05-31-2025, 11:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-31-2025, 11:11 AM by RasheedsBigWhiteSpot.)
(05-31-2025, 09:47 AM)ballsrchr Wrote: Besides Flagg...I want to keep Lively, Gafford, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington.
I also want to keep Kyrie Irving if we can get a good deal going forward. He's injured and getting older, but what a team leader he has become. This would be very valuable for a young team.
Because of what they can contribute to the team, and the economics--meaning basically league minimum--I'd like to keep Dante Exum, and...hmmm...not much else. Brandon Williams. Jaden Hardy...maybe. Kai Jones?
Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, ideally, I'd love to keep most of the band together, but there's a BIG problem most don't consider:
A year from now PJ and Gafford will be up for bigger extensions, Flagg will be making $9mil and even trading AD away will require taking back considerable salary in return. This will be a hard 2nd Apron team. And that doesn't even take into account Lively's extension a year after that.
Frankly, you have to ask yourself, is that collection of complimentary pieces worth being Hard Capped by the 2nd Apron and without the ability to aggregate any of those players to improve?
As much I love those guys, you can't do that anymore. They were brought here to compliment Luka, a top 3 player in his prime. You swallow hard and become a 2nd Apron Team around Luka because you've literally seen the results of being in at least the WCFs multiple years. But, in a best case scenario, Flagg is several seasons from being a true Alpha. And by then, Kyrie and AD are worth very little.
No, the time is now to move these pieces.