Trade & FA 2023-24: Paul George to Test Free Agency After No Contract Extension

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Just an across the sports spectrum buyer beware statement...  Overpaying for championship role players rarely pays off.  Those backup minutes on outstanding teams are not analogous to starter minutes on a good team.

---

There you go with your Delorean again.  The key is predicting two years out, not projecting from 2 years previous.

How is this looking backwards? Bruce Browns game didn’t change, the team around him did. The point he’s trying to make is that he’s been successful in both roles, guarding POA and handling the ball AND playing as a small ball big. The reason he didn’t get the bag last offseason is because folks felt he was ONLY a small ball big actually.

[dirkfansince1998]

Just an across the sports spectrum buyer beware statement...  Overpaying for championship role players rarely pays off.  Those backup minutes on outstanding teams are not analogous to starter minutes on a good team.

---

There you go with your Delorean again.  The key is predicting two years out, not projecting from 2 years previous.

So Brown forgot how to set screens and short roll? All of a sudden cannot defend bigger wings anymore even though he was doing it for the Nets and Nuggets (on switches)?

[Mavs2021]

https://twitter.com/thenbacentral/status...08931?s=46&t=Fmdr94oXagcEyy75KJqaFg

NBACentral (@TheNBACentral)
The Cavs are open to potential Darius Garland trades, per @AmicoHoops
Likes
411


Its Amico so take with a grain of salt, but didnt Windhorst also allude to CLE having some spicy deals set up?

Kyrie + Maxi for Garland + Allen.

Our whole timeline shifts like crazy. That would be an amazing deal.

[dirkfansince1998]

https://twitter.com/James_HamNBA/status/...3301864449

According to a league source, the Kings and Harrison Barnes’ camp have restarted talks. No word if he will sign a new extension, but they are back at the table.

Barnes avoiding free agency???

[dirkfansince1998]

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...4809376770

The Rockets are planning to ‘tempt’ Fred VanVleet with a contract starting at $40M per year, per
@michaelgrange
“One league source told me the Rockets, armed with $60 million in cap room and no state tax in Texas, are going to tempt VanVleet with a two-year deal for $80 million adding veteran stability to a roster teeming with talented players on rookie contracts.”

Goes along with recent rumors that Harden stays in Philly.

[Chicagojk]

I think Houston will be fascinating this offseason. Who is going to take their money. For me, if i was a free agent I don't think I would be pumped going to Houston right now. They have a lot of young talent, but I am not sure if it is ready to win yet. Plus, they have a lot of young players that expect minutes. Could be a difficult space for a veteran.

Jake Fisher mentioned tis morning have been gauging interest in players like KJ Martin, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher. Martin is a FA after next year and is probably in line for a bigger payday. Garuba may just be lost in the shuffle with all their other younger players.

[dirkfansince1998]

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...6416273411

All signs point to Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder staying in Milwaukee, per
@TheSteinLine
“League sources say that Milwaukee is indeed in a promising position when it comes to re-signing both Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez…The Bucks are increasingly expected to re-sign Jae Crowder after surrendering five (yes, five) second-round picks to acquire him from Phoenix before the February trade deadline.”

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...3321710592

Teams that have made calls for Pascal Siakam:
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings

[Chicagojk]

Fisher mentioned that Christian Wood is a name mentioned as a potential target for Miami.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

A 3+1 descending contract for the least amount of money realistically possible is the most ideal scenario.

4/160 descending would start him right around 44.5 and descend all the way to 35 in his last year.

We need his cap hit this year to be smaller so we have access to the MLE.  Not sure why everyone started talking about a descending contract all of a sudden.

---

I think Houston will be fascinating this offseason.  Who is going to take their money.  For me, if i was a free agent I don't think I would be pumped going to Houston right now.  They have a lot of young talent, but I am not sure if it is ready to win yet.  Plus, they have a lot of young players that expect minutes.  Could be a difficult space for a veteran. 

Jake Fisher mentioned tis morning have been gauging interest in players like KJ Martin, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher.  Martin is a FA after next year and is probably in line for a bigger payday.  Garuba may just be lost in the shuffle with all their other younger players.

Houston seems like a team with a bad owner that wants to cobble together a competitive team to sell tickets instead of continuing the rebuild.

[The Jom]

A little less ghost of podkolzin, a little more action, please
All this PF obsession ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite, a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart, and Mavricks, satisfy me
Satisfy me, baby

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

How is this looking backwards? Bruce Browns game didn’t change, the team around him did. The point he’s trying to make is that he’s been successful in both roles, guarding POA and handling the ball AND playing as a small ball big. The reason he didn’t get the bag last offseason is because folks felt he was ONLY a small ball big actually.

How is looking back over 2 years ago looking backwards?  Say that out loud.

Nellie used to start Erick Strickland at C.  They're the same size.  Does that mean Brown can be a C too?  How many championships did Nellie win with this type of nonsense?

Let me get this straight.  Y'all are projecting to start Brown at PF because he did so in the Nets failed experiment over 2 years ago and not use him like he was used on last year's championship team?  Do you not see the madness in this?

How about we build a roster in the likeness of DEN, you know the champions, and not in the likeness of failed gimmicks?

