2023 Trade Deadline Thread: Conley/VanVleet/Lowry/etc. (Updated thread)

[playaloc916]

Some nice pickups with Plumlee, EJ and Hyland. I think Plumlee will be good, and definitely fills a need. EJ, I'm happy he's back and I think his shooting and driving will be useful (Norm has definitely shown that when he takes games over).

I know nothing about Hyland, but yeah, it's not like the current alternatives are set in stone. Minutes are very much up for grabs, he might surprise us and end up being very decent...

I'm really curious about the whole Westbrook thing... With PG talking about a "traditional point guard", how is that going to help when the ball inevitably ends up in PG's hands, so that he can turn the ball over or make a bad play? If anything, I'd give Xavier Moon some minutes in a "traditional point guard" role and see how he does...

[esqtvd]

I'm really curious about the whole Westbrook thing... With PG talking about a "traditional point guard", how is that going to help when the ball inevitably ends up in PG's hands, so that he can turn the ball over or make a bad play?

They can take turns.

[playaloc916]

I'm really curious about the whole Westbrook thing... With PG talking about a "traditional point guard", how is that going to help when the ball inevitably ends up in PG's hands, so that he can turn the ball over or make a bad play?

They can take turns.

Sad, but true

[Roscoe Sheed]

I'm really curious about the whole Westbrook thing... With PG talking about a "traditional point guard", how is that going to help when the ball inevitably ends up in PG's hands, so that he can turn the ball over or make a bad play?

They can take turns.

Although Westbrook does commit stupid turnovers, he can still beat most defenders off the dribble and then either score a layup or kick it out to spot up shooters like pg. He is likely thinking that Westbrook could get him more open looks on the perimeter. He’s probably right, but that has to be measured against Westbrook’s proclivity for dumb turnovers and overconfidence

[NickP]

I'm really curious about the whole Westbrook thing... With PG talking about a "traditional point guard", how is that going to help when the ball inevitably ends up in PG's hands, so that he can turn the ball over or make a bad play?

They can take turns.

Although Westbrook does commit stupid turnovers, he can still beat most defenders off the dribble and then either score a layup or kick it out to spot up shooters like pg. He is likely thinking that Westbrook could get him more open looks on the perimeter. He’s probably right, but that has to be measured against Westbrook’s proclivity for dumb turnovers and overconfidence

Agreed. The problem is Westbrook in his mind is a better shooter than Steph. Like I said in an earlier post, if he can be reigned in and be used like you said, he'd be useful.

[PeteyPablo]

I read a post on social media that Reggie Jackson will be bought out and he will sign with the Nuggets.

[clipperlover]

They can take turns.

Although Westbrook does commit stupid turnovers, he can still beat most defenders off the dribble and then either score a layup or kick it out to spot up shooters like pg. He is likely thinking that Westbrook could get him more open looks on the perimeter. He’s probably right, but that has to be measured against Westbrook’s proclivity for dumb turnovers and overconfidence

Agreed. The problem is Westbrook in his mind is a better shooter than Steph. Like I said in an earlier post, if he can be reigned in and be used like you said, he'd be useful.

Westbrook has his flaws, but he may have the one thing that this team seems to struggle with: A sense of urgency

Westbrook gives a level of effort that this team could definitely use. I think Terrance Mann would benefit greatly from Westbrook's presence as he did with PBev. Westbrook is much faster on the floor than anyone we have. Westbrook at $47 Mil is not something I want. Westbrook in the buyout market is a no brainer.

[madmaxmedia]

Honestly after reading all the praise from a bunch of his former teammates (now RoCo as well), I'm all for trying Russell out as a buyout. I think he's got a much better chance of succeeding with our roster as a paint and spray point guard off the bench. He always plays hard and with a sense of urgency, which we also need, and is a good rebounder (yes we need that too.)

From Bradley Beal:

“He’s an amazing teammate. He’s the complete opposite of the picture everybody kind of paints him to be, at least character-wise,” Beal said, via ClutchPoints Twitter. “[If] you’re his teammate, he rides for you. […] He loves his team. That’s what he’s all about.”
...
“He wants to make a mistake versus you making a mistake. He’d rather be mad in himself versus getting mad at you. […] He knew where I wanted the ball, where I liked it. I knew what he wanted to do and it just made it easy to play off of that.”

https://clutchpoints.com/complete-opposite-of-picture-everybody-paints-bradley-beal-rides-for-russell-westbrook-amid-criticism

[nickhx2]

Honestly after reading all the praise from a bunch of his former teammates (now RoCo as well), I'm all for trying Russell out as a buyout. I think he's got a much better chance of succeeding with our roster as a paint and spray point guard off the bench. He always plays hard and with a sense of urgency, which we also need, and is a good rebounder (yes we need that too.)

From Bradley Beal:

“He’s an amazing teammate. He’s the complete opposite of the picture everybody kind of paints him to be, at least character-wise,” Beal said, via ClutchPoints Twitter. “[If] you’re his teammate, he rides for you. […] He loves his team. That’s what he’s all about.”
...
“He wants to make a mistake versus you making a mistake. He’d rather be mad in himself versus getting mad at you. […] He knew where I wanted the ball, where I liked it. I knew what he wanted to do and it just made it easy to play off of that.”

https://clutchpoints.com/complete-opposite-of-picture-everybody-paints-bradley-beal-rides-for-russell-westbrook-amid-criticism

eh, these are all good things to hear, and i get that he theoretically fulfills a bunch of needs but

being a great teammate can only do so much for a team. and having an accountable attitude with your teammates only does so much as well. he's a high usage player who makes bad decisions, takes bad shots, and having one high usage guy doing that already in paul george has killed our offense for most of the season (in tandem with reggie). amping that up to another level? not my idea of fun.

i will say though that having a sense of urgency and rebounding from the guard position would be a big help for us. i mean with wall, him pushing the pace was great when he could speed down the court to lay it up. it's just he would miss that a fair amount at the rim lol. i suppose with westbrook he'd theoretically be a better finisher and if we asked him to just go HAM 100% of the time as the backup, that's accelerating the game in a way that would benefit a few of our guys. like anything that helps mann/powell and especially paul george zoom down the court, create rim pressure, and open up more lanes and more shots, that's a good thing.

still not buying it with westbrook but not like i really know.

