Stop moving the goal posts. Take any championship contending team you want from the East. You can add Butler or Lavine to this year's roster. If that team fails to win the championship, your entire family will be murdered in front of you, and you will be tortured to death. Do you add Butler or Lavine?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Yes. Butler has never shown shit in the playoffs. Next question. I'd take my chances on Lavine. You do realize that there are very few teams that are actually bidding on the services of "top 10" Jimmy Butler right now. Sort of proves the point. Know you will make it about him being a cancer (convenient excuse) but there wasn't much of a market before that. If so many "contending" teams are interested then why hasn't there been much of an interest? The offers that Minnesota has been receiving are a joke.

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He is a free agent after this season. Why give up a ton of prime assets when you can sign him in several months and give up nothing?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Because the team that trades for him becomes the team best positioned to resign him.

Do you want me to reference the haul that Denver received for Melo during a contract year? The offers for Butler have been junk.

Hell look at the haul that S.A received for Kawhi? His was also a contract year. If they want you they will find a way to get you.

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If Butler were traded for that same 'haul' you'd be laughing at how he was worth so little. When you trade a Top 10 player back, you want to get back star potential in either young players or picks, not friggin Chandler and Gallinari.

Kawhi Leonard is one of the Top 3 players in the league and that circumstance was quite different than Butler's.

edit: Also that Carmelo trade was contingent on him signing the three year extension. Knicks certainly would not have given up as many assets without that extension.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

The league has gotten smarter since then. Everyone quickly realized how stupid that was and it left the Knicks bereft of assets to build around Melo with.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Denver received 5 players for Carmelo in a contract year. 2-3 or them were starting caliber players. Nice try with the friggin Chandler and Gallinari garbage. There was more to the trade than those two.

You have referenced how you think that Butler is a top 8 player. There isn't a lot of difference in top 3 and top 8 unless top 8 isn't really top 8. Really isn't much difference when you consider that Kawhi probably isn't top 3. Definitely couldn't be considered that after coming off an injury.


Kyrie Irving whom you think that Butler is better than, was able to net more than what has been offered for Butler even as people knew he was going to be traded.

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I agree that it wasn't a smart trade but there have been other bad trades since then. Pat Riley was reluctant to trade Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler and we are haggling over Butler's market value?

Zach Lavine is on his way to being an all star. The numbers that he posted during his first four games of the season were numbers only ever posted by Jordan. This kid is a gifted scorer. More gifted than anyone could have imagined.

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How in the world is Kawhi Leonard not Top 3?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

It is debatable particularly when you consider that he just came off injury.

Right now I'd have to go

AD
Still Lebron
Durant.
Greek Freak. All ahead of Kawhi.

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I'd take a healthy and motivated Kawhi over anyone in the league right now. Unfortunately with the questions still surrounding him there are a handful of guys id rather have right now if I'm building a team.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

In my mind, it is Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Top 3. I'm cannot be arsed to attempt to order them. LeBron sits at #4 now.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Jokic will soon be crashing this conversation. #1 in WS/48, #1 in BPM, #2 in VORP, #4 in PER. He appears to be making The Leap.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the top 5 as they are that close. The knee jerk Lebron is the best player stuff of the past 6 years or so is over. If anyone places him outside the top 3 they wouldn't get much of an argument from me at this point. Others have caught up.

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LBJ is GOAT. But he is older and pro sports will always be a young man's game.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I don't if I'd place him ahead of Embiid and he still only plays a little more than half the game. Some of those stats are inflated because of that.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

System QB. Matt Cassel is just as good.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.