** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[youngcrev]

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As they should. Trey Murphy would be awesome here. Bummer that they're not dumb.

[PhillyFan11]

Just go get DeJounte Murray…we match up well with the Hawks as a trade partner given their cap situation and he’s a great fit next to Maxey.

Murray + 1 of Bogdanovic, Hunter or Capela for 2 1st’s. Hawks recoup the 2 1st’s they traded for the failed Murray/Trae experiment and clear $40+M off their books in 1 shot. Win/Win

Bogdanovic would be ideal, I personally wouldn’t mind Hunter (I’m sure some will disagree), and Capela could be flipped in a 3 team deal pretty easily.

[SixthStreet]

I think Morey is just putting rumors out there on George so the Clippers fold on offering the 4th year. It's advantageous to us given that we hold some of their draft control. The more you can box that roster in, the more valuable those picks are.

[76ciology]

Looking at Embiid, his most valued trait is scoring, as is Maxey's. Let them be our go-to guys down the stretch. What we need is to either construct a team that prevents close games by winning non-Embiid minutes, or a team that gives Maxey and Embiid good opportunities by having less fatigue (depth), better shot quality (spacing), and improved frequency (rebounding and defense) if a game becomes close.

Against the Knicks, Josh Hart and Divicenzo hits their biggest shots. They don’t need a Jimmy Butler to make the shots for them.

Dont see this at all. The recipe for success is taking the scoring burden off of Joel and allowing him to focus on dominating defensively. His scoring takes a playoff hit every season. He was just absolutely abysmal in 5 of 6 4th quarters against the Knicks. Love Joel, but there is nothing about him that suggests he can be a championship caliber closer. Maxey, may be different, but Joel, not a chance.

This team needs another scorer in the worst way. Not an over the hill overpaid max guy. But they need someone who can be relied upon to score in the non-embiid minutes and who can take some more of the scoring burden away from Joel while he's on the court, because honestly, dude is getting 37-40 minutes in the playoffs dang near every night regardless of who the backup center is. That's just how it goes in the playoffs. Teams shorten their rotation and play their best players more. So he needs to rest while on the court, too.

I have a different perspective on this.

I believe the reason why he isn’t a good closer is that he has to anchor both ends of the floor, which he doesn't have the health, endurance and durability to sustain effectively.

I am of the opinion that if Embiid could play with someone who can alleviate some of the defensive load, he could be a much better closer. I don’t think he can dominate defensively for an entire regular season and playoffs.

Even his statistics indicate that his scoring should be highlighted. He leads in scoring, OBPM, OPM, Points per 36, ISO PPP, TS%, Post PPP, among others. It’s on offense which he has ATG level numbers.

In my view, we don’t necessarily need add a closer. Instead, we should focus on making Embiid and Maxey better closers. This can be achieved by improving the stage for them, providing better opportunities (higher quality and quantity of shots compared to opponent’s closers), and reducing their exposure by preventing close games if possible.

I believe that Maxey and Embiid’s two-man game is already effective; they generate good shots and shoot at a high percentage. The issue arises when they run out of energy, especially in critical moments like the last two games when Nurse had to play Embiid for the entire 4th quarter.

I am not suggesting getting a backup center to alleviate his defensive workload, as I agree that rotations become shortened. Instead, I am looking for a player (likely a power forward) who can shoulder the defensive load, similar to how Aaron Gordon supports Jokic. This would allow Embiid to conserve his energy on defense, giving him more stamina on offense. Ideally, this player could also play a two-man game with Maxey, which IMO crucial in unlocking Maxey’s offense becoming the engine of our offense during non-Embiid minutes. Overall, this strategy would enable Embiid to rest more on the bench with a competent non-Embiid five-man unit and have more energy on offense because having a player who can carry a lot of his current workload on defense.

We’re probably the only team in the history of the league that is looking for a “closer” with their third star.

It's crucial to understand that relying solely on a third star as "THE CLOSER" isn't a winning formula for a championship team. Even in Giannis' case, where he had a remarkable 50 points and 5 blocks performance in game 6 of the finals.

To build a championship team, our mindset should be focused on how we can help Embiid or Maxey deliver a signature performance similar to Giannis'. This involves creating a supportive environment that allows them to showcase their talents and excel in critical moments, just as Giannis did in the finals.

[76ciology]

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As they should. Trey Murphy would be awesome here. Bummer that they're not dumb.

Is this an addition by subtraction type of move? Or is Ingram just that bad that the talent of Murphy and Ingram is nearly equal? It seems like the Pelicans aren't placing much emphasis on Ingram's playmaking, shot creation, and Free Throw rate (FTr), all of which are areas where he has an advantage over Murphy.

I still believe in adding Ingram; I think his offensive responsibilities on our team won't be as significant that could improve his efficiency. However, our front office should proceed with caution before making the move. This could also be seen as a buy-low opportunity for Ingram.

[ankle420breaker]

In addition to re-signing Oubre.... Valanciunas, Trent Jr, Saric, and Highsmith should all be on the chalkboard heading into free agency.

Jonas V (who we reportedly kicked tires on at the deadline) would be an underrated acquisition. Games without Joel wouldn't be automatic losses and our production while Joel rests wouldn't suffer. Price has to be within reason though....

