Magic guard Markelle Fultz isn’t quite healthy enough to participate in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. “These guys missed so much time and they weren’t able to be in a gym,” coach Steve Clifford said. “For Markelle, it’s just the situation that he was in.” Fultz’s arrival in Orlando was delayed due to a personal matter.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Magic forward Jonathan Isaac will also sit out the scrimmage against the Lakers but he’s making progress, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Clifford said Isaac took part in contact drills at practice and is “getting closer” to playing. Isaac has been sidelined since suffering a left knee injury on New Year’s Day.
- There are quite a few free agent point guard options for the Hawks to consider as a backup but the Bulls’ Kris Dunn should be at or near the top of the list, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner opines. Dunn is an elite level defender, though he’d have to paired up with quality shooters due to his offensive limitations. The Grizzlies’ De’Anthony Melton would also be an interesting option who could be paired with Young at times because of his defensive prowess.
- It isn’t out of the question the Hawks would make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo if the reigning Most Valuable Player becomes a free agent next summer, Kirschner adds in the same piece. If the Hawks’ young core shows major progress next season, they may be able to entice the superstar in a similar manner to what the Clippers did to lure Kawhi Leonard and trade for Paul George.
- Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn could make cameo appearances in the Heat’s scrimmage on Saturday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “If they do, it’s just to get their feet wet,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. Both players arrived at Orlando’s campus on Tuesday.
There is no way Giannis is going to Atlanta. He’s staying put. Probably one of the last few superstars left with any loyalty. GS could be a possibility but never ATL.
I’m still trying to figure out how GS is a destination for Giannis when they lack the necessary assets to trade for him and nowhere close to having enough cap space to sign him outright.
Btw if you think Wiggins and his albatross of a contract would be part of any package for Giannis then you would be sorely mistaken.
#1. if Giannis does not sign the extension the Bucks will trade him. They won’t let him walk for nothing. #2. the Golden State Warriors package can beat anything else out there. End of story.
You have to have salary to match gianis and Wiggins is a pretty darn good player. He’s not a scrub by any means. 20 points a game consistently is an asset and he’s capable of other things. He will definitely show a lot this coming season playing with the Warriors.
PLUS whoever the Warriors draft this year top 5, plus two first-round picks next season (the wolves and their own and the Wolves could be a high pick with the defense they’re going to run out there.) Plus throw-in another young guy. So what is that 3 + Wiggins + young guy 5-for-1 LOL that can’t be beat !!
You tell me which team can beat that and fit Gianna salary back under their own payroll? Nobody can.
The only way another team could possibly do it is say the Rockets giving up Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker and that’s only two guys LOL how you going to come up with five assets? And if you trade Tucker and Eric Gordon you’ve got Harden Westbrook and Giannis and 11 minimum salary guys.
The reason the Warriors Stand Out is because they’ve built this thing over the years in preparation for this time. A team like the Thunder let’s Durant Walk For Nothing. A team like the Warriors says, hey wait a second. We need to take back another Max guy so we keep that spot within our payroll scheme. Then you could sub out D’Angelo Russell and Sub in Andrew Wiggins. You can sub out Andrew Wiggins and take in another Max guy. They worked very hard to get to this point. Oh my goodness people how do you not see this?
Their 5-year dynasty has ended.
Dude, if you talking trade assets, Pelicans and Thunder has a dzillion draft picks. Heat have cap space and Bam, who is better than any asset GS has. Philly has all their picks and Ben/Joel, Celtics have Brown and Tatum.
So stfu, GS doesn’t have the best package
GSW fans just like to think their team is still relevant.
Warriors have better quality picks than thunder and pelicans
Bam is available but Tatum is not
Bam is available? Lol
Man if BOS don’t have a run at Giannis just to keep JT it will be the most useless franchise in pro sports, plainly said. I mean JT is pretty good but… Giannis is out of this world good, there is nothing & no one you don’t offer for him, as simple as!
X burner, yes you’re correct they have a million assets but number 1, who’s the big salary that comes back that matches up with Gianna salary? Number 2, who’s the All-Star or two or three that comes back to Milwaukee?
X burner, you’re not making sense. You say Philly has Ben and Joel embiid bus draft picks. So you’re going to trade Ben and Joel embiid plus a couple first-rounders for Giannis? You have no team left !! Same with your other examples. If the Celtics trade away Brown and Tatum plus a couple first-round picks what do they have left? Your comment makes zero sense I’m sorry.
