Yes! We have a strong and deep, competent team currently. And we have the ability to add a key veteran piece around the trade deadline or through buyout. Regardless, Seeing as how our two-way spots don't at all affect our cap number or flexibility, It's only smart business to explore the talent pool for potential low cost impact pieces on those two way contracts, That can be potentially added to our rotation in some capacity, Should they show surprising potential /situational impact. Lastly, It's important to maintain a balance of low cost contractually controlled assets to offset a teams' top heavy max/near max contracts. AND IF we do at some point explore trading Smith (which I think would be a mistake) Then we'll need to replenish that low cost depth/ talent for our roster.Having said all this, What players would you most prefer we bring into training camp and why? What impact or contribution do you hope or expect them to provide?
I'll start it out....................... ( Two way prospects to bring in)?
1- Troy Baxter Jr:
6'9 215 lbs with a 7'2 wingspan and a 45 inch vertical.
Role: Explosive wing 3/4 energizer and multipositional two way defensive wing in the mold of Oubre/Bazley. Only he's bigger/ longer than Oubre, And a longer, more athletic and better version of Darius Bazely?
https://morganstatebears.com/news/2021/8/1/mens-basketball-bulls-sign-undrafted-free-agent-troy-baxter-jr.aspx
Baxter, a Tallahassee, Fla. native, made his mark as one of the top players in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The senior, who was named to the All-MEAC First Team and All-Defensive Team, finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in scoring (17.1), No. 3 in blocks (1.7) and entered the MEAC Tournament shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.4 percent from the free throw line.
Baxter recorded his sixth 20-point performance of the year against Norfolk State, scoring a game-high 21 points on Feb. 14 at Hill Field House. He also scored double-figures 14 times, including a season-high 28-point performance in a 95-82 victory at Coppin State on January 30, 2021. With a 6-foot-9, 215-pound frame, 7-foot-2 wingspan and tremendous bounce, Baxter has the build to guard point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, and could find a home in the NBA.
Throughout the draft process, Baxter participated in the Tampa Bay Pro Combine, where he earned a spot of the TBPC All-Tournament team averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and a steal per game on 52.8% from the field in scrimmage play. He also worked out for a number of NBA teams including the Bulls.
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As you can see, He has very similiar explosive athleticism, high motor and aggressive style/ tenacity to Oubre. He's got great length at 6'9 with a 7'2 wingspan, He also has really good isolation scoring potential. Houston found a similiar hidden gem / impact player in Kenyon Martin Jr. which is another good potential outcome for him. We should absolutely bring him into camp on a two way!
2- Sam Merrill( Via trade w/ Memphis- a 2nd)??
6'5 214 lbs wingspan??
Role: Floor spacer/playmaker/microwave scorer in the mold of a Luke Kennard/ Joe Harris/ JJ Reddick.
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sixers/2020-nba-draft-profile-sam-merrill-sixers
Merrill is one of the best shooters in the draft, shooting 42.0 percent from the three-point line and 89.1 percent from the free throw line over his four seasons at Utah State. He has deep range on this three-point shot and can make them in a variety of ways. He has a nice crossover and step-back combo that’s reminiscent of Luka Doncic. He’ll also run around screens and execute dribble-handoffs like JJ Redick. He doesn’t need much room to get his shot off and can make shots with a defender in his face, which makes that 42.0 three-point percentage even more impressive.
He’s not just a shooter, though, which makes him such a tantalizing prospect. Merrill is also an impressive passer and has tremendous potential as a pick-and-roll ball handler because teams will have to honor his three-point shot. When he drives, he generally makes good decisions and gets teammates the ball in optimal scoring positions. He had a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in each of the last two seasons, which is excellent for a player who was the fulcrum of the offense. He’s skilled, he’s heady and he plays in control. He also has good height for an NBA ball handler at 6-foot-5.
Check out his Kennard and Shamet comparisons:
https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=merrisa01&player_id2=kennalu01&player_id3=shamela01
and Merrill/Shamet.
https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=merrisa01&player_id2=shamela01
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* In this video, He played in all different quarters against actual NBA players ( not just garbage time. And was knocking down numerous tough shots under pressure. He's definitely a player that we should trade for at the cost of maybe no more than a 2nd at the very most! He'd give us absurdly lethal shooting/ firepower for our 3rd rotation, Very similiar to what Shamet would bring to our 2nd unit. We could potentially have the most potent/lethal shooting in the entire league, Throughout our roster.

**The beauty of adding Merrill is also in that he gives us legitimate insurance against possibly losing Shamet to a potential big offer. OR
(If we keep Shamet at an affordable price) We let Merrill build up his value in games we've secured a win in, Or in garbage time, etc. Then we could package him in a trade next season (perhaps back to Detroit)? along with Saric/ Crowder and a first for Jerami Grant???
Or perhaps we go for a smaller trade, Wherein we package something like Merrill/ Smith/ Saric to Houston for Christian Wood?
The key is to replenish our tradable assets to give us roster flexibility.
