Okay lets get past the point that Shabazz Muhammed is a SG not a PF. Okay now lets get serious.
I think we are looking at this tanking thing all wrong. Why because we are not that bad off cap space wise. Lets take a serious look at what we have going for us.
Current Offseason- We sign our rookies and puts at just under 50 million. and a depth chart that looks like this.
Kemba
Hendo-BG-Reggie-Carroll
MKG-Jeff Taylor
Tyrus Thomas- Byron Mullens
Biz- Diop
That is 11 players
We will end up at 15 I assume. So we have 6-10 million to spend in free agency.
Two main targets Big Man with offense, and back up point guard.
I would target these guys for a Big- Hickson, Jason Thompson, Beasley, Jamison, Illyasova, Bass, Mahinmi, Landry, Humphries.
these guys for Point Guard- Aaron Brooks, Jannero Pargo, Farmar, Hinrich, Ronnie Price, TJ Ford, Patty Mills, Ben Uzoh, Augustin
So you get one guy from each category and sign them to reasonable contracts 2-3 years. and then resign Derrick Brown to back up both forward spots, grab a rookie point guard (Machado or anyone not named Higgins) and a Cheap Vet for leadership or another young player with potential to be solid role player.
Depth Chart heading into next offseason-
Kemba- Farmar- Machado
Hendo- BG
MKG- Taylor- UPS
Hickson- TT
Biz
Free Agents are Diop, Carroll, and Reggie while Hendo and Mully have qualifing offers. Biz and Kemba have team options assume we take those.
So lets assume Mully and Hendo accept the qualifying offers. With Diop, Carroll, and Reggie coming off the books that relieves around 13 million in cap space.
Also, We have our draft pick which should be top 7 at least, plus the outside chance of having either Portland pick first rounder (top 12 protected) and Detroit pick (Lottery Protected).
So lets assume we land a big man with our first pick because outside of Muhammed the draft is mostly big dominated at this point. Zeller, Noel, Mcadoo, Adams, Gobert, Brown, Len, Plumlee, Christmas to name a few guys who will be in consideration that play either the 4 or 5.
http://nbadraft.net/2013mock_draftAnd assume either Portland or Detroit lose their pick to us. We grab another Guard of some sort.
So back to our 13 million we have available in cap space that is right about range to offer a free agent a Max contract or around that point. Who if we go with a Big man in the draft our number one target would most likely be Harden. other two guards- Ellis, Tyreke, Iguodala, Martin, Ginobili...so nobody outside of Harden deserving of MAX.
If we do not land Harden other options could be going for a point guard CP3, Curry, Lawson, Holiday or Jennings. with nobody outside of CP3 and possibly Curry (depending on this season) deserving of MAX.
Then if we do land Shabazz or Caldwell Pope (if breaks out) or another guard early in the draft we could always go with a big man with our 13 million in cap. Options for Big Men Free agents- Howard, Bynum, Josh Smith, Ibaka, Al Jefferson, or Millsap.
So after that offseason we could end up looking like this...
Kemba-Farmar- Machado
Harden- Hendo(if he we offer QO)- Gordon(an expiring)
MKG- Taylor
Biz- Hickson- TT (still can amnesty)
Zeller(or other bigman with our pick)- Mully(see hendo)
with an addition of a pick from either Portland or Detroit somewhere as well possibly.
That is a good core. Obviously we would have a few more players, but too hard to predict who and where at this point. This team would be in the playoffs after that offseason. Which would be after just two offseasons including this current one.
Then after making the playoffs that season we head into the next offseason. We lose our pick to Chicago, but who really cares because it is outside the lottery. Hopefully Detroit pick comes to us and around 10th and we pick up another good piece.
We would have Ben Gordons 13 million coming off the books. Also we could amnesty Tyrus for his last season at 9.3 million if we havent done so yet. Giving us once again a ton of money coming off the books. I would use this money to extend our young core and also maybe bring in another solid free agent.
Also, we would have used the MLE on a few players buy this time adding good rotation players. We would be slowly building up our salary cap, but would be a winning team so Jordan should be willing to spend.
Would assume Hendo, Mully, Hickson(or another guy we sign this current offseason), Farmar(see hickson) are all possibly due for extensions. We would have to weigh options and maybe resign two of these guys and sign another good free agent. or decide to let them go and hope to land another MAX free agent from the 2014 free agent class.
With our young core playing together, improving, and having playoff experience the year before you have to assume we make the playoffs and do much better that season.
Hopefully be in position to be in championship either that year or next.
IF none of that plays out we wait an extra year or two and hopefully land Jabari Parker or Wiggins. Or somehow that Detroit pick nets us one of them HAHAHA while we are a playoff team that would be perfect.
Sorry this is so long, but it is 3 years or so worth of thoughts.
Obviously I named a few guys, but before you tear my post apart based on us not landing one of these guys I thought I did a good job of laying out back up plans for each situation and named guys just to get a sense of what roster could look like, but for the most part positions are right, but a name switch here or there shouldnt kill the team.
All I am saying this doesnt have to be a 4 or 5 year rebuild and we could be a young team still growing making the playoffs, which is the opposite as a Treadmill team.