2020 Offseason Speculation, free agency, summer trades (keep draft prospect talk in draft thread)

[bwgood77]

Leonard and Harden had some bad games against us last year, and Luka played some of his worst games against Bridges. Given how much success we had starting Mikal and Oubre, I have a hard time concluding neither can guard the 4 at least as well as opposing 4's guard them. In fact, I think all of Bridges/Oubre/Cam can play some 4, especially when you consider how few minutes actual 4's are getting in the league nowadays, and the fact that most of those are "stretch" bigs who rarely venture inside.

I've said before that if you just think of Oubre as a 4, you start to feel a lot better about this roster. He gets the rebounds, blocks and steals you want out of a 4, and he shoots well enough from 3 for a PF. He's better at all that stuff than Aaron Gordon, for example.

I have a very, very, very hard time conceiving of a scenario where trading Oubre doesn't make us a worse team. Essentially the only thing I can think of is the scenario we've been discussing - dealing KO to GSW for the #4 or #5 and clearing enough additional cap space to add Christian Wood - the only FA we might be able to snag who would give us production sufficient to offset the loss of Oubre.

There was a game where Giannis scored something like 12 out 13 buckets, all were dunks. Giannis is a beast obviously but 12 dunks just tells you how badly this team lack sizes on the perimeter. Lebron feasted on this team when Ayton wasn't guarding him. Only Ayton was able to contain both. I don't even want to imagine what Zion will do to Bridges and Oubre. IIRC, Luka had a free throw parade to the line since he overpowered both of them with ease. Oubre and Kelly couldn't guard Siakem. No one on this team can guard Sabonis. Griffin looked like prime Griffin against this team. Jimmy Butler embarrassed this team in one half of basketball, etc.

So yeah, this team struggles with stronger opposing players that Kelly and Mikal can't guard.

Oubre at the 4 is the best solution right now since Saric kinda sucks. I am in agreement with you. But it's not sustainable in the long run. Team needs a stronger 3/4.

Well actually, I think you've made my point. We can't guard Giannis and LeBron. Like, Gallinari or Millsap gonna do a good job on Giannis or LeBron? Who do you imagine we'll add who will do a BETTER job than our guys? I guess ideally you switch Ayton to the 4 and let someone else cover Brook Lopez. Don't know what that has to do with all the other teams in the league, though - you know, the ones without GOATs on their squads.

Giannis, LeBron and Zion will feast on almost anyone in the NBA, except maybe each other or Kawhi, George, Siakam, etc..and they would likely still have pretty big games against those guys.

[GoodBehavior]

Well actually, I think you've made my point. We can't guard Giannis and LeBron. Like, Gallinari or Millsap gonna do a good job on Giannis or LeBron? Who do you imagine we'll add who will do a BETTER job than our guys? I guess ideally you switch Ayton to the 4 and let someone else cover Brook Lopez. Don't know what that has to do with all the other teams in the league, though - you know, the ones without GOATs on their squads.

You don't think we can do better than allowing 12 dunks? Or a parade to the foul line?

We tried to get Gordon at the deadline, so it seems like the team is trying to address the gaping hole. The price tag might be too rich though. FWIW, Millsap is a very good defender when he's not dealing with injuries. If it wasn't for his age, I think he fits in really well.

This problem really should be addressed by the draft. Why not try to draft and develop a Maurice Harkless-kinda player? Or a Marcus Morris? A Jeremy grant? You don't have to go all out... to get a role player. I think this is a top priority for the front office, to address via FA or draft. The odd man out is likely Bridges not Oubre.

We tried to trade Cam Johnson - not Oubre - for Aaron Gordon. We said no to Oubre for Gordon. I think pretty soon, we'll thank our lucky stars the Magic said no to Cam. If Cam stays healthy, he could be a highly-efficient 20 PPG scorer. As for Bridges, I wouldn't consider trading him. Luka hates being defended by Mikal. A lot of players do. Mikal is a special defender, and those are freaking hard to come by.

Your pining for Harkless, Morris and Grant confuses me. THAT'S who you want guarding Giannis and Lebron? I don't need none of those guys, because I would rather Oubre, Bridges and Cam play all their minutes.

