[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Monte Morris + Will Barton to Wizards
Kentavius Caldwell-Pope + Ish Smith to Nuggets.

Wizards win this won imo.

[HitsterParticipant]

Morris and Barton are better as a duo than KCP and Ish but I feel KCP might be a better fit in a fully fit Denver team. Washington get some nice depth in their team and it gives their younger players a bit more time to develop whilst beal and Porz get some proven team mates.

[armchairgmParticipant]

You mean Shams trade he had it 3 minutes earlier than Woj just like he was out scooping him on draft night to leak picks out quicker.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Wow, Dejounte Murray is going to the ATL for Danilo Gallinari, and picks and a swap of pick. 2023 via CHA, 2025, 2027.

[armchairgmParticipant]

Yeah Spurs had been shopping Murray hard for last week. This trade had been rumored for about that time so not too surprising.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Spurs got murdered in this trade.

[armchairgmParticipant]

Trying to tank and rebuild. Clears salary and gets them a lot of 1st rounders

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

I get the strategy, but those 1st rounders are mediocre. Murray is still young and barely reaching his prime right now. He’s perfect to build around. They could have gotten more than Danilo and first rounders.

[HitsterParticipant]

I would have personally thought the Spurs would have wanted Murray as their main rebuilding point given he is only 25 and his contract isn’t huge. I guess they may have been unsure about possible max deals in a year or two and decided to cash in when his value was high.

I’d never question the logic behind any deal Burford and Pops make given their huge success and oh yes there is an elite big man being touted as the top pick for next year. The last couple of top picks the Spurs got turned out to be pretty good too

If the Spurs are going to be in full rebuild mode I do wonder if Pops will stay on as head coach given he is 73 now and a rebuild is usually about 4 years so would he intend to still be HC when any rebuild is over. Pops is also Team President and Pat Riley at the Heat holds a similar position at 77 years old so Pops carrying on in that role and overseeing the rebuild would be a no brainer. But if it is a long term rebuild might it be better to appoint a younger HC from his coaching tree and Pops would still be at the team to oversee and mentor.

Murray and Trae form a great backcourt and make the Hawks stronger in a currently loaded Eastern Conference. Ten teams out East had winning records last season and the likes of the Nets and Cavs who were in play in mix with the Hawks are likely to be stronger next season if everyone is fit so Hawks want to keep up with them and try to get up with Bulls, Raps in the automatic play off mix.

The Hawks have given up picks but their roster is young and under contract for a few years and any trades out of these players would replenish the assets they have traded away. It will be interesting to see how Murray works off ball as I’d guess Trae remains main ball handler but it gives the Hawks another All Star Pg to run point when Trae goes to the bench.

Gallinari I’d assume would be a useful veteran in the Spurs roster unless both sides push for a buy out immediately. But I’d figure he won’t see out full season there as come deadline day or when play off rosters need to be confirmed a trade or buyout is done as Gallinari would be an ideal bench option for a contending team.

[armchairgmParticipant]

Murray had made it known to the Spurs he wouldn’t sign an extension with them and didn’t want to be there long term.

[Anton1234Participant]

As a Nuggets fan, I’m not sure about the trade. It fully relies on both MPJ and Murray being healthy + on Bones Hyland developing a little more. I do agree with the front office that Caldwell-Pope fits in better with Murray, MPJ and Jokic. Barton is more of a creator with inconsistent defense while Caldwell-Pope is the defender and off-the-ball guy they need. They now basically have Murray, MPJ, and Jokic to create while Gordon and Caldwell-Pope just make easy shots and defend as hard as they can.
However, if Murray and/or MPJ are out longterm, the team is now even thinner on scorers than before. Monte Morris and Barton were like the second and third most reliable scorers on the team this season.
So, I’ll just really hope the team is healthy and Hyland becomes more consistent. Still need a bit more off the bench, but maybe their draft picks will work out (though I had hoped they’d get more than Watson and Braun).

[HitsterParticipant]

I do like KCP at Denver and he brings title winning experience, Smith is also a high calibre guy and brings veteran presence to the team and will be a great mentor for Braun. But my slight worry is does this make the double MVP and arguably the best current NBA player any stronger.

We assume Jokic will sign supermax this summer so that protects the Nuggets as they would get a huge return for him if he became restless.

[Author]

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