RealGM

With the season on its last legs, I thought it would be an interesting topic to hear who you drop and who you bring back. I

Keep:
Dame
Ant
Nas
Winslow
Nurk

Watford
Dunn
Keon
GB3
Hart

Goldbum wrote:With the season on its last legs, I thought it would be an interesting topic to hear who you drop and who you bring back. I

Keep:
Dame
Ant
Nas
Winslow
Nurk

Watford
Dunn
Keon
GB3
Hart

I would wipe the slate clean and move everyone, including Simons except rookie contact players, for picks and youth.

But I’m not an interim GM hoping to keep my job.

Keep:
* Dame
* Hart
* Little
* Nurk
* Simons
* Williams (TW)

50/50:
* Winslow (likely keep)
* Brown (likely keep)
* Watford (likely keep)
* Johnson (unsure on)
* Ingles (most likely not resigned)
* McLemore (most likely not resigned)

Time to move on from:
* Blevins
* Bledsoe
* Elleby
* Dunn
* Eubanks
* Hughes
* Didi

Different paths forward for Dame in the upcoming season ending interviews will have to tell management
if he wishes to be in Portland as part of a likely rebuilding process for most of suspect Portland will strike
out in free agency/ trade market to build a team that will contend.

What management then does can begin.

Dame. Everyone else is on the table.

OK, I'll bite:

Simons/Williams/Dunn
Hart/Keon/MAC(maybe)
Winslow/Little
???/Watford/GB3
Nurkic/Eubanks

Case2012 wrote:Dame. Everyone else is on the table.

Agree.

The story of Damian Lillard and Portland, Oregon deserves another chapter after this one's setback. I'd put up anything and anybody to reshape the roster to be optimized around Dame for one more run. Or two. Or as many as Dame can muster and is willing to lead, really.

That said, while everybody should be on the table, I'd be very surprised if the Blazers find better options, or values, for Nurk and Watford's roster spots. Nurkic is an imperfect player, especially in the playoffs, but on the whole he plays well with both Dame and Simons and, perhaps more importantly, is unlikely to return much in a sign-and-trade. He's a probable keeper unless he chooses to move on in free agency. Watford's minuscule salary means that he's simultaneously a great value to the Blazers and very hard to trade for value except as a throw-in. Unless another team is so wildly impressed by his early returns that his inclusion would be the clincher in a bigger trade, I think he can be expected back in Portland next season too.

I wish Simons wasn't a free agent so he could be traded on draft night. I like Anfernee a lot but I think he and a lotto pick would make for a really high-value package to land a second star who complements Dame.

Keep:
* Dame
* Hart
* Little
* Simons
* Williams (TW)
* Watford


50/50:
* Winslow (not sure)
* Nurk (no other options, then keep)
* Johnson (just to see what he has one more year, but hes most likely gonna be out of NBA in a few years)
* Ingles (most likely not resigned)
* McLemore (most likely not resigned)
* Eubanks

Time to move on from:
* Blevins (the fact that he is on the team because of Dame is disgusting. He should not be an NBA player period)
* Bledsoe
* Elleby (sucks)
* Dunn
* Hughes

Things are grim if we are excited about keeping a wing who can't shoot coming off a hip replacement.

dunlop212 wrote:Things are grim if we are excited about keeping a wing who can't shoot coming off a hip replacement.

I mean, Winslow is a pretty nice 18mpg utility backup. Doesnt demand usage, can defend multiple positions, plays hard, passes well. You just need to have a legit starting caliber guy ahead of him since you cant play him in the clutch due to his **** shooting. We dont have that guy right now.

Just Lillard. Everyone else is expendable for the right price.

I would like to bring back Dunn. He's the perfect back up for Dame and Simons and need play well alongside them too. I've been praying for a defensive, pass first, athletic back up pg with size and length for YEARS. Dame, Simons, Dunn and Hart is pretty good at the guard spot.

Eubanks too, he’s from PDX and he might be as good as Nurk, no BS.