Let's place blame on the bench, where it belongs. Keep the squad together. Pay everyone, add bench pieces, draft sensibly, and just stay the course -- unless GSW is willing to just drop that pick in our laps, in which case you make two lotto picks and try to replace Oubre in free agency. Otherwise I'm inclined to stay the course with our current core of Rubio-Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton.

Mikal is not a special defender. His defensive stats are above average, but nothing to write home about. People on this forum way overrated him as a lockdown defender. He comes nowhere close to the likes of a Roco or a Paul George. He's a tier below the elite guys. Harkless is one of the best versatile defender in the league, you are vastly underrated the likes of him.

If you can find a 3&D power forward, you take him over Mikal. You push Oubre to the 3, and you gain size, versatility, shooting, rebounding. Oh yeah, areas of weakness of this team. You lose on steals, but that's a good tradeoff.

[bwgood77]

Questions from a Warriors fan:

1) whats the likelihood of Suns giving Oubre a massive contract next year?
2) what do you think the price would be if the Warriors traded our TPE + pick compensation for him?

Pick assets Warriors have:

- Next years Wolves pick (this is our best asset, and I don't think Oubre in his last year of contract is close to worth it)
- This years top 5 pick (not a great draft, but probably still more valuable than Oubre in his last year of contract... maybe not though?)
- Next years Warriors 1st rounder (this is the one i'd hope is the answer... likely not a lotto with everyone coming back healthy, so i'm curious if that would be enough?)
- A future Warriors 1st (maybe suns play the long game for a post Steph era protected 1st?)

Any possibility here? Or better options elsewhere?

Thanks!

I have no idea what the likelihood of the Suns giving Oubre a massive contract are. It will depend somewhat on his play and how much we are willing to pay him. If we do trade him, and that would only be because we think he is asking for well above what we are willing to pay, and we don't want to lose him for nothing, it's very unlikely we trade him for picks, particularly if there are decent players on the table for him. I don't even know that GS would want him, unless they just don't want that TPE to expire. How big is that exception? Would it put them in the tax?

[GoodBehavior]

To me the oubre situation is pretty simple. In a small/medium sample size the Rubio Booker bridges, oubre, ayton 5 man lineup has been very good. So you keep rolling with that and continue to monitor its success, no reason to break up something that's working. Hell the number 1 thing I'm excited about with the suns being invited to Orlando is getting to see that specific group for more minutes against good competition.

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That lineup's result was probably skewed by the astronomical blowout win against the Rocket. The Rocket's trade just occurred, I believe they beat the Lakers the previous night, and Westbrook wasn't playing. They had to crash the paint against Ayton, allowing everyone else to be open. The other big win was against Utah where Rubio couldnt miss (and everyone else couldn't miss either), i.e. his revenge game in SLC. Beyond that, nothing to write home about.

I also remember that lineup stinking against the Raptor.

Orlando will change nothing. 7 games is too little, and whatever the results will be, it will be tempered by the unusual circumstances. You can always argue that the long layoff affects everyone's game.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Questions from a Warriors fan:

1) whats the likelihood of Suns giving Oubre a massive contract next year?
2) what do you think the price would be if the Warriors traded our TPE + pick compensation for him?

Pick assets Warriors have:

- Next years Wolves pick (this is our best asset, and I don't think Oubre in his last year of contract is close to worth it)
- This years top 5 pick (not a great draft, but probably still more valuable than Oubre in his last year of contract... maybe not though?)
- Next years Warriors 1st rounder (this is the one i'd hope is the answer... likely not a lotto with everyone coming back healthy, so i'm curious if that would be enough?)
- A future Warriors 1st (maybe suns play the long game for a post Steph era protected 1st?)

Any possibility here? Or better options elsewhere?

Thanks!

I have no idea what the likelihood of the Suns giving Oubre a massive contract are. It will depend somewhat on his play and how much we are willing to pay him. If we do trade him, and that would only be because we think he is asking for well above what we are willing to pay, and we don't want to lose him for nothing, it's very unlikely we trade him for picks, particularly if there are decent players on the table for him. I don't even know that GS would want him, unless they just don't want that TPE to expire. How big is that exception? Would it put them in the tax?

