Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

This seems harsh.  Gafford is definitely an above average backup center, its just that most of his value is on the offensive end.  The real issue is that he makes a lot more than most of his competition.  Teams don't spend money on backup centers unless they can also play the 4.  This has been touted as a competitive advantage, but I'm not sure if that's true, especially in the playoffs where the best teams like to play centers off the court.

I take your meaning to be "This (having two centers, not a hybrid backup) has been touted as a competitive advantage, but I'm not sure if that's true..."

If that's your aim, I'm right there with you (though I agree having two is a luxury during the regular season grind and that Gafford is a load on offense). 

The money...I just keep coming back to the idea that they will be FORCED to unload Gafford eventually, probably sooner than we think, for financial reasons. I can't shake that thought, and then you look at the defensive metrics (or just watch 10 games) and you realize he is the biggest defensive liability in the rotation, BY FAR, to the point where the ONE PLAYER who isn't forced to share the court with him for even one minute, Lively, is automatically at the TOP of those metrics, and all of this during REGULAR SEASON play, before you get into the "where the best teams like to play centers off the court" of it all. The universe is screaming at us. 

When I bring up trading Gafford, I'm not trying to get rid of him, and in fact I think it would be risky, because there are ways of trading him that might look like huge mistakes, at least in the short term. But, I think we're pretty close to the highest his value is ever going to be, and might have even passed that point about a month back. If they could somehow capitalize by selling HIGH and possibly even getting a better overall player who'd help, like Jones for example, then that's something I wouldn't hate because again, I don't think Gafford is on this team in two years, anyway, and I don't think there's going to be much of a choice at some point. 

Having said all that, when it comes to Jones...if they want Gafford, cool. If they want Kleber, cool. If they want Grimes, cool. I really like how I think Jones would look on this team. So, it's kind of two separate conversations for me. I would not let ANY of those players keep me from acquiring Herb Jones in a world where that was my choice. I think I might prefer the Kleber/Grimes package because of Jones taking a big chunk of Grimes' role, and because the financial uncertainty with him is coming even sooner than it is with Gafford.