AD , Jrue, Frank and Stanley working out together [emoji102]

http://twitter.com/WillGuillory/stat...95964844937216


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AD really would be the perfect big to pair with Zion.. defensively JRU, Zion, and AD would be so snag nice ��

We should trade him unless he signs some type of extension. The # of years can be negotiated but saying oh I'll give it 1 more year isn't good enough, because if we are in the same boat as next year we will lose him while gaining no assets in return. If he signs an extension and still wants to be traded we at least will have something valuable. Personally I hope we trade him, I think the haul we get for him could be massive.

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Originally Posted by RaisingTheBar

Personally I hope we trade him, I think the haul we get for him could be massive.

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Man I'm more excited about that haul than winning the lottery. Knowing that we get Zion is one thing... we know that. But not knowing what we're getting in return for AD is soooo much more fun to speculate.

I'm sure he's doing a very important exercise to strengthen his lower body and probably core...

But I bust out laughing seeing Stanley Johnson on that trampoline.

Lol. The next exercise looks like that chain is attached to their......nevermind.....

Us trying it out one year and then bolting for nothing would be the most #pelslife moment in franchise history. I know people don't like the LA deal (it is bottom of my trade choices) but it's still a decent deal.....letting AD play out this year is really the only way we could botch this. Yes. AD, Jrue, and Zion would be legit. But....bye AD.

He can’t sign this year if we actually both agreed to keep him?

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Originally Posted by donato

He can’t sign this year if we actually both agreed to keep him?

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They can offer the super max this summer iirc.

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Originally Posted by RaisingTheBar

We should trade him unless he signs some type of extension. The # of years can be negotiated but saying oh I'll give it 1 more year isn't good enough, because if we are in the same boat as next year we will lose him while gaining no assets in return. If he signs an extension and still wants to be traded we at least will have something valuable. Personally I hope we trade him, I think the haul we get for him could be massive.

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That's basically my view. If he's willing to sign and commit long term to the team, then sure, I'll take it. I have emotional reasons not to want him back but I understand that a player of his calibre is rare and if he's willing to return for 4 or 5 years, then obviously it's the right basketball decision to take him back.

But if he wants us to ''audition'' for him next season, after 7 years of play, with Jrue and Zion right there, and $240m on the table? He can kick rocks.

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Originally Posted by DroopyDawg

They can offer the super max this summer iirc.

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Then yeah. If he doesn’t sign it, trading him is a no brainer.

Keeping him is the best move IMO. He hasn’t played with a player the caliber of Zion yet. He can join old LeBron in LA or KD in New York to be second fiddle. Or stay here to be the #1 player out of a super exciting big 3. Make it a big 4 if we can sign Harrison Barnes on a decent contract and then resign Elfrid Payton to fill out the starting 5.

C: AD
PF: Zion
SF: Barnes
SG: Jrue
PG: Payton

Then fill in the rest with ok talent.

Offer him the extension after a team meeting and him meeting Zion. Make him watch Zion highlight videos for 24 hours straight. Then if declines trade him for the best possible package.

Can we afford Payton, Barnes, and AD?

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

Can we afford Payton, Barnes, and AD?

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Depends on how much Payton or Barnes want. Keeping AD, we'd have somethign in the region of $19m left. If Payon wants $10m and Barnes wants to get another $20m+ contract, then yeah, we can't afford them. If Payton is willing to take $5m and Barnes takes a paycut to around $12m, then yeah we could sign them both.

Obviously that's unlikely, but that's the idea.

I think AD already agreed to stay. It's just smarter for business to manage it this way. If they came out and said AD wants to stay, right after winning the lottery, we would be out of the headlines early. But, let's say we wait til July 1st, after 6-7 weeks of trade speculation, and AD just signs the supermax. We will dominate the free agency headlines. Which would mean more national exposure and TV games. It's all about PR.

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Originally Posted by HoustonPelicans

I think AD already agreed to stay. It's just smarter for business to manage it this way. If they came out and said AD wants to stay, right after winning the lottery, we would be out of the headlines early. But, let's say we wait til July 1st, after 6-7 weeks of trade speculation, and AD just signs the supermax. We will dominate the free agency headlines. Which would mean more national exposure and TV games. It's all about PR.

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I hope so


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Originally Posted by DroopyDawg

Man I'm more excited about that haul than winning the lottery. Knowing that we get Zion is one thing... we know that. But not knowing what we're getting in return for AD is soooo much more fun to speculate.

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I don't think you should be. Getting Zion is huge. What you're going to get for AD is going to be less valuable than Zion. The knicks bidding against themselves. Everyone is saying its LA or NY. You already don't like LA's package. They just added #4 to it. The dropoff is after #3. The Knicks deal would be centered around the #3 pick. I think that's the best you could hope for.

Best case scenario would be to get AD to re-sign and play with Zion. Extremely lucky to win the lotto the years with those two coming out. Imagine getting a Markelle Fulz.

Yeah def fortunate to have won in a year with a prospect like this.

