MavsBoard

(09-16-2020, 02:43 PM)ItsGoTime Wrote: [ -> ]I don’t want to lose the guys who play well and create the good chemistry on our team, but I wouldn’t hesitate in the least, if we’ve identified a player of need that can start for us, to give up any of the guys we’ve confirmed should come off the bench on a contending team.


I get that people hated the Rondo, Toine, Odom, etc. trades, but the starting unit needs a pretty big uplift to be a contender IMO.

You seem way too concerned with the term "starters" or "starting," which leads me to believe you're using those terms to mean something different than what I have previously understood to be their meaning. Anyone starting on a playoff team in the NBA's Western Conference is, by definition, a starter, no?

The Mavs are far from the best team in the league, and need to continue to build, but they're undeniably a GOOD team. I'm all for taking wild swings at talent acquisition when you have little talent and really have no choice, but a good team needs to be tweaked more deliberately so you don't screw things up. 

The team currently has a great mix of players ready to compete in a playoff rotation. I'd estimate that number to be around 7-8, depending on how you view Burke's claim to being "on the team."  Additionally, they have Brunson and WCS, who could be on that list in a year, and guys who clearly aren't in that category but who contribute in important but less noticeable ways, like Boban, Barea and Lee. 

The only dude on the entire roster who didn't just have a good season was Delon Wright, and I could even be talked into giving him another shot, tbh. 

Bottom line is that this team won 33 last year, 24 (!!) the year before, and now, suddenly, they are a playoff team whose arrow is so, so obviously pointed almost straight up. I'd go as far as saying that this season was a special one, and one that should be celebrated. It's important to understand that some roster actions taken could be to the detriment of that progress and not an enhancement of it. It's just common sense, really. These are human beings, not a list of names with 2K ratings assigned to them.

Am I, or anyone else, saying that these guys are untouchable in trades? Of course not. But the Mavs FO seems to be in midst of one of their more intelligent periods, professionally, and I suspect they're not in a huge hurry to throw their guys in the trash. I hope not, anyway. 

I'm all for making the team better, believe me, but I really believe a lot of people are sleeping on the internal improvements that will likely happen as a result of the first playoff experience. At the very least, I don't move players out for players without that playoff experience. That's just one example of what I mean. Here it is, illustrated through (insane and unlikely) hypothetical:

Marvin Bagley, from a pure talent standpoint and as a future prospect, is objectively more valuable than Maxi Kleber. But, Kleber now understands the effort, sacrifice and attention to detail required to win in the NBA playoffs. Bagley still doesn't. Plus, Kleber knows how other Mavs are going to play out of certain actions...who is going to roll or pop...who is going to cut...who needs help on defense with what type of player and in what type of situation...who needs help being reminded of their rotation responsibilities in what situation...on, and on. This nuanced understanding of the team is now ready to leap even farther forward, while a new player, even a talented one, would be starting two years behind where Kleber is now. 

In the (admittedly insane) scenario above, do you make that 1 for 1 trade, if you're the Mavericks? Probably, due to the value that's exchanging hands, but I'm telling you, the immediate product is weakened by that transaction, and you're making that choice based on the hope (not a definite) that it pays off and the extra time spent with the new player ultimately moves your potential ceiling higher. I believe this is very obvious thinking that a professional builder of TEAMS (in real life) must take into account. There's on the job training going on in front of live and television audiences, with real stakes on the line. Once you've got a guy understanding his role and fitting in, I think it's easy to see why you'd place more value in that guy than Joe six pack does, sitting at home pissed because Kleber has shot 4-40 (or whatever) in a series. 

You make too many deals like that at once, and all of a sudden you're behind teams like Pheonix, New Orleans, etc, simply because their guys are TRAINED and yours aren't.

(09-16-2020, 03:17 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I'm all for making the team better, believe me, but I really believe a lot of people are sleeping on the internal improvements that will likely happen as a result of the first playoff experience.

