4 Finals MVPs are changing teams this year. FOUR.

Plus, a few other all-stars and solid players mixed in for good measure.

During crazy times like these, I like to list cards to sell, but I’m not buying any of these guys that are in the in the news.

I’d rather wait for things to cool down and go from there.

Let’s take a look.

They obviously have a pretty crazy top-4 with Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, and now Brown.

First, I’m just out on Embiid. He’s a landmine player, someone I just don’t touch because he can’t stay healthy.

Next, I don’t really like this trade in the short-term for anyone on the team. There are a lot of mouths to feed, and I think that suppresses everyone’s numbers.

Edgecombe especially is a bummer. I think he’ll be special, but it’s going to be hard to put up significant numbers with this team. I love him for a long-term buy, but not for the next 6 months.

Then, here’s Jaylen Brown’s pricing:

He skyrocketed because of his team, but then dropped after a bad playoff loss. Then, he’s jumped up with the trade. He’s not a buy target for me at all.

The exception - if you think this team will be great, then all these guys can jump in price. I think they’ll be good, but not “They’re the best team in the league all season” good. I think the hobby will wait to see how they do in the playoffs.

My first thought?

Great trade for the Raptors.

They get rid of a guy (Ingram) who is a quintessential “get points but not do much else” and replace him with one of the 25 greatest players of all time coming off the highest scoring season of his career.

But again, I don’t love it as a short-term flip.

Look at his pricing:

We’re falling into the classic “new team bump” that often happens, especially for a great player returning to a fan base that adores him. Plus, he’s almost as much of an injury risk as Embiid.

My strategy for this is:

Wait until the “dog days” of the regular season. If February rolls around and the team looks like it could make noise in the East… and Kawhi looks healthy… then why not?

He can be as good as anyone in the playoffs in a single game or series. WHEN HEALTHY (did I say that already?)

I mentioned him before, so I won’t go long. His pricing is still staying high… which I don’t understand. I guess there’s a lot of Miami fans out there, or others who just think the mystique of Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra will propel this team to great heights.

But Giannis is injured a lot lately. The track record of big guys turning 32 isn’t great, plus the team doesn’t have much besides Bam. I’m out.

Again, it’s often hard to see short-term flips work out with all-time greats. They usually go up in value, it just takes time.

But in this case, I actually think there could be a decent bump if he picks the right team.

He’s not going to a terrible team. If he picks a legitimate title contender, I think there are enough LeBron fans and fans of whatever team he chooses to see a decent bump.

And if he picks the Warriors, I think people will go nuts that he’s playing with Steph (in a good way).

And long-term?

Here’s his overall player index for the past 2 years:

The card market is going up fast, and new blood gravitates to players like LeBron. Real investors looking for alternative asset classes, too.

So, I think you can’t really lose here. If you buy him now, maybe you see a bump when he changes teams. If not, then he’s still a great long-term buy who should keep increasing like a 401(k).

I think he’s in the rare position where poor play doesn’t really hurt him, but good play can help. He’s at the “I can’t believe he can still do this!” phase of his career. If he plays poorly, it’s expected because he’s old. If he plays well, people appreciate it extra.

What a fascinating experiment!

He’s one of the more popular players in the league with a ton of social followers. He’s exciting and doesn’t play like anyone else.

Yet, he’s been injury-prone and has large stretches where he doesn’t appear to play serious basketball.

Can he hold up in a playoff series, both from an injury standpoint and a “I can actually help a playoff team” standpoint?

It’s a good question.

I actually think he’s a good opportunity for a flip. This team could be insane on offense, with him, Ant, and Ayo there, plus McDaniels improved last season.

Problem is, his PSA 10 Prizms nearly doubled in value since the trade…

So, I’d wait to see if his prices fall back a bit over the next month and try to get back in around $50.

For a short-term flip, I don’t care how he’ll look in the playoffs, I just want him to look good in October and November.

Bottom line: when four MVPs move teams in one summer, the hobby overreacts before it thinks. Let the dust settle, watch how these guys actually play in real games, and you'll get better prices than the person buying today.

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