What does the ideal lineup around Trae even look like?

[Jamaaliver]

Harrison Barnes as a 3 & D Combo Forward next to Jalen, Trae and Bogdan makes a ton of sense.

And if we could get them to send Huerter back to us, too...even better.

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[Jamaaliver]

Get him in HERE!!!!

Trade Alex Sarr to Washington for Avdija and #2.

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[tbhawksfan1]

Get him in HERE!!!!

Trade Alex Sarr to Washington for Avdija and #2.

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Now your proposing a trade with good value to the Hawks

[Jamaaliver]

This guy would be an ideal fit between Jalen and Trae.

• Elite Catch & Shoot player from deep.
  
• Big enough to exploit mismatches in the post.
  
• Can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim against hard closeouts.

The question is how much will it cost to get him and then to re-sign him?

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[jayu70]

This guy would be an ideal fit between Jalen and Trae......

.....on offense.
What's the defensive game plan? We can't stay bottom of the barrel.

[Jamaaliver]

This guy would be an ideal fit between Jalen and Trae......

.....on offense.
What's the defensive game plan? We can't stay bottom of the barrel.

Lauri isn't a a terrible defender. At 7 foot, he has a height advantage over most SFs/PFs and is faster than most Centers.

In a lineup next to Okongwu/Jalen and a 3&D Shooting Guard, I believe Markkanen can be part of a capable defensive unit.


Nuggets proved that an elite offensive team can win a title by just being solid on defense.
That is still the model I'm following...

[jayu70]

This guy would be an ideal fit between Jalen and Trae......

.....on offense.
What's the defensive game plan? We can't stay bottom of the barrel.

Lauri isn't a a terrible defender. At 7 foot, he has a height advantage over most SFs/PFs and is faster than most Centers.

In a lineup next to Okongwu/Jalen and a 3&D Shooting Guard, I believe Markkanen can be part of a capable defensive unit.


Nuggets proved that an elite offensive team can win a title by just being solid on defense.
That is still the model I'm following...

Hawks aren't solid though. They are terrible.
I thought one of the reasons Cavs moved him was his defense.

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks aren't solid though. They are terrible.

I thought one of the reasons Cavs moved him was his defense.

I'm of the belief that the Hawks were bad defensively because of the double point guard lineup combined with Capela's slow decline.

Point of attack defense was dreadful and backline defense was inconsistent.

I know I'm a broken record at this point, but our best lineup for the 2024 season was:

Trae
Bogdan
Saddiq
Jalen
Okongwu.

They were dominant on offense and extremely effective on defense.
Markkanen represents a clear upgrade over Saddiq.

[HMFFL]

Hawks aren't solid though. They are terrible.

I thought one of the reasons Cavs moved him was his defense.

I'm of the belief that the Hawks were bad defensively because of the double point guard lineup combined with Capela's slow decline.

Point of attack defense was dreadful and backline defense was inconsistent.

I know I'm a broken record at this point, but our best lineup for the 2024 season was:

Trae
Bogdan
Saddiq
Jalen
Okongwu.

They were dominant on offense and extremely effective on defense.
Markkanen represents a clear upgrade over Saddiq.

The big man is back and Okongwu to me won't work at the 5. OO is 6'8" without shoes. We're doomed with that lineup.

[Jamaaliver]

The big man is back and Okongwu to me won't work at the 5. OO is 6'8" without shoes. We're doomed with that lineup.

Clearly the front office agrees, thus all the attention on drafting 7'2" Donovan Clingan in the lottery.

[Jamaaliver]

Definitely a guy I'd kick the tires on as a backup PG.

Low risk very high reward type of acquisition.

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[tbhawksfan1]

Hawks aren't solid though. They are terrible.

I thought one of the reasons Cavs moved him was his defense.

I'm of the belief that the Hawks were bad defensively because of the double point guard lineup combined with Capela's slow decline.

Point of attack defense was dreadful and backline defense was inconsistent.

I know I'm a broken record at this point, but our best lineup for the 2024 season was:

Trae
Bogdan
Saddiq
Jalen
Okongwu.

They were dominant on offense and extremely effective on defense.
Markkanen represents a clear upgrade over Saddiq.

The big man is back and Okongwu to me won't work at the 5. OO is 6'8" without shoes. We're doomed with that lineup.

That's why we need to turn it into

OO / Sarr / JJ / SG / Trae

[tbhawksfan1]

If the team is deadset on a BIG C, then trade back for a pick mid to late teens and get Edey / Ware / Fili

Don't use #1 on Clingan

[tbhawksfan1]

Why can't Trae win more with what we have? I say our team is winning way under it's talent level. At some point the best player has to step up...as well as the others... I'm not sure that Trae has a foot to stand on reguarding a trade request... Playing with Wemby is the only thing that could make sense for him as for trades

I have no idea how the Hawks put a championship team around Trae

[Jamaaliver]

Spoiler:

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The Derrick White All-Stars

Which overlooked veterans could help a team win a title next season?