I don't think it is that simple. Our players are mostly in their prime and I wouldn't expect huge development. Yes, they will be more experienced, but they will also start losing their athleticism.

Other than what you said, what playoffs also showed is, that Kleber is not a starter on a contender. You can't play him 30+ minutes, because he is very limited offensively. His more or less only skill is shooting wide open three pointers. And even that failed him in the playoffs. Teams can hide their rim protectors on him. He is just too much of an one way player. He played almost 34 mpg and scored less than 7 ppg. Defensively he was tasked to guard Kawhi, one of the toughest jobs. Denver managed to do a much better job on him. Still, he was ok imho. He is 28. Do we believe he will take his offensive game a couple of steps higher to justify large minutes on a contender? I don't. We need someone better and have Maxi in a reserve role, which means he will play somewhere around 20 min per game, perhaps less in playoffs. 

On the other side of the spectrum, playoffs also showed we have another one way player in THJ. Good offensive player of catch and shoot, but can't really create for himself. Still solid, I am satisfied with his offensive contribution. Scored over 17 ppg on decent percentages. Could be higher, but of course 6 games is a very small sample. But his bad defense makes me tough to think of him as a starter on a contender. So upgrade of a more capable 2-way player, even if he is a bit worse on offense, might bring better results. 

Out of KP and Luka, DFS was actually the only guy that showed starter level performance on both sides of the court. He played good defense, hustled and scored 10 ppg in 31 mpg. Even dished out over 3 assists per game. I think he is a capable fifth starter on a contender, if he continous to play like this.

There was one more guy playing at a starter level - Burke. Really surprised with the defensive hustle. Also very good offensively, but of course his history might suggest this is not necessarily sustainable. Would he keep the hustle if he receives a larger long term deal?

Maybe a simpler, shorter response would've (should've?) been: Based on my understanding of your points, I think I disagree with your assessment of many Mavericks players and more highly value their on and off court contributions.

EDIT: I meant for this to attach to my response to IGT, not as a new response to Omahen.

(09-16-2020, 03:17 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]You make too many deals like that at once

I don't think anyone is thinking of totally changing the roster. I think MLE and a minor trade can bring two better two way players which would make our rotation much stronger. However, if miracoulously (for example) New Orleans wants to trade Jrue for Seth and Maxi (plus picks), I wouldn't really think a lot about it. 

And oh yeah, I would also do the Kleber-Bagley trade. It would make us better, if Bagley is able to stay healthy.

(09-16-2020, 03:53 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 03:17 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]You make too many deals like that at once

I don't think anyone is thinking of totally changing the roster. I think MLE and a minor trade can bring two better two way players which would make our rotation much stronger. However, if miracoulously (for example) New Orleans wants to trade Jrue for Seth and Maxi (plus picks), I wouldn't really think a lot about it. 

And oh yeah, I would also do the Kleber-Bagley trade. It would make us better, if Bagley is able to stay healthy.

Yeah, like I said, you'd have to do either of those deals.

I guess with your thinking (slightly different than IGT's) my difference is that I DO expect improvement from MANY of these players next year. I'm not worried about any of them "losing their athleticism," nor do I fear that general phenomenon nearly as much as some fans do. 

I didn't mean for this to be about Kleber - he was just an example I pulled out of my ass, but in his case, specifically, I consider him to be one of only 3-4 two way players on the roster right now. He was a huge negative on offense in THIS ONE series (his first, when he was being asked to guard Leonard). I'll give you that. But, I firmly believe the game is going to slow down for him with experience, and eventually I think he becomes the type who hits those playoff shots, whether it's for this team or some other. I haven't lost a bit of faith in him regarding his place in the league, as it's clear he understands his niche and is working to perfect his game. 

Is he a starter, or not a starter? I don't care. I'll agree that going into the series with only KP, Kleber and Boban as options isn't going to get it done. Some of that hardship is owed to injury, some to abilities not present on the roster, but I still think what Kleber provides is something you'll need, and something at which he'll continue to improve for a few years. In short, you seem to believe he's at or near his peak, and I flatly do not.

