BLOCKBUSTER TRADE Howard, Bynum, Iguodala (ESPN confirming its done)

[Lucky17]

It's sounding worse and worse now:

1h Adrian Wojnarowski Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

HOU offered ORL $12M in space (instead of Afflalo), recent 1st picks, future lottery and unprotected picks. Would've taken bad deals (cont.)

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

(cont.) and no need to take on Harrington contract.

Sounds like Houston was offering a greater collection (in sheer numbers) of picks and prospects, plus more financial relief.

Magic must really have wanted Afflalo?

[Chris]

Its deals like this that turn people off the NBA. Am curious to see whether stuff like this affects tv ratings and attendance.

I think it is deals like this that turn people ON to the NBA.  This makes for a higher quality of basketball for 3 of the 4 teams involved. 

[JSD]

Jerry Buss is sending a cool $250 million to the offshore account of the Magic owner. That's the only way this makes any sense.

[JSD]

Its deals like this that turn people off the NBA. Am curious to see whether stuff like this affects tv ratings and attendance.

I think it is deals like this that turn people ON to the NBA.  This makes for a higher quality of basketball for 3 of the 4 teams involved.

Turns on the casual fan but turns off the true retainable one.

[RebusRankin]

Its deals like this that turn people off the NBA. Am curious to see whether stuff like this affects tv ratings and attendance.

I think it is deals like this that turn people ON to the NBA.  This makes for a higher quality of basketball for 3 of the 4 teams involved.

Yes, but does it cause attendance to drop in the majority of markets where teams have no chance?

[Chris]

Its deals like this that turn people off the NBA. Am curious to see whether stuff like this affects tv ratings and attendance.

I think it is deals like this that turn people ON to the NBA.  This makes for a higher quality of basketball for 3 of the 4 teams involved.

Yes, but does it cause attendance to drop in the majority of markets where teams have no chance?

What teams (other than Orlando) have no chance now, that had a chance yesterday?

The Lakers aren't significantly better than the Heat.  All it means is you have two teams (on paper) at the top of the mountain, instead of 1. 

[Roy H.]

It's sounding worse and worse now:

1h Adrian Wojnarowski Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

HOU offered ORL $12M in space (instead of Afflalo), recent 1st picks, future lottery and unprotected picks. Would've taken bad deals (cont.)

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

(cont.) and no need to take on Harrington contract.

Sounds like Houston was offering a greater collection (in sheer numbers) of picks and prospects, plus more financial relief.

Magic must really have wanted Afflalo?

I'm convinced that Mitch Kupchack has blackmail material on every GM in the league.  Between the Gasol trade and now this, it seems like he convinced other teams to take clearly inferior deals.

Danny needs to start practicing some of that voodoo. 

[Fafnir]

It's sounding worse and worse now:

1h Adrian Wojnarowski Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

HOU offered ORL $12M in space (instead of Afflalo), recent 1st picks, future lottery and unprotected picks. Would've taken bad deals (cont.)

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

(cont.) and no need to take on Harrington contract.

Sounds like Houston was offering a greater collection (in sheer numbers) of picks and prospects, plus more financial relief.

Magic must really have wanted Afflalo?

I'm convinced that Mitch Kupchack has blackmail material on every GM in the league.  Between the Gasol trade and now this, it seems like he convinced other teams to take clearly inferior deals.

Danny needs to start practicing some of that voodoo.

I wonder how much of this is agent driven at this point.

[Roy H.]

It's sounding worse and worse now:

1h Adrian Wojnarowski Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

HOU offered ORL $12M in space (instead of Afflalo), recent 1st picks, future lottery and unprotected picks. Would've taken bad deals (cont.)

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

(cont.) and no need to take on Harrington contract.

Sounds like Houston was offering a greater collection (in sheer numbers) of picks and prospects, plus more financial relief.

Magic must really have wanted Afflalo?

I'm convinced that Mitch Kupchack has blackmail material on every GM in the league.  Between the Gasol trade and now this, it seems like he convinced other teams to take clearly inferior deals.

Danny needs to start practicing some of that voodoo.

I wonder how much of this is agent driven at this point.

Somebody has got to be pulling the strings somewhere.

The Magic had one starter-level player on their roster outside of Howard, in J.J. Redick.  Afflalo plays his position.  The trade just makes no sense for Orlando at all.

[LilRip]

here's what really sickens me:

1. Magic give up the best player in the deal, and end up with the worst players

2. Lakers give up a Center but receive an upgrade in the same position

3. Lakers get to keep Gasol??? Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.!

4. Magic still have Turko-freakin-glue on their books.

i am at an utter loss for words so i shall just shake my head o_O #smh

[celtsfan84]

Its deals like this that turn people off the NBA. Am curious to see whether stuff like this affects tv ratings and attendance.

I think it is deals like this that turn people ON to the NBA.  This makes for a higher quality of basketball for 3 of the 4 teams involved.

Yes, but does it cause attendance to drop in the majority of markets where teams have no chance?

Generally speaking, no.

The NBA is typically at its healthiest financially when a dynasty or two are dominating.  Think the Bird vs. Magic rivalry, the Jordan era, and the Shaq-Kobe era.

Jordan won six championships and the sport reached an unprecedented height.  There were plenty of teams back then that had no chance.

Any losses in attendance for teams like Orlando are offset by higher television ratings, higher merchandise sales, higher casual fan viewership, and a higher gate when teams like the HEAT and Lakers come to town.

The NBA reached its financial peak when 29 teams had no chance against the Jordan-Pippen-Rodman Bulls.

Dwight and Nash to the Lakers gains fans for the NBA.

[Lucky17]

It's also good financially for the league in another respect: massive luxury tax payments by the Lakers for the next several years, especially when the supertax kicks in.

Lakers will easily be able to handle those tax penalties, based on the lucrative TV contract they recently negotiated with Time-Warner.

[Lucky17]

According to Sam Amick, Josh McRoberts heading to Orlando in the deal. I know this will make everyone feel much better about the trade.

[celtsfan84]

It's also good financially for the league in another respect: massive luxury tax payments by the Lakers for the next several years, especially when the supertax kicks in.

Lakers will easily be able to handle those tax penalties, based on the lucrative TV contract they recently negotiated with Time-Warner.

And there is additional revenue sharing in the new CBA. 

[Lucky17]

It's also good financially for the league in another respect: massive luxury tax payments by the Lakers for the next several years, especially when the supertax kicks in.

Lakers will easily be able to handle those tax penalties, based on the lucrative TV contract they recently negotiated with Time-Warner.

And there is additional revenue sharing in the new CBA.

Yes, that's true.

I do wonder how mid-market teams will react to this. What's their incentive to field a competitive team, if they know they can't win? Instead, I think the gulf between rich and poor teams will only widen.