Dame/Dunn
Hart/ Simons (he should be a 6th man let’s be real)
Grant/ Nas
Murray/ Winslow/ Watford
Nurk/ Eubanks/ 2nd rounder

That’s the most realistic roster I can think of coming back next year, and TBH I think it’s pretty good especially in Billups system

Case2012 wrote:Dame/Dunn
Hart/ Simons (he should be a 6th man let’s be real)
Grant/ Nas
Murray/ Winslow/ Watford
Nurk/ Eubanks/ 2nd rounder

That’s the most realistic roster I can think of coming back next year, and TBH I think it’s pretty good especially in Billups system

I'm undecided on that pick, maybe Eason over Murray? If that's one of the 3 bigs I would be happier...

Case2012 wrote:Dame/Dunn
Hart/ Simons (he should be a 6th man let’s be real)
Grant/ Nas
Murray/ Winslow/ Watford
Nurk/ Eubanks/ 2nd rounder

That’s the most realistic roster I can think of coming back next year, and TBH I think it’s pretty good especially in Billups system

Simons isnt getting put on the bench after getting paid 20M+. That being said, we can easily find a way to get Hart 30mpg at SG if we use Simons as the backup PG, which I think we do. Hart and Winslow are good ballhandlers / passers and can alleviate the mediocre PG skills of Simons the 15mpg or so he plays PG.

Hart has been handling the ball and even bringing it up the court a ton since we made the trade, which really makes his fit next to Simons good.

I look at the roster as such:

PG - Damian Lillard / Anfernee Simons / Kris Dunn
SG - Anfernee Simons / Josh Hart / Keon Johnson
SF - ??? / Nas Little / ???
PF - ??? / Justice Winslow / Greg Brown
C - Jusuf Nurkic / Drew Eubanks / Trendon Watford

I think a realistic outcome is:

(Trade Bledsoe + 10 for Grant) + (AJ Griffin #7 + Caleb Houston #37)

PG - Damian Lillard (34) / Anfernee Simons (14) / Kris Dunn
SG - Anfernee Simons (18) / Josh Hart (30) / Keon Johnson
SF - AJ Griffin (24) / Nas Little (24) / Caleb Houston
PF - Jerami Grant (30) / Justice Winslow (18) / Greg Brown
C - Jusuf Nurkic (28) / Drew Eubanks (20) / Trendon Watford

Yeah, that’s a pretty likely outcome if Murray is off the board but I would take Mathurin over Griffin personally and Nas would obviously start.

Keep: Simmons and Little.

Everyone else I'm willing to trade. We aren't winning anything with Dame. Let him move on and let's get some good assets back.

Does anyone else worry that a backup PF/C combo of Eubanks and Winslow will be a little to small in the second unit? IDK can Winslow (or a guy like Prince) be our starting SF with Trendon/Eubanks (or Drummond) feel better balanced? Eubanks is a guy we need to resign if it's for the minimum and B.Will is probably more valuable than a lot of us think... the local team here's scouting department is high on him for what it's worth...

Goldbum wrote:Does anyone else worry that a backup PF/C combo of Eubanks and Winslow will be a little to small in the second unit? IDK can Winslow (or a guy like Prince) be our starting SF with Trendon/Eubanks (or Drummond) feel better balanced? Eubanks is a guy we need to resign if it's for the minimum and B.Will is probably more valuable than a lot of us think... the local team here's scouting department is high on him for what it's worth...

Winslow isnt a starting caliber player and Nas already has the backup SF spot. I also think the lack of a shot is easier to pass at PF than SF. End of the day I love his hustle and defensive versatility but he is a 15-18mpg guy on a playoff team who probably doesnt see much PT in the playoffs due to being so limited shooting. I still would like to keep him, but wouldnt hesitate to use him as ballast in a trade w/ Bledsoe for a starting level guy at either F spot.

Eubanks is built like a tree and 6'10. His size and strength is one of his bigger pluses. I dont think he is too small at all. (And please no to Drummond, who will cost more than Eubanks and still makes doofus plays pretty regularly).

But if Winslow or Prince are our starting SF come 22/23, something went terribly wrong in the offseason. Neither are guys that start on a good team.