[nickhx2]

also i'd add if the rest of our roster had less holes/flaws to worry about, i'd be more inclined to gamble. let's say we had just an overall talent deficit compared to the rest of the league, like we just didn't have the necessary pieces to compete. i'd be like, ok, well you gotta do what you can to pump your championship equity/ceiling, or just won't make it to the WCF+.

or let's say he was a seamless fit, in spite of his flaws. or maybe most importantly, let's say we had confidence in the coach to maximize his abilities with the team. ok, sure. but i've never been more disillusioned with ty lue than this season. i guess i'm just saying i don't think he's a roster fit, and even if he were, i don't think lue would be able to strike the right balance and utilize him in a way that doesn't just make this team's worst issues even worse.

[madmaxmedia]

I don't disagree with any of your observations. Personally I figure there's 3 main outcomes, with about 1/3 chance for each-
1. Russell is a definite net positive impact
2. Pros and cons that end up cancelling each other out, no real net change to how good we are
3. Definite net negative impact

I was sort of presuming we could just waive him after 2-3 weeks if #3 was happening, but realistically its more complicated than that. He's going to talk to some teams and probably have detailed conversation about what his role is going to be, rough idea of minutes, etc. If we tell him, hey you can have a 2-week tryout with us and let's see how it goes, he'll probably sign with another team (which is fine.)

I do think though not having even a single experienced point guard on the roster is a flaw that we should specifically try to address. But that doesn't mean having to sign a higher profile buyout. It could just mean rolling with what we've got, and then calling up Xavier Moon if it turns out we need a point guard for say 10 MPG. He's a borderline NBA player but the team knows him and what he can and can't do.

[esqtvd]

I don't disagree with any of your observations. Personally I figure there's 3 main outcomes, with about 1/3 chance for each-
1. Russell is a definite net positive impact
2. Pros and cons that end up cancelling each other out, no real net change to how good we are
3. Definite net negative impact

I was sort of presuming we could just waive him after 2-3 weeks if #3 was happening, but realistically its more complicated than that. He's going to talk to some teams and probably have detailed conversation about what his role is going to be, rough idea of minutes, etc. If we tell him, hey you can have a 2-week tryout with us and let's see how it goes, he'll probably sign with another team (which is fine.)

I do think though not having even a single experienced point guard on the roster is a flaw that we should specifically try to address. But that doesn't mean having to sign a higher profile buyout. It could just mean rolling with what we've got, and then calling up Xavier Moon if it turns out we need a point guard for say 10 MPG. He's a borderline NBA player but the team knows him and what he can and can't do.

Not a bad call. I don't think much of the G-League but except for the turnovers, Xavier Moon is doing what you want down there--21.4 ppg, shooting 43% from 3, and 5.5 apg.

https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Xavier-Moon/D-League/89303

[PeteyPablo]

Reggie Jackson has signed with the Nuggets.

[KL2]

Read on Twitter

[nickhx2]

boy if there was one guy i wouldn't mind swapping marcus morris for, it'd be kevin love.

i mean if you're not gonna rebound or defend and your entire purpose is to shoot 3's, at least let's get some rebounding and passing with that lol

unfortunately that's not how it'd work precisely but i sure would like to imagine

[KL2]

Didn’t realize he’s finalizing a buyout. Hmm.

[esqtvd]

Didn’t realize he’s finalizing a buyout. Hmm.

any love here for Kevin?

can still rebound

Read on Twitter

[playaloc916]

I've been back and forth lately, now I'm thinking they should take a chance on Russ. I'm satisfied with the trade deadline moves, but the window is rapidly closing. Worst case scenario, he plays badly, but the team can just let him ride the bench (assuming FO can force Ty not to give him minutes if he's bad). Best case scenario, he's turns his career around and gives the team a better chance at a championship.

It's funny about his sense of urgency, because I think that's exactly what the team needs... The core team is only getting older, need to go all-in right now...

[jengmann3]

Yeah that's why I'm hesitant. I think it's tough to sit Russell Westbrook. Tbh it's tough to not start Westbrook. That's what makes me hesitate. In crunch time does that relegate Powell to the bench? I like Russ, believe in his defense and competitiveness. I could see him getting a stop on Devin Booker or Jamal Murray in crunch time. But his shooting, especially since for the most part we will be playing a big, is a bit concerning.

[madmaxmedia]

The other thought is what happens if one our 2 de facto point guards is injured? EJ and Norm are capable of bringing the ball up the court, but it doesn't seem like a recipe for playoff success.

Is Westbrook capable of running paint and spray if he's got a bunch of shooters around him?

I think we are all leery but also recognize the need here, or at least potential utility of adding a competent point guard. Other options are Xavier Moon who is at least a credible G-League fill in, and Beverly who may be just as washed as Russell.