***Official 2024-2025 NBA Thread***

[KC_Connection]

Season starts tonight with Knicks and Celtics followed by Lakers and TWolves.

Will history be made early in the 2nd game?

[PunkinDrublic]

Some sketchy shit going on behind the scenes. I find it hard to believe that the Lakers had the best deal available. Lakers more often than not manage to get the guy they want at key times in the franchise history and the other team gets screwed. I kind of think the Mavs new owners the Adalsons want to move the team to Vegas. Cuban would’ve never let the Mavs trade away Luka.

This is a black eye on an already shiite league.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic

Some sketchy shit going on behind the scenes. I find it hard to believe that the Lakers had the best deal available. Lakers more often than not manage to get the guy they want at key times in the franchise history and the other team gets screwed. I kind of think the Mavs new owners the Adalsons want to move the team to Vegas. Cuban would’ve never let the Mavs trade away Luka.

This is a black eye on an already shiite league.

The Lakers had the only deal available because the Mavs only offered Luka to them and didn’t tell the rest of the teams in the league.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

The Mavs GM is an idiot.

Nico Harrison: “We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract. And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve… https://t.co/MImEhuKP73

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 2, 2025

Harrison told The News that he and Pelinka began having “basketball” conversations more than a month ago.

“Then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Would you ever do this?’

‘Nah, you’re joking, right?’

‘Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I would.’


This guy doesn’t realize Pelinka was laughing his ass off in between calls when he realized the guy was serious about moving him for AD.

[KC_Connection]

Sources: LeBron James intends to remain a member of the Lakers past the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and the relationships behind the blockbuster Luka-AD deal. #haynesbriefs https://t.co/X7H7eQE347 pic.twitter.com/uMTEMUYbDX

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 2, 2025

Better acquire a C then.

[KC_Connection]

My reaction to getting Luka during a taping of the No Contest Wrestling Podcast last night with @toojiggy. Shoutout my boy Roman with the text: pic.twitter.com/i1BsVg9e3B

— O’Shea Jackson Jr (@OsheaJacksonJr) February 2, 2025

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Sources: LeBron James intends to remain a member of the Lakers past the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and the relationships behind the blockbuster Luka-AD deal. #haynesbriefs https://t.co/X7H7eQE347 pic.twitter.com/uMTEMUYbDX

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 2, 2025

Better acquire a C then.

They will. And now they don't really care about trading away that other 1st rounder since they have their new core in place.

They'll go after the best defensive C they can get. They'll have some options available and if they don't...oh well. This deal wasn't for 2025 anyway

[DJ's left nut]

And for the record - look at Mavs roster heading into the playoffs now.

They might actually have the best roster 1-10 in the a West. Especially for playoff basketball. It's a fantastic group.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

They will. And now they don't really care about trading away that other 1st rounder since they have their new core in place.

They'll go after the best defensive C they can get. They'll have some options available and if they don't...oh well. This deal wasn't for 2025 anyway

Poertl is available to the highest bidder right now but I expect, unlike Dallas, Raptors will engage in an actual bidding war with him like an actual rational front office would. There are others out there who could be a fit for cheaper though.

[PunkinDrublic]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And for the record - look at Mavs roster heading into the playoffs now.

They might actually have the best roster 1-10 in the a West. Especially for playoff basketball. It's a fantastic group.

I don’t know how you can say that, when AD can’t stay reliably healthy. Whatever faults Luka has, he straight up balls out in the playoffs. This is a gut punch and it’s going to be hard to continue being a Mavs fan. I don’t give a **** what money he was going to be due, you don’t trade away the face of the franchise like that.

[KC_Connection]

The Mavs are still a very good team at the moment but AD routinely no shows random games in the playoffs. He’s far from reliable and Kyrie is and will always be a super talented headcase. Luka pushed that team to great heights through a combination of competitive toughness, genius basketball IQ and elite talent and they don’t have a guy like that anymore (only a handful of teams in this league do).

OKC is far and away the best team in the West currently, they just have to actually prove it in the playoffs this time around. The non-SGA players need to show up.

[Urc Burry]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And for the record - look at Mavs roster heading into the playoffs now.

They might actually have the best roster 1-10 in the a West. Especially for playoff basketball. It's a fantastic group.

I’m guilty of it, but do keep coming back to it. And the Mavs have been the Thunder’s kryptonite

If still doesn’t excuse not even shopping a 25 year old superstar who’s ceiling is like a top 10 guy all time. Not saying he’ll get there. But it’s definitely possible.

The only way this ends up looking better for the Mavs is if Luka walks in free agency .. to let’s say team up with Jokic. But it still doesn’t make sense

The Mavs subreddit is so depressing right now. I genuinely feel bad for them

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Urc Burry

I’m guilty of it, but do keep coming back to it. And the Mavs have been the Thunder’s kryptonite

If still doesn’t excuse not even shopping a 25 year old superstar who’s ceiling is like a top 10 guy all time. Not saying he’ll get there. But it’s definitely possible.

The only way this ends up looking better for the Mavs is if Luka walks in free agency .. to let’s say team up with Jokic. But it still doesn’t make sense

The Mavs subreddit is so depressing right now. I genuinely feel bad for them

He’s off to the best start of any player since LeBron in terms of both stats and team success. If he stays healthy for another 10 years (and doesn’t become a total lardo as Dallas is apparently afraid of), he’s going to be one of the best basketball players ever.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Poertl is available to the highest bidder right now but I expect, unlike Dallas, Raptors will engage in an actual bidding war with him like an actual rational front office would. There are others out there who could be a fit for cheaper though.

Robert Williams seems like the best combination of fit, availability and cost.

Feels like the Lakers should be able to get something done there. Kessler would be great but probably too expensive. If he's available, I don't see what LA has to get him.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic

I don’t know how you can say that, when AD can’t stay reliably healthy. Whatever faults Luka has, he straight up balls out in the playoffs. This is a gut punch and it’s going to be hard to continue being a Mavs fan. I don’t give a **** what money he was going to be due, you don’t trade away the face of the franchise like that.

Have you watched Davis in the playoffs the last several years? And he stayed healthy in the postseason.

He's dramatic more than he's injury prone.

I don't expect any Mavs fan to like this trade and nothing I can say will change that. The fan equity in Doncic was immense.

But I believe the Mavs are AS capable of not MORE capable of winning a championship now than they were yesterday. Davis is very possibly the best two way player in the NBA when focused and he engaged. And he's always been that in the postseason.

That version of Davis is a top 8-10 player in the NBA and a perfect fit for the rest of that Mavs roster as currently constructed.

There aren't 4 teams in the NBA right now, Lakers included, who look more championship ready to me than the Mavs.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And he's always been that in the postseason.

This just isn’t true. AD’s engagement levels have waned in the playoffs too. He has games where he is completely dominant and easily the best player on the floor and then others where he looks oddly disinterested. If he’s being asked to be the best player on a championship team now (which the Mavs are apparently asking him to do), he can’t afford to play even a single game like that against a top team.