Offseason Plan

[LyricalRico]

I keep looking at the projected lineups people are posting and imagining "Lillard" next to PG lol. Is there ANY chance of that?

Lillard makes $42.5M next year. We would have to send out at least $34M in matching salary. That would be pretty tough to do while still maintaining a roster of competent players.

It would leave us with the same problems that Portland had. It's unwise to spend 75% of your cap on two guards who are both lousy defenders.

Beal for Lillard? And then we find a SG?

[nate33]

I still think the 2nd most important move(after keeping Beal) is trading Kuzma. Such a polarizing player. As the box score numbers rise, his on/off numbers continue to sink. He's dead last on the wizards by a mile. Raptor player ratings have him rated as the 4th worst player in the entire league out of players that have played atleast 1500 minutes, just above Westbrook, Julius Randle, and Saddiq Bey.

Seems like 70% of the fanbase actually thinks he's having some breakout season and becoming an all star player. Unseld Jr obviously believes this as well, maybe the NBA GMs think so?

He really is a great tank commander. Let him fill up the box score on a terrible team as we tank our way to a top 10 pick. Let him average a triple double and 20 PPG. Maybe Tommy can work some magic and flip him for a 1st round pick on draft night.

It will be interesting to watch his on/off numbers going forward. It's absolutely fair to point out that his dismal on/off numbers belie his impressive box score stats.

I contend that at least some of that is due to Kuzma not benefitting from playing alongside Harrell as Harrell dominated 2nd string lineups. It's not so much that Kuzma sucks. It's that the starters aren't as good as opposing starters while our bench, thanks a great deal to Harrell, tends to be better than opposing benches. As evidence, I note that Avdija leads the team in on/off, but he has a substantially negative on/off when playing alongside any of Beal, Dinwidde, KCP or Gafford - our regular starters. Indeed, Avdija is -6.0 in a 5-man lineup alongside all four of those guys. Kuzma is -5.4 when alongside those same four guys. If Avdija spent the majority of his time alongside the starters like Kuzma does, would his overall on/off numbers plunge into the negative? It's tough to say.

Now that Harrell is gone and the overall rotation is in a state of flux, we should no longer have as consistent of a starting unit and a consistent bench crew. That should help to randomize the teammate "noise" in those on/off numbers, providing a better read on Kuzma's on/off impact himself.

I'm not saying NatP4 is wrong to be highly skeptical of Kuzma's impact. I'm just saying I'm not sure we have enough data yet. The remaining 30 games should be illustrative.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If John gets bought out, honestly I would LOVE a reunion. He's still an elite passer. Has great size. He'd be 1000X the PG Dinwiddie was.

That

Would be

Stupendous

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If John gets bought out, honestly I would LOVE a reunion. He's still an elite passer. Has great size. He'd be 1000X the PG Dinwiddie was.

This sudden shift of events has given John every reason in the world to think about buying out Because it really is not about the money if you're unhappy

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Kuzma and deni are untradeable, that’s a hell of a forward combination,
2 guys on the floor who can guard 2-4, heck they both was keeping up with kyrie last game and a few games back…
Not to mention how smart deni plays and how clutch kuzma been this year

I totally agree with you

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[nate33]

If John gets bought out, honestly I would LOVE a reunion. He's still an elite passer. Has great size. He'd be 1000X the PG Dinwiddie was.

That

Would be

Stupendous

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Not me.

I really want to get away from that ball dominant style. I like our ball-movement/everybody eats offense a lot better and I want to build on it. It's better for the development of our youngsters and it will help them feel like they have a stake in the team's future. Give me a guy like Sato over John Wall. (The Sato of the last couple of years, that is. Sato this year has been absolutely terrible.)

[deneem4]

a 3 team trade that sent porzingis and kcp to the rockets for wall and wood

Wall
Beal
Kuzma
Deni
Wood

[SUPERBALLMAN]

I think the plan is simple. Play out the remaining year and give Kispert, Deni, and Rui all the burn they can handle.
I think using Kuz/KCP along with Rui/2022 1st for another distressed asset is going to be the move.

Look for John Collins, Jerami Grant, Jonathan Isaac, or Marcus Smart...maybe even a SnT for Miles Bridges

One thing to keep in mind. I think they want to move Beal into the Harden/Jamal Murray role. I think an MLE FA will be a hardnosed, high IQ, low usage PG like Tyus Jones.

This is probably closer to WILL do, and not should do.

Drafting AJ Griffin and signing Tyus/Rubio/etc. would be my choice. No need to commit to anything until the deadline.

I like both Jones, Tyus & Tre, I wouldn't mind picking up either one.

I'd like to see a lot of Winston & Ayayi the rest of this season to see if we have anything there. Also give Carey & Todd some run.

