Netaman wrote:JoseRizal wrote:Decipher wrote:
It’s weird
Kid is 22, averaging 21ppg while being paid $2.2 million per season for the next 2 seasons
What’s more, the team is starting to win with him as a starter
He’s just about the least of our concerns and there’s no way he should be traded unless we’re receiving something special in return imo
Exactly! He's only 22 yo and already an elite 3-level scorer. While his D and playmaking still leaves a lot to be desired, I don't think this is his final form. There's a reason a player's prime is around 27-28 yo, and Cam still has a lot of years to fix his issues.
Are we already in the position to contend to start shipping our young players? There's absolutely no need to trade CT in any potential Murray deal. Heck, I doubt if one of our valued FRPs would turn out to be as good as Cam.
Also, Murray is not the type of player who'd bring us to contention. We'll still be a middle of the pack team. So, no need to blow your load for a crack at additional 5-10 wins...
his true shooting% is 55%. that is hardly elite. 36% from 3 and 44% from field. both are league average numbers.
he is a competent volume scorer but needs extremely high usage to do it. he's at 31% right now. in 140+ games as a net kyrie had slightly lesser usage (30%) but a 60% ts% (49% overall, 39% from 3). He was an elite jackass but also an elite scorer.
and on top of that Cam Thomas' defense is really bad. by almost every metric he's one of the worst defenders in the nba.
the counter argument to this is that his defense could improve and his efficiency could improve, especially if he didnt have to ball handle as much and could do more catch/shoot. both of those things are true. if simmons stays healthy cam will have a much better chance to be an effective player taking positive steps forward. we just dont know how long that will last with simmons.
cam t = rj barrett. i think id rather sell him as high as possible while he's cheap than be the team that overpays on an extension that quickly becomes hard to move.
Again, you're comparing a 27-30yo Irving (depending on what season) to Thomas who's only 22yo.
Efficiency is debatable. Granting, Cam takes and makes a lot of bad shots, part of his development is to learn how to pick his spots. It also doesn't help that he's been in and out of the starting lineup.
What I meant by elite is primarily his offensive skillset. He has a vast aray of ways to score and not just relies on catch & shoot. He's the only effective iso scorer in the team, he gets to the FT line at a respectable rate and opponents blitzes him 'cause they respect his ability to score.
Why sell high on a 3rd year player when we don't even have a chance to contend? Heck, if only we had our own picks we wouldn't be in NBA purgatory.
Trading Cam is a meaningless and senseless move. Call me again if he's a final trade piece for a Luka blockbuster...
