Woj: Boston wants to keep Tatum. Is Kyrie/Davis/Tatum the big 3?

[Chief Macho]

if its true and the Lakers are willing to offer Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Zubac and future 1st

Pelicans would be dumb , not to take this package

Yes, because quantity rather than quality is the hallmark of a good NBA trade package.

I'm not sold on Kuzma becoming much better than he currently is


ball is still 50/50. Jury is out what he becomes. High ceiling still but not a sure thing yet

Ingram has had a disappointing year so far

Zubac is whatever. He's ok.  is ok good enough when dealing with a top 5 superstar?

And since NO already has randle, they become that really bad Laker team

now assess the celtics guys like that.  brown,  hot garbage this year.  rozier.  please.   tatum?  meh.  he's scared to take the lead role.   see how easy this is to do when you wanna make a point?

[CelticsElite]

if its true and the Lakers are willing to offer Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Zubac and future 1st

Pelicans would be dumb , not to take this package

Yes, because quantity rather than quality is the hallmark of a good NBA trade package.

I'm not sold on Kuzma becoming much better than he currently is


ball is still 50/50. Jury is out what he becomes. High ceiling still but not a sure thing yet

Ingram has had a disappointing year so far

Zubac is whatever. He's ok.  is ok good enough when dealing with a top 5 superstar?

And since NO already has randle, they become that really bad Laker team

now assess the celtics guys like that.  brown,  hot garbage this year.  rozier.  please.   tatum?  meh.  he's scared to take the lead role.   see how easy this is to do when you wanna make a point?

brown in the past month+  has been on fire

Tatum  stats are good not meh. His advanced stats are great and true shooting percentage this year and last phenomenal
Rosier could be better but when he starts he clearly shines



plus its not about   eaxh individual player. Unless NO is interested in becoming that dumpster fire lakers team from last year, they probably have zero interest in the Lakers package

[smokeablount]

if its true and the Lakers are willing to offer Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Zubac and future 1st

Pelicans would be dumb , not to take this package

Yes, because quantity rather than quality is the hallmark of a good NBA trade package.

I'm not sold on Kuzma becoming much better than he currently is


ball is still 50/50. Jury is out what he becomes. High ceiling still but not a sure thing yet

Ingram has had a disappointing year so far

Zubac is whatever. He's ok.  is ok good enough when dealing with a top 5 superstar?

And since NO already has randle, they become that really bad Laker team

now assess the celtics guys like that.  brown,  hot garbage this year.  rozier.  please.   tatum?  meh.  he's scared to take the lead role.   see how easy this is to do when you wanna make a point?

Tatum (Philly) and Brown (Bucks) each were the best player in a single playoff round for the winning team, one that reached the ECF and was one game from the finals.

All these Lakers kids are putting up empty stats and only Kuzma is actually good, but lacks upside. We have younger players who are both good and have legit upside. And our picks are better. It’s not even close.

[Silky]

Tatum and Smart are no go in a deal imo.

irving
Smart
Tatum
Horford
Davis

That is a hell of a lineup

[bopna]

Pelicans will walk away.

Problem is NOLA has limited options bec its a rental.

It will interesting summer that's for sure.. Who blinks first.

[Monkhouse]

im betting the lakers throw in a couple more picks and the deal gets done.     why wait when you can get a really good haul right now.  bird in the hand.  plus,  no way is danny guaranteeing tatum right now. 
that lakers package is way better than half the garbage teams get in trades.   unless someone swaps a better star right now,   the lakers offer is pretty decent.

Boston's picks are better than L.A.'s, and Boston's players are better too.

shocking,  you missed the point.   what's the celtics offer?   what players?  what picks? when?  you better start with tatum and at least two picks.   plus what?  and don't talk to me about rozier.  and ainge is guaranteeing this deal?   get out of here.

lakers offer is way better than everyone here is homering on about.  4 young players that are actually pretty good and at least one first rounder.    you really think ainge is beating that?    since when does he overpay?

4 players that are actually pretty good? Adding two draft picks should only prove my point. I take Brown or Tatum with the potential to be a star more than any of those players.

False.

If they were 'pretty,' good... Why isn't Pelicans jumping on that offer?

Kuzma is a great scorer, but horrible defender.

Ingram hasn't lived up to draft hype before LeBron came, and hasn't shown he can be the Robin to the Batman. 17.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3 APG in theory is pretty solid, but... He's a terrible 3P shooter, skinny, gets pushed around on defense, and hasn't proved anything in his 3 years.

