A Very, Very Early Look At The NSL Offseason

With the 2020-21 season wrapped-up and in the books, all eyes shift to the draft and the offseason. Throughout the playoffs the whispers continued to become audible and with the lottery results a spark of activity began. Then the NBA free agency happened and many NSL teams were given little choice but to start negotiations. It appears many GMs have already begun to position themselves to sign, retain and make power plays in the offseason!

When you scroll through the discord threads and are met with multiple green lights, the detective senses can�t help but tingle. It begins to feel like a Mexican standoff with GMs speculating and guessing, �da f*** are they up to?�

Green Light Franchises (article will focus on)
The Green Light Franchises make up the portion of the league that are busy, likely working the lines, locking things in and positioning themselves to either buy or sell. They or their secretary have been logged into discord since the second round of the playoffs, sending gift baskets, making spreadsheets and most importantly opening up preliminary discussions around their assets.

Minnesota 
Phoenix
Philadelphia
New York
Toronto
Washington

Amber Light Franchises
The Amber Light Franchises are made up of teams that either opposing GMs want to get on the line with or they are simply putting things in place for if/when movement occurs. They will probably be holding on hope that a prospect falls to them in the draft or they are waiting to use their space on a no-brainer type trade. They are playing a slow, methodical, calculated game and have their secretary making excuses to get out of phone calls from Boston GM Toby.

Atlanta
Charlotte
Cleveland
Dallas
Milwaukee
LA Lakers
New Orleans
Detroit
Orlando
Boston
Utah

Still On Va-cay
The NSL season has been finished one day and let�s face it, it�s the most gruelling games from a mental and physical point of view. The teams on this list are currently taking a break, sipping a margarita in a swimming pool somewhere tropical and living the good life. Covid has not got in the way of them living the dream and they will return refreshed and ready to go come the draft, free agency and transaction period.
 
Brooklyn
Chicago
San Antonio
Denver
Portland
LA Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Indiana
Memphis
Miami
Houston
OKC
Sacramento- Where is KLEMM? (Send prayers)

So, what is going on with these Green Light Franchises and what might actually be happening behind the scenes?

Phoenix- GM Laddas, featuring Toronto-GM Dunne and Wizards- GM Josh
Being an early victim of the sign-and-trade by-laws, GM Laddas, a man no stranger to activity, made a clear decision to be proactive and pounce on the market while most GMs ordered their 8^th Pina colada. The cobwebs were blown off the discord Trade-Block and Lonzo Ball�s name reluctantly went up. 4 hours later, a post saying something along the lines of, �Lonzo is gone as a deal has been reached, come and wow me for one of the best wings in the game, Demar Derozan.� Eyes lit up and the speculation began.

Very little is known about what happened between those posts but one detective sighted a Toronto sticker on a post with Derozan�s name upon it. The Wizards had posted mentions of Clint Capella on the trade block which seemed to have gone completely quiet over coming days. All three GMs were sighted as active over the prior days as well! With a tin foil hat firmly planted on head, questions began racing in my mind. Could there be a blockbuster 3+ team trade? What will Phoenix look like in the coming season with Derozan and Ball traded? Who is scooping up these guys and what is the return?

Minnesota- GM Ethan (Ecorndog), New York-GM Smokey and Philadelphia- GM Nenjabin
What do these three franchises have in common and how are they linked? Well, I�ve done a deep dive down the rabbit hole after watching the discord lights over the past week and a bit. When I awoke one night at 3.45am, I decided I�d do a quick scan of the league to see if I could put the mind to rest. What I saw were three green lights, Ecorndog, Smokey and Ben. Why would they be up this late? What on Earth could be so that they would organise a secret meeting at the witching hour?

I ran diagnostics and it turns out a case could be made for a potential mega deal. HOW? WHAT COULD ETHAN HAVE THAT BEN AND SMOKEY WANT?

CAP SPACE AND DRAFT EQUITY�

Ethan is a relative unknown in this league so far but he has quickly become a beloved figure who continues to impress with his eye for talent and his gigantic balls when it comes to trading. He might have traded Curry but his moves since have really shown he understands the intricacies of this game.

Ben and Smokey are known quantities. They have an deeper knowledge of the game than most, they know how to build teams through the draft (especially Ben) and through free agency. They know the formula and understand the algorithms- BADGES are a big factor and salary is even bigger. Could there be a move that frees both franchises up financially and with badge flexibility? Smokey�s team is still very young and might look for draft assets, Ben has aging Lebron and could look to the future while attempting to find a running mate in the FA�

Could there be a deal here that makes sense?

After hitting rebuild, Ethan will sit nearly $30 mil below salary cap (now Porter is gone), that�s enough for a max guy. The Wolves also have Caris Levert and Kyle Kuzma, guys who combine for approx. $20 million. On top of these assets the Wolves have multiple lottery picks, pick 5, 9 and 16 (just outside lottery). Could those pieces entice a move of a mid-80s guy like Ingram, Fox, Middleton or Tobias Harris? Could another trade partner be brought in to part with a max contract?

It all seems to make too much sense and after tracking the activity of the aforementioned GMs for nearly 5 days, all signs seem to point to �shit�s going down.� Could an under-the-radar GM be making an incredibly early case for GMOTY 2022? And what the heck are these star GMs up to? 

Obviously, it�s too early for any official talks and trading is still a long time from opening up but there�s something afoot here in the NSL. Chips are falling. As we close in on the draft, Boston, Atlanta, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Utah and Lakers best be on notice that their discord movements will be watched incredibly closely. Atlanta are almost certain to package picks to move and shake up the order, the Bucks have shopped the 3^rd pick already and others are looking to buy up capital draft capital as we speak. Let�s not forget Cleveland GM Dylan loves a wild move too. GMs, you�ve been warned. I will be watching.