There is a real part of me that thinks trading AD is the smarter move, even if he wanted to stay. Only because I’m not sure what the route is to surround that core (AD, Zion, Jrue) with the necessary shooters and realistically Zion is 3 years from being a legitimate 2nd/3rd star.

Even with all the hype, 19yo rookies just don’t come in and put up 20/10.


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Originally Posted by Saints#34

Yeah def fortunate to have won in a year with a prospect like this.

There is a real part of me that thinks trading AD is the smarter move, even if he wanted to stay. Only because I’m not sure what the route is to surround that core (AD, Zion, Jrue) with the necessary shooters and realistically Zion is 3 years from being a legitimate 2nd/3rd star.

Even with all the hype, 19yo rookies just don’t come in and put up 20/10.


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Exactly. Even AD in his first season only put up 13.5/8.2.

I think Griffin tells AD squad. I'm not trading you now. You are on this team and will play all in with all in minutes. You have until next years All-Star break to sign the supermax, if you have not signed by then I am trading you to whoever.

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Originally Posted by SmontySwilliams

I think Griffin tells AD squad. I'm not trading you now. You are on this team and will play all in with all in minutes. You have until next years All-Star break to sign the supermax, if you have not signed by then I am trading you to whoever.

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And so we deal with the drama for another year and worry about him blowing out his Achilles.... NO THANKS I’m taking the best trade package offered on draft day and being done with AD and his drama


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Larry Johnson scored 19.2 ppg and 11 rpg. He was also 22. Not saying Zion could do that, but I don't think it's impossible. He has the body already.

I think if AD wants to sign, you're happy with that. If it's a disaster you can trade him next year and get even more. But you try and make it work.

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Originally Posted by donato

Larry Johnson scored 19.2 ppg and 11 rpg. He was also 22. Not saying Zion could do that, but I don't think it's impossible. He has the body already.

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NBA rookies coming in and averaging absurd numbers is rare, but it does happen.

Lebron: 21/5/6
Doncic: 21/8/6
Blake: 22/12/4
Elton Brand: 21/10/2
Duncan: 21/12/3
Shaq: 24/14/2
Mourning: 21/10/1
Hakeem: 20/12/1.5
Bird: 21/10/4.5

I could see Zion going for something like 21/8/3 in his rookie year without too much issue, depending on how much control of the ball we give him early.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

NBA rookies coming in and averaging absurd numbers is rare, but it does happen.

Lebron: 21/5/6
Doncic: 21/8/6
Blake: 22/12/4
Elton Brand: 21/10/2
Duncan: 21/12/3
Shaq: 24/14/2
Mourning: 21/10/1
Hakeem: 20/12/1.5
Bird: 21/10/4.5

I could see Zion going for something like 21/8/3 in his rookie year without too much issue, depending on how much control of the ball we give him early.

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Remember, most of those guys played 3-4 years of college. LBJ went directly from HS, but who else was a 1 and done or HS player? So they're all pretty much older than Zion.

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Originally Posted by RobertM320

Remember, most of those guys played 3-4 years of college. LBJ went directly from HS, but who else was a 1 and done or HS player? So they're all pretty much older than Zion.

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Doncic never went to college at all, he was straight from Euroleague. Brand and Shaq only played 2 years in college. We're talking about the difference between Zion starting his rookie season aged 19, as opposed to Shaq starting his aged 20. It's a difference, sure, but it's not like the difference between Zion and Duncan, who played all four years.

I'm not saying Zion definitely will have an all-NBA quality rookie year. I'm just saying that if he did, it wouldn't be unprecedented.

Shaq actually played three years at LSU, but I didn't realize, he actually started his freshman year at 17. His birthday is March 6,1972 and his FR season was 1989-90. So he was 20 when he started in the NBA. For reference Luka was 19, Blake and Hakeem were 21, Mourning was 22 1/2, and Bird was almost 23.

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Originally Posted by RobertM320

Shaq actually played three years at LSU, but I didn't realize, he actually started his freshman year at 17. His birthday is March 6,1972 and his FR season was 1989-90. So he was 20 when he started in the NBA. For reference Luka was 19, Blake and Hakeem were 21, Mourning was 22 1/2, and Bird was almost 23.

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Oh yeah, you're right. I was just checking so that I could answer your question and saw he was 20 in his rookie year and didn't even realise that didn't quite fit the 18 college age thing.

Luka was 19 by the time he played his first NBA game. Zion will also be 19 by the time he plays his first NBA game.

I know that Blake, Hakeem, Bird, and Mourning were a fair bit older, which is why I didn't bring them up as examples of players who were barely older than Zion will be.

My point isn't, just to reiterate, that Zion has just as much experience as Shaq or whatever and will therefore put up 24/14 in his rookie season like Shaq. Cause I don't think that will happen. My point is only that sufficiently talented players have had brilliant rookie seasons before, and that some of those players haven't been much older (Shaq) than Zion will be when he plays his first game, and some others (Luka, Lebron) were the same age or younger than Zion will be. Therefore you gotta judge Zion just on skillset rather than age, and I think he has the skillset to have a really good rookie year.