12-27-2025, 05:09 PM
(12-27-2025, 03:38 PM)mvossman Wrote: Saying Risacher has a high likelihood of being junk seems overly harsh. I did forget how much that contract is due to being 1st pick.
I think you are overvaluing AD current market and potential future market, and I think you are expecting way too much from "negotiations".
Yeah, I think you're way off. To speak to your points:
1 As for Risacher, if you think he will turn out to be special, you're just basing it on air, because his play has certainly not shown anything. Sure, anything is possible. But he has been meh so far on both ends of the floor, in every way. (I'm thinking he looks like Fournier as his upside, with that looking like a major stretch to get there.) And his contract (13M, 14M, 18M) is not that desirable for a spare part.
2 Genuine proven stars like AD (and he is unquestionably at that "proven star" level) don't get traded for scraps (unless the GM is an idiot). They just don't. Top talent is hard to get, so teams will stretch their budget (and overlook the dings) in order to get those guys, rather than muddle along in mediocrity.
Whether ATL is at that crossroads, yes that's not something we can say either way for sure. But if they are, they are going to be as aggressive as it takes. And they are likely to offer the lowest package of player value, trying to keep their existing talent to max their opportunity to get way better right now, and utilize their future picks as the lure to entice a deal.
3 Re negotiations, I have no expectations. You misread what I said. My expectations are that we have no idea what each side would be willing to offer -- but ("negotiations") EVERYTHING we hear is nothing more than negotiating for a better price (by whispering "info" to some talking head or another), or trying to alter expectations.
You also obviously failed to recognize that the "negotiations" I spoke of (and that are always in play) work BOTH ways. For example, the Mavs have supposedly shut the door on Trae to Dallas as part of the deal. Paying 50M for a player they don't value, and who doesn't defend, and who doesn't fit with Kyrie? It makes no sense. But ATL would LOVE (!) to move him. So "Trae can't be included" is not set in stone any more than any of the things currently on ATL's list of demands would be.