The underlined statement above is also true (for my part) when applied to Finney-Smith, Powell, Curry, Wright and Hardaway Jr, all of whom are, I believe, still learning. The only guy there I can confidently declare a non-fit is Wright, and I could be talked into giving him another crack at it, tbh. 

Part of the issue is how the term "young player" is applied. If you go 100% by age, which I admit is a very literal application of the term, then you're not using it the same way I am. I think Tyler Herro, a rookie, will come out of this season more advanced than D'Arron Fox, for example. In many ways that matter a lot, development starts or at least shifts into a different gear once the playoffs are experienced. Think about it: does a person in real life who drops out of high school suddenly know everything their peers do on their 18th Birthday, just because of their age? 

The Mavs struggled with defense this season, right? I wonder what percentage of those struggles was due to ability, and what percentage was due to understanding of the system plus simple commitment and focus on that end? Undoubtedly a bit of both, but I bet the latter is more prevalent for every bad defensive team than fans realize. Now that the Mavs have literally SEEN and EXPERIENCED what it takes to win in the playoffs FIRST HAND, doesn't it stand to reason that they'll be more apt next season to hear coaches' instructions and warnings in a new way? Doesn't it seem like they'll find it easier to commit to improvement there, now that they KNOW how good they'll need to be to reach their goals? Do you think maybe that's an advantage they'll have against teams like New Orleans, Sacramento and Pheonix that is completely unrelated to talent?

Am I saying don't trade them? Nah. I am saying maybe don't go into the off season with the mindset of "welp, we gotta get THIS guy off of the roster - He's not a STARTER." I realize that's a gross oversimplification of what you and others are writing, and I don't mean that to be disrespectful or trivializing. That IS how some posts come across at times, however.

(09-16-2020, 04:15 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]we gotta get THIS guy off of the roster - He's not a STARTER

Who said out off the roster? If I say Maxi is not a starter, it means he should be like 6-8 player in the rotation, playing 20 mpg and starting duty with some 30+ mpg should be taken by a better player. 

When you guys spoke about chemistry, I would say it is even more important to put guys in right roles that fit their skills. Above is one example. Maxi can be bad starter or an excellent back-up. I prefer him in a role where he is excellent. We can afford to have a good starter and excellent back-up.

(09-16-2020, 04:21 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 04:15 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]we gotta get THIS guy off of the roster - He's not a STARTER

Who said out off the roster? If I say Maxi is not a starter, it means he should be like 6-8 player in the rotation, playing 20 mpg and starting duty with some 30+ mpg should be taken by a better player. 

When you guys spoke about chemistry, I would say it is even more important to put guys in right roles that fit their skills. Above is one example. Maxi can be bad starter or an excellent back-up. I prefer him in a role where he is excellent. We can afford to have a good starter and excellent back-up.

If you can get someone better than Kleber, sure, bring him off the bench. If you have to lose Kleber, THJ and Powell to upgrade one position, then sure, you might sleep better at night knowing you've added a "starter," but I think there's a real chance you've just made your team significantly worse. 

These specifics are all useless, because none of them are real. What I'm saying is that what they have NOW is working better than they expected it to work, and I think it would be easier for them to make things worse from here than it would for the team to get better. I hope they don't make things worse, and that's not the same as saying I hope they don't make any roster moves.

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@"omahen" I'm not even trying to talk about Kleber, btw. It was just a random example.

(09-16-2020, 04:28 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]These specifics are all useless, because none of them are real. What I'm saying is that what they have NOW is working better than they expected it to work, and I think it would be easier for them to make things worse from here than it would for the team to get better.

Well, what they have now is also not better than first round exit. So I don't believe what they have now can improve to a real contender status. This simply means, they have to make a change. Of course there is always risk it will go wrong. But I don't think a couple of roster tweaks would really have a high risk of making this team worse. I am much more worried about injuries. 