Ball is a 41.7% FT shooter, and PG who cannot shoot, dribble drive past defenders, and other than defense/passing is left wide open most of the time.

Out of all the players, I think Zubac in the right system could be pretty good. But his defense is also sub-par, and the reason he isn't getting minutes is he cannot pass, defend, shoot or space the floor. He's also a lumbering big who has slow foot speed.

So tell me once again, who's pretty good? Or are you just going to homer the Lakers players?

[Wretch]

Am I the only one who thinks NO should be more interested in bottoming out for awhile to accumulate assets, a la the Process, and therefore be more interested in picks than the players LA would offer. Except for Ingram I don't see All Star potential in anyone LA is offering up and the picks will be late first round barring catastrophic circumstances.

[Monkhouse]

Am I the only one who thinks NO should be more interested in bottoming out for awhile to accumulate assets, a la the Process, and therefore be more interested in picks than the players LA would offer. Except for Ingram I don't see All Star potential in anyone LA is offering up and the picks will be late first round barring catastrophic circumstances.

Same here, I think Ingram/Zubac could be above average players, but why would the Pelicans wait and see with those prospects if they can get Brown or Tatum + two potential lottery picks?

[tstorey_97]

One aspect of the debate here is leverage.

The Pels have leverage with the Lakers as Davis will resign there. That's it folks, every other team is renting the guy and praying for rain.
 
The Celtics got Kyrie for what? An injured Thomas looking for a big contract, Crowder and Zizic? That is not a haul. Kyrie was not a guaranteed re sign was he? He still isn't.

Thus, Pels don't have and have not had a lot of leverage in this deal. Davis is a top 5 player, but, he is a freaking rental. Piling up young players and picks isn't going to happen beyond a salary swap.

Tatum or Brown, not both  with the two best first round picks and a truck load of filler.

.

[RodyTur10]

Why would the Pelicans take an offer without Tatum?

why not? Brown rozier and picks is still better than the garbage from LA


Woj makes it sound like its possible

No, it isn't.  And Rozier is almost impossible to include, even if NOP wanted him. 

And no, he doesn't make it sound possible at all.

No, but even mentioning that the Cs desire to keep Tatum seems to indicate that DA isn't exactly giving 'assurances' that he will definitely include him in a package. I mean, he might have already told NOP that he will, but then this would be a strange claim by Woj.

Hasn't Woj also reported that the Celtics would make anybody other than Irving available?

And I think, Boston has sent a message to the Pelicans, ‘Be patient. Wait for us, we are going to be in this and we’re going to be willing to talk about essentially everyone on our roster outside of Kyrie Irving.’

And then there was another report in the past 24 hours or so that the Celtics hadn't even spoken with New Orleans this week.

It's all contradictory, so at some point you shut out the talking heads and fall back on logic.  Would New Orleans trade a 25 year old MVP candidate for something less than our best prospect?  I don't see it.  We'll be lucky if we can only give up Tatum, rather than both Tatum and Jaylen.

I don't listen to the talking heads anymore.  So let's stick with the logic.  I don't see how we would have to give up Tatum + Jaylen.  Find me another team that can offer something more appealing than one of them plus picks.  We just need to have the best offer, not double it.

I agree with you that we might need to include Tatum.  I'm not sure that Jaylen + picks is the best offer.  Maybe it is, but I'm not sure.  And whether it is or is not, it becomes a game of chicken.  And if I'm Danny, I probably just concede and give up Tatum because Ant Davis is worth it.

I still don't see any scenario where a team can beat Tatum + 1 or 2 picks.  In the case where Pels push for more than that, I would hope Danny calls their bluff and stops there. 

Would Suns offering Ayton be a concern to our package?

Yes, Tatum + Sac pick + Memphis pick is better than any offer another franchise can reasonably make unless the Knicks or Suns get a top draft pick and are willing to take a big risk. Philly could make Simmons available, but I don't see that happening.

[Silky]

Am I the only one who thinks NO should be more interested in bottoming out for awhile to accumulate assets, a la the Process, and therefore be more interested in picks than the players LA would offer. Except for Ingram I don't see All Star potential in anyone LA is offering up and the picks will be late first round barring catastrophic circumstances.

no, they want both.

Give them youth and players that can contribute NOW and good picks that will benefit the future.

They need playoffs, and they need a future...both

[RMO]

If I remember the constant media circus (among other things) was one of the main reasons he wanted out of Cleveland (not media coverage - media circus).