CP3 was in decline and the standard advanced stats (funny to put it like that) showed it, but he was still a top echelon PG. Rusty, for all his flaws, put up "better" stats, but in his specific case I think the issue of fit is a good one.

On the whole, it's not like I think the Rox get markedly worse. Harden it seems is way happier to play with Russ. I just surmise that they don't really improve all too much is basically it. (And still paid a decent amount of dealable chips to make the move)

I doubt they improve much on last year, but they've probably improved a bunch on what they WOULD have been this year, given more probable decline from CP3 imo. So I reckon it's a good trade from a strict better/worse POV but the question is whether ~last years Rockets is good enough in this post-GSW NBA. Maybe?

Houston appears to believe that draft picks are currently overvalued or something, they haven't made a first round pick since 2015.

Thought this would be wrong, but a quick Wiki search shows:

2016: 15th to DEN
2017: 28th to LAL
2018: 30th to ATL
2019: 26th to CLE

How is that possible with the Stepien Rule?

You can draft a player and then trade them, Stepien is more of a future draft pick thing. So right now you can't trade say a 2020 and 2021 first, however You can do that as early as next year's moratorium and then make the trade officially happen after the draft.

or more simply you always have to hold a pick in consecutive years. So if you trade away your 2019 pick, you can trade away your 2020 pick after the 2019 draft.

If you trade away your 2020 pick you can only deal your 2019 pick during the draft so it takes place after the draft.

Ahh, didnt know that. Thanks fellas

Yeah that's kind of what I'm thinking.

Short answer to your question is, if we're talking the version of the team after they got their **** together after starting 11-14, I think so?

Good quote.

Don’t sleep on coach Duncan

In theory they're probably undervalued in that teams will draft Trae over Luka/JJJ or Zion over Ja so picks in the top ~4 are really good but practically most owners probably won't let their GMs draft correctly a lot of the time.

More to do with them being low first and not lottery picks for sure.

Pretty great quote lol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oay7-en5Ow

Did anyone know about this? Cool video

Yeah I've known about this. Read it in some Michael Jordan biography many years ago.

LeBron scrimmaging and (dominating) NBA players the Summer before his Senior year of High School is similar.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5544527/nb...r-wiz-of-awes/

But does the deal work on ESPN’s trade machine?

I think I just got trolled. wp if so.

Seems like pure Wizards fan fiction as its a great trade for them (haul likely better than what OKC got for George) and terrible trade for Suns and Nuggets.

I doubt Suns would do this trade just for 2020 first round pick alone, never mind that they are also giving up Bridges, who looks to be one of their first good draft picks in quite a while.

Is Beal even that good? I'm not even sure I would be all that happy having to give him the super max (assuming he become eligible) much less having to trade significant assets for the privilege of doing so.

edit: Just looked at that guys other posts, and yeah, seems like just some random Wiz fan who thinks Beal is an amazing asset coming up with scenarios where teams go crazy trading for Beal.

Nugs giving up MPJ, Beasley, Gary Harris, Torrey Craig, Bol Bol and 3 first rounders for Beal?

Story checks out.

With 2 pick swaps as well.

#BealWithIt

Rumor sounds like Bol ****

Yeah I know.

and Bol Bol could be anything. He could even be Durant 2.0 minus the snakeness.

That article reads more like a brag of Denver’s asset pool.