I don't really see a lot of ideas like: lets trade THJ, Maxi, Seth, Wright and Jackson for CP3. That kind of trade is dangerous. Trading Wright for Young (for example) and putting Young in the starting line-up is not dangerous. If it doesn't work well, you bench him and start Maxi. Very simple.

(09-16-2020, 04:21 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]I would say it is even more important to put guys in right roles that fit their skills. Above is one example. Maxi can be bad starter or an excellent back-up. I prefer him in a role where he is excellent. We can afford to have a good starter and excellent back-up.

I agree with this, to a point. I don't believe I've written anything to the contrary, either.

I want them to look for ways to add talent. I want that talent to be employed in effective ways. 

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't see ANY need the team has that's worth gutting the team to fix. I think from here on out, continuity is much more important than it was at any point between 2011 and this moment, right now.

I feel reasonably sure the Mavs will reload this roster having 2 good picks and MLE space that they can leverage. I felt that way last summer and we ended up with Curry and Wright which wasn't the most successful haul ever but Curry is an asset. I fully expect Mavs will bring in some good talent to shore up some holes and also reserve tons of powder for 2021.

(09-16-2020, 04:36 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I guess what I'm saying is that I don't see ANY need the team has that's worth gutting the team to fix. I think from here on out, continuity is much more important than it was at any point between 2011 and this moment, right now.

Agree. But still they need to aggresively explore ways to get better. Within limitations of what you said. So not trading half the team for something that might be better on paper. But improving here and there using assets.

(09-16-2020, 04:35 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]Well, what they have now is also not better than first round exit. So I don't believe what they have now can improve to a real contender status. This simply means, they have to make a change. Of course there is always risk it will go wrong. But I don't think a couple of roster tweaks would really have a high risk of making this team worse. I am much more worried about injuries.

Yes, I understand completely what you're saying. What I'm saying, and where I think we differ is that I DON'T believe this same team being a first round exit next season is a foregone conclusion. Far from it, in fact. Contender status? Well now, that's different, but if I'm the Mavs GM I'm confident enough that my team is still improving that I don't feel backed into a corner the way Daryl Morey probably feels right now, for example. I look for deals that make sense, knowing that the "minimal roster turnover" card is a decent one to play this time around the table if I choose. 

At some point, yes, they will reach a point where they'll have to take risks to get better. No doubt about that. I just don't think they're at that point yet. I'm not even saying I don't want them to make a great deal, if it's there, or use the MLE on a guy they think can help. I'm just hoping they don't do something STUPID because..."do something." 

I think you and I are closer than I originally thought. I find it difficult to follow the rhythm of your writing at times (Eastern European, maybe?), but it's usually worth the effort when I can. Later in this post you used the words "2-3 tweaks" and I have absolutely no issues with that kind of approach.

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(09-16-2020, 04:38 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 04:36 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I guess what I'm saying is that I don't see ANY need the team has that's worth gutting the team to fix. I think from here on out, continuity is much more important than it was at any point between 2011 and this moment, right now.

Agree. But still they need to aggresively explore ways to get better. Within limitations of what you said. So not trading half the team for something that might be better on paper. But improving here and there using assets.

YES!

Man, so much of message board communication is about word choice. Sorry if this was all for nothing. I agree with the above, word for word.

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(09-16-2020, 04:36 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: [ -> ]I feel reasonably sure the Mavs will reload this roster having 2 good picks and MLE space that they can leverage. I felt that way last summer and we ended up with Curry and Wright which wasn't the most successful haul ever but Curry is an asset. I fully expect Mavs will bring in some good talent to shore up some holes and also reserve tons of powder for 2021.

This was right where I was a few weeks back, and might be the case. 

