Dame Lillard to demand trade shortly per Henry Abbott of True Hoop

[Ogaju]

This is about to be a moment of reckoning in the player empowerment era if true. Dame is about to start a 4 year extension, 3 years guaranteed. If a player can request out with that much time remaining on his deal, do contracts even matter anymore?

For the record, I think players should be able to do what they want given they drive the revenue and a team can trade them at any moment no matter how dedicated they are to the organization & city. But I can't help but think owners are going to be up in arms if this comes to pass.

lol…pick a side,

I know reading is hard but I literally said I believe the players should do what they want since they're the product and franchises aren't held to the same standard of "loyalty", I think owners will push back though.

Yeah, that is my point..you have always believed players should do. What they want, so it is really inconsistent to see you raise an issue with Dame. Why shouldn’t he do what he wants. Why are you asking if contracts matter anymore when you have already argued that they don’t. Players can do what they want is totally inconsistent with the spirit and letter of their contracts. It is funny that you do not see the inconsistency in your position. What exactly did you expect to happen in your fantasy world where parties to a contract can breach the contract at will without repercussion.

I didn't raise an issue with Dame.  I think he should absolutely bail on Portland if he wants a championship. It's another KG where he'll waste his prime away and by the time he gets a team that can win, his knees will be toast. Cry me a river with "the spirit and letter of their contracts". GM's won't hesitate to boot a player even if he wants to be there. Danny traded IT after he played on a bad hip, his sister died and he played lead recruiter for Al Horford and Gordon Hayward, Washington traded John Wall a week after management publicly said they weren't. Demar Derozan wanted to spend his entire career in Toronto, but there was a shinier player on the market. But management is just doing whats best for the team, right? So why can't a player do what's in his best interest?

And contracts clearly don't matter anymore. The cap structure in place doesn't have the effects owners intended and I expect them to kick and scream over it, but the NBPA isn't going to cede power at this point. Frankly, the NBA should do away with the cap altogether. Let owners and GMs who talk a big game put their money where their mouth is.

I don’t have a problem with your view on player’s rights, where we part is on your views on the sanctity of contracts. Contracts convey rights to the signatories. I assume an NBA contract that does not include a no-trade clause allows the team the right to trade the player. So you cannot complain about teams trading players that have not negotiated a no-trade clause. That is part of the game. A player, on the other hand, signs to play for the team for a prescribed period as long as the team is willing to keep him. The player must play out this term or risk breaching the contract. If a player wants the right to leave at anytime because the team can trade him at will, the player should negotiate for that right in his contract. Right now what you have in the NBA are illusory contracts. Basically, certain players saying ‘I promise to play for you until I don’t want to play for you’. That is not a contract.

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

[liam]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

[CelticsWhat35]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

How did you “greatly overrate” them?  They hovered around the 4-5 spot all year even with all the injuries until Jaylen was shut down.

[tazzmaniac]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

And who did you have 4th?  The Heat, another overrated team?   The Celts should clearly be the 4th best team in the East during the regular season.  Possibly 3rd depending on what the Sixers do with Simmons?

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

How did you “greatly overrate” them?  They hovered around the 4-5 spot all year even with all the injuries until Jaylen was shut down.

They ended up being worse than the 4 teams I put ahead of them (Nets, Bucks, Philly, and Miami) together with New York and Atlanta. Toronto probably beats them out if they had played in Toronto. That puts them in the 7-8 rank in the East.

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

And who did you have 4th?  The Heat, another overrated team?   The Celts should clearly be the 4th best team in the East during the regular season.  Possibly 3rd depending on what the Sixers do with Simmons?

No need to get subjective here just look at the record of the teams. Did the Cs not end up in a play-in for the playoffs?

[celticsclay]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

I am impressed you were able to predict the Celtics would be the team most heavily impacted by COVID!

[liam]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

If they are fully healthy I see them 3-4th in the EAST. Tatum and Brown will only get better and so will some of our young guys. Having a new coach will help. Health will be the main thing just like it is every year.

[tenn_smoothie]

I hope the Celtics stay away! We haven't had great luck with highly paid point guards in the past 5 years.

Agreed.

Please - no more ball-dominant, high scoring point guards !!!

[rondofan1255]

I hope the Celtics stay away! We haven't had great luck with highly paid point guards in the past 5 years.

Agreed.

Please - no more ball-dominant, high scoring point guards !!!

This, in addition to bad defense.

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

I am impressed you were able to predict the Celtics would be the team most heavily impacted by COVID!

lol….stay in denial.

[gouki88]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

I am impressed you were able to predict the Celtics would be the team most heavily impacted by COVID!

lol….stay in denial.

Are you saying they weren't? Did you somehow factor that into your prediction? Or are you saying it had no impact?

[Ogaju]

Denver could make a trade for Lillard in a win now move. They could send out Gordon and Porter Jr. and filler for Lillard. That's a championship team for Denver and a good star at a rebuild for Portland.

All these moves and the Celtics are stuck with what?

I like the team we have and the coaching change. I think we will be much better than last year. Health and picking up a couple of Vets should be enough to compete next year.

last season I said the Cs had the 5th ranked team in the East going into the season, most hear demurred. Turns out I greatly overrated them. Where do you rank them now?

I am impressed you were able to predict the Celtics would be the team most heavily impacted by COVID!

lol….stay in denial.

Are you saying they weren't? Did you somehow factor that into your prediction? Or are you saying it had no impact?

What prediction?  I looked at the rosters and early play and it was clear to me that there were 4 better teams. All you experts said no. The team ended up with 7th ranked.