billy_hoyle wrote:Rapsfan07 wrote:WuTang_OG wrote:
We shall see. Masai is hell bent on being patient but those Demar/Lowry years were at least top 3 in the East. That landscape has totally changed with better teams/talent. I've always said I like Siakam but he's probably our best trade chip in the market aside from Scottie. If you can get a nice package for him that can energize the team with young talent / picks, you gotta look at it. We won't be tanking thats evident with trading next yrs pick, so goal is likely to get younger while also staying somewhat competitive.
I don't disagree. I also think that is the route they will end up taking.
But that pick is Top 6 protected until 2026, at which time it turns into two SRPs, if I remember correctly. So what's the plan? Be "somewhat competitive " from 2022 until 2026 and then rebuild after that? Play-in or first round exits for the next four years just so that we don't have to convey a high pick? If that was the case, why bother making the trade? In my calculus, time >>> everything else. Four years of not committing in one direction or the other is a fireable offense. That is a lot of wasted time....unless of course, as we all know/suspect, MLSE just wants to pick up the playoff revenue and doesn't actually care about winning.
As you noted, the NBA landscape has changed substantially since the Demar/Lowry years. And even back then, there were a lot of people saying that it was time to move on from that core in Year 2 of our consecutive playoff runs. Front office's saving grace is that Kawhi became available and we were able to secure him and had assets to build a winner around him.
This is very clearly not that situation. We will not be getting a HOFer for pennies on the dollar and even if we somehow managed that, we don't have the assets to build said team around him.
I think the answer is move Siakam, S&T FVV, re-sign and keep Poeltl and bring in picks and young blue chip prospects. If the pick conveys, it conveys. Better to start moving forward now instead of wasting the coach's and player's time and career.
A couple things:
1.) The plan could be to draft the BPA at 13. That could end up being a star caliber player (re: Jalen Williams). Add a competent bench combo guard for the MLE ( say DDV). Get a healthy OPJ, and improved young guys (Koloko, Precious, Barnes and GTJ). We were 0.500, why can't this team have some sizable positive regression in close games (basically hand over the reigns to Scottie in that last 2 minutes) and end up with 50+ wins. We are not far off.
2.) Pennies on the dollar. DeMar has made multiple all star teams and an all NBA team since that trade. Keldon Johnson is at least a rotation player, and Poeltl just cost us a 1st and 2 seconds as an expiring to get back. How is that pennies? Worth it for a 'chip, absolutely! Pennies?
1) #13 could be star player, for sure. He also could not. No point debating that since we have no idea as of this moment who the pick will be. But let's say we do manage to get a Williams caliber player at #13...does that player make us good enough to compete in the Siakam/FVV window or would we be better off moving those guys and pairing #13 with Barnes and whatever else we get in a trade for Siakam/FVV, growing that core together and adding meaningful veterans later down the road? Or perhaps better put - do we believe that the guy we get at #13 is going to be a Kawhi/Giannis/Curry/LBJ/Jokic/Embiid type? Because that's the kind of piece we're missing right now. I personally think that those who believe we're an MLE signing away from contention are fooling themselves and history is on my side with that assertion. The Lowry/DeRozan era teams were much better than the ones we've fielded the last couple years and even they required a significant retool.
2) I agree with your assessment of the pieces of the Kawhi deal and even then, that's still really cheap for a Finals MVP caliber player. Look at what guys like George and Mitchell went for. Look at what Durant just went for. We got Leonard, who was arguably a Top 5 player for cheaper than what these other teams paid for the guys above. Let's say Giannis or Curry or Embiid or Jokic hit the market, do you think we could get them for what we paid for Kawhi? I highly, highly doubt it. The set of circumstances surrounding Kawhi at the time, mixed with our FOs willingness to take a massive gamble is what made that deal possible.
But at the end of the day, as evidenced that deal, you need to have a player like that or the ability to acquire one. As of now, we have neither.
But i would rather be in the bracket of teams that have a chance then be a team that has no Chance....At top 5 your talking about a pretty big chance at moving up man....When we had the 5th pick in feb i did tankathon lottery and Raptors moved up a good number of times....To act like being 5th would have been a bad thing cause the odds are low your just throwing **** at the wall at that point lol....
