2024-25 NBA Thread: Stephen A leading ESPN’s draft coverage by yelling about players he’s never heard of until now (143 Viewers)

[SayWhat?]

My random thoughts:

- Really thought Jakucionis was a no brainer as someone that could step in and handle the point next to Ant for the long-term, but I also get that Beringer is a great upside gamble for the Wolves. This will be interesting to watch play out.

- Love that the Jazz took Bailey. Perfect destination for him after trying to manipulate which franchise he went to. :finger:

- The Spurs talent level is scary. Will be interesting how they integrate Harper with Fox/Castle or whether Fox gets moved again.

- Would hate to be a Pels fan. Giving up an unprotected 1st next year for Queen is franchise malpractice. Gross.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Definitely echo how well the Hawks did (or how poorly the Pelicans did by trading an unprotected first round pick of next year).

I haven’t done the research myself to double check the accuracy—but I just saw a post on social media that broke down the salary that should be coming off of the books for the Wizards after this season—and it’s SHOCKING. As horrid as they were this past season, and as horrid as they should be this upcoming season—they should be in position to be in play for some massive moves at the end of next season (between how much will be coming off of their books and their draft capital). I don’t know how motivated great players will be to want to play there—but if money is the primary motivator—the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Definitely echo how well the Hawks did (or how poorly the Pelicans did by trading an unprotected first round pick of next year).

I haven’t done the research myself to double check the accuracy—but I just saw a post on social media that broke down the salary that should be coming off of the books for the Wizards after this season—and it’s SHOCKING. As horrid as they were this past season, and as horrid as they should be this upcoming season—they should be in position to be in play for some massive moves at the end of next season (between how much will be coming off of their books and their draft capital). I don’t know how motivated great players will be to want to play there—but if money is the primary motivator—the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

They supposedly have $100M in cap space next offseason but who can they get to go there? I guess they can trade for stars but they will require them giving up future 1's and whatever good players they develop.

 

[Desert_Power]

I'll have to look at it in total combined with Nurkic deal but I think the Suns have given a total 3 1st rounders to Hornets for what amounts to contract year Mark Williams whose career high in games played is 44

I think he's mostly looked good outside of some questionable defensive efforts. Him and Lamelo just were so rarely on the court together, but there were flashes.

Charlotte's newish brain trust must really think he is a bum though.

 

[Capella]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

 

[Schmeabs]

As a Blazers fan who knows they can never recruit top talent via free agency and must rely on the draft I am very worried about this Chinese guy. Hope it works but it seems horrible along with trading for Jrue Holiday this past week.

 

[thecatch]

As a Blazers fan who knows they can never recruit top talent via free agency and must rely on the draft I am very worried about this Chinese guy. Hope it works but it seems horrible along with trading for Jrue Holiday this past week.

They have a pretty good front office, including Mike Schmitz who I think was the best NBA draft analyst for a long time before he went there. I don't like the Jrue deal but I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[mr. furley]

hey guys, i stopped watching after the lottery picks were done

who did the Bucks take last night?

 

[Juxtatarot]

As a Blazers fan who knows they can never recruit top talent via free agency and must rely on the draft I am very worried about this Chinese guy. Hope it works but it seems horrible along with trading for Jrue Holiday this past week.

Imagine how awesome it would be to have the Chinese version of Jokic. If not probable but it’s at least possible.

(I like the Jrue trade for them too.)

 

[Schmeabs]

As a Blazers fan who knows they can never recruit top talent via free agency and must rely on the draft I am very worried about this Chinese guy. Hope it works but it seems horrible along with trading for Jrue Holiday this past week.

Imagine how awesome it would be to have the Chinese version of Jokic. If not probable but it’s at least possible.

(I like the Jrue trade for them too.)

Yes that would be awesome. I won't hold my breathe though lol

 

[the moops]

Definitely echo how well the Hawks did (or how poorly the Pelicans did by trading an unprotected first round pick of next year).

I haven’t done the research myself to double check the accuracy—but I just saw a post on social media that broke down the salary that should be coming off of the books for the Wizards after this season—and it’s SHOCKING. As horrid as they were this past season, and as horrid as they should be this upcoming season—they should be in position to be in play for some massive moves at the end of next season (between how much will be coming off of their books and their draft capital). I don’t know how motivated great players will be to want to play there—but if money is the primary motivator—the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

They supposedly have $100M in cap space next offseason but who can they get to go there? I guess they can trade for stars but they will require them giving up future 1's and whatever good players they develop.