The TPE is $17 mil. Looking around the web, you can find lots of discussion from within and without the Warriors fandom regarding ideal targets for that TPE. Oubre is a popular name to throw out there. No word from any "source" or anything, so who knows what Kerr et al are thinking. I guess it would surprise me a lot less than it would surprise you, given our difference of opinion regarding Kelly's quality of play.

[bwgood77]

Questions from a Warriors fan:

1) whats the likelihood of Suns giving Oubre a massive contract next year?
2) what do you think the price would be if the Warriors traded our TPE + pick compensation for him?

Pick assets Warriors have:

- Next years Wolves pick (this is our best asset, and I don't think Oubre in his last year of contract is close to worth it)
- This years top 5 pick (not a great draft, but probably still more valuable than Oubre in his last year of contract... maybe not though?)
- Next years Warriors 1st rounder (this is the one i'd hope is the answer... likely not a lotto with everyone coming back healthy, so i'm curious if that would be enough?)
- A future Warriors 1st (maybe suns play the long game for a post Steph era protected 1st?)

Any possibility here? Or better options elsewhere?

Thanks!

I have no idea what the likelihood of the Suns giving Oubre a massive contract are. It will depend somewhat on his play and how much we are willing to pay him. If we do trade him, and that would only be because we think he is asking for well above what we are willing to pay, and we don't want to lose him for nothing, it's very unlikely we trade him for picks, particularly if there are decent players on the table for him. I don't even know that GS would want him, unless they just don't want that TPE to expire. How big is that exception? Would it put them in the tax?

The TPE is $17 mil. Looking around the web, you can find lots of discussion from within and without the Warriors fandom regarding ideal targets for that TPE. Oubre is a popular name to throw out there. No word from any "source" or anything, so who knows what Kerr et al are thinking. I guess it would surprise me a lot less than it would surprise you, given our difference of opinion regarding Kelly's quality of play.

I think they wouldn't mind taking him if he was going to make $17 million or less, but in that case, I think we probably keep him. I don't think we'd trade him for picks though. I just don't know if taking him puts them in the tax. I think they were able to avoid the repeater tax by getting under it this past year, so maybe they don't mind the tax but want to avoid the repeater tax. I would be interested to see what Kerr thought of him. A big part of Kelly's attraction for our team are his intangibles and energy he brings that can keep us from getting in those ruts sometimes, which is something I'm not sure they need. But I was thinking of massive contract being over $20 million. If they only paid him $17 million or less, that may be worth it for them...but then again, at that price I think we keep him and if we do trade him, I don't see it being for picks, so it likely doesn't matter if they did want him.

[bwgood77]

Questions from a Warriors fan:

1) whats the likelihood of Suns giving Oubre a massive contract next year?
2) what do you think the price would be if the Warriors traded our TPE + pick compensation for him?

Pick assets Warriors have:

- Next years Wolves pick (this is our best asset, and I don't think Oubre in his last year of contract is close to worth it)
- This years top 5 pick (not a great draft, but probably still more valuable than Oubre in his last year of contract... maybe not though?)
- Next years Warriors 1st rounder (this is the one i'd hope is the answer... likely not a lotto with everyone coming back healthy, so i'm curious if that would be enough?)
- A future Warriors 1st (maybe suns play the long game for a post Steph era protected 1st?)

Any possibility here? Or better options elsewhere?

Thanks!

I have no idea what the likelihood of the Suns giving Oubre a massive contract are. It will depend somewhat on his play and how much we are willing to pay him. If we do trade him, and that would only be because we think he is asking for well above what we are willing to pay, and we don't want to lose him for nothing, it's very unlikely we trade him for picks, particularly if there are decent players on the table for him. I don't even know that GS would want him, unless they just don't want that TPE to expire. How big is that exception? Would it put them in the tax?

The TPE is $17 mil. Looking around the web, you can find lots of discussion from within and without the Warriors fandom regarding ideal targets for that TPE. Oubre is a popular name to throw out there. No word from any "source" or anything, so who knows what Kerr et al are thinking. I guess it would surprise me a lot less than it would surprise you, given our difference of opinion regarding Kelly's quality of play.