The thing is, the more people from around here show the list of who will actually be free in 2021, the more reality sets in that it kind of is "Giannis or bust" as there aren't REALLY that many other attractive options. While I think the Mavs are much more likely to be successful in a FA competition for Giannis than they ever were to get Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, etc (all of that was just flatly delusional) I still don't think you can call it "likely" with a straight face, and the absence of fallback options has me feeling differently. 

I'm kind of wondering whether they'll decide to shoot their shot this year, as many have been saying.

I am more and more inclined for a Schroeder trade, assuming CP3 is traded (lets say NY) and of course we believe he has grown up and cleaned his act and can repeat last year performance. Although someone like Philly, Milwaukee, Clippers and perhaps other contenders could also really use him and offer nice compensation (if they get out of CP3 game). For example:
Mavs offer: Wright, Jackson, #18
Milwaukee: Hill, Wilson, # 24 (or Bledsoe, #24)
Philly: tough one, sure they would like to get rid of Horford but they would have to attach a lot to get it done. Switching Richardson for Schroeder also doesn't make much sense. I find them hard to field a competitive offer unless they are willing to pay like 3 picks to get out of Horford
Clippers: Beverly+Shamet? Zubac+McGruder? Green+McGruder+Shamet?
Orlando: Aminu+Bamba?, Aminu+Birch+#15?
Lakers: Green+#28?

Which offer do you think is best?

I have talked myself into Schroeder. If you can get him for #18 and dump Wright in the process I think that's a good move. There are other guys that could be in the mix but Dennis would be a good get.

(09-16-2020, 03:50 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 03:17 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I'm all for making the team better, believe me, but I really believe a lot of people are sleeping on the internal improvements that will likely happen as a result of the first playoff experience.

I don't think it is that simple. Our players are mostly in their prime and I wouldn't expect huge development. Yes, they will be more experienced, but they will also start losing their athleticism.

Other than what you said, what playoffs also showed is, that Kleber is not a starter on a contender. You can't play him 30+ minutes, because he is very limited offensively. His more or less only skill is shooting wide open three pointers. And even that failed him in the playoffs. Teams can hide their rim protectors on him. He is just too much of an one way player. He played almost 34 mpg and scored less than 7 ppg. Defensively he was tasked to guard Kawhi, one of the toughest jobs. Denver managed to do a much better job on him. Still, he was ok imho. He is 28. Do we believe he will take his offensive game a couple of steps higher to justify large minutes on a contender? I don't. We need someone better and have Maxi in a reserve role, which means he will play somewhere around 20 min per game, perhaps less in playoffs. 

On the other side of the spectrum, playoffs also showed we have another one way player in THJ. Good offensive player of catch and shoot, but can't really create for himself. Still solid, I am satisfied with his offensive contribution. Scored over 17 ppg on decent percentages. Could be higher, but of course 6 games is a very small sample. But his bad defense makes me tough to think of him as a starter on a contender. So upgrade of a more capable 2-way player, even if he is a bit worse on offense, might bring better results. 

Out of KP and Luka, DFS was actually the only guy that showed starter level performance on both sides of the court. He played good defense, hustled and scored 10 ppg in 31 mpg. Even dished out over 3 assists per game. I think he is a capable fifth starter on a contender, if he continous to play like this.

There was one more guy playing at a starter level - Burke. Really surprised with the defensive hustle. Also very good offensively, but of course his history might suggest this is not necessarily sustainable. Would he keep the hustle if he receives a larger long term deal?

Luka and KP haven’t even started their “prime” yet

Maxi was only playing that many minutes out of necessity. The injuries are a far greater concern. Maxi needs less minutes. KP needs less minutes. So does Luka and Hardaway and Dorian. We have minutes for additions while still keeping everyone that matters

Hardaway, DFS and Maxi were our 3 best defenders once KP went down

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(09-16-2020, 04:35 PM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 04:28 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]These specifics are all useless, because none of them are real. What I'm saying is that what they have NOW is working better than they expected it to work, and I think it would be easier for them to make things worse from here than it would for the team to get better.

