TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[DanSchwartzgan]

I'm getting more and more amenable to this Ayton thing as time passes (which means it's a waste of time, because what I want to see happen almost never does). 

I'm still a little concerned about giving up first round picks for a player who can't really create offense for himself and others. As @"omahen" said yesterday, that's what they need more than anything else, and if they do another big draft capital deal for another big who will end up being a complementary player (albeit a much better one than my initial reaction assumed yesterday), I can easily envision a chance that, while the center position will be figured out (we hope) the overall roster and asset cache to improve it might be far worse than it is today, even. 

Defensively, I think he helps a ton after doing some light investigating. Loads of help on that end. And, offensively, he's got the tools to be a great complementary player to Luka. I think it was @"Bayliss" who said he can't punish smaller players after switches, and I still agree with that, so I think we'd be signing up to watch a ton of Luka step back 3's against bigs (especially since Ayton can't take his man too far out of the paint). 

I don't know. Very conflicted. Tell me they can get him for one first, somehow (probably can't - two might be dreaming, the way the market has been going) and I'm in.

Like I said originally, this just feels like a Dallas trade.  As McMahon said, you have to do something to make things work next to Luka.  Those two picks won’t really matter if you hold onto them and lose Luka in the process.

I do think Ayton can punish smaller players.  His mid-range game is fantastic and would crush the strategy of doubling Luka.  Imagine him in the short roll position with his ability to shoot a mid-range, post up or pass to the wing.  The percentages he’d shoot in those situations would be too high for teams to even think about taking the ball out of Luka’s hands.  He sets really strong picks, better than Powell I think (I probably set better picks than Wood), which would make Luka’s life much easier.  If you are an opposing team and Dallas gets a big switched onto Luka and a small switched onto Ayton, what are you going to do.  You have to bring at least one double team.  But who do you double?  And, you’ve just left someone wide open in the corner.  We’ve got to get some more paint touches and inside-out offense and Ayton’s post game and passing helps with that too.  Offense would be fantastic and we haven’t even started on the defensive advantages Ayton brings.

Something that might help you feel better about such a deal would be Dallas shipping Crowder to a third team for something younger rather than keeping him.  There are some interesting rumors out there.  Philly seems like a very logical destination for Crowder.  The rumor there is Thybulle, Niang and 28th pick in the 2021 draft Jaden Springer who’s calling card is on-ball defense.  Niang and Thybulle are both free agents this summer, but you’d have RFA rights on Thybulle.  In my mind you are replacing Good on-ball D in Bullock with Great on-ball D with Thybulle.  Yeah, you hope Bullock will hit the occasional three and you know Thybulle won’t.  I’m not sure knowing he won’t isn’t better than hoping Bullock will and being disappointed.  Niang is a dead eye shooter from three.  Springer is an intriguing defensive prospect who moves the ball well but hasn’t developed much of an outside shot…yet.

This is 16 players, so someone has to go.  You haven’t touched a single starter except for the Wood/Ayton swap.  You haven’t touched Maxi or Green or Hardy either (and added a young prospect in Springer to the Hardy/Green youth movement).  You replaced Bullock with Thybulle, Wood with Ayton and gave yourself another shooter at PF in place of Powell (Maxi becomes the backup C and won’t be required to play a ton of minutes since Ayton will get 28-30).  You can go all in on a nasty defensive lineup with DFS, Green and Thybulle joining Luka and either of the centers.  You’ve also preserved the ability to play 5-out with Maxi, Luka and more than enough shooters.

Ayton.    Maxi.         McGee
DFS.      Niang.        Bertans
THJ.       Thybulle.    Frank/Pinson
SD.        Green.       Hardy
Luka.     Walker.       Springer