I think they wouldn't mind taking him if he was going to make $17 million or less, but in that case, I think we probably keep him. I don't think we'd trade him for picks though. I just don't know if taking him puts them in the tax. I think they were able to avoid the repeater tax by getting under it this past year, so maybe they don't mind the tax but want to avoid the repeater tax. I would be interested to see what Kerr thought of him. A big part of Kelly's attraction for our team are his intangibles and energy he brings that can keep us from getting in those ruts sometimes, which is something I'm not sure they need. But I was thinking of massive contract being over $20 million. If they only paid him $17 million or less, that may be worth it for them...but then again, at that price I think we keep him and if we do trade him, I don't see it being for picks, so it likely doesn't matter if they did want him.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I should also note we really can't gauge what can or should be done with oubres next contract until we know what the overall financial landscape of the NBA will look like going forward. Hell at this point we have no idea if fans will be in the stands for the 20/21 season or if they will take this year's losses as a 1 year dip or more gradual multi year easing. Until all that **** is known it's impossible to gauge what oubres market value will be.

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[Jdiddy701]

I find it hard to believe that another team will offer Oubre more than 15 million next year. When it’s all said and done, I’m going to guess he resigns with the Suns.


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[Ghost of Kleine]

I find it hard to believe that another team will offer Oubre more than 15 million next year. When it’s all said and done, I’m going to guess he resigns with the Suns.


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Just curious, Why would that be so hard to believe?

I mean, In 2021, There'll still be quite a few teams with MAX or at the very least NEAR MAX space. Remember, Regardless of the current circumstances, Almost all of the teams have been planning, clearing space, pooling their cap, etc in anticipation for the star studded summer of 2021. And of course, Any of the teams that whiff on their primary star targets will of course be looking to sign the next best option that's still available. Point is ........................


With so many teams with large chunks of available space in 2021, There's bound to be at least a few that will be willing to offer ( Overpay) Oubre a big contract very likely in the 20 million + range, As that's around the going rate for a starting level wing player these days. And Oubre will still be coming off of a breakout season *( Regardless of injury). All in all, I really hope that we can resign him to a 4-5 year * Reasonable deal IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! But I'm not sure I trust our luck, As it seems that If we didn't have bad luck, we'd have no luck at all! And I really don't anticipate Oubre to take a smaller offer just to remain with the team, I say this, Because he's likely going to be looking for his first big contract AND the security it offers ( post injury). But most importantly, There will again be quite a few teams with massive cap space looking to make a splash somehow. And Oubre should still fall into that 2nd tier. And he'd certainly be a flashy signing for some team that misses out on a big name.

[bwgood77]

I should also note we really can't gauge what can or should be done with oubres next contract until we know what the overall financial landscape of the NBA will look like going forward. Hell at this point we have no idea if fans will be in the stands for the 20/21 season or if they will take this year's losses as a 1 year dip or more gradual multi year easing. Until all that **** is known it's impossible to gauge what oubres market value will be.

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It's still all relative though. Whatever the cap is will be something that impacts every team. But perhaps instead of speaking $ in terms of contract, it should be % of cap. If people think he is worth $20 million right now, and the cap drops from $109 (or whatever it was), to $95 or something, then $20 turns into $17.4, relatively speaking.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I should also note we really can't gauge what can or should be done with oubres next contract until we know what the overall financial landscape of the NBA will look like going forward. Hell at this point we have no idea if fans will be in the stands for the 20/21 season or if they will take this year's losses as a 1 year dip or more gradual multi year easing. Until all that **** is known it's impossible to gauge what oubres market value will be.

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It's still all relative though. Whatever the cap is will be something that impacts every team. But perhaps instead of speaking $ in terms of contract, it should be % of cap. If people think he is worth $20 million right now, and the cap drops from $109 (or whatever it was), to $95 or something, then $20 turns into $17.4, relatively speaking.

True but there's also a supply and demand aspect where until we know what the cap will look like in 2021 we don't know how much space teams will have or how many teams will be below that line. Plus if they choose to do a severe drop for the 2020 off-season we could see most of this class go for 1 year deals and try for a bigger contract in 2021 which adds more FA competition for Kelly.