Rebounding is a key to defense.  You want to rotate a washed up Holmes, always injured bad rebounding Maxi, Luka, and 6 guards and expect to rebound?

[mvossman]

Do the math.  You need about 4k minutes at each of the 5 positions.  Just listing a name is not enough.  What are your projections on how much each can play?  How many minutes?  Brown at PF???  Are you being served?  Holmes to start?????

Calling guards "wings" doesn't make them not guards.  Bullock, THJ, and Green are tweener SG/SF.  Ditto with Brown.  So you've got 6 guards in the rotation in Kyrie, Green, Hardy, Bullock, THJ, and now Brown.  Luka as a PF/SF.  Maxi who played 929 minutes last year.  Holmes who last year played 349 minutes.  Lively who played only 20 minutes in college and was completely invisible in many games.  OMax, a rookie.  Heavy minutes for McGee.  And bringing back Powell?????????

You are presenting a Luka exit plan.

You do realize that the original definition of a "wing" is a tweener SG/SF right?

I think your projections are simplistically looking at just the last season.  There is a lot more context to work from than that.

The Luka exit plan bit is a beating.  The FO probably has a better idea of what will make Luka happy than you or I do.  It looks like focusing on character guys and a longer term plan is what they are going with.  They don't appear to be worried about going through some growing pains this coming season as long as its growing pains and not dysfunction.

[michaeltex]

Regarding Kyrie, should we expect a quick (day 1?) resolution to his contract status or will it get dragged out and gum up the works on whether or not the MLE/BAE is available?

[dirkfansince1998]

We need his cap hit this year to be smaller so we have access to the MLE.  Not sure why everyone started talking about a descending contract all of a sudden.

---

Houston seems like a team with a bad owner that wants to cobble together a competitive team to sell tickets instead of continuing the rebuild.

Even worse. Tanking isn´t even an option because OKC owns Houstons 2024 + 2026 first (top 4 protected).
Paying the price for Westbrook/CP3 and other roster building mistakes.

[dirkfansince1998]

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...7554497537

The Sixers are expected to offer James Harden a contract ‘considerably higher’ than his $35.6M player option, per Brian Windhorst

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

How is looking back over 2 years ago looking backwards?  Say that out loud.

Nellie used to start Erick Strickland at C.  They're the same size.  Does that mean Brown can be a C too?  How many championships did Nellie win with this type of nonsense?

Let me get this straight.  Y'all are projecting to start Brown at PF because he did so in the Nets failed experiment over 2 years ago and not use him like he was used on last year's championship team?  Do you not see the madness in this?

How about we build a roster in the likeness of DEN, you know the champions, and not in the likeness of failed gimmicks?

Rebounding is a key to defense.  You want to rotate a washed up Holmes, always injured bad rebounding Maxi, Luka, and 6 guards and expect to rebound?

No one is suggesting that as his full time role, simply saying there's already evidence he can play that role if we need him too.  The whole appeal of a player like Bruce Brown is that you can do a ton of different things with him, people are simply using his time at the Nets as proof that he can.  No one is suggesting trying to win a championship with Bruce Brown playing a ton of minutes at center but I also wouldn't call that Nets team a failure as it was essentially a KD big toe away from beating the eventual champs (Bruce Brown played 52 minutes at center in that game 7 FYI).

Of course the goal would be to play him to his strengths but if you haven't noticed, this team still has giant holes in the front court so why are you so opposed to the idea of him helping in that area if he's proven that he can?

[SleepingHero]

We need his cap hit this year to be smaller so we have access to the MLE.  Not sure why everyone started talking about a descending contract all of a sudden.

At 45mil, the avenues of getting to full MLE and BAE are open as long as Bullock is S/W

The draw for a descending contract just makes Kyrie a more appealing asset in a couple of years.

[Chicagojk]

https://twitter.com/TheBoxAndOne_/status...6187166722


Grant Williams Starter kit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRyMtnXjW6o

[SleepingHero]

For potential external targets: Christian Wood continues to be mentioned by league personnel as someone on the Heat’s radar.

From Jake Fischer's new article: https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-nba-free-a...ccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFPSTvfF_WbatvTLw2bfLAZ47QgNXwApQ9y2L2c-jKhOEF5GTWJfeHSTRYEbv5eH849PqJPWRazdc_R0peM_1N3cz6UA3mD-WxXzFDXEp8VnW0mGNFNGt42o7lm6k_pL1L2Pq9B-D9s92dAwWAdOwGwHNHxqH92-ytr9qZBTisuD

---

https://twitter.com/thenbacentral/status...27073?s=46&t=Fmdr94oXagcEyy75KJqaFg

NBACentral (@TheNBACentral)
Yuta Watanabe is a potential target for the Phoenix Suns, per @TheSteinLine

“As Phoenix scours the league for quality players willing to play for the league minimum and chase a ring in its supporting cast surrounding Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Nets…

[KillerLeft]

At 45mil, the avenues of getting to full MLE and BAE are open as long as Bullock is S/W

The draw for a descending contract just makes Kyrie a more appealing asset in a couple of years.

If the 4/160 rumor is true, he’d start way under that, no? I hope it’s true.