Free agency and trade ideas: Which wings do we go after this summer?

[MathiasPW]

I know most here are not Rozier fans but he played really well as a starter and plays hard, I prefer Brogon but dont think he is a realistic option

Here is my first reaction:



Now with that being said (Or seen), let me just say, i have been one of the bigger Rozier haters on the board, but my hard line stance on him has really started to soften.

Yes, he had a breakout series last year in the playoffs, but that is a very small sample size. I mean that was his 3rd season in the league and he really didnt show much until that breakout performance. That was his best season and in the 26 minutes he averaged, h his stats were 11 Points (40%FG;38%3PT), 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, and a Steal (Also with only 1 TO a game). Yes, that was his BEST season. Of course Boston Fans gave him a cute lil' nickname for his playoff performance and ended up over-hyping him to the point that he might have got a big head from it.

But the reason i have stopped hating him as much as i have is from stuff this season. Of course his stats and percentages are all down from last year, but i started noticing more things that i saw him doing that dont show up on the stat sheet, and one of them was his defense. Now some can chalk that up to Brad Stevens or the Celtics system, but i have watched quite a few Youtube videos with him explaining his defense on guys and i was rather impressed with what he was saying.

Here is one of those videos:

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

And while his remarks after the Celtics season ended started hitting the media, honestly i do feel that he sacrificed a lot this season. While of course he sacrificed money (On what will be his next contract by playing a different more reserved role this year), he also sacrificed his talents, which was his response when anyone asked him about that comment.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

I hate to say it, but he did and i agree with him.

I also like how he wants to take control over his career. He isnt happy riding the pine and playing spot minutes behind someone else while cruising to an almost guaranteed late round playoff run, he wants to utilize his skills, step out from behind someone else's shadow, and make a name for himself while showing people who he is, what kind of player he is, and that he belongs. Cant fault a guy for that. Sounds very familiar to what Irving did when he stunned the world by asking to be traded away from Lebron and a guaranteed title contender every season. I like that. I like that a lot. It really speaks to his character.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Now lets talk more about Terry the player. From what i understand he is a basketball rat. Loves being in the gym and loves going over video of not just himself but other players as well (To not only learn how to better defend them, but to also see if there is something from their offense that he can try to incorporate into his game).

He is a combo guard first and foremost. He attacks the rim, but his go to move is pull up jumpers. Way better with the ball in his hands and hitting the pull-ups than he is as a catch and shoot player camped out at the 3 point line. He isnt going to be the playmaker that some people want. I believe his Assist high is 10 in a game. Thats not his thing. While he does have some nice passes and is smart with the ball (Low turnover rate), he is better served as the PG that draws defenders away and the ball gets swung around the court. He is the assist mans assist man (If that makes any sense). He also is an underrated defender. Good at sticking with his man and reading plays.

For the right amount of money, i think there is enough there to try to take on and hope we can help him grow and possibly mold him into the player we want to run the point next to Booker. Dont get me wrong, its definitely a gamble, but im liking him more than some other names i have seen thrown around here. The kid has skills, and a better base to work from then some of those other guys. To me its all about price. What is his price, no one knows.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

The main criticism against Rozier is his poor shooting. I haven't watched him enough, but looking at his stats, he is:

1) NOT a bad finisher at the rim (.634). He is finishing less at the rim, though, substituting for higher % of 3 pointers.

2) PASSABLE from 3 (.350), which make up for half of his shots.

3) SHANNON-BROWN-LEVEL-TERRIBLE from midrange (.300), which is something he uses a LOT (over 1/3rd of his shots). That's the shot he should really be cutting down, but kinda made a name on it, so might be resisting to.

Devin Booker, in comparison, has very similar at-the-rim efficiency, and uses the midrange even more frequently. BUT, the main difference is he makes these at over .500 efficiency, which makes all the difference in the world

[WeekapaugGroove]

Rozier has some skills, and could potentially be a decent player as a starter, but thing that scares me most is his atrocious 2P%. Just how bad is he at finishing at the rim?!

That, and given the lack of his playmaking, there are simply much better options out there.

Carrying on with my Josh Richardson obsession, I wonder if this trade would be realistic?

#6, Warren, JJ, Melton

for

Josh Richardson & Kelly Olynyk

The Heat do this to get more young assets, save a bit of money, and get a long-term PG in Garland / White.

We do this to get a very good long-term fit next to Book in Josh Richardson, and a stretch PF in Olynyk (though slightly overpaid).

Line-up would be:

Ayton/Holmes
Olynyk/#32
Oubre/Bridges
Booker/Tyler
Richardson/Okobo

I like Richardson, but I think we need a better creator or facilitator next to Booker in the backcourt.

