RealGM

Shai - Max
Chet - Max
Giddey - 25-35mill?
Jalen Williams - Future max. He is averaging 18ppg on 52% and has a great skill set. Players like Brunson and Mikael Bridges have been doing similar stat-wise when it comes to shooting percentage and being able to add 10 points to their average. His numbers and play style are also similar to James Harden at the same age.

They also got some future first-round picks meaning they could even get another potential max player with the way they draft.


So will they be able to keep the team together?

It depends on owners, it wasn't Presti, owners just cheaped out last time. Hopefully everyone learned the lesson. But let's talk about Presti, he has to be best GM in the league, their scouting doesn't miss at all.

Giddey is the obvious odd man out here. As far as Jalen Williams, 52% is good but not crazy good. He probably gets a max on the open market, but rookie max deals are manageable.

The tougher question is with guys like Dieng and Wallace, or players to be drafted later.

Biggest problem last time was I don’t think they truly realised what they had in Harden.

When he went to Houston and blew up offensively immediately it took a lot of people by surprise. I think if you asked the ownership they probably seriously regret not wanting to pay up for him.

It definitely cost them a championship so surely they wouldn’t risk doing similar again.

Giddey will likely be the guy they cut ties with. He’s been better recently but I just don’t think there’s enough basketball to share for him to be used effectively.

Keep in mind since that time okc added one of the wealthiest americans to their ownership with George Kaiser. Also they were willing to pay the tax during the Wesbrook/George teams. Obviously money doesn't grow on trees and you have to pick the right guys to keep. However it's an not exact apples to apples situation.

this team should never have cap problems with all its draft picks. but those draft picks values are going down fast. I think they need some win now moves im surprised they don't pick up someone like pascal. They are guaranteed to draft more jalen williams so trading him now to increase the championship window years now seems smart. It would also solve the problem of paying everyone at the same time

Nobody is paying that money for Giddey unless significant improvement happens soon.

Overall, very much a problem for tomorrow.

Their cap sheet looks great through at least '26 with Chet/Jalen still on rookie deals. '27 is the year there might be some decisions with high dollar deals kicking in for Chet/Jalen. Even then, rookie maxes should make it highly doable with a core of SGA/Jalen/Chet to (hopefully) keep them contenders into the 2030's. Way too much time between then and now to worry about it today.

At some point they will package Giddey and a bunch of picks for a disgruntled superstar who wants out.

Giving Giddey that type of contract is crazy.

Won't be able to keep everyone, but that's a good problem to have. With SGA and Chet looking like current and future superstars, and JDub looking max worthy (or even Cason maybe) I wonder if they end up keeping most of their picks to keep the roster stocked with cheap role players while those guys are getting paid

My short answer to this is that Presti was 30 the first time around with less control over the money pieces. You can already see how much he’s learned about team building and the team is much more willing to spend as evidenced by the luxury tax payment records in the later Russ years.

Giddey is obviously the cap casualty if any is needed.

I was looking at the trade machine and I guess they cant really make many trades for star players. only cap filler is bertans whos not an expiring and a huge negative asset.

TheGeneral99 wrote:At some point they will package Giddey and a bunch of picks for a disgruntled superstar who wants out.

it would have to be like one of giddey/their pf and bertans and like 5 picks because thats all they got to make a package salary wise and bertans is worth like minus two picks

Probably. Though this team does not have players as good as the last team did. No way there will be 3 MVPS from this team.

jbk1234 wrote:Giddey is the obvious odd man out here. As far as Jalen Williams, 52% is good but not crazy good. He probably gets a max on the open market, but rookie max deals are manageable.

The tougher question is with guys like Dieng and Wallace, or players to be drafted later.

Why is 52% not crazy good for a 22 year old who shoots almost 25% of his shots from 3 scoring 18 a game?

Is there a single player in the league younger than him with a higher PPG and higher TS%?

GrandTheftRondo wrote:Biggest problem last time was I don’t think they truly realised what they had in Harden.

When he went to Houston and blew up offensively immediately it took a lot of people by surprise. I think if you asked the ownership they probably seriously regret not wanting to pay up for him.

It definitely cost them a championship so surely they wouldn’t risk doing similar again.

Giddey will likely be the guy they cut ties with. He’s been better recently but I just don’t think there’s enough basketball to share for him to be used effectively.

Nah their biggest problem last time was not drafting Curry. Then they had to pick two of three between Ibaka, Westbrook and Harden. With Curry they might have been able to keep all four or at the very least may have moved Westbrook instead. Either way you can’t max 4 players then or now.

What really messed everything up though was trading for Perk which no one remembers or mentions. The league was moving away from guys like him and it took Presti way too long to realize it. He was managing that 2011 team like it was 2001.

honestly this teams too good with way too many future picks to waste time developing players anymore.

Jalen Williams + david bertans +3-4 picks for pascal? could put in some projects to save picks to push salary's down the line

Effigy wrote:Probably. Though this team does not have players as good as the last team did. No way there will be 3 MVPS from this team.

I could see Chet being an MVP level player.

J-Dub maybe not but his game on both ends is really exciting.

But also how many people saw Westbrook and Harden being MVPs?

JustLucky wrote:this team should never have cap problems with all its draft picks. but those draft picks values are going down fast. I think they need some win now moves im surprised they don't pick up someone like pascal. They are guaranteed to draft more jalen williams so trading him now to increase the championship window years now seems smart. It would also solve the problem of paying everyone at the same time

That's absurd.

JustLucky wrote:honestly this teams too good with way too many future picks to waste time developing players anymore.

Jalen Williams + david bertans +3-4 picks for pascal? could put in some projects to save picks to push salary's down the line

Why on earth would they trade an extremely talented young player for Siakam?

That’s not even guaranteed to push them over the edge and they’re giving up a guy with heaps of potential.