Next season definites are KP, Gafford, Kuz, Rui, Deni, Kispert, KCP, Beal.... + our 1st round pick(BPA).

I'd like to keep Bryant, but not sure if it's feasible cap wise or roster wise. I can see Neto coming back as an energy/offense guy off the bench, which is fine as long as he's kept to a limited role and low cost.

That's 10. Todd would be 11. Carey could stick as 3rd Center, has upside, low cost, and could compliment Gafford as a guy with more bulk down low and offensive skills. That's 12.

Drafting a PG with our top pick would be ideal, and adding a vet with the MLE for depth and a starting option while the rookie develops, unless Winston or Ayayi can seize the spot.

Or maybe we package one of our forwards with the draft pick and trade for a starting PG.

PG we target should bring a team captain mentality, good teammate and communicator, a distributor pass 1st PG and strong & active defender 1st and foremost, ability to attack, fast break and put pressure on defenses, get to the line, hit his free throws and open 3s. And someone who will not be intimidated by Beal.

The question is, who is that? And do we get him in the draft, FA, or trade.

[WallToWall]

Here are the available PG's after this season is over:

PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	AGE	EXP	TYPE	RIGHTS	2021-2022 AAV
John Wall	HOU	PG	31.4	11	PO		$42,782,880
Russell Westbrook	LAL	PG	33.2	13	PO		$41,358,814
Kyrie Irving	BKN	PG	29.8	10	PO		$34,122,650
Goran Dragic	SAS	PG	35.8	14	UFA	Bird	$18,000,000
Ricky Rubio	IND	PG	31.2	11	UFA	Bird	$17,000,000
Patrick Beverley	MIN	PG	33.5	10	UFA	Bird	$13,333,333
Delon Wright	ATL	PG	29.8	7	UFA	Bird	$9,350,000
Tyus Jones	MEM	PG	25.8	7	UFA	Bird	$8,815,100
Patrick Mills	BKN	PG	33.5	12	PO		$6,037,250
Dennis Schröder	HOU	PG	28.3	9	UFA	Non-Bird	$5,890,000
Avery Bradley	LAL	PG	31.2	12	UFA	Non-Bird	$5,635,000
Collin Sexton	CLE	PG	23.1	4	RFA	Bird	$5,043,778
Cory Joseph	DET	PG	30.4	10	PO		$5,032,500
Facundo Campazzo	DEN	PG	35.8	2	RFA	Early Bird	$3,200,000
Trey Burke	DAL	PG	29.2	8	PO		$3,150,000
Frank Jackson	DET	PG	23.8	4	CO		$3,075,000
Rajon Rondo	CLE	PG	35.9	16	UFA	Non-Bird	$2,641,691
Aaron Holiday	PHX	PG	25.3	4	RFA	Bird	$2,619,338
Austin Rivers	DEN	PG	29.5	10	UFA	Early Bird	$2,401,537
Elfrid Payton	PHX	PG	27.9	8	UFA	Non-Bird	$2,239,544
Raul Neto	WAS	PG	29.7	7	UFA	Early Bird	$2,089,448
Gary Payton II	GSW	PG	29.2	6	UFA	Non-Bird	$1,939,350
Frank Ntilikina	DAL	PG	23.5	5	UFA	Non-Bird	$1,912,787
Dennis Smith Jr.	POR	PG	24.2	5	UFA	Non-Bird	$1,789,256
Jalen Brunson	DAL	PG	25.4	4	UFA	Bird	$1,528,193
Austin Reaves	LAL	PG	23.7	0	CO		$1,244,388
Brandon Goodwin	CLE	PG	26.3	4	UFA	Non-Bird	$9,938
Daishen Nix	HOU	PG	19.9	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
Cassius Winston	WAS	PG	23.9	2	RFA	Early Bird	-
Chris Chiozza	GSW	PG	26.2	4	UFA	Non-Bird	-
R.J. Nembhard	CLE	PG	22.8	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
Sharife Cooper	ATL	PG	20.7	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
Duane Washington Jr.	IND	PG	21.8	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
McKinley Wright IV	MIN	PG	23.2	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
Quincy Douby	LAL	PG	29.4	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
David Johnson	TOR	PG	20.9	1	RFA	Non-Bird	-
Markus Howard	DEN	PG	22.9	2	RFA	Early Bird	-

I think our only option to get an experienced and reasonably good or better PG to the team is via trade.

[dlts20]

I'd give the world to get wall back and think that he could be a great player again with someone who sets picks but I have seen no indication of him thinking of a buyout. However, I do think that he was extremely disappointed that the Russ trade didn't go through and that people still don't believe in him

[gambitx777]

I would give wall somewhere around mid level or less if he wanted to come back .

