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Thoughts on Zach being the target? I know he's not super popular amongst many here but I think he is the perfect fit. He's still young (26) and can do what this team desperately needs: get buckets. He's not the greatest defender but he's serviceable there when he's trying. Playing him alongside Suggs/JI/Chuma/Franz may be enough to cover his faults anyway. We would be looking at the following lineup:

Suggs
Zach
Chuma or Franz
JI
WCJ (Possibly Wembanyama or Holmgren if we get lucky in the draft)

Not a bad young core to grow with IMO.

Thoughts?

Suggs - Lavine duo might work. If we indeed try to bring him in, that would only mean we definitely hit the jack pot with Suggs and we start actually building team to win.

I wouldn't mind, a Lavine/Suggs backcourt would be exciting and I don't see him not being able to get along with the mix of guys we have now. Plus he's still young enough to fit in.

Wembanyama is 2023. I expect Chicago to max Lavine. He'd be a fine fit, but just doesn't align with the timeline this current roster is on (Lavine is 27 this time next year).

We've got 2-3 years left in the deep lottery. Lavine would bring unwanted wins and take shots that need to be going to the young guys on this roster.

He'd be despised by posters here for that very reason.

He wants to be paid, are you going to willing to give him 30% of the salary cap? Starting at $35.7M a year? I just don't know how you build around a player like Lavine unless it is a bunch of rookie deals, other below market contracts, or just pay a crazy amount of tax. We may or may not have some good below market contracts.

I guess it's hard to envision a winning team paying a guy like Lavine, unless they are willing to go deep into the tax. I would love to know the answer to that question as it relates to the Magic.

I guess we have got to spend our money somewhere next season. If we are going to bring in a big name FA, it's probably going to have to be a guy looking to get paid, and more than they are worth, though I fully expect Lavine to have multiple offers.

Unless we were able to bring in a wing who can score, which I can't see happening as early as next year, I think I would target Lavine. I think he has gotten a lot better the last couple of years, and his critics are being lazy and looking at his defense from a few years back. He is more than good enough on that end.

Next year (22-23) we will have 8 guys under contract for $67M (including Ross), WCJ and Mo will be RFAs, and should have a high draft pick to pay. We should have a ton of money available, especially when considering the tax line.

Other free agents: Nurkic, TJ Warren, Kyle Anderson, or any of the rookies that will probably have their offers matched as FAs or extended before next season. Maybe we could orchestrate a trade for one of those guys? JJJ? Colin Sexton should be available as a free agent.

PrimeThyme wrote:Wembanyama is 2023. I expect Chicago to max Lavine. He'd be a fine fit, but just doesn't align with the timeline this current roster is on (Lavine is 27 this time next year).

We've got 2-3 years left in the deep lottery. Lavine would bring unwanted wins and take shots that need to be going to the young guys on this roster.

He'd be despised by posters here for that very reason.

Do you really think 27 is too old to fit in with the young guys? I certainly don't.

For me, it all depends on what the young guys look like next season. If some them make decent jumps and Suggs is the real deal, I think that one more lotto pick is enough to make a splash. I don't think 3 more years of deep lottery picks, with the adjusted lotto odds, is a wise move IMO. If Suggs ends up being a bust and JI is still injured, then you have a point. Otherwise, I think we get one more lotto pick and then try to add talent via FA if possible.

"The NBA salary cap is projected to increase from $112 million to $119 million from 21-22 to 22-23, but ESPN projects only three teams to have cap space.

The Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs are expected to have a minimum of $30 million in room."

30M to spend? Does that include the contract extension with Bamba or WCJ?

Who else could Magic target with that much Cap Space?

What is 2022 Free Agency looking like?

Guys guys.. you forgot? We already have a Penny (sSuggs) we need a SHAQ!

We go all in on Vuc!!!

Interesting...depending on our progress. He's awesome at getting himself buckets but the only way he jumps down in the standings, IMO, is for a BIG payday. Overpaying Rashard Lewis when he was the one missing piece to a true contending team made sense - I'm not sure overpaying a sketchy one-dimensional borderline All-Star makes sense for a team of 22 year olds. If we're far enough along that it makes sense, I'll be thrilled.