Well, what they have now is also not better than first round exit. So I don't believe what they have now can improve to a real contender status. This simply means, they have to make a change. Of course there is always risk it will go wrong. But I don't think a couple of roster tweaks would really have a high risk of making this team worse. I am much more worried about injuries. 

I don't really see a lot of ideas like: lets trade THJ, Maxi, Seth, Wright and Jackson for CP3. That kind of trade is dangerous. Trading Wright for Young (for example) and putting Young in the starting line-up is not dangerous. If it doesn't work well, you bench him and start Maxi. Very simple.

How many minutes did Luka and KP even play together in the series? It’s hard to even know if we’re better than a first round exit. The injuries are the real concern going forward IMO, not the “potential”

(09-16-2020, 02:11 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 12:49 PM)Jason Terry Wrote: [ -> ]Clippers screw it up next year and might be a chance KL or PG available. It’s obvious they lack chemistry. Harrell and Lou Williams can’t be played in 4th Q of playoff games. Doc is done. OKC just totally pillaged LAC and HOU. How ironic that both teams are missing a point guard with leadership and 3pt skills that can fit off ball if necessary and play defense. CP3 sweepstakes will be interesting. Makes sense why we would send out fake interest to drive the price up. This offseason and next has potential for blockbuster moves from desperate teams. Feels good we have the chemistry that these teams couldn’t buy

I’d love Leonard here - he’d be the absolute ideal solution to pretty much every problem this team has. But, I don’t think he picked the Clippers because he thought they were definite champions, I think he just wanted to move home and play in LA. I still give him a lot of credit for not jumping on with LeBron, and I think he’s a Clipper for the rest of his career. 

Who even cares about George, at this point? Wouldn’t shock me if we start hearing some Lamar Odom type of stuff about him eventually, and I want no part of that. 

Agree about the chemistry. It’s important that a sense of continuity from year to year is maintained from now on.

Regarding KL and PG: 
KL is after his legacy, he didn't move to LAC until they secured him another super star, he didn't jump to join Lebron because he wanted to challenge him. 
He knows that he gets that 3rd ring with another team, he will be with the KD,LBJ, Curry of the world. He isn't there yet. If Clippers fails to make a trip to the finals, he will have to think his future.
As for PG, he is a legitimate defender and 3rd option tbh. Not ideal but won't mind him. 
Same for Lakers stars if they get defeated against Nuggets. Unlikely but if happen they are pretty much in the market if they don't make it next year, a year that will still have nuggets as more experienced team, have GSW back, have Mavs more experienced and hopefully healthier etc. This year was/is LA duo biggest chance.
I really don't remember any heavy weight off-season like 2021 that didn't end without big movements, people keep saying all those players will stay put in Milwaukee, Clippers, Lakers etc, but media and the league lives for this. They will talk them to it, and then talk about the new shiny teams. 


Regarding chemistry: This is really important, and part of why I am a pro plan powder.It isn't just about cap flexibility, I think we don't know what we have yet. This season was essentially this group first year together and they established a great offensive chemistry, but we suffered injuries and we lacked it in defense. I think we need another year for this group to grow together (with minimal moves) and have a clearer picture of what we have. 
I highly doubt there is such amazing trades available to change the whole fortunate of the team, I would prefer small tweaks here and there, but no big moves for now unless it is a KP type of opportunity.

(09-16-2020, 07:17 PM)khaled1987 Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 02:11 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-16-2020, 12:49 PM)Jason Terry Wrote: [ -> ]Clippers screw it up next year and might be a chance KL or PG available. It’s obvious they lack chemistry. Harrell and Lou Williams can’t be played in 4th Q of playoff games. Doc is done. OKC just totally pillaged LAC and HOU. How ironic that both teams are missing a point guard with leadership and 3pt skills that can fit off ball if necessary and play defense. CP3 sweepstakes will be interesting. Makes sense why we would send out fake interest to drive the price up. This offseason and next has potential for blockbuster moves from desperate teams. Feels good we have the chemistry that these teams couldn’t buy

I’d love Leonard here - he’d be the absolute ideal solution to pretty much every problem this team has. But, I don’t think he picked the Clippers because he thought they were definite champions, I think he just wanted to move home and play in LA. I still give him a lot of credit for not jumping on with LeBron, and I think he’s a Clipper for the rest of his career. 