Because the choices made were the optimal ones anyway. There dd not have to be a reason.
Giannis is not really a fit… it depends on whether he wants to be the North Star, or another point in a constellation.
Atlanta has more second round picks and as many firsts as GS over the next few years. In addition, they have a HUGE stable of young talent they can add to a trade. They also have expiring vet contracts(Dedmon 2022, Capela 2023) that are much more palatable to most teams than the Wiggins deal. Quite simply, they have assets that would attract a ‘reloading’ team as well as assets that would fit a rebuilding team.
GS doesn’t make a bigger splash than probably half the NBA teams. It’s just in your mind that they have a better package.
UGA-Steve it’s more than young Talent. Who is the big salary that comes back to Milwaukee to match up with Giannis salary? You guys are all forgetting this.
UGA Steve, I just looked it up… so you’re Milwaukee and you’re going to take 4 more years of Clint capela and DeWayne dedmon, who are one-dimensional centers with no game, FOR 4 YEARS of HIGH SALARY, instead of Andrew Wiggins who can create his own shot on the wing and only has a couple years left? I would say I don’t agree with you on that trade package comparison. Maybe I’m wrong, but if I’m Milwaukee there’s no way I take that.
The trade works without even using Capela, though I threw him in as a possibility if GS wanted someone that would be around a year or two.
Dedmon, Hunter, and a first is financially realistic in NBA terms, and the Hawks could easily throw in another first rounder to make it happen. In essence, you get one expiring contract and what amounts to two or three first rounders. How is that not a very valuable offer?
Wiggins is just a number runner. His PER is only slightly higher than Dedmon for his career (and if you simply use the last four years, Dedmon’s is about even as his first 5-6 years bring his PER down).
Look, I am not saying Dedmon is more valuable than Wiggins, especially in today’s game. What Dedmon becomes is an expiring contract that can be moved in another trade as a salary offset. Wiggins is not that. Is Wiggins worth building around? He is a wing that is league average on 3-pt%, that now puts up about league average on defense. That type of player is the easiest to find in the NBA today.
To me, I would take a deal like that from Atlanta before I would take on Wiggins bloated contract.
Fair enough Steve. Good post.
Gary… Ur getting pushback but ur spot-on.
Jumpshot, you know that I’ve always thought of yours as a voice of reason with your posts. I’ve mentioned that to you before. I think a big part of it is that you’re a player. Players know what it is like out there on the floor with D-1 Talent.
Because Wiggins isn’t any good ! That’s why who cares about his ppg if it’s high volume low efficiency ! Bucks would rather like Giannis walk then take him ! That’s why people laugh at the idea of bucks taking Wiggins
Noel, I think you take Wiggins because you have to fill your roster with salary in any case. With Wiggins you’re getting 3 first-round picks from the Warriors plus a young guy like Eric paschall. Wiggins contract is only couple more years. Consistent 20 points a game is nothing to scoff at.
Just how high were you when you wrote this, Gary?
You could trade 10 future firsts and whatever “young guy” along with Wiggins and it would still be a terrible trade for the Bucks.
Ok richt, another guy who spews I’m wrong… but you don’t have a solution. Nice job.
Let me help you out. 1) Which team has a better trade package AND WHAT IS THAT TRADE PACKAGE? 2) Or… in other words you want Milwaukee to just let Giannis walk right out the door? My goodness who’s high now?
The only way Golden State is getting Giannis in a trade would be if the Bucks get something worth their while in return. That does not mean getting Wiggins, they would demand Klay Thompson in any trade.
Harden MVP, it’s definitely a tall order trying to trade for Giannis antetokounmpo. But I firmly believe of any team, The Warriors have the BEST package. That package does NOT include Klay Thompson. Wiggins and three first-round picks and a young guy or two. Eric paschall? That’s five or six guys for 1.
You guys all scoff, but have not presented a specific package from a specific team that beats this. Everyone’s just barking how wrong I am without a specific example.
You name teams but where is your trade package? You don’t have one. So keep barking and crying about a problem without a solution. I’m used to it at work.
Go home Gary, you’re drunk. The Atlanta package above is assuredly better than anything GS can offer.
The Atlanta package of several first round picks, several second-round picks, Plus Clint capela and DeWayne dedmon? That’s the package you’re talking about?
