another player, likely Anfernee Simons) ever materialized for Portland."
I'm leaning more and more towards Dame planning his exit for a while now. He got his money last summer and there was no reason to stick around. He was shooting Joe in the foot every chance he got to hurt our leverage in trades, and his mouth pieces have been really doing their best to try to make Joe out as the bad guy to justify Dame asking out.
I have no problem with using 3. With scoot on the board, there is too much value there. My biggest issue since then was doing nothing with Ant/23/5 seconds/ free agency. I think Dame woulda been OK with Scoot on board if Cronin managed to do.... Something.... Anything.
I'm inclined to believe nothing material was available for that. Maybe KP? Certainly no two way wings.
Is Siakam really better than Julius Randle? https://stathead.com/basketball/ver...layer_id2=siakapa01&p2yrfrom=2023&p2yrto=2023 He's got a better reputation, but why? Both guys are 2x all-stars, 2x all-nba, similar stats. Siakam is half a year older.
I just don't agree.... Dame was pretty specific about wanting pieces to compete and I'm not sure what we could realistically get for Simons/23. We can't seem to get any nibbles on Simons as it is. What's the best case? Another RoCo or Nance caliber veteran? I don't think that's what Dame had in mind. I think he wanted a Robin to his Batman. It doesn't seem like Grant really fits that bill. I think Dame wanted Siakam or Bridges or Brown.
Bagley is owed 12.5M each of the next 2 seasons; Wiseman is owed 12.1M. So they'd be really expensive and awkward throw-ins considering the Blazers are only 2M below the tax. if Blazers are dumping Nurkic in a Dame trade, then I suppose, maybe, sure, take a flyer on Wiseman. I just don't think Portland will find much traction for adding Nurkic to a deal
Of course. Don't blame Dame at all. I think our only avenue to get something done was to overpay for a good but flawed player with #3. It would be easier to trade the #5/#6 pick for Siakam/George, but a lot harder to justify with #3. I've said over and over that they chose Scoot over Dame and it is what it is.
