Pelicans want Steven Adams

How is he not a perfect fit? Who doesn't need a guy who does the ugly work in the paint and on the boards?

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Originally Posted by Eman5805

How is he not a perfect fit? Who doesn't need a guy who does the ugly work in the paint and on the boards?

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Not a stretch 5 so instantly a bad fit is the thinking there.

It's a bit basic

Yeah people are thinking fit = shooting, and that's it.

Fit is also passing, filling defensive gaps, shoring up our consistently weak box out game, screening for our multiple ballhandlers including guys like Kira who desperately need the space that high end screening provides, as well as stuff like roll-gravity.

I get that him being able to shoot would be the cherry on top, and in a perfect world you'd have a centre who could do all of those things and also shoot 40% from 3, but that centre would also cost a hell of a lot more than late first round pick in 2023, I assure you.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Yeah people are thinking fit = shooting, and that's it.

Fit is also passing, filling defensive gaps, shoring up our consistently weak box out game, screening for our multiple ballhandlers including guys like Kira who desperately need the space that high end screening provides, as well as stuff like roll-gravity.

I get that him being able to shoot would be the cherry on top, and in a perfect world you'd have a centre who could do all of those things and also shoot 40% from 3, but that centre would also cost a hell of a lot more than late first round pick in 2023, I assure you.

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And that's not even touching on any of the off-court stuff, experience, intangibles etc. On court leadership also

Plus he won't contribute to our silent player problem.

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Originally Posted by superstar7th

Why? He doesn't stretch floor at all. And his contract is at 28 mil. Only saving grace is it expires next year.

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:hihi:

Classic

Yeah, I get culturally he is by all accounts a great vet and will set a good example for Zion and Jax and make winning plays on the edges, which is something this team is missing. I just think giving up a first round pick for Adams on an expiring is very short term move.

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

Yeah, I get culturally he is by all accounts a great vet and will set a good example for Zion and Jax and make winning plays on the edges, which is something this team is missing. I just think giving up a first round pick for Adams on an expiring is very short term move.

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It's Denver's pick, not ours.

Denver is an elite team. Don't fret, we didn't give up a lottery pick.

Hang on, is it protected 8-30?

Lol, it doesn't matter to us :hihi:

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

Yeah, I get culturally he is by all accounts a great vet and will set a good example for Zion and Jax and make winning plays on the edges, which is something this team is missing. I just think giving up a first round pick for Adams on an expiring is very short term move.

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I would agree if it was a high value first round pick. If it was New Yorks 2021, then yeah, sure. But it's Denver's 2023: it's probably going to be the 24th pick or something, who cares about that?

I am not in the abstract against moving these late first round picks—I imagine that will be the fate of most of them. I just think the time to do these kind of moves is later. I think acquiring Steven Adams for a first round pick is a bit of a waste of a team-building tool that you could have spent later when it would more meaningfully impact winning and the long term shape of the roster.

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

I am not in the abstract against moving these late first round picks—I imagine that will be the fate of most of them. I just think the time to do these kind of moves is later. I think acquiring Steven Adams for a first round pick is a bit of a waste of a team-building tool that you could have spent later when it would more meaningfully impact winning and the long term shape of the roster.

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There's like 17 teams involved here

You can't put it off to some arbitrary date later on because reasons. Deals need to get done, rosters need to be set. It has to get done now for everyone's benefit

I feel like you're just doubling down on the complaining now coz it didn't go well the first time

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Originally Posted by AusPel

There's like 17 teams involved here

You can't put it off to some arbitrary date later on because reasons. Deals need to get done, rosters need to be set. It has to get done now for everyone's benefit

I feel like you're just doubling down on the complaining now coz it didn't go well the first time

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The Pelicans totally could, and should have in my opinion, signed some other stop gap at center—a Dwayne Dedmon or Nerlens Noel or Baynes or whoever— and not given up a future asset for a player who will definitely not be on this roster a few years for now when this team is winning in a meaningful way.