Richardson is not good enough with the ball in his hands to be our primary ball handler. We don't want to play Book as a "PG", Monty Williams talked specifically about avoiding ISO ball, and that is how we play when Book needs to create too much for the team.

I would trade for Richardson if he is available for some strange reason, but I don't expect it. His value probably is superhigh, is not worthy because we would need to trade a ton for him and he plays exactly the position that we have pretty well covered (SG/SF).

I hadn't heard Monty talk about avoiding iso ball, that's funny because he ran a fairly iso heavy system in NO. While I'm not saying they should be as iso heavy as the current rockets it is something booker is good at and something they should do some of. Heck the pure post play so many pine for Ayton to be a part of is a form of iso ball.

Back to booker I actually took some of the comments I've heard from Monty to mean some point booker is still on the table. Igor went out of his way to say he didn't want to play point book last summer, different time from Monty.

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[Saberestar]

Rozier has some skills, and could potentially be a decent player as a starter, but thing that scares me most is his atrocious 2P%. Just how bad is he at finishing at the rim?!

That, and given the lack of his playmaking, there are simply much better options out there.

Carrying on with my Josh Richardson obsession, I wonder if this trade would be realistic?

#6, Warren, JJ, Melton

for

Josh Richardson & Kelly Olynyk

The Heat do this to get more young assets, save a bit of money, and get a long-term PG in Garland / White.

We do this to get a very good long-term fit next to Book in Josh Richardson, and a stretch PF in Olynyk (though slightly overpaid).

Line-up would be:

Ayton/Holmes
Olynyk/#32
Oubre/Bridges
Booker/Tyler
Richardson/Okobo

I like Richardson, but I think we need a better creator or facilitator next to Booker in the backcourt.

Richardson is not good enough with the ball in his hands to be our primary ball handler. We don't want to play Book as a "PG", Monty Williams talked specifically about avoiding ISO ball, and that is how we play when Book needs to create too much for the team.

I would trade for Richardson if he is available for some strange reason, but I don't expect it. His value probably is superhigh, is not worthy because we would need to trade a ton for him and he plays exactly the position that we have pretty well covered (SG/SF).

I hadn't heard Monty talk about avoiding iso ball, that's funny because he ran a fairly iso heavy system in NO. While I'm not saying they should be as iso heavy as the current rockets it is something booker is good at and something they should do some of. Heck the pure post play so many pine for Ayton to be a part of is a form of iso ball.

Back to booker I actually took some of the comments I've heard from Monty to mean some point booker is still on the table. Igor went out of his way to say he didn't want to play point book last summer, different time from Monty.

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I can not find you the exact moment when he said that, but I remember pretty well that he talked about adapting his offense to the players that we will have on the roster for next season.

He said that our offense will go through Booker and Ayton, that is for sure. That we would like to play with heavy ball movement like the Spurs or the Warriors. He specifically said that when a player holds the ball in his hands that allows defense to be more effective.

He added that he wants to give Booker the ball to create because he is an special player, that is true, but probably an small portion of time if we are gonna really try to move the ball a lot and find open shots.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I like Richardson, but I think we need a better creator or facilitator next to Booker in the backcourt.

Richardson is not good enough with the ball in his hands to be our primary ball handler. We don't want to play Book as a "PG", Monty Williams talked specifically about avoiding ISO ball, and that is how we play when Book needs to create too much for the team.

I would trade for Richardson if he is available for some strange reason, but I don't expect it. His value probably is superhigh, is not worthy because we would need to trade a ton for him and he plays exactly the position that we have pretty well covered (SG/SF).

I hadn't heard Monty talk about avoiding iso ball, that's funny because he ran a fairly iso heavy system in NO. While I'm not saying they should be as iso heavy as the current rockets it is something booker is good at and something they should do some of. Heck the pure post play so many pine for Ayton to be a part of is a form of iso ball.

Back to booker I actually took some of the comments I've heard from Monty to mean some point booker is still on the table. Igor went out of his way to say he didn't want to play point book last summer, different time from Monty.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

I can not find you the exact moment when he said that, but I remember pretty well that he talked about adapting his offense to the players that we will have on the roster for next season.

He said that our offense will go through Booker and Ayton, that is for sure. That we would like to play with heavy ball movement like the Spurs or the Warriors. He specifically said that when a player holds the ball in his hands that allows defense to be more effective.

He added that he wants to give Booker the ball to create because he is an special player, that is true, but probably an small portion of time if we are gonna really try to move the ball a lot and find open shots.

I've liked what I've heard from Monty on booker strategy. Its a balancing act they need to play with him. On one hand they shouldn't turn him into JJ Reddick and just make him a shooter because his ability to great offense is a strength. But they absolutely need another guy who can initiate offense so teams can't key on him as much and also to prevent fatigue. Key will be to find a guy who's comfortable playing both on and off the ball. It's why I'd avoid the Rubio and elf Peyton types.

