2023 Non-All Stars -- Build a team

[penbeast0]

Build a contending team out of the players who were NOT picked for the All-Star team (health does count since you can go with a deep bench). How far would you expect your team to go?

[eminence]

Think you’ve got to add a salary cap of some sort - Harden, Butler, Davis, Booker, Towns, etc - too much talent to not run over the league.

[Dutchball97]

Purely based on how they've played this season I'd go with a starting line-up of Darius Garland, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. Then Trae Young, Devin Booker, Franz Wagner, Aaron Gordon and Kristaps Porzingis as the bench line-up. You could replace Wagner and Porzingis with OG and Jarrett Allen if you want more defense from the bench or just add them to make it a nice 12-man rotation.

In any case eminence is right here, they'd cruise to a title. Probably also a good reason to expand the All-Star rosters.

[AEnigma]

Taking existing contracts and staying out of the luxury tax:

Garland (cheating a bit for this year) — $9m
Mikal — $20m
Kawhi — $42.5m
Finney-Smith — $12.5m
Davis — $38m

Caruso — $9m
Reaves — $1.5m
Grimes — $2m
Jaden McDaniels — $2m
Poeltl — $9.5

Alvarado — $1.5m
Achiuwa — $2m

[penbeast0]

Purely based on how they've played this season I'd go with a starting line-up of Darius Garland, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. Then Trae Young, Devin Booker, Franz Wagner, Aaron Gordon and Kristaps Porzingis as the bench line-up. You could replace Wagner and Porzingis with OG and Jarrett Allen if you want more defense from the bench or just add them to make it a nice 12-man rotation.

In any case eminence is right here, they'd cruise to a title. Probably also a good reason to expand the All-Star rosters.

I think I was looking at how would they compete against the All-Star teams already picked though I didn't put it into the OP.