It could be worse. I would have hated if we gave Favors the contract Utah gave him, or Mason Plumlee what he got paid. But I think it’s short-sighted, and I think we will look back on it as a small mistake.

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

The Pelicans totally could, and should have in my opinion, signed some other stop gap at center—a Dwayne Dedmon or Nerlens Noel or whoever— and not given up a future asset for a player who will definitely not be on this roster a few years for now when this team is winning in a meaningful way.

It could be worse. I would have hated if we gave Favors the contract Utah gave him, or Mason Plumlee what he got paid. But I think it’s short-sighted, and I think we will look back on it as a small mistake.

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You're entitled to your opinion and that's cool. I'm guessing the front office has been over 1000 possibilities including the stop gap one and decided upon trading for Adams because it ticked the most boxes

Remember, there's 4 teams in the transaction and salaries to match etc which would have factored into the choice too. A ******** TON of moving parts to take into consideration, increasing the complexity and stakes of every decision

Aquaman? Hell yeah. We already got Zhanos. Let's make it a superteam. *ba dum tsss*

Clearly. I think that can be said for any move that any front office makes. I have generally agreed with what the Pels have done under Griffin, but every front office makes mistakes.

The Pelicans did not need to be involved in the trade for Steven Adams. They have to send out more matching salary now that they decided to do that, though.

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

Clearly. I think that can be said for any move that any front office makes. I have generally agreed with what the Pels have done under Griffin, but every front office makes mistakes.

The Pelicans did not need to be involved in the trade for Steven Adams. They have to send out more matching salary now that they decided to do that, though.

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They've done it because they were more keen on Adams than they were on Bled or Hill

Adams + HIll = Yay
Adams + Bled = Also yay
Bled + Hill = Nay

Yeah I think there's also opportunity ost. You say we could have signed Dedmon, or Baynes, or whoever. Could we? I know we theorised that maybe Baynes would be willing to come here because of his past relationship with SVG, but that was speculation not guarantee. For all we know, Griff made the calls and found out that Dedmon and Baynes and co simply weren't that interested in coming to NOLA, or if they were, wanted silly deals that we shouldn't be giving out.

Mac's Twitter also questioning the use of assets on a mercenary position as it puts it

I don't like when he starts doubting the front office

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Originally Posted by AusPel

Mac's Twitter also questioning the use of assets on a mercenary position as it puts it

I don't like when he starts doubting the front office

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Why do you care?

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Originally Posted by Biasvasospasm

The Pelicans totally could, and should have in my opinion, signed some other stop gap at center—a Dwayne Dedmon or Nerlens Noel or Baynes or whoever— and not given up a future asset for a player who will definitely not be on this roster a few years for now when this team is winning in a meaningful way.

It could be worse. I would have hated if we gave Favors the contract Utah gave him, or Mason Plumlee what he got paid. But I think it’s short-sighted, and I think we will look back on it as a small mistake.

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Dedmond, Baynes and Noel. All will at least get 3 years I reckon. I don't think any would have signed for the stop gap 1 year you're proposing.

Griffin is prioritising flexibility with Adams and his 1 year obligation. Mac wondering why on Twitter

The flip flopping is so frustrating.

Dell moves picks all the time to get ''young vets'', the board is mad.

Griff starts collecting picks for the future rather than using them all or prioritising other assets, board gets mad.

Griff moves one late-first rounder from years in the future that isn't even ours to acquire a really good player, board gets mad.

You want him to stock up on picks or not? What's the goal here.

I don?t see how anyone would be against this move. Its actually part of the Jrue trade. Really it?s

Pelicans: Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, 2024 right to swap with Bucks, Bucks 2025 1st unprotected, 2026 right to swap with Bucks, Bucks 2027 1st unprotected

Bucks: Jrue Holiday

Denver: RJ Hampton

OKC: Denver?s 2023 lottery protected 1st

Maybe more will be involved as I don’t think the full trade has been announced just yet. So hopefully Eric Bledsoe ends up getting moved to OKC or Denver, but I doubt it. You would think OKC would have to take back some contract, but I don’t understand all the trade rules. It would be sick if they end up with Bledsoe. They could use him for sure

To figure out Lonzo's future sooner rather than later. His cap hold next Summer is friggin' 27 mil!

