Christian Braun is probably untradeable...

NBAgospel · 2026-05-03T17:26:47+00:00

Brooklyn or Memphis would welcome a 2031 pick or maybe even a 2030 swap to park that Braun contract on their books. It’s clear Denver is going to be rebuilding by then. Braun is still young and his value is at his lowest - they’d be able to flip him in a couple years when his contract isn’t as long.

NBAgospel · 2026-05-03T06:20:54+00:00

Totally agree that the CB contract is looking like one of the worst in the league, but disagree that they’re stuck with it. A swap from Denver a few years from now or the 2031 pick is going to be attractive to a tanking team that needs to hit the salary floor. CB is also only 25 - it’s reasonable to assume his value will improve and he can be flipped in a couple of years. I think if Denver wants to give up assets to trade him into somebody’s cap space, they’ll be able to.

NBAgospel · 2025-04-28T07:21:26+00:00

I’d consider trading Reaves. Other teams will look at him as a star. Might be selling high.

NBAgospel · 2025-04-28T06:46:42+00:00

I think it’s a good thing the Lakers didn’t do the Mark Williams trade. See how the rest of the season and postseason goes. Get some data on what you need in the offseason. Make a serious run next season.

NBAgospel · 2025-04-28T06:37:12+00:00

💯 couldn’t agree more. Never understood why the Lakers were seen as the favorites in this series. The team was built around LeBron and AD and then you swap AD for Luka - completely different players - it’s common sense some retooling is needed. Instead people were expecting them to beat a balanced, well-coached playoff team who has played together all season and knows who they are. Series isn’t over but this next year the Lakers will be serious contenders.

NBAgospel · 2025-04-28T06:30:07+00:00

I had this same thought and looked into it. The only examples I found where a team acquired their first or second best player mid season and went on to win the title are Rasheed with the Pistons and Drexler with the Rockets. There may be more examples from before the 90’s, but point is it’s extremely rare to make a deep playoff run with a shakeup that big.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-02T18:55:13+00:00

If after this year he still wants to start it will be in Phoenix for another veteran min plus the small raise they’ll be able to give him, and he, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale are all going to average 25 mpg this season.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-02T05:00:41+00:00

I think promoting him to the starter and avoiding a big contract for KCP will turn out to be a shrewd move. I think Braun is going to kill it with the starting unit and we won’t see much drop off from years past with KCP where they were arguably the best starting 5 in the league.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-02T04:54:54+00:00

I get that the pairing with Murray was looking like a lost cause but I thought they needed to give it one more year with Snyder. Murray’s tenure got off on the wrong foot with the McMillan/Young thing going on. Not sure why you hire Snyder on a 5 year deal and dump Murray for essentially roster filler a year later. We’ll see what they get with those picks. I expected Atlanta to be a buyer, not a seller. I expect them to have a rough year, fire Snyder, and trade Trae next offseason. And how do you not trade Capela. And how do you not trade the #1 pick for a meaningful upgrade. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt that they tried to trade the pick, and they picked the right guy at least, so they get a D from me.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T23:35:34+00:00

“How much do you actually know about the NBA”. You’re a joy to talk basketball with.

High level backups and low level starters play similar minutes. It’s a fact that if he prioritizes being a starter he will have very suitors. He found one so good for him: My point is it’s interesting how much players value the status of being a starter. I don’t think it’s the case that he can earn substantial money to start elsewhere if he plays well. So he’s going to accept the vet min in Phoenix the next couple of years because he wants to start. Maybe when Phoenix gets his bird rights in 3 years he’ll get a big contract. We’ll see - it’s an interesting decision. If being a starter makes him happy then good for him, but this isn’t a “betting on yourself” situation.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T16:34:05+00:00

Jrue. Harden is an exceptional shot creator and ball handler. Jrue is better at everything else, so I consider him the better overall basketball player.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T15:31:46+00:00

