The 12 months is 2021. I’m running a blog concerning the Lakers. The staff has didn’t defend its title and is buying and selling Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma whereas letting Alex Caruso walk for nothing, and changing them with Russell Westbrook.
The 12 months is 2024. I’m running a blog concerning the NBA. The Denver Nuggets have didn’t defend their title, and are letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope go away for the Orlando Magic, and will add Russell Westbrook to their backcourt in his stead:
Further proving that NBA time could transfer in patterns fairly than a collection of distinctive occasions, this may even be the second time in two seasons {that a} staff has salary-dumped Reggie Jackson to the Hornets with a view to make room so as to add Russell Westbrook.
Now, clearly the context of those conditions is completely different. The Lakers didn’t ship out Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma for Westbrook due to second apron issues (they’re low-cost and can probably by no means cross the second apron, however it didn’t exist but). They simply made a dumb commerce.
The Nuggets are cheaping out on KCP not only for monetary causes or as a result of they suppose Westbrook is nearly as good or higher, but additionally to keep away from the myriad of precise roster penalties that might come from extending him at his market worth, as my good friend Ryan Blackburn summarized effectively just lately at Mile High Sports:
Unfortunately, writing a clean verify, whereas actually interesting to Caldwell-Pope, is just not in the very best curiosity of the Nuggets competitively. The second tax apron, a brand new stipulation agreed upon within the Collective Bargaining Agreement, isn’t only a monetary burden, however a aggressive one. The Nuggets won’t be able to make aggressive trades if they’re over the second apron. They won’t be able to make use of the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception in free company. Even their first spherical draft decide in 2032 can be “frozen” in the event that they end the tip of the 2024-25 season over the second apron, which means they can not use it in future trades. If they keep above the second apron in three of the subsequent 5 seasons, that 2032 first spherical draft decide can be robotically despatched to the tip of the primary spherical, no matter Denver’s report.
Still, whereas the context could also be completely different, it’s nonetheless onerous to not feel like Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen right here whereas watching the Nuggets echo the Lakers’ earlier mistake. Replacing the final word 3-and-D wing with the final word… effectively, reverse of these two qualities didn’t work out for the Lakers. Maybe Jokic making Westbrook a champion is the ultimate means he can extra totally defeat LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers… however it’s tough to not be skeptical that could be past even his abilities.
So we’ll see if this works out higher for Denver than it did the Lakers, however for now, it’s onerous to not be bored with Earth. These folks. Tired of being caught within the tangle of their lives.
