drsd wrote:The dog days of summer are on us when this is what we get to read:SB Nation Mock Expansion Draft: Orlando Magic protected players
Expansion talk is picking up, so we protected eight players from a possible expansion draft.
OPS link
Given boredom to the lack of actual basketball, this is as good as any question to address.
So: I would protect, in order, :
1-Payton
2-Vučević
3-Gordon
4-Isaac
5-Simmons
6-Ross
7-Fournier
8-Biyombo
This leaves open:
a) Afflalo, Augustin, and Speights as expendable, low-cost vets.
b) Hezonja, Birch, and Iwundu as unproven, low-cost young-guns.
Keeping Fournier and Biyombo over the above six to make-available was a tough call for me. (Their respective release creates needed Magic cap space). But in the end I decided that clear assets have value no matter the cost.
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The only issue I have with your list is Biyombo. There is no way I am going to protect him as getting his contract off the books would be big and I think he has the least value of our big money guys. Though I do wonder if any expansion team would even claim him with that contract but I would definitely see if they would. I also would be tempted to put Fournier and Vuc on there and maybe Ross as well. Simply because of the money owed to them and having a team take on thier contracts would help us clear some significant cap room to actually a bigger free agent. But I can also understand protecting them. The only guys I for sure protect would be Isaac first and foremost then Payton, Gordon, and Simmons. Speights is also one low cost deal so I would probably put him on the list in place of Biyombo. So in a sense I probably be fine with protecting less players. Quick question can you trade a protection slot to a team that wants another one or two? I only really need four protection slots for Isaac, Gordon, Payton and Simmons. After that there is no one I really feel the need to protect. If I had to do eight I would go with Ross, Speights, Afflalo, and the eighth spot I could go with anyone else except Biymbo and probably would be fine even not protecting Fournier and Vuc.. I am just not sure that we would be able to trade Either of those guys and get zero money in return. If the expansion team takes one or even two of them that clears a lot of money off the books. If two it could clear max cap room by itself.