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[Blonde]

Mikal’s defensive value largely comes from his ability to defend 1-3. He clamped Luka as well as anyone I’ve seen this season, and punishes smaller guards. He’s not a tier 1 perimeter defender but he’s probably in the 2nd tier, and being able to put him on 1s unlocks lineups that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. I’d love to see Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton minutes in the Orlando games.

Having multiple good players at the wing position is not a bad thing. That’s how you win in this league. We’ve got plenty of room for both Bridges and Oubre with bird rights.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Mikal’s defensive value largely comes from his ability to defend 1-3. He clamped Luka as well as anyone I’ve seen this season, and punishes smaller guards. He’s not a tier 1 perimeter defender but he’s probably in the 2nd tier, and being able to put him on 1s unlocks lineups that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. I’d love to see Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton minutes in the Orlando games.

Having multiple good players at the wing position is not a bad thing. That’s how you win in this league. We’ve got plenty of room for both Bridges and Oubre with bird rights.

That'd be pretty awesome for us, IF it plays out that way. Fingers crossed I suppose.

[Walt_Uoob]

We tried to trade Cam Johnson - not Oubre - for Aaron Gordon. We said no to Oubre for Gordon. I think pretty soon, we'll thank our lucky stars the Magic said no to Cam. If Cam stays healthy, he could be a highly-efficient 20 PPG scorer. As for Bridges, I wouldn't consider trading him. Luka hates being defended by Mikal. A lot of players do. Mikal is a special defender, and those are freaking hard to come by.

Your pining for Harkless, Morris and Grant confuses me. THAT'S who you want guarding Giannis and Lebron? I don't need none of those guys, because I would rather Oubre, Bridges and Cam play all their minutes.

Let's place blame on the bench, where it belongs. Keep the squad together. Pay everyone, add bench pieces, draft sensibly, and just stay the course -- unless GSW is willing to just drop that pick in our laps, in which case you make two lotto picks and try to replace Oubre in free agency. Otherwise I'm inclined to stay the course with our current core of Rubio-Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton.

I don't remember hearing this about Cam for Gordon but that sounds like the most James Jones-style deal of all these mentioned recently. Normally I'd think a GM would be more attached to draft picks made under his own tenure but that's probably not as true with Jones, who clearly values players who are relatively proven and still on the right side of their primes, like Gordon. We could easily clear the cap space to give them Cam plus our pick or a future pick for Gordon without having to send them any other contracts, allowing them to double-down on their potential Fultz-Isaac-Bamba core while adding Cam and a top-10 pick to that core, plus their own pick and whatever they can get for Vooch and Fournier.

Rubio-Booker-Oubre-Gordon-Ayton with Bridges, Jerome, Kaminsky, and in this scenario I believe we could still keep one of either Baynes (my preference) or Saric, and I'm a big believer in Carter so want to keep him too.

Magic would have to want to commit to Fultz-Isaac-Bamba-Cam-etc as their latest youth movement for this scenario to work out, but as an Eastern Conference playoff bubble team with a top-5 payroll they might as well go for it. And if they offer to take on bad contracts in deals for Vucevic, they should be able to add to the young talent / draft pick pool even further.

[jredsaz]

There was a game where Giannis scored something like 12 out 13 buckets, all were dunks. Giannis is a beast obviously but 12 dunks just tells you how badly this team lack sizes on the perimeter. Lebron feasted on this team when Ayton wasn't guarding him. Only Ayton was able to contain both. I don't even want to imagine what Zion will do to Bridges and Oubre. IIRC, Luka had a free throw parade to the line since he overpowered both of them with ease. Oubre and Kelly couldn't guard Siakem. No one on this team can guard Sabonis. Griffin looked like prime Griffin against this team. Jimmy Butler embarrassed this team in one half of basketball, etc.

So yeah, this team struggles with stronger opposing players that Kelly and Mikal can't guard.

Oubre at the 4 is the best solution right now since Saric kinda sucks. I am in agreement with you. But it's not sustainable in the long run. Team needs a stronger 3/4.

