If you want the Spurs to not suck (aka. Shea) then it's a pretty good deal for them too. No one else was offering them anything good. I think, "knowing" what both sides want, it's a good deal for both sides. Raptors backed themselves and went for it, as they should, and the Spurs don't want to tank, which I don't agree with, but can see why they feel that way.
predictions on the ways the knicks would botch that trade and next season (if they acquire him)?
You are never too young to be an albatross contract imo. Just ask Tyler Johnson (admittedly he is no way near as talented as Towns)
That's got a lot more to do with the Arenas provision structure in his contract than anything else. If his contract was structured as a normal one and spread more evenly it'd be much less of an issue.
Fair point. Here's Minnesota hoping that he goes the entire 5 years of that deal without suffering any kind of injury that takes away the tools that make him such a unicorn
With Kawhi and Green already gone, Dejounte was their one good perimeter defender. Might not change things much overall since the West is stupid this year.
Green wasn't very good last year and Kawhi didn't play a single game after, what, November? They still dragged themselves to 47 wins. I'd probably pick the under on that total this year but they really only traded Green for Derozan in that scenario which isn't exactly a negative. Murray is a great defender but he is a liability on offence and destroys spacing.