Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[RDB]

I’m annoyed at the situation right now with that outstanding pick to NY for Porzingis. We all thought that was a no-brainer at the time (including me), but I’ll be damned if they aren’t having to work around a pick owed long after the guy is even on the team. To me, that’s a real drag.

I’m not disputing your right to be annoyed, just pointing out a flaw of hindsight with many on these boards.  If it is true that 100% of the people on this board will be pissed/annoyed, it is more about not owning the original opinions and using hindsight as the basis for the new positions.  I’ll point it back at me instead of others as it applies to me as well.

I can’t fault the Mav’s for the Porzingis trade as I was onboard with it at the time.  If memory serves me correctly, many of the talking heads also thought the Mav’s pulled off a great trade and I THINK many questioned why he wasn’t shopped for a better deal (memory was it came out of left field but I may be remembering that wrong).

While I am a little more critical of the Brunson fiasco because IMO, the Mav’s should have had a better read, in no world did I see Brunson turning out the way he has from where he was at the the TDL, which is where I believe things started to go south in the relationship.  I liked Brunson more than most on this board but at that time, I still had questions around his upside, team and Luka fit, defense, and his value relative to the cost to retain.  If we are being honest, many had the same questions at the time.  In one case (Porzingis), many are upset we made the move.  In the other (Brunson), many are upset we didn’t.  Both are operating from a position of hindsight.

Bottom line is that it would be intellectually dishonest for me to overly bash the team for moves that in hindsight turned out different than I hoped when I was very happy with one  and conflicted on the other at the time the decision was made.  Is it annoying that Porzingis has and still influences our flexibility moving forward?  Sure…but I don’t blame the Mav’s.  Is watching Brunson’s continued development annoying, absolutely and I am a little less forgiving on that one as they had him from the get go.

Everyone has their opinions on Capela and where the Mav’s are.  Personally, I believe the Mav’s are much closer than I thought they would be.  I also believe they are another year away from being legit contenders and will likely need flexibility to take the next step.  To me, trading the ‘27 pick for Capela would be reverting back to the Mav’s old ways of thinking.  

I like Capela and think he improves the team but not at the cost of the ‘27 pick. I don’t think he changes the contention timeline or improves our odds of taking the next step.  If others feel he is the missing piece, then I can understand their conviction for making the move.  Just own the ultimate outcome, good or bad and don’t let hindsight cloud your future positions.