(08-14-2020, 07:19 PM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: I haven't given Ball a moments thought, nor have I watched him at all this season. I'm a bit surprised how he's transitioned his game.
No idea what is fair, but they have a LOT of mouths to feed. Ingram will be near max, Zion will get there and Holiday is highly paid. Favors is also important to them and will probably require something just north of the MLE as they can't afford to try life without him. He has the teams best on minus off rating.
So, your theory is they have to offload now rather than losing him for nothing in 2021?. Calculating value is a challenge. He's a big name because of his draft position. But, some advanced stats are good and some aren't. PER is 13, TS% is .517 and WS/48 is 0.58. On the other hand, PIPM and RMP like him. Could you get there with #18 and Brunson with Jackson as the expiring filler? I don't think they would value Curry. Such a deal matches if you wait until the new season year to complete it. Feels a little light still.
It's not that I think NO could lose Ball for nothing (he'll be a RFA in a year, after all). But he's clearly a few pegs down on the Pelicans pecking order, they'll likely have other financial priorities, and there are already some rumblings that he could be on his way out: https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/08/13/rum...tner=Yahoo
Something like Wright/Brunson/18 for Ball might actually make some sense for both teams. With Luka and Ball on the roster, you could easily fill out the PG bench with someone like Burke. And NO gets two useful, affordable, and hungry ballhandlers and a pick.
I know Ball still has a lot of room to grow, but I'm intrigued by the idea of a Luka/Ball backcourt. That's just a ton of size, playmaking, and rebounding from your starting guards. And what Ball lacks in shooting he can make up for with defense. I see him as a much more talented version of what Dallas hoped to get with Wright.