Kyrie speculation

bankshot1

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Assuming he won't go back to LBJ in LA (not the best look for a guy who wants to lead his own team), what team is best situated to advance the KI brand presumably by winning over the next 3-5 years?
 

lexrageorge

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Can you elaborate on this? I'd think any team's fans would be right in being worried that their best player's future with said team could be in doubt.
It's the posters that are insisting of trading Kyrie now for pennies on the dollar because he didn't commit his entire career to the Celtics that give Boston fans a bad look.
 

RedOctober3829

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It's the posters that are insisting of trading Kyrie now for pennies on the dollar because he didn't commit his entire career to the Celtics that give Boston fans a bad look.
A faction of any teams' fans would be saying this not just here. Of course they aren't trading Kyrie for pennies on the dollar, but some fans have reactions that aren't necessarily based on a rational take.
 

Ed Hillel

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This is my exact fear. That none of this is true but the vitriol from fans and commentators is going to make him want to leave.
Of course, he could easily quash those by repeating what he said a few months ago, offering a firm commitment to Boston. But, nah, let’s play to the speculation. “Ask me July 1,” “Boston is head of the pack.”

He’s not a very likable guy imo. It’s a lot easier to root for Tatum and Brown.
It's the posters that are insisting of trading Kyrie now for pennies on the dollar because he didn't commit his entire career to the Celtics that give Boston fans a bad look.
He told Boston fans directly, the national media, and then made a damned commercial about re-signing. It doesn’t need to be his entire career, but if he can’t simply repeat the same thing now, it’s his own fault. All he’s done is make things worse, speculation wise, and obviously he has to know that.

If the Celtics can get something good for Kyrie now, they should probably just take it. I tend to doubt they can, though. You’d need to find someone going all in, maybe like Denver or something. I don’t know, it seems like a tough thing to accomplish.
 
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ifmanis5

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It's the posters that are insisting of trading Kyrie now for pennies on the dollar because he didn't commit his entire career to the Celtics that give Boston fans a bad look.
So I guess the same can be said for the fans of Denver, Cleveland, Minnestota, New Orleans and likely most NBA cities in the future with a big star who makes demands and becomes a must-trade commodity.
 

Captaincoop

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It's the posters that are insisting of trading Kyrie now for pennies on the dollar because he didn't commit his entire career to the Celtics that give Boston fans a bad look.
There would be a segment of every decent fanbase in the country saying that. You don't think Laker or Knick or Warrior fans would react the same way?

As far as I'm concerned, Boston fans are nine million percent better than the clueless middle America fanbases that are blindly positive 100% of the time and show up for playoff games and all wear the same promotional shirt that was left on their seat.

I'm looking at you, Utah and Indiana and Dallas.
 

Big John

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By saying that every player on the Celtics roster is available in a Davis deal, Ainge has already invited 29 other GMs to make offers for Kyrie. They all know that if Ainge can move Kyrie before next Thursday the Celtics have a better shot at Davis. Obviously it avoids the Rose Rule, but also it might be possible to move Kyrie for another piece that the Pelicans want, even though it's pennies on the dollar.

Davis won't like it, but he's a rental anyway.
 

Sam Ray Not

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My operating assumption has always been that Janos is Danny. He has weighed in:

Haha. Assuming we're talking impact on winning, he is obviously not the lary bird or even garnet, but he is probably about the same level as pierce and a clear notch above rondos.

He is basically betray, though. And I think you guys, janos and Bill Simmons have every right to be piss.

This is kinda why I was fine with KD not opening his trap early in the season when everyone was clamoring for him to make a "strong verbal commitment" to his team the way Kyrie did.

Talk is cheap af.
 

ifmanis5

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There would be a segment of every decent fanbase in the country saying that. You don't think Laker or Knick or Warrior fans would react the same way?
Exactly. Also, we will see more of this in the NBA, not less. This will happen to pretty much every franchise with a top-10 talent player at some point. In fact, you might say this trend may hurt the league in the long term if fans get a sense they can't trust their stars.
 

DJnVa

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Jackie Mac who’s plugged into Kyrie, poo poo’d this stuff the other day. He’s frustrated it’s still being brought up.

The quote I don’t like is the legacy one. He did a commercial all about leaving a legacy.

Not a great time to be in NY. Their media is gonna blow this up.

I’m fascinated to see how he plays tonight.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Assuming he won't go back to LBJ in LA (not the best look for a guy who wants to lead his own team), what team is best situated to advance the KI brand presumably by winning over the next 3-5 years?
Maybe he, Kawhi and KD could start their own new team called the "Snakes." The branding could be killer. Fun basketball, too.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Of course, he could easily quash those by repeating what he said a few months ago, offering a firm commitment to Boston. But, nah, let’s play to the speculation. “Ask me July 1,” “Boston is head of the pack.”