Also there is going to be a lot of cap space available around the league next year, not just in DC

 

[Brunell4MVP]

Definitely echo how well the Hawks did (or how poorly the Pelicans did by trading an unprotected first round pick of next year).

I haven’t done the research myself to double check the accuracy—but I just saw a post on social media that broke down the salary that should be coming off of the books for the Wizards after this season—and it’s SHOCKING. As horrid as they were this past season, and as horrid as they should be this upcoming season—they should be in position to be in play for some massive moves at the end of next season (between how much will be coming off of their books and their draft capital). I don’t know how motivated great players will be to want to play there—but if money is the primary motivator—the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

They supposedly have $100M in cap space next offseason but who can they get to go there? I guess they can trade for stars but they will require them giving up future 1's and whatever good players they develop.

Also there is going to be a lot of cap space available around the league next year, not just in DC

Having cap space is nice. But they still gotta convince 2 or more all star FAs to come to DC. History says that's a tough sell. We are a B-Ball town with awesome HS/AAU hoops. But at the pro level it's been a rough go. The kids on the current roster need to be good enough that top players find them intriguing to play with. That's an unknown as of now.

 

[Mister CIA]

hey guys, i stopped watching after the lottery picks were done

who did the Bucks take last night?

I think the Bucks spent most of last night watching teams load up for a run for Giannis in 2026.

Likely heading for the lottery (without a pick!) as Indy, Boston, NYC, Orlando, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Pistons all look better to me. Need to be thinking about strategies for ripping the band-aid off (as in, how to maximize return).

 

[Yo Mama]

My top 5 guys I’d love for the Lakers to move up for in the 2nd:

Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Bogoljub Markovic
Sion James

Look out - Lakers just sent some cash to the Bulls to move up from 55 to 45. Here comes Bogojlub!

 

[Juxtatarot]

My top 5 guys I’d love for the Lakers to move up for in the 2nd:

Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Bogoljub Markovic
Sion James

Look out - Lakers just sent some cash to the Bulls to move up from 55 to 45. Here comes Bogojlub!

Internet Bulls fans are furious!

 

[Capella]

My top 5 guys I’d love for the Lakers to move up for in the 2nd:

Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Bogoljub Markovic
Sion James

Look out - Lakers just sent some cash to the Bulls to move up from 55 to 45. Here comes Bogojlub!

According to the twitters this hard caps them at the second apron now. There’s a nonzero chance the Lakers had no idea of that right?

 

[Yo Mama]

My top 5 guys I’d love for the Lakers to move up for in the 2nd:

Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Bogoljub Markovic
Sion James

Look out - Lakers just sent some cash to the Bulls to move up from 55 to 45. Here comes Bogojlub!

According to the twitters this hard caps them at the second apron now. There’s a nonzero chance the Lakers had no idea of that right?

They were never going to go into the 2nd apron this year. They were hard capped at that level last year too.

ETA - but to answer your question there is definitely a non-zero chance they weren’t aware of this.

 

[Mister CIA]

Summer League begins July 10th.

Very pleased with the way the draft shook out. Was never a lot of doubt about the Dylan Harper selection. We're maintaining the slow build and I like it. I have zero concerns about the logjam at guard. Can't have too many ball handlers and play initiators. If there are fit problems, the fix is simple.

Carter Bryants was 3rd or 4th on my desired picks at the 14. I preferred Sorber and Coward first, but this has a lot of upside.

Still need a big. John Collins and Luke Kornet top my list. Gafford is interesting and suddenly it's a lot easier to match Vassell's salary in a trade. I seriously doubt it happens, but the deal addresses both team's needs.

Defense is coming!

 

[CletiusMaximus]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

Bullets v SuperSonics late 70s finals was an all-timer for me. Unseld, Dandridge and Hayes beat DJ and Sikma in 7 games. I used to mock Sikmas turnaround and Unselds two handed outlet pass in the driveway for hours.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

hey guys, i stopped watching after the lottery picks were done

who did the Bucks take last night?

They drafted @SWC, the Bucks were highly impressed how often he takes it to the bank.

 

[identikit]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

Bullets v SuperSonics late 70s finals was an all-timer for me. Unseld, Dandridge and Hayes beat DJ and Sikma in 7 games. I used to mock Sikmas turnaround and Unselds two handed outlet pass in the driveway for hours.

That was a heartbreaker for me, growing up in Seattle

The next year, we exacted our revenge

 

[Major]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

Bullets v SuperSonics late 70s finals was an all-timer for me. Unseld, Dandridge and Hayes beat DJ and Sikma in 7 games. I used to mock Sikmas turnaround and Unselds two handed outlet pass in the driveway for hours.