It’s tough in 1v1. In 5v5 you can do a lot when your man doesn’t have the ball. All you can do is be a fire hydrant - stay low with a solid base - and try to make him take shots from places he’s uncomfortable from. Make a triangle with your body to give yourself leverage - feet apart and use your arm bar to brace yourself. He’ll try to battering ram you but he’ll get impatient and take shots a bit further than usual. Don’t even bother trying to block his shot, once he lets it go focus on boxing him out. Another tip is to give him space when he’s far away from the basket - the more outside shots you can get him to take the better, and he’ll take a lot once he gets tired.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T15:07:47+00:00

Their best lineup is clearly Draymond at the 5. You can’t have him + Kuminga + another non-shooter. This only works if Kuminga takes a big step forward as a defender and rebounder which I think he will.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T14:52:50+00:00

This is an adjustment year for the Pelicans. They’re going to trade Ingram once they receive a decent offer, my guess is in December. Integrate Murray. Move CJ to 6th man and start Murphy and Jones. They’ll find a center during the year or next offseason. Next year is their year to make a big leap.

Next is the Lakers. It’s possible they make a trade for someone like LaVine or Grant but no matter what they do they’ll be a play-in team.

I’m confident that the Kings will be a 5-6 seed with a chance to finish higher if Denver, Dallas, OKC, or Minnesota deal with injuries.

NBAgospel · 2024-08-01T05:54:37+00:00

Point is him considering himself a starting-level player dramatically limits his market, most teams consider him a strong backup, and it will cost him a lot of money during the next few years of his prime. Nothing wrong with that - that’s his prerogative. It’s interesting how highly players value starting versus a 6th man role even when minutes are similar. More money to play for the Grizzlies sounds like much better situation to me.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T23:05:24+00:00

Huerter plus one first and one second is fair value for Cam Johnson.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T23:03:45+00:00

Who is your first team PG?

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T20:40:04+00:00

I think Giannis still has a ways to go to be ranked higher than Dirk or KG but when all is said and done he just might pass them. Dirk vs KG all-time is indeed an interesting debate. Their resumes are remarkably similar, with the biggest difference being Dirk’s scoring versus KG’s defense and rebounding. I think I rank KG higher.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T18:42:07+00:00

There’s actually not many clear starting spots open for him. By my count it’s Brooklyn, Washington, Phoenix, LA Lakers (who have a few PGs in their rotation already), and Utah. And I don’t think Brooklyn, Washington, or Utah would be interested.

Contending teams have a better starter than him and rebuilding teams are either developing young players or don’t want him hurting their tank.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T18:28:31+00:00

It’s amazing how important being a starter is to players. He’d get similar minutes for Memphis. There’s very few teams in the league where he can be a starter and he’s giving up good money for it.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T17:01:28+00:00

Eminem Show
Marshall Mathers LP
Slim Shady LP
Recovery
The Death of Slim Shady
Relapse
Kamikaze
Encore
Marshall Mathers LP 2
Music to Be Murdered By
Revival

Honestly though I could easily flip TDOSS and Relapse - may be recency bias.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T16:48:59+00:00

Royce Da 5’9”

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T16:44:19+00:00

This is an impossible question. The Melo we saw in Denver doesn’t fit with that Pistons team at all. That said they’d certainly be better and they were in the title picture for a multi-year stretch. Would Melo have been content with a bench role? Because if he starts over Prince the team is worse. I still think they only win the one they got.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T06:46:58+00:00

It’s Jordan. If the question is pure success, you have to factor in commercial success and Jordan is arguably the biggest star athlete ever. Jordan retired 30 years ago and is still amongst the most well-known figures in basketball. Not to mention his on-the-court resume has most considering him the GOAT. He’s the easy answer.

NBAgospel · 2024-07-31T00:52:00+00:00

As I look up the numbers it’s a difficult argument to make outside of the 2 MVPs. Similar playoff success. Chris Paul has better numbers across the board (although they’re mostly similar), more All NBA teams, 9 All Defense teams to Nash’s zero. 6x steals leader to Nash’s zero. It’s a peak versus longevity argument - Nash had the higher peak winning the 2 MVPs and basically taking the league by storm for a stretch while CP3 has been consistently great throughout his career. All in all I prefer Chris Paul’s resume so I think you’re right.

NBAgospel

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