Roster building theory for 2020-21: 30-yr olds

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Ideally, I'd like to see the 20-21 roster feature a 30+ guy at PG, at wing, and in the post, and I'd prefer to see each of them on 2-year deals with team options for the second.

The rationale is that I want to see us develop a back of the bench player over the course to fill those roles just as we're theoretically going to be ready to assert ourselves as a top-tier championship threat.

So, it might go something like this:

PG
Bring back Teague (32) to be the anointed PG vet. But with the caveat that his defense is almost as awful these days as Trae's has been, so he's increasingly to be used as more of a player-coach than a primary back-up; though through maybe the first 20-40 games, he'd get significant minutes.

To replace Teague, I'd be looking at getting Shaq Harrison (will be 27 in Oct) signed for the short term, and looking at drafting Haliburton for the longer term. Harrison qualifies as that guy who would represent a formidable challenge to young Tyrese Haliburton to beat out. And the great thing about that situation is, whether Harrison maintains his presumptive hold on the primary back-up job through the second half of 20-21, the post-season, and into 21-22, or if Haliburton eventually overtakes him, you've still got a very credible and solid back-up at both PG and SG regardless. Indeed, even if Schlenk doesn't deal Huerter as I feel he might, either Harrison or Haliburton remain serious threats to claim SG minutes b/c they both have the advantage over Velvet that they are assets on both sides of the floor.

And yes, oh by the way, Teague consequently would be taking Brandon Goodwin's spot on the roster. The way Goodwin's minutes began to vanish over the last weeks of the season, I'm persuaded that there's a readiness in the front office to move on from him. He may go somewhere else and continue to develop, but the situation in ATL has evolved in a way that the top priority needs to be get stronger defensively at PG. Having checked that off, then there's a question of whether you prefer Teague or Goodwin as a third PG, and for a budding playoff team, it seems smarter to have a vet over a development guy.

Wing
I like Jae Crowder (30) here. I know some have always liked him, but I'm only now warming up to him. And the reason I like him is that I prefer to have SFs who can play some PF, somewhat for the same reasons that I prefer to have SGs who can play some PG. Crowder's shooting from 3 is just okay, if not ever-so-slightly less than okay, but he's an asset offensively in other ways, and most significantly, he's a very capable passer. On defense, he's always been regarded as far as I've ever seen as a plus guy.

To replace Crowder, I'm high on Bruno Caboclo, who has long been thought to potentially be a high-ceiling late-bloomer. I like how I see that player trending, and I believe snatching him up right now at age 25 could yield some enviable rewards. Worst case for Hunter and best case for Caboclo, it's not beyond imagination that the 6-9 Caboclo emerges as a starter at age 27 or 28.

Post
We've already got that one filled, with the return of Dewayne Dedmon (31). And of course, Schlenk is betting on Dedmon being rebirthed as Atlanta Hawk Dedmon, and the Sac King version of Dedmon being just a bad memory. If Schlenk's bet is well-placed, Dedmon will deliver production that in most ways is similar to what an older (36) Paul Millsap would project to deliver, which is pretty considerable for a team looking to knock down the playoff door.

To replace Dedmon, I think we already have two scintillating candidates, though technically, we do have to re-sign one of them. That, being, Skal Labissiere. And the other being, of course, our Bruno Fernando. I'm on record that Skal should get significant minutes as much as we can afford to give them in 20-21, and/but there's less urgency with Bruno, and that I'd treat 20-21 as an extended rookie season for him--both in light of the covid crisis of the now-ended season, but also in light of how much his mom's sudden death almost irrefutably had to have had affect on him.