Well actually, I think you've made my point. We can't guard Giannis and LeBron. Like, Gallinari or Millsap gonna do a good job on Giannis or LeBron? Who do you imagine we'll add who will do a BETTER job than our guys? I guess ideally you switch Ayton to the 4 and let someone else cover Brook Lopez. Don't know what that has to do with all the other teams in the league, though - you know, the ones without GOATs on their squads.

You don't think we can do better than allowing 12 dunks? Or a parade to the foul line?

We tried to get Gordon at the deadline, so it seems like the team is trying to address the gaping hole. The price tag might be too rich though. FWIW, Millsap is a very good defender when he's not dealing with injuries. If it wasn't for his age, I think he fits in really well.

This problem really should be addressed by the draft. Why not try to draft and develop a Maurice Harkless-kinda player? Or a Marcus Morris? A Jeremy grant? You don't have to go all out... to get a role player. I think this is a top priority for the front office, to address via FA or draft. The odd man out is likely Bridges not Oubre.

I dont think I've disagreed more with a reasonable thought process in a long time.

First, every team struggles against Bron, Gianis, Luka, Butler, etc. That's what makes them elite players. I agree some more size is needed but it doesnt have to be a starting position or even the 4.

If the Suns can sign Grant at less than $15 mil per they should. If he needs to start in order to do so, start him. Bridges can play a sixth man role for a year.

If I'm forced to choose between Oubre and Bridges I'm taking Bridges every single time. Superior defender, odds are will be a better shooter as well.

I think their primary concern is getting a legit third guard for their rotation. I like Carter in spots. Okobo is atrocious.

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[jredsaz]

Mikal’s defensive value largely comes from his ability to defend 1-3. He clamped Luka as well as anyone I’ve seen this season, and punishes smaller guards. He’s not a tier 1 perimeter defender but he’s probably in the 2nd tier, and being able to put him on 1s unlocks lineups that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. I’d love to see Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton minutes in the Orlando games.

Having multiple good players at the wing position is not a bad thing. That’s how you win in this league. We’ve got plenty of room for both Bridges and Oubre with bird rights.

I like Oubre and I think we could keep him at a salary that's probably going to reflect AGs contract starting in 2021.

But he is somewhat of a ball stopper. Not great vision. Not a consistent defender. Not a great shooter. Not super efficient. I feel like if the Suns can add a player - whether through trade or acquired cap space - that is better at those things but not as good as a primary scorer I would take it.

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[Saberestar]

You don't think we can do better than allowing 12 dunks? Or a parade to the foul line?

We tried to get Gordon at the deadline, so it seems like the team is trying to address the gaping hole. The price tag might be too rich though. FWIW, Millsap is a very good defender when he's not dealing with injuries. If it wasn't for his age, I think he fits in really well.

This problem really should be addressed by the draft. Why not try to draft and develop a Maurice Harkless-kinda player? Or a Marcus Morris? A Jeremy grant? You don't have to go all out... to get a role player. I think this is a top priority for the front office, to address via FA or draft. The odd man out is likely Bridges not Oubre.

We tried to trade Cam Johnson - not Oubre - for Aaron Gordon. We said no to Oubre for Gordon. I think pretty soon, we'll thank our lucky stars the Magic said no to Cam. If Cam stays healthy, he could be a highly-efficient 20 PPG scorer. As for Bridges, I wouldn't consider trading him. Luka hates being defended by Mikal. A lot of players do. Mikal is a special defender, and those are freaking hard to come by.

Your pining for Harkless, Morris and Grant confuses me. THAT'S who you want guarding Giannis and Lebron? I don't need none of those guys, because I would rather Oubre, Bridges and Cam play all their minutes.

Let's place blame on the bench, where it belongs. Keep the squad together. Pay everyone, add bench pieces, draft sensibly, and just stay the course -- unless GSW is willing to just drop that pick in our laps, in which case you make two lotto picks and try to replace Oubre in free agency. Otherwise I'm inclined to stay the course with our current core of Rubio-Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton.

Mikal is not a special defender. His defensive stats are above average, but nothing to write home about. People on this forum way overrated him as a lockdown defender. He comes nowhere close to the likes of a Roco or a Paul George. He's a tier below the elite guys. Harkless is one of the best versatile defender in the league, you are vastly underrated the likes of him.

