** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[Kobblehead]

J. Allen | D. Mitchell | I. Okoro | M. Strus | D. Wade

This was the Cavs 2nd most used lineup. And it was a whopping 20+ points better than their primary lineup that featured dual munchkins.

[youngcrev]

Clearly Maxey and Mitchell aren't an ideal fit with one another from a size perspective. Sometimes talent trumps fit though. And Maxey is such an elite off ball weapon that I think it's workable.

I also kinda wonder if Mitchell still has it in him to be a plus defender with his wingspan/athleticism combo, particularly on a team where he wouldn't have nearly the same workload offensively.

And you'd have 28M and the room exception to build the roster out.

But again... Hard to imagine we'd have enough to offer.

[ProcessDoctor]

Clearly Maxey and Mitchell aren't an ideal fit with one another from a size perspective. Sometimes talent trumps fit though. And Maxey is such an elite off ball weapon that I think it's workable.

I also kinda wonder if Mitchell still has it in him to be a plus defender with his wingspan/athleticism combo, particularly on a team where he wouldn't have nearly the same workload offensively.

And you'd have 28M and the room exception to build the roster out.

But again... Hard to imagine we'd have enough to offer.

Would have to be something like Mitchell saying he'd only extend here, etc.

[mjkvol]

On his podcast, Kyle Neubeck made reference to a time right before the Cavs traded for Mitchell that he sat courtside at a Sixers game. He said it was no accident and indicated that Mitchell was tight with Embiid or wanted to play with him.

Does anybody know anything about this?

Mitchell would be the best of all the 'known' options right now, and would make it much easier to fill out the roster with role players. This would certainly go a long way to take care of those non-Embiid minutes.

[FireMorey]

Mitchell would be your bucket getter in the 4th quarter when Embiid is exhausted or double teamed and Maxey for whatever reason is on one of his hesitant stretches. If Embiid is double teamed or gassed and Maxey isn't forcing the issue, the Sixers simply aren't going to score in the 4th quarters of games in the playoffs. They need someone else who can take over.

[mjkvol]

I just don't see the point in trading for another PG who already failed in a dual PG backcourt.

DeJounte Murray failed in Atlanta with Trae Young.
Donovan Mitchell failed in Cleveland with Darius Garland

Why bring these dudes in to pair with Maxey?

We need a SG with size next to Maxey, not another PG.

Trade those picks for Desmond Bane.

I'd take Bane over Mitchell in a heartbeat, but why would Memphis want to move a young, ascending talent like him?

[Kobblehead]

If he's not available, try another.

You could probably just trade one 1st round pick and get Bogdan Bogdanović or Malcom Brogdon.

Way better fits and far more likely to yield a better 5 man lineup than another PG would.

[Jailblazers7]

I think Maxey will just be a better version of Donovan Mitchell in the near future so why bother?

[Mik317]

not going to act like I watched a bunch of Cavs games but it seems like the failure of the tiny bois backcourt was more Garland regressing than anything no?

Maxey's off ball gravity is a lot different too.

at some point tho...we all need to realize that there is no perfect fit available and everything is going to come down to some luck hiding whatever flaws there may be

[Samson]

https://www.si.com/nba/sixers-eyes-on-lebron-james-stars-offseason-report

LOL, I don't think we're actually going to get LeBron, and tbh I don't even really want him, I think LeBron is a souperdouche , but I would personally find it nothing less than HILARIOUS if we got LeBron here and Ben Simmons still doesn't get to play with him. (Simmons has always wanted to play with LeBron, and he was advised by LeBron to just sign the supermax extension and then force his way out to LA, which he was able to do, but not to LA...) I'd love to see that right there. Although I guess I'm just a hater, I wish I could get $180 million to *not* have to work for a living, damn shame really.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I don't think Mitchell is a possibility. I'd be all for it, but I don't see Cleveland letting him leave. I think they're going to move Garland instead. At this point, Garland is basically house money for them. They're already better without him and hey can get a nice return for him if they do make a trade. It almost makes too much sense for them to trade him to New Orleans for Brandon Ingram.

[youngcrev]

This next segment is called:
Mining Bad Teams for Rotation Players

Pick a terrible team. Rummage through their roster for potentially undervalued pieces that make sense here.

I'll start with Detroit:

Jaden Ivey: got benched at one point last year and seemed like he could be a great buy-low candidate, but ended up starting the majority of the year. Probably still costs too much to pursue given how much of a question mark he is.