That was a heartbreaker for me, growing up in Seattle

The next year, we exacted our revenge

Slightly off topic but my cousin runs a gym in Bellvue that bought the old Sonics hardwood floor and have it in their basketball gym. It's pretty awesome place to workout and shoot hoops at if you're in town: https://www.proclub.com/club/fitness-and-sports/basketball

 

[the moops]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

Bullets v SuperSonics late 70s finals was an all-timer for me. Unseld, Dandridge and Hayes beat DJ and Sikma in 7 games. I used to mock Sikmas turnaround and Unselds two handed outlet pass in the driveway for hours.

That was a heartbreaker for me, growing up in Seattle

The next year, we exacted our revenge

Slightly off topic but my cousin runs a gym in Bellvue that bought the old Sonics hardwood floor and have it in their basketball gym. It's pretty awesome place to workout and shoot hoops at if you're in town: https://www.proclub.com/club/fitness-and-sports/basketball

That's awesome

 

[identikit]

the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

Not poking fun but quick rebuild cracked me up. They've been terrible my entire life.

Bullets v SuperSonics late 70s finals was an all-timer for me. Unseld, Dandridge and Hayes beat DJ and Sikma in 7 games. I used to mock Sikmas turnaround and Unselds two handed outlet pass in the driveway for hours.

That was a heartbreaker for me, growing up in Seattle

The next year, we exacted our revenge

Slightly off topic but my cousin runs a gym in Bellvue that bought the old Sonics hardwood floor and have it in their basketball gym. It's pretty awesome place to workout and shoot hoops at if you're in town: https://www.proclub.com/club/fitness-and-sports/basketball

OMG

Love it

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Kings linked to Westbrook

What a great fit!!!!
"The Sacramento Kings are considering signing Russell Westbrook in hopes of filling their point guard void, per
@sam_amick"

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Definitely echo how well the Hawks did (or how poorly the Pelicans did by trading an unprotected first round pick of next year).

I haven’t done the research myself to double check the accuracy—but I just saw a post on social media that broke down the salary that should be coming off of the books for the Wizards after this season—and it’s SHOCKING. As horrid as they were this past season, and as horrid as they should be this upcoming season—they should be in position to be in play for some massive moves at the end of next season (between how much will be coming off of their books and their draft capital). I don’t know how motivated great players will be to want to play there—but if money is the primary motivator—the Wizards seem to be doing a wonderful job lining themselves up for a quick rebuild into relevancy.

They supposedly have $100M in cap space next offseason but who can they get to go there? I guess they can trade for stars but they will require them giving up future 1's and whatever good players they develop.

Also there is going to be a lot of cap space available around the league next year, not just in DC

Having cap space is nice. But they still gotta convince 2 or more all star FAs to come to DC. History says that's a tough sell. We are a B-Ball town with awesome HS/AAU hoops. But at the pro level it's been a rough go. The kids on the current roster need to be good enough that top players find them intriguing to play with. That's an unknown as of now.

I don’t disagree with any of the sentiment being said in here. With that said—the Wizards have basically been irrelevant (basically crap) in recent memory without having the luxury of having what I think is potentially the most cap space in history (at least in the modern NBA). Certainly what they can attract with that space and the draft capital that they have is unknown at this point—but I personally find it to be a bold move by management to go that “all in” on setting themselves up for some major turnover. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if they used that massive cap space to make every wrong move possible.

 

[thecatch]

Kings linked to Westbrook

What a great fit!!!!
"The Sacramento Kings are considering signing Russell Westbrook in hopes of filling their point guard void, per
@sam_amick"

I’m vomiting just thinking about watching a Westbrook, Lavine, Derozan backcourt.

 

[scoobus]

Kings linked to Westbrook

What a great fit!!!!
"The Sacramento Kings are considering signing Russell Westbrook in hopes of filling their point guard void, per
@sam_amick"

I’m vomiting just thinking about watching a Westbrook, Lavine, Derozan backcourt.

At least you've got Sabonis back there to clean up all the defensive miscues.

 

[Harry Frogfish]

Oh man, someone getting quite a steal with Kasparas.

Yeah a nice value at this point.

Ztill can't believe Suns are giving 2 1sts for Mark Williams who is injury prone and due a new deal. There's going to be bigs available at their 1st later this draft

Mat Ishbia appears to be not so good at this basketball thing.

My UWMC link.

 

[Yo Mama]

Sounds like the Suns are moving up to #31 to take another big (won’t spoil pick but it’s out there who it is), giving up #36 and two future 2nds.

