King4Day wrote:If we sent Ayton over in a Sabonis deal I would throw up. This team would go from title contender to playoff contender, just like that.
Sabonis' D and his long range shooting I believe are his weaknesses. Not sure why Jones does that.
I wouldn't even do a deal that includes CamJo for him.
Don't F this team up. Ride it out, make a smaller move that includes Smith, Dario (if need be), and a future 1st or 2 and see what's out there.
A move for Sabonis is the type that you do when the current team is broke and you need to try something else.
I hear that Sabonis isn't a good defensive player, but from what I recall, Ayton struggles against him 1v1. He has a high defensive IQ, is one of the players in the league who are actually better than Ayton on the glass, and he's strong AF. And the advanced stats say he's a positive on defense so... I don't buy it. You can claim he can't switch onto guards the way Ayton does, and that I buy, but is that really not something we can work around? Overall, I prefer Ayton on defense because when he's giving 100% effort - as we expect in the playoffs - his switchability makes him the superior option. More importantly, he guards Giannis better than anyone else on our roster, and better than Sabonis, so that would hurt us.
... All I'm saying here is, I think Sabonis is a positive on defense. I don't buy the bad defense narrative.
Bogyo wrote:4. Turner with his 3 point shooting, and weak side blocks would make more sense, but after all those problems, he would have the same issues here as he has there right now - he would be the 5th guy on our starting 5 at best. Not ideal.
The problem with Turner, as I see it, is that he's not that good. He provides the right skillset - shot blocker and shooter - but he's just not that impactful a player on a nightly basis. Now, his stats are up this year, and his advanced stats this year don't differ greatly from Sabonis's, so maybe I'm underestimating him. But whenever I've watched Turner, he's just seemed like a good player, not one who changes the game. Sabonis's presence is very different. He's dangerous, controls things. He's the guy I feel we have to go through to win the game.
...
You gotta wonder how McGee's play has affected our calculus, which is this. Ayton wants the max. Sabonis makes roughly half that and is locked up through 2024. What else could we do with an extra $18 million to work with? For one thing, you could give McGee a raise if it's needed. Extend Cam Jo. And what deal expiring this summer or next could you add at the deadline with that money? Obviously, TJ Warren and Caris LeVert are possibilities. Probably not Jerami Grant, but Christian Wood? Terrence Ross? Covington? I'm sure there are others.
I'm not advocating for swapping Ayton and Sabonis, but it's essentially the first Ayton trade idea I've heard that wouldn't shock me. JaVale's crazy high production - not to mention Kaminsky's flash of brilliance - calls Ayton's value to this team into some question. I know what he did in the playoffs and I've been one of Ayton's chief supporters around here for a long time, but... Sabonis is legit. And a lot cheaper. And I just can't rule it out.
neither are floor spacers at this stage of there careers. I was merely interested in the idea of how dominant a duo Sabonis ( 4) Ayton ( 5) could be in the paint getting every freaking rebound, post production, etc. and the absurd gravity both would constantly create roaming the paint as the defenses collapse! We Have solid outside shooters in Paul, Book, Shamet and Johnson. We'd just have to flex our s home a bit with each on opposite corners of the paint. Then Paul and Book could have killer pick n roll options between the two dropping towards the rim with any of Paul, Crowder, Shamet, Book, Johnson or whomever dropping wide open threes. 
