"Not IT?": Isaiah Todd. Wizards forward.

[smoothSeph]

Can definitely see some MPJ in his game, albeit vs way inferior competition. Looking forward to seeing him develop.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Gotta be honest. I saw zero in summer league that makes me believe he’ll ever be an NBA player. Does seem like a good kid though.

[pcbothwel]

Gotta be honest. I saw zero in summer league that makes me believe he’ll ever be an NBA player. Does seem like a good kid though.

Disagree. I think he is a real wild card for this team. I think his ceiling is limited in that he doesnt have the overall Awareness to be great on defense or to make those around him better offensively... But I think his shooting translates and MPJ is a legit archetype for him.
We have to turn Kuz, Harrell, and Bertans into longer term assets... and having Rui, Kispert, and Todd all step up makes them movable without sacrificing wins now.

[payitforward]

Gotta be honest. I saw zero in summer league that makes me believe he’ll ever be an NBA player. Does seem like a good kid though.

Disagree. I think he is a real wild card for this team. I think his ceiling is limited in that he doesnt have the overall Awareness to be great on defense or to make those around him better offensively... But I think his shooting translates and MPJ is a legit archetype for him....

I just happened on this, which is the best piece I've seen so far on Isaiah Todd: https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/2021/7/21/22584008/2021-gbb-nba-draft-prospect-profiles-isaiah-todd-memphis-grizzlies

...We have to turn Kuz, Harrell, and Bertans into longer term assets....

I take it you mean assets with more future development in them, i.e. younger assets...?

I would trade Bertans for just about anything that wasn't a negative.

My question about Harrell is just what it will cost to keep him. At his current salary, he's a bargain. But, he's expiring. Harrell is a very good player. Of all the acquisitions this off season, he's the one I like best.

Kuzma is a roll of the dice. He got quite a bit better last season, but not enough to make him worth what he is making. If he has another jump in him this year, great.

...having Rui, Kispert, and Todd all step up makes them movable without sacrificing wins now.

Obviously, this is an important season for Rui. But, the idea that Kispert and/or Todd have any chance to play well enough as rookies that they'd equal the positive impact on wins of Harrell, Kuzma and/or Bertans... well, let's just say that I can't understand how you could imagine there's any realistic likelihood of that!

[pcbothwel]

PIF. My point about "Longer term assets" and "having Rui, Kispert, and Todd all step up..." was not simply about this year. Maybe that clears it up.

What Im saying is that those young guys stepping up over the next two seasons allow us to move Kuz and Bertans. If we acquire future 1st (Even in the 25-30 range), then it provides us more flexibility should a premium talent become available and/or want to be in DC. That 2023 pick makes things a bit more difficult should we choose to make a move. Having a another 1st offsets that issue.

I.E.
- Beal extends next month for a 3+1 deal
- Dinwiddie returns to form, giving us a Jamal Murray/Brogdan caliber PG next to an All-NBA Beal
- Rui continues his growth, looking to be a Tobias Harris type 3rd/4th piece (Efficient scoring and Plus Man defense)
- Gafford doubles down on last year, showing to be an elite Defender

Now, assuming the other vets (KCP, Kuz, Harrell, Bertans) all produce at their previous 3 year average, the other young guys (Bryant, Kispert, Holiday, and Deni) make incremental improvements, and Coach Wes proves to be a considerable upgrade... then that is a top 4-6 seed in the East (Playoffs are a different story, but their depth will get them wins).
I cant help but think adding a Ben Simmons caliber player (Again, just an example) using the Vets, 1 of Deni/Kispert, and future picks doesnt make us a formidable team.

Dinwiddie / Holiday
Beal / KCP
Rui / Deni
Simmons / Bertans
Bryant / Gafford

Sorry to derail the Todd thread.

[doclinkin]

Gotta be honest. I saw zero in summer league that makes me believe he’ll ever be an NBA player. Does seem like a good kid though.

Disagree. I think he is a real wild card for this team. I think his ceiling is limited in that he doesnt have the overall Awareness to be great on defense or to make those around him better offensively...

He's 19 without college coaching. He has some sloppy habits. His identification of his own flaws is spot on though: he needs to focus on defense or else he won't get play time, and he needs to get stronger without losing mobility, so that his defense holds up.

I think he is learning a brand new game for himself. He dominated on the inside in highschool simply by being taller and more athletic than other people. He would have had an adjustment period playing next to Frans Wagner under Juwan Howard. Though he would have had more than 15 games to sort it out.