 

[Yo Mama]

Suns really don’t like holding onto any future draft picks.

 

[the moops]

Sounds like the Suns are moving up to #31 to take another big (won’t spoil pick but it’s out there who it is), giving up #36 and two future 2nds.

Not really a big. Fleming is more of a 3 and D long wing

 

[Capella]

Suns really don’t like holding onto any future draft picks.

The draft nerds say this kid is good though. They need any kind of depth.

 

[Capella]

Suns really don’t like holding onto any future draft picks.

The draft nerds say this kid is good though. They need any kind of depth.

Just realized being on suns reddit has made me acutely aware of their team depth and needs.

 

[Mister CIA]

Fleming to Spurs would have been nice. Can use a guy standing in the corner. Also, like the defensive upside with his crazy 7'5" wingspan.

 

[Mister CIA]

Suns really don’t like holding onto any future draft picks.

The draft nerds say this kid is good though. They need any kind of depth.

Just realized being on subs reddit has made me acutely aware of their team depth and needs.

I can mumble in salary cap.

 

[Yo Mama]

Sweet - no Stephen A or Perkins on espn tonight.

 

[SayWhat?]

Ugh, Wolves. Just take BPA there.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Kings linked to Westbrook

What a great fit!!!!
"The Sacramento Kings are considering signing Russell Westbrook in hopes of filling their point guard void, per
@sam_amick"

I’m vomiting just thinking about watching a Westbrook, Lavine, Derozan backcourt.

I don’t remember which year, but the Bulls tried to sign Westbrook one of those years he was bought out.

 

[Bears_Man2]

Sounds like the Suns are moving up to #31 to take another big (won’t spoil pick but it’s out there who it is), giving up #36 and two future 2nds.

Ive not looked at any Internet reports nor watching live (if it's already been made) but I'd think it has to be the Fleming kid based on their insane defensive needs.

But it'd be hilarious if it were that big defensive center out of Creighton I believe whose name I won't even try to spell.

Just so we can add his name to the SG-Center Suns roster chart

 

[GOB]

Magic snagged 2 of my top 3 guys on my board.

Just unreal

 

[Yo Mama]

Magic snagged 2 of my top 3 guys on my board.

Just unreal

#Our Magic don’t seem to care much about future 2nd rounders either. Seemed like a lot to give up to move from 46 to 32, but I like the pick.

 

[Yo Mama]

Any other Duke players the Hornets can take with their next pick?

 

[msudaisy26]

Any other Duke players the Hornets can take with their next pick?

Coach K?

 

[Mister CIA]

Adou Thiero, Bronny replacement?

 

[Yo Mama]

My top 5 guys I’d love for the Lakers to move up for in the 2nd:

Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Bogoljub Markovic
Sion James

Look out - Lakers just sent some cash to the Bulls to move up from 55 to 45. Here comes Bogojlub!

Nice! Lakers move up again to get Thiero and only had to give up more cash.

 

[Bears_Man2]

Thiero is raw but is an absolute tank going to the hoop.

Everytime I watch him I wonder how he's not a football player

 

[Kev4029]

Kings linked to Westbrook

What a great fit!!!!
"The Sacramento Kings are considering signing Russell Westbrook in hopes of filling their point guard void, per
@sam_amick"

I’m vomiting just thinking about watching a Westbrook, Lavine, Derozan backcourt.

If they trade DeRozan, Westbrook isn't such a terrible fit other than the fact that they'll probably play him 25+ mpg.

 

[Mister CIA]

Sweet!

https://x.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1938399788900258249

ESPN has announced the Summer League openers on July 10 ... 8pm ET: Mavericks vs. Lakers10pm ET: Spurs vs. 76ersFlagg vs. Bronny, Harper vs. Edgecombe on what will be a sold-out opening night in Las Vegas.

 

[Bears_Man2]

Suns take Koby Brea. Really like the player. I don't think there's a world where he's not a very good NBA shooter from deep

PG:
SG: Booker Green Beal Grayson Allen Brea Brooks & Dunn
SF:
PG:
C: Mark Williams Maluach Nick Richards Oso

But in all seriousness if the Suns can spin one of Beal/Allen/Oneale or maybe even Dunn (I'd keep him personally ) into a PG, they will look a lot better. Even a band aid like Chris Paul will make the team look better. I thought Suns did well to go after defensive players they desperately needed. The effort they gave on D last season was some of the saddest I've ever seen.

Still not convinced they hang onto Jalen Green until I see it.