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

I just woke up and saw this, and here are my initial thoughts:

1) I like it quite a lot. I've said a few times on the board over the last year or so that I would quite like acquiring Adams if the cost wasn't too high, and frankly a 2023 Denver pick with lottery protections on it is not that expensive in my eyes.

2) Steven Adams is a good defender. I saw someone in the thread complaining that he only averaged 0.7 blocks a game, but that is far from indicative of defensive ability: Daniel Theis averaged fewer blocks per game than Hassan Whiteside, but Theis was the far superior defender last year, for example. Adams is a huge guy, who is exceptionally strong, who plays really good positional defense and has very good hands. He's not a top 5 defender in the NBA or anything but he is an above average defensive centre.

3) Adams is one of the best boxing-out bigs in the NBA, and given that the only person on the entire team who boxed out last year with regularity was Favors, I'm glad that we're getting someone back who is willing to do that, and who is also hopefully going to have that ability rub off on Jax.

4) Adams is a brutal screen setter, probably one of the top 5 or 10 screeners in the NBA, with a fantastic knack for angles and absurd strength. Having him with someone like Kira Lewis, who is fairly weak physically and will need some extra space in the PnR as a rookie, is a brilliant combination. The fact that Adams is also the kind of big who will happily screen far away from the ball, even up to the half court line in transition, benefits everyone on this team that excels in the full-court, including Kira, Zion, Lonzo, etc.

5) Everything I've ever heard about Adams and every interview I've ever seen tells me he's a really nice guy who is a hard worker and who doesn't complain, and who improves the culture of a locker room.

6) Adams is actually a really solid passer for a big. Obviously for most of his career this didn't get to show because he was on a team with some absurdly high usage guys like Westbrook where he never got to hold the ball for longer than a DHO, but it showed up more last year. It's encouraging.

7) Adams rolls really consistently which is huge for spacing, actually. While it's true that it would be nice if he could stretch the floor, the reality is that you can't get too hung up on one single skill like that. A big who is an elite finisher (Adams shot 74% at the rim last year, same sort of numbers as AD and Gobert) who is willing to just relentlessly roll also creates a degree of space because he drags his defenders around with him and draws help. Yes, it would be cool if he could shoot, but this isn't the end of the universe.

8) The size of the contract and the fact that it's expiring gives us a ton of options at the end of the year and going into free agency next season, which even though we are not a huge FA destination, is still something worth considering. Plus, Adams is only 27 so if we end up resigning him I'm fairly sure we'd be able to do so for a better deal than he's currently on given the general ''NBA bigs in free agency'' thing where the prices are not that high. He could easily test the market and find that nobody is willing to offer more than, say, $13m a year, and we just come in and give him $15m and then he stays or something like that.

Those are my initial thoughts. I like it.

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I like the move the more I think about it. We're filling an immediate need, obtaining a quality player, veteran, and culture setter, and his contract not only gives us maximum financial flexibility moving into next year, but puts in a position to more easily trade for a star this year if one becomes available.

Also we don't know the final version of the trade just yet, so it may look even better than it does right now.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

The flip flopping is so frustrating.

Dell moves picks all the time to get ''young vets'', the board is mad.

Griff starts collecting picks for the future rather than using them all or prioritising other assets, board gets mad.

Griff moves one late-first rounder from years in the future that isn't even ours to acquire a really good player, board gets mad.

You want him to stock up on picks or not? What's the goal here.

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After dealing with Dell? I'll wait however long it takes to develop. It's crazy, the other day I took a look at our draft pick history and I noticed before Zion, the last original picks(our own)that we kept and developed were AD, Austin River and Darius Miller(2012). Of course they were trades since etc., but how many of those worked out or stayed long? I can wait lol