2020-2021 ROSTER TALK: Archived

[mvossman]

Of course I have to say something  

I have a really hard time accepting the fact that 18 mm tied up in reserves is acceptable and a sign of a successful summer. If you sign Holmes for 14 mil, it leaves you 20 mil. Not enough for top guard options CP3, Lowry, Conley, DeRozan, Ball). Is everything else like Graham, Powell, Fournier or Schroeder really that much better than THJ/JRich combo? Let me compare two offseason scenarios - "run it back" and "Holmes". 

With run it back you basically keep whole team and add full MLE and BaE. Let's say Reddick and Melli are gone to free roster spots. You can also say goodbye to Bobi or keep Bey on two way contract. I guess a bench MLE shooter and bench PF/C would be biggest missing links. Final line-up:

Luka, Brunson, Terry
JRich, THJ, Burke
DFS, MLE, Green
KP, Maxi, Bey
Powell, WCS, BaE

In the Holmes scenario you operate under the cap. Let's say you sign Holmes and Graham, which is a popular choice. For that you are losing THJ, JRich and WCS in addition to Reddick and Melli (and Boban). You have rMLE and BaE to fill the holes. Line-up would be:

Luka, Brunson, Terry
Graham, Burke
DFS, Green, rMLE
KP, Maxi, Bey
Holmes, Powell, WCS (let's say you bring him for exception money)

Can someone say with certainty that lineup in the Holmes scenario is any better than lineup in the run it back? Better at C but almost certainly worse on guard/wing spot. Offseason like this would be very dissapointing for me. 

This leads us to moving Powell. Assets attached, of course, I am not delusional someone will offer value for him alone. We can use him in a SnT move for Holmes, which would leave us cap space for top end guard. We can dump him and create enough cap space for Holmes and top guard this way. Or we can trade him for a wing behind DFS/Graham.

If I have to guess, I think Mavs will go after top end guy first, either one of the guards or Collins. Holmes doesn't fit unless a trade/dump is made.

That second lineup is significantly better than the first, especially the starters.  You just added two legit starters (something this team desperately needs) who also happen to be young while addressing your biggest needs (additional playmaking and physical defense in the frontcourt) all for taking a depth hit in the backcourt.  The thing is, this is the last time we can improve in free agency, and the following year we can easily address the depth issue with the MLE.