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If John gets bought out, honestly I would LOVE a reunion. He's still an elite passer. Has great size. He'd be 1000X the PG Dinwiddie was.

That

Would be

Stupendous

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Not me.

I really want to get away from that ball dominant style. I like our ball-movement/everybody eats offense a lot better and I want to build on it. It's better for the development of our youngsters and it will help them feel like they have a stake in the team's future. Give me a guy like Sato over John Wall. (The Sato of the last couple of years, that is. Sato this year has been absolutely terrible.)

You assume, I think, based on past performances that we'd get more of the same. I do not.

John has a three ball now.

He'd be the old man to stars Beal and Kristaps. He'd have ZERO awe struck respect from KUZMA a real good leader. Deni plays the right way. Daniel would love Wall in transition.

IF Wall is bought out I expect Miami to be where.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If John gets bought out, honestly I would LOVE a reunion. He's still an elite passer. Has great size. He'd be 1000X the PG Dinwiddie was.

That

Would be

Stupendous

Sent from my SM-A526U using RealGM mobile app

Not me.

I really want to get away from that ball dominant style. I like our ball-movement/everybody eats offense a lot better and I want to build on it. It's better for the development of our youngsters and it will help them feel like they have a stake in the team's future. Give me a guy like Sato over John Wall. (The Sato of the last couple of years, that is. Sato this year has been absolutely terrible.)

To add, heck yeah, Satoransky would be better.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

a 3 team trade that sent porzingis and kcp to the rockets for wall and wood

Wall
Beal
Kuzma
Deni
Wood

Too much

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[9 and 20]

Leonsis will never bring Wall back.

Beal and his buddy KCP for Colin Sexton plus whatever contracts to balance out the trade.

[nate33]

Sexton would be an interesting add.

He's not really a PG so we would still need one, but what Sexton can do is get a bucket in isolation. One big Achilles heel of this roster is that, against a good switch-everything team, we don't have a guy who can score in isolation.

If we traded Beal for Simmons and then signed Sexton as a 6th man, we'd be in good shape. I know, I know, trading for Simmons is now off the table. I'm just saying that's the type of role that would be perfect for Sexton. Simmons could handle ball distribution on offense and guard the better wing player. Sexton gets buckets and guards the worst wing.

[DCZards]

If we traded Beal for Simmons and then signed Sexton as a 6th man, we'd be in good shape. I know, I know, trading for Simmons is now off the table. I'm just saying that's the type of role that would be perfect for Sexton. Simmons could handle ball distribution on offense and guard the better wing player. Sexton gets buckets and guards the worst wing.

Yup, that train has left the station. Simmons is on a team of great shooters as he needs to be. Durant, Irving, Mills, Curry, Harris, Thomas...that's a lot of freaking long-range shooting.

That's the kind of team that the Zards aren't close to being and would have had to build around Simmons if they traded for him. That's one of the main reasons I was always lukewarm to the idea of trading for Ben.

[9 and 20]

Tommy seems to like undersized shooting guards like Neto and Holiday. The same role you're envisioning for Simmons could be played (kind of) by Deni. And/or whoever we get in the draft.

Cleveland would be adding maybe the final pieces to a contender - Darius Garland, Levert, Markannen, Mobley, Allen, plus Beal and KCP would be as good as anyone in the East.

Beal could opt in to his final year to facilitate a Sexton sign and trade.

[payitforward]

Tyus Jones would be great if we can afford him.

A guy who's had a good come-back season as a vet-minimum player is Dennis Smith, Jr.

[payitforward]

I would proceed kind of differently from what I'm reading here. My premise is that we are a rebuilding team; we're trying to locate, form & develop our next young core. We aren't going to win any time soon; we aren't going to contend any time soon.

IMO, so far our candidates for that "next young core" are: Deni, Rui, Kuzma, Kispert, Bryant, Gafford, Carey, Todd, Ayayi & Winston. I'd be playing all those guys as much as possible for the rest of this season. Get as good a look as we can. They aren't all going to develop optimally, obviously.

Off-season:

1. My first goal would be to trade Porzingis. He's not a good player, he doesn't stay healthy, he isn't going to become a good player. OTOH, he was drafted high. Maybe our fave trading partners, the Lakers, would want him? I want youth & picks for him.

2. I'd re-sign Thomas Bryant for 3 years (assuming he'd had a successful rest of this season). He's still young, he's shown as an extremely good player, & I'm *definitely* not putting all my weight down on Daniel Gafford as a starting Center. Love him, but he hasn't demonstrated an ability to play more than 20 minutes a game.

3. Tyus Jones would be my first target at PG. I would certainly go nowhere near Colin Sexton.

4. Reluctantly, I pick up KCP's option. He's gone way downhill this year. I'm rolling the dice that I can trade him at the deadline.

Terrible, huh?