Justin Champagnie, & it's about time!

[nate33]

From the Bilal thread:

I don't understand what's going on with Champagnie. Middleton playing 30 mpg, and even Riley for 4, but no time for JC? Seems He could even take Vukcivic's minutes.

Keefe played Champagnie enough last year that it seems unlikely he doesn't see how good the kid is.

If he were on another team now, & I had the chance to trade for him, I would have no problem giving a mid-late R1 pick for Justin Champagnie.

I think the Wizards will indeed trade Champagnie. It's a little like the Deni Avdija situation in that he signed to an incredibly cheap contract but we are the last team in the league that can really benefit from such a cheap deal. We should try and trade him to a veteran team who will value both his on-the-court contributions and his negligible cap footprint.

[ledell_gumbo]

I agree that a trade seems likely, though I don't really understand why. If they get a solid 1st, sure, but if it's just, say, Dadiet, I'm not sure what's the point. The Deni deal was earlier in the rebuild, so there would have been more "wasted" years. JC is only 24, and he seems like the kind of solid rotation player they'll be signing in a year or two.

Also, if they're hoping to trade him, wouldn't they want to be showcasing him a little?

[GoneShammGone]

I think Justin is flying under the radar in this league. A trade doesn't make sense because without playing time to show out, other teams will not be that interested. What I HOPE is going on is that Keefe is keeping Justin warm at the end of the bench for the first half, and will start to play him regular minutes when CJ and Khris inevitably get traded or injured. I also suspect that Cam will be dealt near the trade deadline for whatever they can get for him. His style and mentality just don't seem to fit with this squad. Once those deals happen, I think the plan is for JC to soak up the available minutes. That's my most optimistic take.

[payitforward]

From the Bilal thread:

I don't understand what's going on with Champagnie. Middleton playing 30 mpg, and even Riley for 4, but no time for JC? Seems He could even take Vukcivic's minutes.

Keefe played Champagnie enough last year that it seems unlikely he doesn't see how good the kid is.

If he were on another team now, & I had the chance to trade for him, I would have no problem giving a mid-late R1 pick for Justin Champagnie.

I think the Wizards will indeed trade Champagnie. It's a little like the Deni Avdija situation in that he signed to an incredibly cheap contract but we are the last team in the league that can really benefit from such a cheap deal. We should try and trade him to a veteran team who will value both his on-the-court contributions and his negligible cap footprint.

Who knows? But, I don't think the common sense logic here is particularly compelling. After all, having such a solid player on a cheap, long-term deal makes it possible to accelerate the rebuild further next off season by signing a really good FA.

Just as I would have no problem giving a mid-late R1 pick for JC, so too I would feel no particular motivation to accept such a pick for him. It's uncommon to get a guy at that point in the draft who puts up numbers like JC has put up.

Never a good idea to outsmart yourself. If you get lucky, accept the good luck. This kid is, pure & simple, a terrific NBA player.

Think of it this way: if I go back over the drafts from 2013 through 2022, how many times has the guy taken at, say, 18, 19 or 20 been better in his career than Champagnie was last year.

‘13: Larkin, Karasev, Snell
‘14: Ennis, Gary Harris, Caboclo
‘15: Dekker, Grant, Delon Wright
‘16: Ellenson, Beasley, Caris Levert
‘17: Leaf, John Collins, Giles
‘18: Walker, Huerter, Okogie
‘19: Gogo Bitadze, Samanic, Thybulle
‘20: Josh Green, Bey, Achiuwa
‘21: Tre Mann, Jones, Jalen Johnson
‘22: Terry, LaRavia, Branham

I've bolded the 6 guys who've turned out best out of those 30. Few of the 6 actually added value to the team that drafted them. I wouldn't trade JC for many of the 6.

[payitforward]

I think Justin is flying under the radar in this league. A trade doesn't make sense because without playing time to show out, other teams will not be that interested. What I HOPE is going on is that Keefe is keeping Justin warm at the end of the bench for the first half, and will start to play him regular minutes when CJ and Khris inevitably get traded or injured. I also suspect that Cam will be dealt near the trade deadline for whatever they can get for him. His style and mentality just don't seem to fit with this squad. Once those deals happen, I think the plan is for JC to soak up the available minutes. That's my most optimistic take.

I'm sure there are plenty of FO people around the league, professionals, who've had a close look at CJ's numbers from last year & have his name on their list of guys they'd be interested in acquiring -- especially at his salary!

You may still be right that it's CJ & Middleton who are soaking up most of the minutes that would otherwise go to him. Cam even more so.

OTOH, it's only been 2 games! Not sure there's a pattern to analyze, not yet.

Ditto as to your remark about Cam -- too early to draw conclusions. At the same time, I do understand what you mean....