In the G-League he was suddenly practicing and playing against full grown men, many of whom had NBA careers. He had to share the front court with a top 10 lottery pick. His confidence suffered as he had to figure out what skills he had that would translate. He could still shoot over people, but on the interior he was getting shoved around. Still, can he learn and adjust? In the 2nd half of a shortened season his production picked up.

I think if we have good developmental coaching he will pick up a ton. Under a detail oriented stickler like Wes he will learn proper techniques that will help him. Things like his pointless fadeaway will be cleaned up (dude, you're seven feet tall and can fly, they're not blocking your jumper). Setting good screens and learning to bump and bang against stronger players in practice and in game play will teach him what he can and can't do. But he is 19. He has room to literally grow. His frame and athleticism will take good weight, and then he will discover that yeah at times he can bully people again. It might take a minute, but I expect we will see real growth before his rookie contract expires. Flashes of his talent and eventual upside. Then maybe we re-sign him cheap before he breaks through.

[payitforward]

PIF. My point about "Longer term assets" and "having Rui, Kispert, and Todd all step up..." was not simply about this year. Maybe that clears it up.

What Im saying is that those young guys stepping up over the next two seasons allow us to move Kuz and Bertans. ....

I.e. move them over the next two seasons...? Absolutely!

Especially if all three of them develop well & quickly. &, of course, Deni should be on that list as well. In fact, I'd say he has a higher chance of improving quickly than do Kispert & Todd! IMO he's more likely than Rui too.

For that matter, we can move Davis immediately as far as I'm concerned. He costs too much $$, & the commitment is too long, for what he brings.

[payitforward]

Hah! An excuse to get this thread back on page 1!

I think most of us would have been okay if Ayayi was drafted by the Wizards in the 2nd. I think he has as much chance of being successful as Todd does, if not more....

I find it more or less impossible to develop any idea at all of what Isaiah Todd's chances are.

He played a total of 366 G League minutes, & he did not play well. He scored 20 points per 40 minutes, but he did it by taking a lot of shots. For the rest nothing stands out.

Now... he was 19 years old -- he turned 20 yesterday. He's just a kid. &, he's clearly a really good athlete. Has potential.

For me, however, the disconnect is in his contract -- Isaiah Todd is guaranteed $6.4m -- that's more guaranteed dollars than any of the guys taken # 26-30 in R1.

That I just do not get.

[doclinkin]

For me, however, the disconnect is in his contract -- Isaiah Todd is guaranteed $6.4m -- that's more guaranteed dollars than any of the guys taken # 26-30 in R1.

That I just do not get.

Hmm. HIs last year is not fully guaranteed. I can't find the terms of the final year guarantee. The fully guaranteed portion is: $4,899,614

Pick 30
1st year $1,662,100
2nd year $1,745,100
3rd year $1,828,500

Zay Todd
1st year $1.500,000
2nd year $1,563,518
3rd year $1,836,096

Doesn't seem out of line to me.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Did Todd even get off the bench this preseason?

[Ruzious]

Hah! An excuse to get this thread back on page 1!

I think most of us would have been okay if Ayayi was drafted by the Wizards in the 2nd. I think he has as much chance of being successful as Todd does, if not more....

I find it more or less impossible to develop any idea at all of what Isaiah Todd's chances are.

He played a total of 366 G League minutes, & he did not play well. He scored 20 points per 40 minutes, but he did it by taking a lot of shots. For the rest nothing stands out.

Now... he was 19 years old -- he turned 20 yesterday. He's just a kid. &, he's clearly a really good athlete. Has potential.

For me, however, the disconnect is in his contract -- Isaiah Todd is guaranteed $6.4m -- that's more guaranteed dollars than any of the guys taken # 26-30 in R1.

That I just do not get.

This is per spotrac.com:

Santi Aldama signed a 4 year / $10,243,492 contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, including $10,243,492 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $2,560,873.

Isaiah Todd signed a 4 year / $6,888,212 contract with the Washington Wizards, including $6,888,212 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $1,722,053.

[payitforward]

Compare Aldama here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/cap/ with Todd here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/cap/ & tell me what you see?

I see $400K more guaranteed $$ to Todd than to Aldama.

Now look at https://www.spotrac.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/cap/ & check out how much guaranteed $$ Jaden Springer has.

Is my math really that bad? Or is there something I'm not seeing? Could be....

[Ruzious]

Compare Aldama here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/cap/ with Todd here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/cap/ & tell me what you see?

I see $400K more guaranteed $$ to Todd than to Aldama.

Now look at https://www.spotrac.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/cap/ & check out how much guaranteed $$ Jaden Springer has.

Is my math really that bad? Or is there something I'm not seeing? Could be....

