Guitarsoup said:

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Someone quoting r/NBA a couple pages ago.

Here is a thread from just two years ago.

Wiggins vs Kawhi. Overwhelming majority took Wiggins and downvoted anyone that voted Kawhi. Pretty hilarious.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/2v5sdh/interesting_question_would_you_rather_have_andrew/

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flashplayer said:

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If anything is going to happen with FA signing for the Spurs, do you think we hear about necessary trades before FA period or simultaneous to the announcement of the signing.

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Quote:

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But if there's any weakness to Kawhi's game, it's playmaking. Leonard needs a partner at point guard and right now he's without anyone viable. Tony Parker is 35 and suffered a ruptured quad tendon which is as serious as it sounds. Charles Barkley's career ended at 36, with the same injury. Parker won't be back until midseason, and at that point you have to wonder what version returns, if he returns at all. At the least, the productive portion of Parker's career could be over. It's sad, but it's the truth and the Spurs must think about their other options. The only other point guards on San Antonio's roster are Dejounte Murray, who is still extremely raw despite showing positive signs as a rookie, and Derrick White, who the Spurs drafted just last week. Neither of them is exactly ready to carry the load deep into the playoffs.

That's why San Antonio's interest in CP3 makes sense. Paul is arguably the greatest point guard of this generation and it's easy to see him fitting into Gregg Popovich's system because, frankly, Paul could fit in anywhere. A four-year max deal (with a player option on the fourth year) for Paul could bridge the gap between the present and future. The Spurs could remain a title contender while also developing youth off the bench.

The problem is that Paul will be tremendously expensive, at roughly $150 million over four years. San Antonio's depth and cap flexibility would be crippled if they were to sign him. To add Paul at the max, they'd need to start by saying goodbye to Mills, Dedmon, and Simmons, plus trade Danny Green for picks or low-cost players. But if Gasol is re-signed and Milutinov comes over from Olympiacos, the plan gets even more convoluted. If Ginobili decides not to retire, it's nearly impossible.

Let's pretend for a moment that Ginobili retires; Mills, Dedmon, Lee, and Simmons sign elsewhere; Milutinov signs, rookies White and Jaron Blossomgame sign, and Gasol re-signs to a deal that'll pay him $8 million in 201718. This all feels fairly realistic, yes? Great. Under this scenario, the Spurs would then have roughly $12.3 million in cap space. Trading Green brings them to $21.5 million. They'd still be about $13 million short of having the cap space to offer Paul the max. To get there, they'd need to dump Aldridge or Parker. Sheesh.

With that cascade of numbers, the Paul plan starts sounding a lot less viable and more like a pipe dream. It's certainly still a possibility, but the amount of hoops to jump through and poles to limbo under quickly becomes overwhelming. There's an argument to be made that a stop-gap point guard like George Hill, Derrick Rose, or Jrue Holiday makes a hell of a lot more sense than moving heaven and earth to sign Paul. They'd all be cheaper and San Antonio could get to that price point far more easily without losing important role players like Simmons and Dedmon, too. According to the San Antonio Express-News, there's mutual interest between the Spurs and Hill, who "has long desired to reunite" in San Antonio. Now this seems realistic.

But we just went from talking about the Spurs chasing one of the greatest point guards ever, and then we're coming off the heels of them reportedly pushing for George. It seems extreme to go from those big fish to Hill, who seems more like a backup plan. There has to be another plan that isn't quite CP3 plus PG13, but also not as meh as Hill plus re-signing the core.

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West Texan said:

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I imagine plan B is signing one George Hill or Derrick Rose. Outside of that, I have no clue. I'm not sure what other big moves we could make and we're not going to give up Aldridge and Green for nothing.

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West Texan said:

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I imagine plan B is signing one George Hill or Derrick Rose. Outside of that, I have no clue. I'm not sure what other big moves we could make and we're not going to give up Aldridge and Green for nothing.

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GatorAg03 said:

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Also shows how poorly LMA is thought of. I'm sure the Spurs would have gladly moved LMA, Green and a 1st for Paul....yet the Clips prefer Bev, Decker, Williams. Pretty eye opening on how much damaged goods LMA is currently.

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GatorAg03 said:

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Also shows how poorly LMA is thought of. I'm sure the Spurs would have gladly moved LMA, Green and a 1st for Paul....yet the Clips prefer Bev, Decker, Williams. Pretty eye opening on how much damaged goods LMA is currently.

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GatorAg03 said:

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I get that, but after Paul was rumored to be interested in the Spurs you don't think he would have signed an extension to go to San Antonio? Perhaps not, but I would think he would have.

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GatorAg03 said:

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You are right, we have no idea. But Spurs we're rumored to be willing to move LMA for a top 10 pick and got zero takers and now CP3 was traded for a handful of beans while LMA was rumored to be available.

Who knows what was actually offered or discussed, or if it's just all rumors that LMA is being shopped, but from an outside look if the rumors.are to be believed it sure seems like his value isn't real high.

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