Sent from my SM-S921U using RealGM mobile app

[76ciology]

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[eyeatoma]

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Dayum

[MVP1992]

Opened Jimmy's X page and can't see him posting/replying that. Am I missing something?

[76ciology]

Opened Jimmy's X page and can't see him posting/replying that. Am I missing something?

I just assumed its real because i dont see anyone calling it out and i dont have time to go thru jimmy’s timeline. If its not real then just disregard

[76ciology]

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[youngcrev]

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As they should. Trey Murphy would be awesome here. Bummer that they're not dumb.

Is this an addition by subtraction type of move? Or is Ingram just that bad that the talent of Murphy and Ingram is nearly equal? It seems like the Pelicans aren't placing much emphasis on Ingram's playmaking, shot creation, and Free Throw rate (FTr), all of which are areas where he has an advantage over Murphy.

I still believe in adding Ingram; I think his offensive responsibilities on our team won't be as significant that could improve his efficiency. However, our front office should proceed with caution before making the move. This could also be seen as a buy-low opportunity for Ingram.

It's more about building around Zion. Those advantages that Ingram has over Murphy aren't going anywhere, but he's a ball stopper and hesitant 3 point shooter.

Without him I think Murphy has room to grow to a high teens, maybe even 20 ppg scorer that provides a lot more defense and shooting. But more importantly, a guy that doesn't need to be a high usage piece to impact the game.

Maybe Ingram can adapt his game to be more of an off ball threat in the right situation, but after going through the Tobias saga, I do worry he'd be a guy that falls into old habits. He's a good on ball scorer, but not good enough to be the guy, and when you're the 3rd guy you've gotta do more.

Other than being in his prime, I don't really get the appeal here. Like, I don't want DeRozan, but what's he do better than DeRozan? DeMar is better at the things he brings as a scorer, has been one of the most clutch guys in the league (in the regular season), and is a considerably better passer. What's the argument there when you need to give up assets to get the other guy and likely need to commit a long-term extension to him as a 3rd guy that doesn't fit great as a 3rd guy?

[Kobblehead]

I think the fanbase is open to a lot of guys right now because a healthy Melton and we literally would have had a cakewalk to the Conference Finals.

A healthy Melton + anyone but Harris, and we might have been a darkhorse to sneak a championship this year.

[ProcessDoctor]

Old, injured, and unathletic? Morey will be all over this.

Look at the shooting, rebounding, and passing numbers he had this year. The vibes would be great, as well. I don't really see a downside. He'd likely be dirt cheap, as well.

If he’s our 3rd PF, then sure. I’m just tired of relying on old unathletic dudes who can’t stay healthy.

[Arsenal]

Old, injured, and unathletic? Morey will be all over this.

Look at the shooting, rebounding, and passing numbers he had this year. The vibes would be great, as well. I don't really see a downside. He'd likely be dirt cheap, as well.

If he’s our 3rd PF, then sure. I’m just tired of relying on old unathletic dudes who can’t stay healthy.

Saric likely comes for vet min and won’t be in the playoff rotation unless he’s effective.

Like Kobble says virtually zero downside. Bring him home.

[ProcessDoctor]

Look at the shooting, rebounding, and passing numbers he had this year. The vibes would be great, as well. I don't really see a downside. He'd likely be dirt cheap, as well.

If he’s our 3rd PF, then sure. I’m just tired of relying on old unathletic dudes who can’t stay healthy.

Saric likely comes for vet min and won’t be in the playoff rotation unless he’s effective.

Like Kobble says virtually zero downside. Bring him home.

Sure, bring him back for the vibes. Does nothing to improve our championship odds. Might as well bring back Cov for the min too then.

[zaz102]

If he’s our 3rd PF, then sure. I’m just tired of relying on old unathletic dudes who can’t stay healthy.

Saric likely comes for vet min and won’t be in the playoff rotation unless he’s effective.

Like Kobble says virtually zero downside. Bring him home.

Sure, bring him back for the vibes. Does nothing to improve our championship odds. Might as well bring back Cov for the min too then.

What's wrong with Saric at the minimum? Could be good depth as a PF / small ball big.

[Kobblehead]

Sure, bring him back for the vibes. Does nothing to improve our championship odds. Might as well bring back Cov for the min too then.

We have like 12 roster spots to fill. Might as well sign guys that contribute to the vibes to fill out the team.

I would take Saric, Batum, Lowry, and Covington back on vet minimums if they're willing to sign.

[ProcessDoctor]

Sure, bring him back for the vibes. Does nothing to improve our championship odds. Might as well bring back Cov for the min too then.

We have like 12 roster spots to fill. Might as well sign guys that contribute to the vibes to fill out the team.

I would take Saric, Batum, Lowry, and Covington back on vet minimums if they're willing to sign.

I can get on board with that as long as we’re not relying on them come playoff time. The issue is Morey and Nurse might be tempted to do just that. None of those dudes should be in our playoff 8.

1. Maxey
2 - 4. Legitimate NBA Starters
5. Embiid
6. Healthy Melton or Melton-like
7. Oubre
8. Backup C

[Kobblehead]

A true contender needs about 4-6 guys in the playoffs scoring double figures.

So if your playoff rotation is like 6 or 7 guys, there's room to have a couple connective glue guys.