As far as ball movement all coaches want some degree of it. Igor ran an extremely heavy movement system but I did think at times it didn't play to the roster he had. One key issue was that O is designed to move the ball until the d makes a mistake in a rotation and you get an open look. Problem was the suns were so young and mistake prone they often made the mistake first and were such bad shooters even when they got an open look they didn't capitalize.

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[Saberestar]

I hadn't heard Monty talk about avoiding iso ball, that's funny because he ran a fairly iso heavy system in NO. While I'm not saying they should be as iso heavy as the current rockets it is something booker is good at and something they should do some of. Heck the pure post play so many pine for Ayton to be a part of is a form of iso ball.

Back to booker I actually took some of the comments I've heard from Monty to mean some point booker is still on the table. Igor went out of his way to say he didn't want to play point book last summer, different time from Monty.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

I can not find you the exact moment when he said that, but I remember pretty well that he talked about adapting his offense to the players that we will have on the roster for next season.

He said that our offense will go through Booker and Ayton, that is for sure. That we would like to play with heavy ball movement like the Spurs or the Warriors. He specifically said that when a player holds the ball in his hands that allows defense to be more effective.

He added that he wants to give Booker the ball to create because he is an special player, that is true, but probably an small portion of time if we are gonna really try to move the ball a lot and find open shots.

I've liked what I've heard from Monty on booker strategy. Its a balancing act they need to play with him. On one hand they shouldn't turn him into JJ Reddick and just make him a shooter because his ability to great offense is a strength. But they absolutely need another guy who can initiate offense so teams can't key on him as much and also to prevent fatigue. Key will be to find a guy who's comfortable playing both on and off the ball. It's why I'd avoid the Rubio and elf Peyton types.

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Absolutely.

[Saberestar]

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[WeekapaugGroove]

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Malcolm is a different cat. I'm curious to see what he does post playing days, dudes an impressive human and I could see he running the players association or being a senator or something like that.

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[Fo-Real]

I know most here are not Rozier fans but he played really well as a starter and plays hard, I prefer Brogon but dont think he is a realistic option

Irving is leaving so Rozier becomes insurance, which is the reason they never risked trading him. The Celtics will match the meager offering he gets on the open market. Shouldnt be too high seeing as they tanked his value this season specifically for such a standoff.

[bigfoot]

I like Richardson, but I think we need a better creator or facilitator next to Booker in the backcourt.

Richardson is not good enough with the ball in his hands to be our primary ball handler. We don't want to play Book as a "PG", Monty Williams talked specifically about avoiding ISO ball, and that is how we play when Book needs to create too much for the team.

I would trade for Richardson if he is available for some strange reason, but I don't expect it. His value probably is superhigh, is not worthy because we would need to trade a ton for him and he plays exactly the position that we have pretty well covered (SG/SF).

I hadn't heard Monty talk about avoiding iso ball, that's funny because he ran a fairly iso heavy system in NO. While I'm not saying they should be as iso heavy as the current rockets it is something booker is good at and something they should do some of. Heck the pure post play so many pine for Ayton to be a part of is a form of iso ball.

Back to booker I actually took some of the comments I've heard from Monty to mean some point booker is still on the table. Igor went out of his way to say he didn't want to play point book last summer, different time from Monty.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

I can not find you the exact moment when he said that, but I remember pretty well that he talked about adapting his offense to the players that we will have on the roster for next season.

He said that our offense will go through Booker and Ayton, that is for sure. That we would like to play with heavy ball movement like the Spurs or the Warriors. He specifically said that when a player holds the ball in his hands that allows defense to be more effective.

He added that he wants to give Booker the ball to create because he is an special player, that is true, but probably an small portion of time if we are gonna really try to move the ball a lot and find open shots.

Another thing Monty was also very specific about ball movement was that it creates the separation in the fourth quarter when the other team has physically worn down from all the switching and defensive rotations. He mentioned the Spurs and Warriors as examples as you suggested.

[Kerrsed]

Rozier has some skills, and could potentially be a decent player as a starter, but thing that scares me most is his atrocious 2P%. Just how bad is he at finishing at the rim?!

That, and given the lack of his playmaking, there are simply much better options out there.

Its not his finishing at the rim that is bad, its the mid range jumpers that kill his percentages.



As you can see, that 3-10 foot range is killing him.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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?s=09 .

[Qwigglez]

I’d rather go into the season with one of Garland/White playing backup PG while have Tyler Johnson starting than spending money on Terry Rozier.
In fact, if we are just keeping our pick then I see no point in even going after any PG in free agency. I guess we could draft Brandon Clarke but I see us leaning towards drafting a PG. I’d imagine our font office has Clarke ranked in the same tier list as Garland/White, in which point BPA becomes a non-factor since they are ranked equally and we draft for need.