.
Even if he said that, people would continue to talk about how he's leaving and how he's just saying that to placate the fans and it's all BS. People eat Mike Felger's shit.
 

jon abbey

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Maybe he, Kawhi and KD could start their own new team called the "Snakes." The branding could be killer. Fun basketball, too.
The Knicks has always been a dumb name for a team and kind of sounds like Snakes, I'm sure they'd be happy to change the name and welcome those three. :)
 

Van Everyman

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Could this be a play by Kyrie to force Ainge to get AD at all costs? A la “I’ve been saying all year that we need more veteran leadership on this team. And if it takes dumpingJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get AD, you need to do it.“ Mind you this is coming the same day dad reports are out that “everybody” is on the table in an AD trade.
 

Ed Hillel

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Even if he said that, people would continue to talk about how he's leaving and how he's just saying that to placate the fans and it's all BS. People eat Mike Felger's shit.
Well what does he think is going to happen now?
 

Captaincoop

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Jackie Mac who’s plugged into Kyrie, poo poo’d this stuff the other day. He’s frustrated it’s still being brought up.

The quote I don’t like is the legacy one. He did a commercial all about leaving a legacy.

Not a great time to be in NY. Their media is gonna blow this up.

I’m fascinated to see how he plays tonight.
He's going to take 40 shots tonight.
 

lovegtm

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I was all in on the idea that this whole Kyrie thing was a creation of the media, but this interview changed my mind.

In this context, anything but a clear reiteration of his earlier intent to re-sign is an indication that he's at least considering leaving.

I trust Ainge to read the situation well, so we'll know by the deadline how he feels.
 

lovegtm

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Could this be a play by Kyrie to force Ainge to get AD at all costs? A la “I’ve been saying all year that we need more veteran leadership on this team. And if it takes dumpingJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get AD, you need to do it.“ Mind you this is coming the same day dad reports are out that “everybody” is on the table in an AD trade.
Given Hayward's slow recovery, I wouldn't be surprised if Kyrie told Ainge "get AD or I don't re-sign."
 

Ed Hillel

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Could this be a play by Kyrie to force Ainge to get AD at all costs? A la “I’ve been saying all year that we need more veteran leadership on this team. And if it takes dumpingJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get AD, you need to do it.“ Mind you this is coming the same day dad reports are out that “everybody” is on the table in an AD trade.
Why do it now, though? Middle of the season when Danny can’t even get him? All he’s done is make everything worse.

The NBA is fucked. What can be done in future CBAs to prevent all this shit? Anything?
 

the moops

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There is always a chance that any player is going to leave and it is foolish to think otherwise. I mean if AD gets traded to LAL, the Celts get clowned in the first round of the playoffs, Horford signs elsewhere, the LAC and MEM pick do not convey, SAC pick is #15, why wouldn't he think about leaving? Is a Kyrie, Tatum, Hayward trio more enticing than a Kyrie, Durant, 3rd star from traded 2019 NYK pick?
 

azsoxpatsfan

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People would still ask him about it even if he had firmly committed to resigning, same way people still ask Brady when he's retiring. But it would have been far fewer people and he knows that
 

DJnVa

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There is always a chance that any player is going to leave and it is foolish to think otherwise. I mean if AD gets traded to LAL, the Celts get clowned in the first round of the playoffs, Horford signs elsewhere, the LAC and MEM pick do not convey, SAC pick is #15, why wouldn't he think about leaving? Is a Kyrie, Tatum, Hayward trio more enticing than a Kyrie, Durant, 3rd star from traded 2019 NYK pick?
Where’d Jaylen go?
 

MillarTime

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Of course, he could easily quash those by repeating what he said a few months ago, offering a firm commitment to Boston. But, nah, let’s play to the speculation. “Ask me July 1,” “Boston is head of the pack.”

He’s not a very likable guy imo. It’s a lot easier to root for Tatum and Brown.

He told Boston fans directly, the national media, and then made a damned commercial about re-signing. It doesn’t need to be his entire career, but if he can’t simply repeat the same thing now, it’s his own fault. All he’s done is make things worse, speculation wise, and obviously he has to know that.
Call me an idiot, but this is exactly where I am.
 

Cesar Crespo

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People would still ask him about it even if he had firmly committed to resigning, same way people still ask Brady when he's retiring. But it would have been far fewer people and he knows that
He's shown in the past he doesn't care. We still don't know if he thinks the earth is flat or he was fucking with the media.
 

bankshot1

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Maybe he, Kawhi and KD could start their own new team called the "Snakes." The branding could be killer. Fun basketball, too.
I don't get upset at these guys for using the leverage they have to get paid and where they want to cash the check. But there should be a little loyalty mixed in with the naked self-interest and mid-season collusion.
If KI wants out, and play elsewhere, so be it. But IMO he'd be nuts to roll the dice and hope the Knicks get it right.If I had to bet though, on July 1st, he re-ups with the Celts.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Other sports have FA. The problem is the stupid contract rules.
They won't get rid of the max contract because it favors the non max players. Maybe with all the "get a big 3 and fill the rest of the roster with crap" approach, it will get so bad that the max contract is a detriment to non max players.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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He's shown in the past he doesn't care. We still don't know if he thinks the earth is flat or he was fucking with the media.
Yea I'm unsure whether he doesn't give a single shit or if he's just incredibly clueless. My guess is an unfortunate mix of the two. But I agree that he's not exactly the easiest to root for, especially compared to other Boston star athletes
 

luckiestman

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I was thinking about making a Drew highlight clip but now I’m not. Ask me again July 1st

 

cheech13

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Why do it now, though? Middle of the season when Danny can’t even get him? All he’s done is make everything worse.