If you can find a 3&D power forward, you take him over Mikal. You push Oubre to the 3, and you gain size, versatility, shooting, rebounding. Oh yeah, areas of weakness of this team. You lose on steals, but that's a good tradeoff.

I think that Mikal is a perfect fit next to Booker and Ayton.

Ayton and Booker are gonna shoot and score a lot for us in the next few years and we need an smart defensive player with low usage next to them on the wing. Mikal is that player. We are lucky to have him. And Mikal has progressed on the offensive side in the last 20 games of the season, so he is already a pretty good all around player IMO.

Regarding Harkless, I think he is an OK player but he is not better than Mikal. He is just a bit bigger, but not a serious upgrade in size or anything like that. And clearly a worse shooter and worse passer. I prefer Bridges over him by a lot.

[GoodBehavior]

Mikal’s defensive value largely comes from his ability to defend 1-3. He clamped Luka as well as anyone I’ve seen this season, and punishes smaller guards. He’s not a tier 1 perimeter defender but he’s probably in the 2nd tier, and being able to put him on 1s unlocks lineups that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. I’d love to see Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton minutes in the Orlando games.

Having multiple good players at the wing position is not a bad thing. That’s how you win in this league. We’ve got plenty of room for both Bridges and Oubre with bird rights.

This team has been loading up on wings since the ice age and have nothing to show for it except poor rebounding, terrible shooting, and atrocious perimeter defense. Other teams are drafting and developing versatile wings that play both sides of the ball, shoot the three ball, and play multiple positions on D. The only person that fits that profile is the much criticized Oubre.

Bridges, to me, is an X-factor player that playoff team would love to have. A bench player that comes in and disrupt other defense flow with timely steals and smart off-ball defense. That's his strength. His on-ball defense is very overrated. He's decent, not anywhere close to elite. He struggles with bigger guard. And not faster enough against point guard. I don't think he's as versatile as you make him out to be. I don't think he guards the 1's much. If he did, he's not doing a good job since point guards have been eating up this defense. It's not his fault. I don't think many, if any, shooting guard /small forward can actually guard the 1's on a consistent basis. Maybe Klay?

Luka played two games against the Suns this season. The last game was on a back-to-back: 21 points (7-15) in 25 minutes. His other game: 42 points (12-24), 11a, 9r. And 18 trips to the free throw line. No one on this team, including Bridges, guarded Luka well.

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I know it seems like I am bagging on Mikal. I am not. To be clear, he's a fantastic defender at the 2 position. Had he stayed in Philly. The Embiid-Simmons-Roco-Bridges works extremely well and would be one of the greatest defensive team of all time. Other teams would love him (Klay-Green-Bridges works to). You pair Bridges with a bigger small forward, and it works well. Problem with the Suns is Booker is firmly the 2 here with no chance of playing either the 1 or 3, and Oubre is slim and physically too similar to Bridges. Bridges work as a starter if Book is traded or your swap Oubre for a Harrison Barnes/Otto Porter-type player. Or you keep him as a Sixth man.

[Walt_Uoob]

Mikal’s defensive value largely comes from his ability to defend 1-3. He clamped Luka as well as anyone I’ve seen this season, and punishes smaller guards. He’s not a tier 1 perimeter defender but he’s probably in the 2nd tier, and being able to put him on 1s unlocks lineups that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. I’d love to see Booker-Bridges-Cam-Oubre-Ayton minutes in the Orlando games.

Having multiple good players at the wing position is not a bad thing. That’s how you win in this league. We’ve got plenty of room for both Bridges and Oubre with bird rights.

I like Oubre and I think we could keep him at a salary that's probably going to reflect AGs contract starting in 2021.

But he is somewhat of a ball stopper. Not great vision. Not a consistent defender. Not a great shooter. Not super efficient. I feel like if the Suns can add a player - whether through trade or acquired cap space - that is better at those things but not as good as a primary scorer I would take it.

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Didn't someone step in recently with some stats kind of debunking the idea of Oubre being a ball stopper? I went through the last several pages and couldn't find the post, but I thought I read that by the numbers, he moves the ball pretty well.