Who even cares about George, at this point? Wouldn’t shock me if we start hearing some Lamar Odom type of stuff about him eventually, and I want no part of that. 

Agree about the chemistry. It’s important that a sense of continuity from year to year is maintained from now on.

Regarding KL and PG: 
KL is after his legacy, he didn't move to LAC until they secured him another super star, he didn't jump to join Lebron because he wanted to challenge him. 
He knows that he gets that 3rd ring with another team, he will be with the KD,LBJ, Curry of the world. He isn't there yet. If Clippers fails to make a trip to the finals, he will have to think his future.
As for PG, he is a legitimate defender and 3rd option tbh. Not ideal but won't mind him. 
Same for Lakers stars if they get defeated against Nuggets. Unlikely but if happen they are pretty much in the market if they don't make it next year, a year that will still have nuggets as more experienced team, have GSW back, have Mavs more experienced and hopefully healthier etc. This year was/is LA duo biggest chance.
I really don't remember any heavy weight off-season like 2021 that didn't end without big movements, people keep saying all those players will stay put in Milwaukee, Clippers, Lakers etc, but media and the league lives for this. They will talk them to it, and then talk about the new shiny teams. 


Regarding chemistry: This is really important, and part of why I am a pro plan powder.It isn't just about cap flexibility, I think we don't know what we have yet. This season was essentially this group first year together and they established a great offensive chemistry, but we suffered injuries and we lacked it in defense. I think we need another year for this group to grow together (with minimal moves) and have a clearer picture of what we have. 
I highly doubt there is such amazing trades available to change the whole fortunate of the team, I would prefer small tweaks here and there, but no big moves for now unless it is a KP type of opportunity.

You’re right Kawhi cares most about his legacy. And yes he came home to LAC, but if it ends in dysfunction next year then something must be done. He will not stand for that. He and PG would be perfect fits. Luka and KP need a defense first superstar wing and they both fit the bill. Rick would get the most out of PG 

I don’t see any scenario where we trade picks past 18 and 31. We need to wait till the last NYK 1st rounder conveys before we do anything bigger. Make do with what we have till Luka signs his max. If KP has another major injury we need the flexibility to pivot any plans we have

Would you trade Curry, Wright, #18, #31 for Oladipo (assuming you also get no assurances he will resign)? His market value is affected by his contract status in that presumably no team trading for him will know for sure that they can keep him in 2021. In this scenario you shed 16 mil in 2021 salary so you have a lot of money to add new FA's in 2021 whether or not Oladipo is resigned.

In 2020 THJ would probably still be starting so your lineup would be Luka, Oladipo, THJ, DFS, KP. Also some money would be freed up that would probably allow you to sign Burke to replace some of Seth's production.

Here's a great discussion by NBA players about the importance of experience and the impact it has on the appearance of ability. It's not exactly on the topic of continuity, but I believe it indirectly underscores some of what I was saying yesterday. Dame is talking about learning stuff in the summer between his 1st and 2nd year, but we know of course that it takes some players considerably longer to elevate their understanding of the game. 

Incidentally, this podcast, "The Old Man and the Three," is one of the best NBA resources I've ever found. There's some of the fluff you'll find everywhere else, but in every episode there's at least one segment like this one. I can't recommend it highly enough. 

https://youtu.be/oPaJYw0GdSw

Really interesting commentary from Dame in that pod. I am surprised he will watch every League Pass game on days he is not playing. That is crazy.