🏀 The Best Team In The East Is...

Hey, good morning! We’re less than a week away from watching NBA games and we’ve gotten some real news in the past few days. It feels pretty good, huh? We agree! We’re officially back in “don’t write the newsletter too far in advance” territory. That’s kind of scary. But we also love it. Let’s get into it.

Today’s Lineup

A Holiday In Bean Town: Boston gave up a LOT to grab the former DPOY ⏰

Expansion, PT. 2: How do our teams in Seattle and Vancouver shape up? 🏙️

Finals Are Set: The two best teams in the WNBA will meet in the Finals 🏆

Celtics Add Jrue, Portland Gets A Haul

Do you think this is what they’re listening to in Boston today? Get it?

After Jrue Holiday was dealt to Portland as part of the Damian Lillard trade, it felt like only a matter of time before he was rerouted somewhere else—likely a contender—as Portland prioritizes the growth of its young guards.

On Sunday morning, the question of where he’d land was answered as Boston acquired the former DPOY and 2021 NBA Champion for Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round picks.

Portland’s haul for Lillard keeps expanding. After adding Deandre Ayton from Phoenix, GM Joe Cronin reinforced the Blazers’ frontcourt even more with the addition of Williams. 

EB Expansion, Part 2

Us when NBA trades keep happening so we’re forced to delay our expansion draft:

But we’re back, so let’s see who else our hypothetical (and hopefully soon real, we’re manifesting) teams out in the PNW are picking up from the rest of the league.

Vancouver Pick #8: Nassir Little

For the sake of this segment, we’re going to ask you to suspend disbelief and pretend Nas Little is still on the Trail Blazers (he was when the draft was conducted!) Little moves a few hundred miles up the coast, giving Vancouver some length and shooting.

Vancouver Pick #9: Maxi Kleber

Kleber has been a regular player on a good team for many years, so snagging him from Dallas here is a steal for Vancouver.

Seattle Pick #9: Cam Reddish

Is Seattle the spot where Reddish can finally translate his incredible talent to on-court production? We’ll see!

Seattle Pick #10: Troy Brown Jr.

Brown Jr. has steadily developed his shot the last couple of years (38.1% 3PT in 2022-23), and he’ll likely get the biggest role of his career in Seattle. Just 24 years old, Brown still has some room to grow. Worth a flier here for Seattle.

Vancouver Pick #10: Payton Pritchard

Pritchard’s minutes have declined each of his three seasons with Boston, but he’s established himself as an elite shooter and a capable backup guard. He will fight for a starting spot in Vancouver.

Vancouver Pick #11: Lonzo Ball

An extreme flier. Ball’s knee injury might be impossible to fully recover from, but expansion teams can afford to be patient. If he can ever get back on the court—and we hope he can—this is as big of a steal as you’ll find.

Seattle Pick #11: Bol Bol

Every year, Bol flashes a little bit more of his otherworldly skill than the one prior. He hasn’t been able to do it for a full season yet, but the talent alone makes him worthy of an expansion pick.

Seattle Pick #12: Sidy Cissoko

Expansion teams need to balance proven NBA talent to field a competent team and young players to try and build a future foundation with. Cissoko, the 19-year-old G-League Ignite alum, was the 44th pick in this year’s draft and is a big upside swing for Seattle here.

Vancouver Pick #12: Jalen Pickett

Vancouver gets a youngster of their own in Pickett, an early second-round pick from Penn State who stuffed the stat sheet (17.7 PTS, 7.4 REBS, 6.6 AST, 38.1% 3PT) with the Nittany Lions.

FINAL ROSTERS

Seattle:

Ben Simmons, Saddiq Bey, Moses Moody, Precious Achiuwa, Mo Bamba, Jose Alvarado, Isaiah Hartenstein, Gordon Hayward, Cam Reddish, Troy Brown Jr., Bol Bol, Cidy Cissoko, Emoni Bates, Jason Preston, Daniel Gafford

Vancouver:

John Collins, Buddy Hield, Trey Lyles, Isaiah Joe, Monte Morris, Mo Wagner, Malik Beasley, Nassir Little, Maxi Kleber, Payton Pritchard, Lonzo Ball, Jalen Pickett, Jock Landale, Kenny Lofton, Kyle Lowry

Frozen Moments

• LV gets the job done…A’ja & Co are onto their second straight Finals

• The Liberty just snuck by Connecticut in Gam 4 to face the Aces

• An Enjoyer of Basketball is back out West on a two-way deal

What We’re Enjoying

The Creator: Oh yeah, we’re thinking movies are back. Though The Creator doesn’t quite have the hype that Oppenheimer and Barbie garnered a few months ago, it’s still very cool to see original, high-budget sci-fi projects in 2023. Go find your nearest IMAX theater, sneak in some snacks (just kidding, we don’t condone that… unless?), and Enjoy an unbelievable-looking movie.

Signing Off

News is actually breaking in the NBA! We’re closing in on the real thing, folks. Just like the NBA, our lives can start to feel cyclical after a while. Go out and have a new experience this week! Talk soon,

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: The one player the Charlotte Bobcats didn’t pick in their expansion draft? Reggie Evans!

Before you go…