The NBA is fucked. What can be done in future CBAs to prevent all this shit? Anything?
How exactly would they get rid of this in a future CBA? Eliminate free agency?
 

Big John

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Simple fix: a team can offer an extension to a player that's just as rich as what the player could get in free agency. Why the owners agreed to incent players to become free agents is baffling.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Nothing short of ending FA would prevent this shit.
Again, its it's Superbowl week. While most of the world is sick of the Patriots and the Rams have a nebulous fanbase due to their vagabond history, the NBA has decisively won the headlines with the Davis trade demand, the Porzingis deal as well as this Kyrie noise.

This "shit" is a feature, not a bug.
 

cheech13

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Simple fix: a team can offer an extension to a player that's just as rich as what the player could get in free agency. Why the owners agreed to incent players to become free agents is baffling.
They had this in the last CBA and eliminated it because players like Carmelo and Deron Williams started angling for trades a year before free agency so they could get their extensions. Cat's out of the bag in terms of player movement.
 

Morning Woodhead

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He seems to hate the media, and gets frustrated by the constant questions. If he forces his way to the Knicks, that’s only going to be worse in NYC.
 

cheech13

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This "shit" is a feature, not a bug.
Exactly. It's amazing that there is one thread discussing Kryie's potential exit as this existential crisis caused by a broken CBA while openly wondering in another how to get Anthony Davis on the team. It's an era of player movement and if you play that game on the acquisition side you are also going to get occasionally burned on the other end.
 

bosockboy

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It’s a supply and demand issue. There are too many franchises and not enough superstars to stock them. There are at least 18-20 franchises you’d bet your house will never win a title in our lifetime.

The NBA very astutely plucked markets where they are the only game in town (Salt Lake, Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, OKC, Orlando, etc...). The issue is star players won’t stay there. They can turn down the higher salary from said team because they will triple it with Nike or whomever.

Not sure it’s solveable.
 

sox311

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That's what she said.
It’s a supply and demand issue. There are too many franchises and not enough superstars to stock them. There are at least 18-20 franchises you’d bet your house will never win a title in our lifetime.
.
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers could have won me your house 20 years ago then?
 

Big John

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They had this in the last CBA and eliminated it because players like Carmelo and Deron Williams started angling for trades a year before free agency so they could get their extensions. Cat's out of the bag in terms of player movement.
There is no perfect solution, but the player should be able to get that 5th year if he extends, as opposed to 4 years in free agency.

The owners wanted to protect themselves from their own stupidity, so that cut back on the length of contracts. Now they have to live with it.

One other partial fix: the team losing a FA gets draft pick compensation from the team with which the FA signs. Isn't that what they do in other sports?
 

cheech13

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It’s a supply and demand issue. There are too many franchises and not enough superstars to stock them. There are at least 18-20 franchises you’d bet your house will never win a title in our lifetime.

The NBA very astutely plucked markets where they are the only game in town (Salt Lake, Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, OKC, Orlando, etc...). The issue is star players won’t stay there. They can turn down the higher salary from said team because they will triple it with Nike or whomever.

Not sure it’s solveable.
Not sure I agree with this. OKC has managed to keep both Westbrook and George and Portland got strong commitments from Lillard and McCollum. Both teams have been infinitely more successful recently than either the Lakers or Knicks at developing, acquiring or retaining talent.

The bigger issue is that the money is the same everywhere so players have incentive to seek out teams with the best ancillary benefits (winning, endorsement opportunities, lack of state taxes, weather, or whatever). Lebron empowered all of these guys to move and do what was best for their individual career.
 

Red Averages

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Not seeing anything wrong with what he said there
He is not a leader. He keeps trying to make himself into a leader, but it’s evident when situations like this arise. He didn’t say anything wrong. He also had a chance to clearly put this to bed. Instead he made it about himself and his ego over the team. Now it is a distraction because their supposed leader doesn’t know how to be a leader.
 

E5 Yaz

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Why? The return on a Kyrie trade would be minimal. Stay the course and work on the Kyrie/AD scenario. It was never going to be a walk in the park. What I think you absolutely don't do now is trade Rozier. He's your Kyrie fallback if the worst case scenario becomes reality.
This is all your fault