I'd rather target Michael Porter Jr.

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Zach said he wants to stay in Chicago but money talks. If our team is more attractive than Chi, as a winning situation after 1 season, then we hit jackpot or someone in Chi is getting fired.

If Suggs hits, and we still have a hole at SG/SF after this season, Mikal Bridges please.

basketballRob wrote:I'd rather target Michael Porter Jr.

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I was poring over the FA list for next summer and none of the UFA's are really interesting and the rest (like MPJ) are Restricted and will not be allowed to leave. If a team has a young talent like MPJ and they just can't stomach paying him the max, they'll still match and demand a sign & trade. No chance they just let him leave over money.

It will make sense to add in either 2022 or 2023 prior to having rookie extensions due.
Lavine is good, I also would not mind Mikal Bridges on a S+T since PHX probably can't pay him. Our draft pick will be a factor. Should we get Duran or Chet then we can let our centers walk if they get too pricey.

basketballRob wrote:I'd rather target Michael Porter Jr.

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The only way Porter is available is if he gets injured, and that would probably have to happen between now and the start of the season, because he most likely will be extended this offseason.

It seems like no one is ever available anymore. This year was supposed to have a great free agent class. I mean who was the biggest name that was actually available? Derozan? Chris Paul, maybe? Lowry?

Honestly, you have to trade for these guys now. We might have to follow the path of the Hawks. They have a bunch of young guys people want. Accumulate as many tall young guys as you can that can play the wing. Sign tradeable contracts into the rotation.

Skybox wrote:

basketballRob wrote:I'd rather target Michael Porter Jr.

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I was poring over the FA list for next summer and none of the UFA's are really interesting and the rest (like MPJ) are Restricted and will not be allowed to leave. If a team has a young talent like MPJ and they just can't stomach paying him the max, they'll still match and demand a sign & trade. No chance they just let him leave over money.

If they give MPJ the max, they'll be at 130m for 6 players and they'd still have to fill out the roster.

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I’d say no to Lavine for variety of reasons. I understand the argument, a younger guy who’s a scorer, and for all intents a character type guy. So I’m certainly not trashing him or the idea, I just don’t think Lavine moves the needle enough to be a contender. Even he and Vucevic couldn’t push a playoff run with the Bulls. I doubt he does that with the Magic’s roster even with Suggs.

To me, the Magic only use that cap space when title contender type of players are available to a clearly improved team, say like ‘07 or so Magic squad that Brian Hill coached. They were a playoff team but were Rashard Lewis’ signing away from being a title contender. Plus a player that’s got a history of winning. Lavine doesn’t have that at this point in his career.

We can sit on the sidelines and wait for something better but these young guys eventually need to get paid so we don’t have an infinite window to try to put something together. We could ‘tank’ for another 3 years but by then, Suggs and the rest of the guys will be coming up on their extensions and then what when we’re left with no cap space? I’m not saying that LaVine is the answer to all of our problems but if Suggs is the real deal and we land another top talent in the draft we need to think about rounding out the roster before having to commit to the younger guys and be left no cap space. The free agent pool for the next few years are very shallow.

I just don’t think we’re even closer to that yet.

As much as it feels like we’ve been in this perpetual rebuild, in the eyes of Weltman, the rebuild just started last trade deadline. I just don’t see the incentive in paying Zack Lavine or any other player within the next 2 years max money to chuck shots on a 9th-11th seed.

We need to be really bad these next two seasons and internally develop. The cupboard is still bare outside of Suggs/Wagner (Isaacs health is a major problem).

Depends how the 2022 draft goes

The only reason I see right now why we sign him is because signing him would handicap the Bulls, whom we have their pick in 2023

fendilim wrote:Depends how the 2022 draft goes

The only reason I see right now why we sign him is because signing him would handicap the Bulls, whom we have their pick in 2023

For me its about the Suggs-Fultz tandem. If the Portland 2.0 Magic does not work, the shipping Fultz off in a trade that leads to a high volume scoring SG is the one move the team would need. If that Beal, of LaVine, or someone else?

Whoever it is will look for 40M+ a year on a contract that could be worth more than 200M.


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