Okay I respect your opinion and you might have some that agree with you on that trade. But if you look at the pics they’ll be between 20 and 30 because the Hawks are going for it, especially if they have Giannis on the team. Whereas the Warriors pics are top five, top five, and then maybe a 20 to 30 . Well I would disagree with you.
Harden MVP, if the Bucks demand Klay Thompson then no trade. Good luck in finding a better deal. You will let Giannis walk right out that door and have nothing but Kris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe and whoever else they have. Brook Lopez? Do they even have John Henson still or is he gone? They have nothing. They are not in the driver’s seat, they are in trouble.
They’re going to be great this year, and might even win it all in the short season. But in the coming offseason it is crunch time for the Milwaukee Bucks.
They have the best record in the NBA right now. Very much in the driver’s seat and very much not in trouble.
Thompson and firsts for Giannis is still not enough. The man is about to be a back-to-back MVP and be the first MVP and DPOY combo since Hakeem.
If you don’t know that Henson isn’t on the Bucks anymore, it just underscores that you have no idea what you’re talking about. Andrew Wiggins isn’t even a tenth of the player Giannis is, and no package the Dubs make without Klay even approaches fair value. The Thunder could trade them Shai, CP3, and 4 of their bazillion first round picks. Better than anything the Dubs could offer.
Okay richt, I appreciate your opinion and respect it. Good conversation. Except for the insults it’s all good.
Good points and effort Gary but I doubt MIL ever trades Giannis. He’s perfect for them, and if he leaves, he will leave capspace behind to fill with another FA.
It was more obvious Lebron would leave, but the Cavs were not known to pursue a trade.
He’s liable to test them by waiting, which will drive other GMs crazy, assuming he would want out of Milwaukee of course. But driving the opposition to mis-planning is not to his disadvantage as a Buck.
Okay I can buy into that. I don’t think it’ll happen… too big of a risk, but it could. Good point brother.
Gary… how soon they forget LeBron didnt actually go to Miami as a free agent – it was a sign and trade. Why? LeBron was taking his talents there, so Cleveland didn’t want to lose him for NOTHING!
The same reasons you’re saying about Giannis. You’ll never get an equal return in value for a LeBron and Giannis… you just hope to get the best that you can with what the OTHER team is willing to give up. You can’t demand this or that. Do that and the player will walk as a free agent and the former team gets zilch. That’ll go over real well with the fan base, huh? If Milwaukee can get Wiggina and some picks, they’ll take it in a heartbeat.
That’s how I see it. Let’s see how it plays out. Should be interesting.
I meant the second time. But both times the Cavs held him as long as they legally could, until his word otherwise. I suspect the MIL FO will too, or else get a rep as flinchers. Of course Lebron was local, and in 2018 already making Hollywood money, and the local angle helped his world reputation… while Giannis or MIL could be colder about it.
I’m sure MIL could get more in a trade, vs in free agency. So could have CLE– especially the second time, where there was no capspace with or without Lebron– but there wasn’t much pressure to trade him. on Cle.com, just a few posters, speculating.
Hawks free agency
Sign Kris Dunn is yes
Sign Giannis is no
Kris Dunn, yeh, that will turn Atlanta into championship contenders.
Burn
Giannis is going where he wants. Not where he’ll be traded. So please wake up and get of your team ponys. Only team trades for him is if he is going to resign with them. Hawks gave good young talent. Including this draft. But I don’t think he wants to go there. It’s gotta be a team ready to contend. And have players or cap to make a run for few yrs. Plus it’s gotta be a team n city he wants to go to. Frankly I don’t see him leaving. Bucks can redo team a little to get stronger. Their main players are not old. But could use another killer in crunch time. Bucks have to be favored. Unless there is a team he really wants to go to. I see Giannis as a loyal guy. Warriors don’t need Giannis to contend. They are set with this draft and options they have. For Warriors it’s all about next yr. They don’t need to think about two yrs from now. Warriors have a top 3 pick. A 17.5 million trade option. Wiggins to move if they want. They would have trade options if Giannis wanted to go there. But they have to move Klay or Green and Wiggins (3way). Wiseman is a guy who can do a lot for them IMO. I would move Wiggins and bring in Gordon (trade exception). They can get value for Wiggins. I just don’t think they need Giannis. Shoot we’ll take Wiggins in NY. He can team up with Thibs. show Jimmy he wasn’t a dog.