They only sent one pick to Memphis. It's descending protections, worded weirdly to make it look like three picks.

Thanks for clarifying. I didn't think that could be right- 3 picks to get off 18M.

Truly depends on how much they want to run Curry. If they're all about load management, and development then it's going to be a "rough" season.

And, of course, Klay...

It's exciting to me. Not to say I wouldn't love another championship, but it wasn't as exciting due to them being significantly better than all teams (when healthy).

And, I still think they're unloading DLo at some point to Minny. Get Bell back, get Roco, and like Teague or something.

Then, at the end of next year, they'll also have a 17mm trade exception from the Iggy deal.

It's going to be an interesting year.

That's how I read it at first too, and I was like WHAT OH GOD NO!

Holy ****

Balmer is a very smart man. Good for the league.

Poor Stephen A Smith. You know someone woke him up and he was looking tired before.

Im actually relieved Kawhi left Toronto. I spent way too much time watching NBA related media last season. Now I can go back to caring about things that matter... Such as riding my bike.

So, are the Lakers the Knicks of the west?

The signed LeBron and traded for Anthony Davis. So no.

Unreal that Ujiri was considering a package of Westbrook and George but couldn't get it done due to a lack of picks.

Amazing and weird 24 hours.

Obviously, we're in a new era of "players as GMs." Really can't fault the players for wanting to choose their destinations or play with their buddies. But the track record here is spotty, at best. I think in three or four years, Sam Presti will have burnished his reputation even more. Sean Marks (or KD/Kyrie): not so much ...

I wonder how much of that was Presti just using the Raps for leverage?

Just for fun, go look at the 2017 all star teams and then check how many are on different teams.

Probably. But it shows Ujiri was willing to gut the team to keep Leonard. And take on a declining hardcore weirdo like Westbrook to do it.

Thunder in full rebuild mode. Where will Westbrook land? It would make no sense for either side to keep going at this point.
Jake

Right back with the Thunder is my guess. That contract is....whoa...

I'm pretty sure that Westbrook gets moved by Dec 15, when all the guys that signed new contracts this summer are eligible for trade. If the right partner is available, then before the season. Westbrook isn't really in for a full rebuild, and Presti wants to a) get out of the tax and b) get on with the rebuild. This is a mutually desirable transaction - get Russ on a competitive team and let the Thunder move forward, something they couldn't do with Russ and that contract in the way.

That contract is... whoa... but I still think there are a few options available, and there will be teams willing to go for it since the league is so open and uncertain now. Riley probably wants to make one more big splash in Miami before he retires. Butler and Westbrook are a weird fit, but whatever. The Pistons are another decent option, pairing Blake and Russ probably moves them from 8 seed to 4 or 5 seed. I think it's also a mistake to believe that just because Russ is a below average shooter and tends to force things and can be spacy on defense, that he is a bad player. He is an overpriced player, but he's still one of the 4 or 5 guys in the league that can be an offense all by himself. Elite passer, one of the best rebounding guards ever. He's got on-court value.