Ok, so even if that's right, as long as Aldama doesn't get cut, he's still going to make a lot more than Todd, so there's some give and take between guaranteed and non-guaranteed money. If you think Aldama is worth the 30th pick, he's got a better contract than Todd. Personally, I think they were both poor picks for where they were chosen, but you generally expect players picked there to stick in the NBA for at least a few years.

[doclinkin]

Compare Aldama here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/cap/ with Todd here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/cap/ & tell me what you see?

I see $400K more guaranteed $$ to Todd than to Aldama.

Now look at https://www.spotrac.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/cap/ & check out how much guaranteed $$ Jaden Springer has.

Is my math really that bad? Or is there something I'm not seeing? Could be....

First round picks can sign for as much as 120% and as little as 80% of the rookie scale. The scale for pick 28 (eg Springer) is:

1st year $1,686,400
2nd year $1,771,000
3rd year $1,855,200

Springer's contract is:
$2,023,800
$2,125,200
$2,226,360 team option
$4,018,580 team option

I'd agree that the Wizards rarely use team options and too often give player options. Still you're quibbling about peanuts and pocket lint. Sure, if the 6ers gave up on Springer after 2 years they save some $, but they sweetened the deal early in his contract in order to get those team options late in his deal. Paying him higher than rookie scale. We couldn't do that.

The Wizards traded out of the 1st round knowing they were going to be right up against the lux tax. Then they completed the deal after they saw how much they were going to have to pay Dinwiddie. We knew we were going to be tight, and needed some wiggle room. In the 2nd round you have more flexibility in how to structure a deal. Turns out we had enough left over to give him a fair deal without too much difficulty, so Tommy gave the equivalent of a 1st round pick if the 1st round was 31 teams. Still he saved more $ the first 2 years of the deal when we will have less flexibility than later.

Pick 30 scale
1st year $1,662,100
2nd year $1,745,100
3rd year $1,828,500

Zay Todd
1st year $1,500,000
2nd year $1,563,518
3rd year $1,836,096

If Springer and Todd both have a couple years of development before they are ready to produce, then the Wizards save $1,085,482 of non production over those training years.

Yes the 6ers can give up on their guy after 2 years where the Wiz will have to pay theirs 1.8m+. But we are only about 1m under the Lux tax. We don't have the luxury of frontloading a contract to have the option of voiding it one year early.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Compare Aldama here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/cap/ with Todd here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/cap/ & tell me what you see?

I see $400K more guaranteed $$ to Todd than to Aldama.

Now look at https://www.spotrac.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/cap/ & check out how much guaranteed $$ Jaden Springer has.

Is my math really that bad? Or is there something I'm not seeing? Could be....

Ok, so even if that's right, as long as Aldama doesn't get cut, he's still going to make a lot more than Todd, so there's some give and take between guaranteed and non-guaranteed money. If you think Aldama is worth the 30th pick, he's got a better contract than Todd. Personally, I think they were both poor picks for where they were chosen, but you generally expect players picked there to stick in the NBA for at least a few years.

I have a very scientific approach. Isaiah Todd mama is big-boned he going to be big boned and thick. Right now he is like a little string bean. But he will grow into the Mighty Oak.

Now I'm just trying to be funny when I say Oak like Charles Oakley.

I have no clue but just based upon his personality with his little brother and his family makeup and what he's overcome so far I think he's going to turn into a helluv player. Todd exploded at a D League game or G League game bet Tommy Sheppard saw.

How he competes against his current teammates is what will show his future to become.

Sent from my SM-T227U using RealGM mobile app

[Frichuela]

Let’s discuss…what’s the take on Todd? His stats in G league are putrid and worse than last year. Clearly, a f**** up by Tommy trading that Laker’s pick for Holiday (gone for nothing) plus Todd…who let’s face it: looks like a bust for all intent and purposes.

[NatP4]

Total bust. He’s an awful player

[pcbothwel]

The idea/archetype of Todd is a smart move. Stretch big that can exploit mismatches.
However, he hasnt been good yet and the opportunity cost set us back.
Jackson, Garuba or Springer could of been had at 22... Or Dosunmu, Herb Jones, Queta, or Butler at 31.

Trading back and picking up Jones & Butler/Dosunmu would have this team much further ahead, but Tommy had to try and be the smartest guy in the room with Todd.

[FAH1223]

Bust. He’s not going to be good. Kid isn’t a basketball player

[closg00]

Man did Tommy screw-up BADLY on this pick, Todd is one of the worst basketball players I have seen take the court this year, unsalvageable.