Trade & FA 2024-25:

[Smitty]

Well, look at it this way, at PG: Can you envision them guaranteeing Hardy's contract, not trading him and NOT playing him AGAIN? I can't, personally, so I don't think they're in the business of putting up more road blocks to him making their pick successful. I think if you guys are right and he can't do it, he'll get shipped out at the deadline, but I'd bet a lot of money they'll give him the ball to start the season off - he was just getting minutes in the NBA Finals. 

At the 4...I discussed this the other day a bit, but if you want to keep a POA defender on the floor a lot, and I bet they do, that means figuring out how to carve out big minutes for the trio of Exum, Grimes and then probably Marshall. When looking at that list, it seems to me that Thompson is essentially the backup 4 (or Luka, if you'd prefer), because when Marshall plays, he'll be defending on the perimeter. That's why it already seems so "smaller wing" heavy. Luka and Klay are going to take turns defending the slowest, least dangerous forward 90% of the time. It's the only way to make sense of the current roster, imo.

I think we’re on the same page really. Especially the front court. Maybe I’m putting too much emphasis on what I think will be a combined ~70 games missed between LuKaiExum like last year.