I can’t wait for Dalton Knecht to get injured within a week or so of being in charlotte. He’s been healthy all year.
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[tinfoil hat on]
Don’t worry, we got top 2 pick. I bet Adam Silver said “Jeff, I give you a top 2 pick this year, give up Mark and Cody to Lakers.” We need Lakers v Celtics back.
[tinfoil hat off]
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You are ignoring a lot of factors outside of Lamelo that have made this the case
You’re fired
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There are things outside of Melo’s control undoubtedly, but also it’s very challenging to build competence in a supporting cast when the primary player(s) isn’t present to build around.
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I’m calling Ball to the Rockets for a huge hall!
It would have to be picks though. Can’t see them trading out significant pieces given their current success. Would be playing with fire.
A lot of mixed feelings about this trade. On one hand I don’t like it, on the other I accept the necessity of it…and sort of like it.
Peterson has been a savvy trader, I’ll give him that. In the heat of the moment, I’d give this trade a solid B+/A-.
The sadness is mostly because I wanted mark Williams to work out so badly. And I still think he’s going to be a slightly to above average big man with flashes of “wow” from time to time. But everyone is right, the holes are there in his game. He’s not going to be that upper echelon guy. However, Lebron and Luka will certainly make him look incredible.
I am happy of course to get Dalton Knecht, since I was one of the loudest proponents for him. But even with Knecht, I’m still kind of bummed about the whole mark Williams saga in charlotte.
As excited as I am to get a 1st, rights to a pick swap, and Knecht…my disappointment over the mark Williams story eclipses my excitement over Knecht and picks.
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WILDLY interesting trade, partly b/c of how it connects to Luka trade. CHA sold high after a month-ish of MW playing really well, obv concerned w/ durability+learning curve on D. Got Lakers best remaining draft assets (the ones they somehow didn’t give up for Luka!) + Knecht. (Specifically – the Lakers 2031 1st w/o any protections, and a 2030 pick swap. How did the Mavs not get at least one of these and/or Knecht? Ok, I’ll stop.)
Yay for a previously short-sighted franchise in Charlotte adopting a long view! Williams is also extension-eligible this summer; cheapo rookie deal will be over in a blink.
But MW is barely 23, super bouncy, good character guy, and maybe very good at the basketball? At some point, you need to build a basketball team, right? Not just an asset collection? What must LaMelo be thinking? What should we be thinking about LaMelo’s future?
Fit with Lakers is obvious – Luka lob threat, needed size, ORB% off the charts (absolutely crazy 2nd and 3rd jump speed), defensive potential. It’s an upside bet, and quite a big one given Lakers are now out tons of picks when Luka will be 30-plus.
But that’s the key point: Lakers have justified belief getting a pissed off, motivated Luka at FREAKING AGE 25 insulates them from the kind of early 2030s downside – lottery downside – CHA would surely hope for in dealing a young player they like (Williams) and who appears to be amidst a big leap.
Dallas bet against Luka’s longevity as a super-duper-max superstar player. CHA bet against (to some degree) Williams health/consistency/development. Lakers bet a lot on all that, including Knecht, not an afterthought here.
Both teams can justify the trade. Chances are, one will end up feeling at least a tinge of regret. If I’m a Charlotte fan, I’m a little sad to see a potential developmental success story go to the Lakers of all places. Oh well, nothing to do but…#trusttheprocess.
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A little bit on Knecht…this 39 point game (9 threes made) from earlier in the season was a banger. A big concern was: will his dominant offensive game from college transition to the pro game?
It’s not even the 39 point outburst that’s so good about this game, it’s the fact that the way he’s scoring looks identical to his time in Tennessee. You could’ve edited a Tennessee vols jersey onto him and told me this was a game of his from college.
But….the pairing of Knecht with Miles Bridges and Melo on defense is…___________
(insert your version of really really bad into the blank above)
I hear ya, man. I wanted to believe in Mark. But the disappearing act of his early defensive promise is just so concerning. There is clearly some kind of issue with mobility, motor, and/or strength.
His player efficiency rating was 5th in the league the last I checked, sitting with some really incredible company.
He’s another one of these Hornets beta players like PJ who is just going to have to play with an alpha dawg superstar to find their sense of purpose in NBA basketball.
I love the fact that we get Knecht 4 in his physical prime on a lower first round rookie contract.
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Trading LaMelo for anything short of a massive haul would be a huge mistake. Just taking a quick look at on/off stats, you can see how much better our team is with LaMelo on the floor versus off of it. We have never put a team around him that has been healthy enough or talented enough to be a wining team. The one year we had a meh roster that stayed relatively healthy he led us to our only winning season since 2016.
Yes LaMelo has health issues but players of his caliber are not just falling off trees. He’s the type of player fans are praying their team is able to draft when they get a top pick.
Modern day D’Antoni Houston Rockets, all offense, no center and no defense. Except our offense isn’t that good either.
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Yeah that’s the exact part that I’m mourning the loss of. The tantalizing upside. And not hypothetical upside…we can see it in metrics like that, and occasionally on the floor. But the inconsistency, injuries, missed games, and needing a new deal this summer?
I unfortunately agree with Peterson. Cash out here before you have to FULLY commit to something you don’t quite fully believe in.
This is a type of move I would’ve begged the old front office to do. But the old front office would have committed to the same core of players and would have gotten the same crappy results. So it’s a love hate trade.
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I’m assuming miles bridges and/or Cody Martin will be gone today. Micic as well. Though we could either buy out Micic or another team will buyout Micic.
Man, if Bridges, Knecht, and Ball actually play some games together, I’d at least love to see the offensive entertainment.
Our defensive “game plan” is to always have two major pieces injured, so that a young upstart will always be forced into the rotation, giving a Herculean effort on defense just because they are trying to stick in the league.
Just kidding of course sorta.
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