NBA 2024 Buyout Watch List

[SleepingHero]

The unused 15th roster spot will do nothing for us.  It's a wasted opportunity.  

Killian Hayes is 6'5 with decent athleticism.  He's Ok defensively and can handle the ball and pass.  He just can't shoot.  If he could shoot, he'd be a starter.  As he is, he's an interesting prospect.  He's also free to obtain.  

There are plenty of players in the league who didn't succeed in their first NBA opportunity because they were "awful".

Players like Goga Bitadze, Jalen Smith, Kris Dunn and Dennis Smith Jr failed in their initial NBA opportunities but somehow have now become quality rotation players.  

Taking a chance on a young player with some talent is much smarter than preserving the 15th roster spot in the name of cynicism.

I'm very much of the opinion that Hayes isn't anything special. He's statistically been one of the worst players in the league. Being on some of the worst teams throughout his career doesn't help his stats. I think the most relevant thing is that his own team gave up on him as soon as his 2nd year and waived him before his own rookie deal was up.

He reminds me a lot of Franky Smokes, but instead of never shooting it Hayes loves to hoist inefficient mid range jumpers.

I agree though, that the 15th spot being left open is a wasted opportunity. Hayes would be an interesting gamble. There were a ton of rumors over the summer that the Mavs were interested in Hayes. Of course I think we can deduce the real target was Bogdanovic and Hayes was the ballast DET wanted to get off of. But the fact the Mavs most likely considered it is telling imo. 

Another wrinkle is that Hayes agent was basically begging DET to trade him at the TDL for a better opportunity. Is he really getting that here? He'd be squarely behind Luka, Kyrie, Exum, THJ, Hardy, and Green. I think it's far more likely Hayes is picked up by the Spurs to end the year and to see if he's worth rehabbing. 

For the Mavs, if they don't sign anyone from the buyout/waived market, then I think Lawson's contract is converted and they roll with who they got. While not splashy, Lawson has played some pretty solid minutes at times this season. Not sure he'd be a playoff sparkplug, but his hustle is worth it alone.