The biggest takeaway from this postseason? It might be that having one or two stars isn’t enough to win a title anymore. Building a superteam used to mean convincing superstars to play together, and then filling out the rest of the roster with cheap role players. But maybe now a superteam is about building a deep rotation, with quality players and no exploitable weaknesses.

After watching how Boston and Denver won their titles, high-end role players could now be coveted around the league. These types of players tend to fall into three categories:

• Hidden Gems: White and Brown served as undervalued pieces who had some success in their careers, but were willing to make tweaks to their game to unlock their new teams.
  
  
• Reinvented Talents: Porzingis and Gordon are lottery picks that proved to make a greater impact in downsized roles in a later stage of their careers.
  
  
• Proven Veterans: Holiday and KCP brought a winning pedigree, with both of them being former champions. These guys also tend to be unexpectedly available, and sometimes they can fall into different categories. Holiday played a significantly different role for Boston than he did for Milwaukee.

Deni Avdija, Wizards forward

Spoiler:

Contract: Four years, $55 million

There were 99 votes cast for the Most Improved Player award this year, and 10 of the ballots included Avdija. One of the ballots was mine. One was from Ryen Russillo. One was from Bill Simmons. I don’t believe the three of us chatted about Avdija once all season, and yet we all saw the same thing: Avdija had become a legitimate pro at 23 years old. There were games last season in which the 6-foot-9 forward locked down players at multiple positions, like against the Hawks when he bottled up center Onyeka Okongwu, forward Jalen Johnson, and guard Trae Young. So he can offer versatile defense. And his shot began to fall, hitting 37.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. Washington also put the ball in his hands and he looked more like the player he did overseas, facilitating for his teammates while posting career highs in touches, passes, and assists.

Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls guard

Spoiler:

Contract: Two years, $14.5 million

Dosunmu is an extremely versatile 6-foot-5 defender who plays with great effort, and on offense he’s a willing cutter and screener who makes over 60 percent of his shots at the rim. He can play an inverted role sort of like Bruce Brown did for Denver and both White and Holiday do for Boston. But this season in Chicago, Dosunmu also made over 40 percent of his 3s. Finally, his touch from the line and near the rim is translating beyond the arc. At just 24 years old, he’s not yet in his prime either. For all the talk about the Bulls trading Zach LaVine or Alex Caruso, maybe Dosunmu is the piece worth targeting.

Patrick Williams, Bulls forward

Spoiler:

Contract: Restricted free agent

The Bulls have a difficult decision to make on Williams. On the one hand, he’s underwhelmed in Chicago as a no. 4 pick because of his lack of creation ability, his inconsistent effort, and his subpar rebounding for a player with his body type. On the other hand, he’s a long defender at 6-foot-7 and has the versatility to switch and the potential to become a knockdown shooter. Williams will be only 23 years old next season, which is as young as some incoming rookies. Maybe with less expectations on him to do work off the dribble, he could find an ideal role on a new team if the Bulls choose to sign-and-trade him or don’t match an offer sheet.

Mikal Bridges, Nets wing

Spoiler:

Contract: Two years, $48.2 million

We saw Bridges shine in the NBA Finals for the Suns back in 2021. He’s capable of being one of the league’s best and most versatile defenders, while providing complementary offense as a shooter, cutter, and decision-maker. Bridges didn’t ask to be traded to Brooklyn. But it happened, and it allowed him to tap into more of his talents as a creator. But an increased role has also exposed some of his limitations, which is why finding a more balanced gig on a winning team would be in his best interest. He could flourish in a role like the one he played for the Suns, while sprinkling in some of his newfound creation ability.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

Glue guys and high level role players. Much cheaper to attain and retain than stars or overpriced draftees.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[HMFFL]

Get him in HERE!!!!

Trade Alex Sarr to Washington for Avdija and #2.

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He's expected to be much better. It took time for him to adjust or prove himself to the Wizard. He needs to have the third most field goal attempts on their team per night.

[HMFFL]

Definitely a guy I'd kick the tires on as a backup PG.

Low risk very high reward type of acquisition.

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I have always been a fan of Davion Mitchell. Good scorer he does have plenty of negatives. However, if we can acquire him for little, I would like for us too.

[Jamaaliver]

Get him in HERE!!!!

Trade Alex Sarr to Washington for Avdija and #2.

He's expected to be much better. It took time for him to adjust or prove himself to the Wizard. He needs to have the third most field goal attempts on their team per night.

IMO, WAS should be running their offense through him.

He might be their best offensive player.