Isaiah Stewart: Beef Stew is a cool, weird nickname. I think he'd work on the floor with Embiid in a 2 big lineup, and answers the backup center question. He's got a dog steering a boat in him (boat being an RTRS reference). Too much dog though? And too much salary? And too much chasing what worked for some other team (Naz Reid role)?

Quentin Grimes: last year of his rookie deal, so still cheap. Has starting experience in a 3+D role. May end up buried after draft/free agency. Probably the most sensible target.

[Ferry Avenue]

Mitchell would be your bucket getter in the 4th quarter when Embiid is exhausted or double teamed and Maxey for whatever reason is on one of his hesitant stretches. If Embiid is double teamed or gassed and Maxey isn't forcing the issue, the Sixers simply aren't going to score in the 4th quarters of games in the playoffs. They need someone else who can take over.

That's precisely the problem with Embiid's attempts to function as a closer -- you can't put him at the top of the arc with the ball in a position where he can't be double-teamed, because he can't function as a penetrator off the dribble to create his own shot from that position. That leaves him elsewhere on the court and susceptible to double-teams, against which he turns the ball over too frequently. It's the equivalent of an NFL QB who can't respond well to pressure and takes sacks and throws interceptions -- instead of winning the game for you from that position, he essentially loses it.

Dallas is showing us what's needed to win championships in the NBA -- closers who are three-level scorers who can break defenders down off the dribble and create their own shot, of which they have two of the best in the game. Embiid is not one of them. Consequently Dallas is very difficult to defeat in the playoffs, whereas the Sixers can't get past the second round. They simply lack the "quarterback" necessary. They're trying to win with a "running back" in a league that wins with the passing game.

It's an antiquated approach to NBA basketball, and if they continue to be enamored with what Embiid CAN do at seven feet-plus and nearly 300 pounds, which is truly unique despite that it isn't sufficient for winning big in the league, and continue to prioritize his championship "window" as though he's the centerpiece of the team, they'll simply continue to be misguided and continue to stall at the second round or sooner.

[Kobblehead]

How about Benedict Mathurin?

- Coming off injury
- Pacers have not been using him as a starter since he got in the league
- Pacers advanced far without him
- Pacers have other players in place that can log SG and SF minutes (Nembhard, Sheppard, Nesmith)

Mathurin has the size, athleticism, and shooting ability you want in a player. He also has the ability to play both SG and SF. He still has room to improve and get better.

[zaz102]

Mitchell would be your bucket getter in the 4th quarter when Embiid is exhausted or double teamed and Maxey for whatever reason is on one of his hesitant stretches. If Embiid is double teamed or gassed and Maxey isn't forcing the issue, the Sixers simply aren't going to score in the 4th quarters of games in the playoffs. They need someone else who can take over.

That's precisely the problem with Embiid's attempts to function as a closer -- you can't put him at the top of the arc with the ball in a position where he can't be double-teamed, because he can't function as a penetrator off the dribble to create his own shot from that position. That leaves him elsewhere on the court and susceptible to double-teams, against which he turns the ball over too frequently. It's the equivalent of an NFL QB who can't respond well to pressure and takes sacks and throws interceptions -- instead of winning the game for you from that position, he essentially loses it.

Dallas is showing us what's needed to win championships in the NBA -- closers who are three-level scorers who can break defenders down off the dribble and create their own shot, of which they have two of the best in the game. Embiid is not one of them. Consequently Dallas is very difficult to defeat in the playoffs, whereas the Sixers can't get past the second round. They simply lack the "quarterback" necessary. They're trying to win with a "running back" in a league that wins with the passing game.

It's an antiquated approach to NBA basketball, and if they continue to be enamored with what Embiid CAN do at seven feet-plus and nearly 300 pounds, which is truly unique despite that it isn't sufficient for winning big in the league, and continue to prioritize his championship "window" as though he's the centerpiece of the team, they'll simply continue to be misguided and continue to stall at the second round or sooner.

You have max cap space and a bunch of picks. Who are you going after?

[Arsenal]

How about Benedict Mathurin?

- Coming off injury
- Pacers have not been using him as a starter since he got in the league
- Pacers advanced far without him
- Pacers have other players in place that can log SG and SF minutes (Nembhard, Sheppard, Nesmith)

Mathurin has the size, athleticism, and shooting ability you want in a player. He also has the ability to play both SG and SF. He still has room to improve and get better.

I'd be down depending on the cost. He's still only 21 so will likely get better for the next several years and could be a great long-term backcourt complement for Maxey.

However he's more of a build-around Maxey move since he's not currently a winning player. That could change soon though as he develops.

The main issue is the cost - I assume it would take a lot for the Pacers to let him go.

