Buyout/Free Agency thread

[Chapelchilla]

We may be in tank mode at this point.
Play the rookies and 2nd year guys and keep the pick. Probably depends on Hayward’s real prognosis.

[luciano-davidwesley]

We may be in tank mode at this point.
Play the rookies and 2nd year guys and keep the pick. Probably depends on Hayward’s real prognosis.

I would not at all be opposed to this approach. We have proven as a team to be soft as jello defensively and at best a first round exit. So why not get a decent pick in next year's draft and retool with some tougher competitors on the roster (i.e. trade Rozier or Hayward) next year.

[Bassman]

I agree, Mitch and company are probably thinking “tank baby”. Why else wouldn’t you address an important reserve position that you traded away?

Dittos on the soft tissue defense and lack of significant multi-pronged effort at deadline. Trez will help us for sure but we are behind too many other teams, with a bunch of diaper dandies needing additional seasoning. Not sure another rookie well below the top tier helps much, but whatever…

[SWedd523]

We may be in tank mode at this point.
Play the rookies and 2nd year guys and keep the pick. Probably depends on Hayward’s real prognosis.

I'm betting we don't see Gordo for the rest of the year

[HornetJail]

I agree, Mitch and company are probably thinking “tank baby”. Why else wouldn’t you address an important reserve position that you traded away?

you are assuming way too much thought from the guy that looked at Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, and then Mason Plumlee making up our center rotation, and said "yeah good enough" for 3 1/2 years

Remember our answer to LaMelo's injury last year was Brad **** Wanamaker... I'd rather have the roster spot

[Chapelchilla]

I agree, Mitch and company are probably thinking “tank baby”. Why else wouldn’t you address an important reserve position that you traded away?

you are assuming way too much thought from the guy that looked at Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, and then Mason Plumlee making up our center rotation, and said "yeah good enough" for 3 1/2 years

Remember our answer to LaMelo's injury last year was Brad **** Wanamaker... I'd rather have the roster spot

Kupchak has not been looking at the center rotation and calling it ok at all. 2 of those guys were leftovers.

Jones, Carey, Thor and Richards were all drafted to take swings at fixing the problem. They may be the solution but that takes time as they develop.
Plumlee is a stop gap signed cheaply to buy that time til one of the draftees is ready or a future FA C comes in.

As much as it was fun being pretty good until New Years the Hornets are clearly still too young, shallow and inexperienced to actually make noise in the playoffs. I think next year we continue to grow and bring in young talent while being slightly better due to progression. The following one is when we have a real shot at winning if we continue to build smartly. Keeping our pick and using that and the New Orleans one on a C and back up PG would be nice. Plus they can bring in another veteran player and/or trade PJ, Oubre, and Plumlees expirings for something to help whichever spot we need most.
We finally have a guy with a plan. It is probably a 5 year plan though not 3 1/2.

[CuseMayne]

So we're really not gonna bring in a backup PG? What's the plan? Grind Terry into the ground when he had fatigue problems down the stretch last year? Bouk is a definite no...we really think Cody can handle backup PG duties if he's healthy...? His situation with the injury has been sketchy. I hope him and/or McD will be back on Friday. I guess we can call up Jalen Crutcher and give him a shot...his numbers look pretty solid in Greensboro.

Just seems like we're going into these 22 games shorthanded at guard. Really should get some PG insurance...every other team has many options there except us as this roster stands.

[MPM]

So we're really not gonna bring in a backup PG? What's the plan? Grind Terry into the ground when he had fatigue problems down the stretch last year? Bouk is a definite no...we really think Cody can handle backup PG duties if he's healthy...? His situation with the injury has been sketchy. I hope him and/or McD will be back on Friday. I guess we can call up Jalen Crutcher and give him a shot...his numbers look pretty solid in Greensboro.

Just seems like we're going into these 22 games shorthanded at guard. Really should get some PG insurance...every other team has many options there except us as this roster stands.

My thinking as well. It's not like bringing up Crutcher or signing a so-so FA is going to move the needle in terms of W-L, but it will provide a semblance of how we want to play - playing guys out of position for half a season isn't the best way to team build.

[MasterIchiro]

We chased Drummond last year, reportedly. Bleacher Report (I think?) called the pursuit "spirited". Now that Trez is here, I think Kupchak wants to ride out the current roster. He knows we are not a serious playoff threat so there was no reason to finish all the house cleaning prior to the deadline. Given the growth of LaMelo and Miles alone, coupled with the addition of Trez as an inside scorer, expectations for next season should be higher. I think Kupchak is going to do more heavy lifting building the roster this summer. I think he wants a lottery pick. Lottery teams don't trade young players and prospects, at least not typically. So despite growing pains our rookies seem safe. We were not positioned to make a consolidation move for a playoff push. Many in this core group will be playing together for many years to come. They have to experience losing together. Kupchak will evaluate them down the stretch. He maintained flexibility to add draft prospects or convert them into players who may help immediately. I look for vets entering their prime like Turner and Poeltl. We can extend this foundation or build higher. The GM doesn't expect us to win but the coach hates losing, so hopefully there's some open discussion there or else we won't see the rookies. But that doesn't make a whole bunch of sense because we've been developing them all season and we didn't develop them to flip them at the deadline. They're still here. Pick 11 here we come.

[luciano-davidwesley]

Should we claim Deandre Jordan on waivers? He is on a vet min expiring contract. I know we need a backup PG but we also need some size too.

Or are we just legit tanking now? (probably the smartest option)

[Diop]

Should we claim Deandre Jordan on waivers? He is on a vet min expiring contract. I know we need a backup PG but we also need some size too.

Or are we just legit tanking now? (probably the smartest option)

Jordan is pretty terrible, I wonder if the front office isn't signing a guard so the coach has to play Bouknight more?

[Marino]

All of our defensive woes are finally solved, we are signing Isaiah Thomas to a 10 day

[Chapelchilla]

more Exciting losses incoming....