[Hesh]

Who here is familiar with Noah Vonleh's game and could he be a viable option for us at PF?

[bwgood77]

Who here is familiar with Noah Vonleh's game and could he be a viable option for us at PF?

Not anything special but maybe a good minimum guy back up PF. He has shot more 3s the last couple of years and was above 33% this past year.

Bad thing is league average or 3 pt shooting these days is 35.5. We don't have anyone above that from last year except for TJ (who was at 43%), and when he went down our 3 pt% plummeted...and we finished last in 3 pt%.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Who here is familiar with Noah Vonleh's game and could he be a viable option for us at PF?

Not anything special but maybe a good minimum guy back up PF. He has shot more 3s the last couple of years and was above 33% this past year.

Bad thing is league average or 3 pt shooting these days is 35.5. We don't have anyone above that from last year except for TJ (who was at 43%), and when he went down our 3 pt% plummeted...and we finished last in 3 pt%.

Players get better at shooting as they age. Big men especially, these days.

I wonder how high is the correlation between age of team and 3FG%. Pretty high, I bet.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Who here is familiar with Noah Vonleh's game and could he be a viable option for us at PF?

Not anything special but maybe a good minimum guy back up PF. He has shot more 3s the last couple of years and was above 33% this past year.

Bad thing is league average or 3 pt shooting these days is 35.5. We don't have anyone above that from last year except for TJ (who was at 43%), and when he went down our 3 pt% plummeted...and we finished last in 3 pt%.

Players get better at shooting as they age. Big men especially, these days.

I wonder how high is the correlation between age of team and 3FG%. Pretty high, I bet.

Yeah the suns easiest way to raise their % is booker and Bridges to raise their %. They were top 2 in attempts and booker shot .325 and Bridges .335. Both probably end up with a bunch of attempts this year and it's not unreasonable to think they can hit at a higher clip. Oubre was also around .325 and could increase a little because his stroke seems fine. Crawford and Jackson took about 450 3s and there's a decent chance they are replaced so that could help. Bender took about 100 3s and shot a shockingly bad 22%.

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[bigfoot]

Who here is familiar with Noah Vonleh's game and could he be a viable option for us at PF?

Not anything special but maybe a good minimum guy back up PF. He has shot more 3s the last couple of years and was above 33% this past year.

Bad thing is league average or 3 pt shooting these days is 35.5. We don't have anyone above that from last year except for TJ (who was at 43%), and when he went down our 3 pt% plummeted...and we finished last in 3 pt%.

Keeping TJ is a must with his three point shooting improvement. Also like the idea someone suggested about picking up Seth Curry as a free agent PG option. Two 40% 3pt shooters would be awesome for Booker and Ayton. If Tyler Johnson can get back to his career average of 36% that will make a big difference too.

[Puff]

I’d rather go into the season with one of Garland/White playing backup PG while have Tyler Johnson starting than spending money on Terry Rozier.
In fact, if we are just keeping our pick then I see no point in even going after any PG in free agency. I guess we could draft Brandon Clarke but I see us leaning towards drafting a PG. I’d imagine our font office has Clarke ranked in the same tier list as Garland/White, in which point BPA becomes a non-factor since they are ranked equally and we draft for need.

I agree with this take on the decision at point guard.

However, I think it comes down to our decision on Clarke. If he can play defense, share the ball and rebound while shooting it well I really want him on our team. I see him as the Draymond Green or Boris Diaw complement to our team.

It could come down to whom Jones thinks he can get in free agency. If he thinks he can get a point guard he likes, our pick will be Clarke. If he thinks we are fine at the 4 or thinks we can get help at the 4 in free agency our pick will be either Garland or White.

If we can't rebound or play defense what good is a new point guard?

[sunsfever68]

I’d rather go into the season with one of Garland/White playing backup PG while have Tyler Johnson starting than spending money on Terry Rozier.
In fact, if we are just keeping our pick then I see no point in even going after any PG in free agency. I guess we could draft Brandon Clarke but I see us leaning towards drafting a PG. I’d imagine our font office has Clarke ranked in the same tier list as Garland/White, in which point BPA becomes a non-factor since they are ranked equally and we draft for need.

This. It's such a gamble to think Rozier will rebound and get 2 years ago form. Granted being the primary ball handler will do wonders for him but his 2pt % is so bad.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I have less than zero interest in Rozier. I prefer Tyler Johnson. I think one or both of Okobo and Melton is likely to end up a better player. Everyone should go and compare those career stats, knock themselves out.

Moving on...