2020-2021 ROSTER TALK: Archived

[Branduil]

I don't think the issue is how hard it is to get the middle class.  I think the issue is the middle class is always Plan B while we chase the bigger fish first.  Note the three guys in your example all went to LA.  Players have 29 other choices and sometimes the other choices are more attractive.  That's a fact of life, not a failing of the MBT.  Who doesn't want to win a ring with Lebron?

Maybe we should stop trying to be LA and do what Indy did the moment free agency opened with Brogdon or what Utah did the moment free agency opened with Bogdonovic or what Charlotte did the moment free agency opened with Hayward.  Make those guys Plan A.  Atlanta used $37 million in space last summer to get Gallinari AND Bogdonovic.  Do that rather than waiting around on a 1% chance Kawhi picks us.  We can debate who that is in 2021, but it is the team's job to know who would jump at the chance to be here and who might have us further down their list.  

I don't see a path to Collins.  My interest in him was at the TDL when you could hold his matching rights.  I see a huge issue with trying to work this out with Atlanta while other names are flying off the board (we know how that movie ends).  I'm also not sure we would be Collins' first choice.  I get why a Dallas-centric community would think playing next to Luka and KP is perfect for any player.  However, if I am his agent, my main job is to get the most I can get now and set him up for the next contract.  I'd much rather place him where he would be first or second fiddle rather than third.  That way he's got a much better shot at a five year 7-9 max money deal the next time.

A great example of this is Christian Wood.  We sent Detroit more than enough salary to match Wood and pretty clearly they preferred Wright over Ariza.  The rest of the deal with Houston wasn't hard to replicate.  My takeaway isn't that the MBT failed.  My takeaway is Wood saw a bigger role (and greater future riches) in Houston.  Crowder said the same thing about Phoenix.    

We can debate the specific names.  You don't like Monk, what about Norman Powell or DeRozan or Fournier or Duncan Robinson or Dinwiddie.  I don't think it will be hard to replace what THJ does.  Just because the team says they will be "aggressive" (which they say every year), it doesn't mean they are going to strictly look at Max guys.  What I'm advocating is making your target(s) guys that are realistic and getting that done at 5:01 like other teams in similar markets seem to be able to do.

In that case I think the logical offseason move would be to go after someone like Holmes and hope you can swing a trade for a guy like Brogdon later.