Guess what I'm saying is Kawhi's health is just as much a gamble as the picks, if not more. Not arguing whether it should've been done. I understand doing the trade.
With the Lakers, AD's injury prone, but unless something catastrophic happens he's top 6 plus you extend your window. Just reload when LeBron's had enough. The best of both worlds, compete now and later.
Since the trade was really both of them for the picks, they traded for a dude fresh off the operating table while the other one is at the age where he should be in his prime but looks worse than he did 5 years ago and will keep getting worse. Traded the next 6 years to be better than the Lakers for the next two, just to look up to the Lakers in the standings and have your best player on mandatory load management because he can't play the schedule a 35 year old is playing and he's 28.
I know "they pushed the Warriors to 6" but we've got to stop acting like it happened in the conference finals, I blame the media more than anything for the narrative. GS went into the first round in cruise control, got hit in the mouth, KD flipped the light switch, they didn't feel so good after. But everyone loves the underdog, so I get it.