[Arsenal]

Miles Bridges could be our version of what Kyrie Irving is for Dallas. A star available at significantly reduced cost due to off-court issues. Not saying Bridges is as good but he'll also cost much less money and no picks.

Put him in a good environment for the first time alongside two stars and a great coach and he could breakout as a true star.

[youngcrev]

How about Benedict Mathurin?

- Coming off injury
- Pacers have not been using him as a starter since he got in the league
- Pacers advanced far without him
- Pacers have other players in place that can log SG and SF minutes (Nembhard, Sheppard, Nesmith)

Mathurin has the size, athleticism, and shooting ability you want in a player. He also has the ability to play both SG and SF. He still has room to improve and get better.

Hmm. They've got some solid role player depth on the wing, but that's also the spot in their lineup with the most glaring need for an upgrade. Not far fetched that he'd be available, just hard to imagine we'd have what they'd want.

[Ferry Avenue]

Mitchell would be your bucket getter in the 4th quarter when Embiid is exhausted or double teamed and Maxey for whatever reason is on one of his hesitant stretches. If Embiid is double teamed or gassed and Maxey isn't forcing the issue, the Sixers simply aren't going to score in the 4th quarters of games in the playoffs. They need someone else who can take over.

That's precisely the problem with Embiid's attempts to function as a closer -- you can't put him at the top of the arc with the ball in a position where he can't be double-teamed, because he can't function as a penetrator off the dribble to create his own shot from that position. That leaves him elsewhere on the court and susceptible to double-teams, against which he turns the ball over too frequently. It's the equivalent of an NFL QB who can't respond well to pressure and takes sacks and throws interceptions -- instead of winning the game for you from that position, he essentially loses it.

Dallas is showing us what's needed to win championships in the NBA -- closers who are three-level scorers who can break defenders down off the dribble and create their own shot, of which they have two of the best in the game. Embiid is not one of them. Consequently Dallas is very difficult to defeat in the playoffs, whereas the Sixers can't get past the second round. They simply lack the "quarterback" necessary. They're trying to win with a "running back" in a league that wins with the passing game.

It's an antiquated approach to NBA basketball, and if they continue to be enamored with what Embiid CAN do at seven feet-plus and nearly 300 pounds, which is truly unique despite that it isn't sufficient for winning big in the league, and continue to prioritize his championship "window" as though he's the centerpiece of the team, they'll simply continue to be misguided and continue to stall at the second round or sooner.

You have max cap space and a bunch of picks. Who are you going after?

I would trade Embiid for Adebayo, Herro, and picks, and sign Paul George. Then you have Maxey, George, and Herro as players with closer abilities, and your center (Adebayo) functions in a way consistent what what wins at that position in the present-day NBA -- athletically running the floor, catching lobs, getting rebounds, and playing defense.

[zaz102]

That's precisely the problem with Embiid's attempts to function as a closer -- you can't put him at the top of the arc with the ball in a position where he can't be double-teamed, because he can't function as a penetrator off the dribble to create his own shot from that position. That leaves him elsewhere on the court and susceptible to double-teams, against which he turns the ball over too frequently. It's the equivalent of an NFL QB who can't respond well to pressure and takes sacks and throws interceptions -- instead of winning the game for you from that position, he essentially loses it.

Dallas is showing us what's needed to win championships in the NBA -- closers who are three-level scorers who can break defenders down off the dribble and create their own shot, of which they have two of the best in the game. Embiid is not one of them. Consequently Dallas is very difficult to defeat in the playoffs, whereas the Sixers can't get past the second round. They simply lack the "quarterback" necessary. They're trying to win with a "running back" in a league that wins with the passing game.

It's an antiquated approach to NBA basketball, and if they continue to be enamored with what Embiid CAN do at seven feet-plus and nearly 300 pounds, which is truly unique despite that it isn't sufficient for winning big in the league, and continue to prioritize his championship "window" as though he's the centerpiece of the team, they'll simply continue to be misguided and continue to stall at the second round or sooner.

You have max cap space and a bunch of picks. Who are you going after?

I would trade Embiid for Adebayo, Herro, and picks, and sign Paul George. Then you have Maxey, George, and Herro as players with closer abilities, and your center (Adebayo) functions in a way consistent what what wins at that position in the present-day NBA -- athletically running the floor, catching lobs, getting rebounds, and playing defense.

Fair enough, but who's the QB here? Considering you can keep Maxey and sign PG, I assume it would be Herro?

Also, Jokic doesn't really play center the way you mentioned. Do you think he's cooked?