It’s super rare when a trade happens and no team wins, but my fellow clutchfans, these two perennial losing franchises have figured out how to do it.
Let's get Lowry. Call me crazy, but I'd happily play three point guards. Then turn around and do this (+ 4 first round picks and cash to the Pels): Then sign DJ and Matthews off the buyout market. Then convince House to take a 2-year minimum deal, guaranteed. PG: Paul (28), Lowry (12), Rivers (8) SG: Harden (32), Lowry (14), Matthews (2) SF: Tucker (20), Green (10), Matthews (10), House (8) PF: Davis (32), Tucker (10), Faried (6) C: DJ (30), Faried (14), Hartenstein (4)
Lowry and Conley are basically the same player/asset, boarderline all stars declining, same age, same money per year but Lowry will expire in two years, Conley in three. Vala and Gasol are both expiring, with Gasol being the better player and Vala being younger. Overall this just doesn't make sense for who is a seller here, they won't make anything out of Lowry and Vala expiring...unless they think Vala is their future at the center spot.
Well sure, you trade players until you get it done, but its a matter of degree right? The roster around Harden has been overturned several times over now, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly, but there is always some continuity, at the very least in keeping Harden himself. If the Raptors execute this trade, they conceivably face a future where they win a title with all their top players being new, all the players they cheered for the last half decade being gone and not a part of the win, and then even the new guys possibly moving on come summer time. Seems like some of you guys disagree, and would trade everyone away and still relish a finals win even if the "winning rockets team" and the current team only had a logo in common. That's fine, it's just a personal preference. It's like the age-old philosophical thought experiment, if you have a boat, and replace a plank, and then another, and then another, until one day no original part is on the boat, is it the same boat or a new one?
Raptors would win the east if they make this trade. Nets are the biggest dark horse in the free agent market in July. they could have $90 million cap space after dumping expiring contracts.
As long as the jerseys say 'ROCKETS' on the front, I'm going to be a fan of whoever is wearing it. But also, like you said, it's a transition. Toronto just happens to have accelerated that transition, but they are still the Raptors. And also, I'm a firm believer in having multiple perspectives. Just because one feels this way about their sports team doesn't mean they feel this way about other aspects of their life. Loyalty and unity still have very important places in our society.....it's just that sports tests the more extreme psychological aspects of that loyalty and unity.
Are you serious? Heck no! I want Harden and Co. to win it all. I wouldn’t support a Hamptons 5 championship here. They can keep that in San Fran
You must be from Houston. See, I’m from Arkansas so I fell in love with the roster circa 2003/2004 (yao/francis era), then they traded for Tmac and that was exciting, I stuck through the mellow years and now I’m enjoying the greatness of Harden. I’ll always be a fan. The players have always been special to me, not the “Houston pride” or anything like that. (Don’t get me wrong, I feel like Houston is a second home and I tentatively support the astros and Texans because of my rockets fandom; I would even consider moving down there) I could support just about anybody on the Arkansas Razorbacks though; if they got Nick Saban I would be content I suppose. But for some reason if the Rockets got Steve Kerr, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green (yuck) I would absolutely hate it and I don’t think I could pull for that team
Also, the rosters automatically change dramatically year to year (you’ll only have a quarterback 4 years at most) so college sports is a different dynamic in general. Easier to get attached to certain players...and despise certain players...in the pros
Oufff glad this didnt go through. Skipped a bullet there. Toronto with Gasol and Conley would be the clear favourites to make the finals. Now though .Masai has managed to anger Lowry and give a bad impression to Kawhi.
