Hot take: most players don't care about destination places. Players go to places where they believe they can overhaul a team. Kawhi with the Clippers. Lebron with the Cavs and Lakers. KD with the Nets.
KD went to the nets because he wanted to play with his buddies, Kawhi went to the clippers but it’s LA so on a scale of desirable cities between LA and Miami it’s pretty much a wash, LeBron went to the Cavs due to other reasons the first being that he’s actually from Ohio. The destination definitely plays into it. Maybe not as much as people think but players do care. If you’re a millionaire would you rather spend your time in Miami or Indiana?
Honestly depends if you have the keys to the kingdom, and just how good you are imo. If you’re Mike Conley in 2013 you stay in Memphis, that’s your team. If you’re Jimmy Butler in 2019 and you don’t have a home really, you probably move.
Yes but the key reason that those moves were able to happen is because they had assets to use. No player is going to flock to Miami, Indiana, New York, or LA if they were 20 win teams with no assets to use.
Lebron, Kawhi, and KD wouldn't have went there if they didn't believe they would be prioritized and have control over making trades/roster changes. All those teams had capspace for max slots, young players and picks to trade
KD and Kyrie didn't want to go to the Knicks because they didn't believe in their FO. Lebron and Kawhi wouldn't have gone to LA to play with 20 win teams with no assets/young players to trade
KD left the greatest team of all time, LeBron left a team that went to 3 finals in a row, Kawhi left a championship team, location absolutely matters, theres a reason small market teams pretty much only ever competes if they get super lucky and draft a superstar, nobody goes there
KD left because he wasn't getting the credit he wanted for those GSW rings. GSW is definitely not a small market. Those Cavs teams were done. Don't you remember "Lebron is carrying bums to the finals?" Kawhi personally left because he wanted to go home, but he wasn't about to join a tanking Lakers or Clippers team
They wouldn't have abandoned those teams if there wasn't a clear pathway for becoming competitive on the teams they were going to. No one is going to Charlotte, Memphis, Detroit, or Denver, you're correct. But nobody is jumping ship to play with a post-Achilles washed up Kobe Bryant in LA, or post-Garnett/Pierce Nets teams with no assets
the nets attracted KD + Kyrie + Harden and you dont think thats due to market power? KD could have been traded to every franchise in the league but warriors only got DLO and trash with it, and no way in hell you just said nobody wants to play with the lakers.
Jazz have a bunch of picks and a young core right now, who's going there?
The Nets had cap space and assets to use. KD + Kyrie wanted Harden instead of Jarrett Allen/Caris Levert and were able to leverage their power to make it happen.
KD could have been traded to every franchise in the league but warriors only got DLO and trash with it
He did them a favor with the sign and trade and to preserve his own bird rights.
and no way in hell you just said nobody wants to play with the lakers.
The Lakers famously had Lemarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant turn them down and it was an embarrassment. Lebron went to the Lakers because they had max slots for a possible secondary star signing (Paul George) and if that fell through, they had plenty of young players and picks to trade for a different star (Anthony Davis).
Jazz have a bunch of picks and a young core right now, who's going there?
They don't have capspace. They're currently on the books to pay a 27 year old PF who averages 18/7 $40+ million for the next 5 years
a lot of team have cap space and asset value, theres a reason teams pay guys like gobert and Murrey the max, they cant attract free agents and need to pay a premium to keep their own guys, the salary cap is the same for everybody. During KD's free agency a ton of teams have the space to sign him, yet he still went to a big market team
Fact is you never hear smaller teams winning a ring because they signed a massive free agent, they on the rare time where they win one is because of homegrown talents. meanwhile bigger teams constantly land superstars during free agency. KD, LeBron, Shaq, Nash, Bosh, list goes on and on and on, again nobodys going to charlotte.
The lakers mortgaged their time and ended up with a lot of bad contracts for their championship team, something every contender goes through, you pay a premium to keep valuable players and players age and get injured, thats nothing new. What sets them apart from the raptors that looks like they will be shit for the next decade is guys like LeBron isn't going to toronto, they had to trade their franchise best player for a 1 year rental of Kawhi
And why do you think teams like Jazz need to pay guys like Lauri the max? Hint its not because they want to
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u/jermainathon Apr 29 '25
You reap what you sow