The consensus among the cognoscenti is that it was a win-win for both teams (as somebody said).
The consensus also is that: this trade immediately puts LAL in a position to contend for the West's slot in the 2020 Finals. GSW's loss of Kevin Durant (achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL) for a major part of, and perhaps the entire, 2019-20 season knocks them out of Western title contention. Plus, LAL will have between $23 mil and $32.5 mil depending on when the trade is finalized this summer to add a third piece and re-create a legitimate new Big Three; NO went from the Anthony Davis Team to the team Anthony Davis wanted to leave to the Zion Williamson+Ball+Ingram+Hart+#4+two additional first round draft picks team. In Nawlins the future is so bright you gotta wear shades.
The two things among the cognoscenti I disagree with are this from Tim Bontemps, my newest savant of choice wrote:
"The events of the past month have solidified Leonard as the best player in basketball."
And the consensus being that Milwaukee (2 votes), Houston (2), and LAL, (1) and Toronto (1), Toronto: the defending champions, are the favorites to win the NBA title. Bontemps punted on his forecast, he wants to wait until the rest of free agency plays out, which is com ci ca fair enough if "the best player in basketball leaves the True North--but Bontemps didn't caveat his punt with that contingency, he punted anyway. Milwaukee: the team who won the first two from Toronto and then lost the next four?! Umm, No. Houston? Houston has a problem. They don't do June in Houston, the month of June does not exist in Houston, they go from November to May and take a long summer vacation. Houston is not going to be NBA champions in June, 2020. I would have added Philadelphia to the potential titlists; they came within a bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-drop of forcing OT against Toronto in game 7 of their series--which they led 2-1. I would say the favorites for the 2020 NBA title are--I'm going to give myself 10 votes:
Toronto, 4 votes
Philadelphia 2 votes
Houston, 2 votes
Milwaukee 1 vote
LAL, 1 vote.
The consensus also is that: this trade immediately puts LAL in a position to contend for the West's slot in the 2020 Finals. GSW's loss of Kevin Durant (achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL) for a major part of, and perhaps the entire, 2019-20 season knocks them out of Western title contention. Plus, LAL will have between $23 mil and $32.5 mil depending on when the trade is finalized this summer to add a third piece and re-create a legitimate new Big Three; NO went from the Anthony Davis Team to the team Anthony Davis wanted to leave to the Zion Williamson+Ball+Ingram+Hart+#4+two additional first round draft picks team. In Nawlins the future is so bright you gotta wear shades.
The two things among the cognoscenti I disagree with are this from Tim Bontemps, my newest savant of choice wrote:
"The events of the past month have solidified Leonard as the best player in basketball."
And the consensus being that Milwaukee (2 votes), Houston (2), and LAL, (1) and Toronto (1), Toronto: the defending champions, are the favorites to win the NBA title. Bontemps punted on his forecast, he wants to wait until the rest of free agency plays out, which is com ci ca fair enough if "the best player in basketball leaves the True North--but Bontemps didn't caveat his punt with that contingency, he punted anyway. Milwaukee: the team who won the first two from Toronto and then lost the next four?! Umm, No. Houston? Houston has a problem. They don't do June in Houston, the month of June does not exist in Houston, they go from November to May and take a long summer vacation. Houston is not going to be NBA champions in June, 2020. I would have added Philadelphia to the potential titlists; they came within a bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-drop of forcing OT against Toronto in game 7 of their series--which they led 2-1. I would say the favorites for the 2020 NBA title are--I'm going to give myself 10 votes:
Toronto, 4 votes
Philadelphia 2 votes
Houston, 2 votes
Milwaukee 1 vote
LAL, 1 vote.
