Trade Discussion 22/23

[Teffer10]

If the Mavs land the 1st overall pick, who says no?

DAL ===> V. Wembanyama / J. Green / T. Hardaway Jr. / D. Bertans / J. McGee / ~6.3MM Cash
BKN ===> M. Bridges / D. Finney-Smith / N. Claxton / DAL '29 1st / DAL '27 2nd / DAL '29 2nd

The Nets get the best prospect to come along in 20 years to help them purge the fans' pain from the failed KD/Kyrie/Harden era. With Giannis and Embiid ruling the East for at least the next 3-5 years, this trade sets their timeline back to take advantage of that impending power vacuum. Claxton and Bridges are 23 and 26 respectively. The Nets move forward with a Wemby, Cam Thomas, Josh Green, 21st pick & 22nd pick 22-and-under core while retaining the full compliment of picks they received from Philly and Phoenix in the Harden and KD trades. Once they give those guys two years of seasoning, they could have close to 100MM in cap room during the summer of 2025 to work with if they so choose.

For the Mavericks, 1) they rebuild the entire front court with excellent immediate and longterm solutions; 2) they replenish their tradable draft capital; and 3) they shed the three most onerous contracts on their books. Bridges is everything right now that you hope Josh Green can be and is locked up on an excellent contract. He's an ironman from a health standpoint and an elite point-of-attack defender who has shown the ability to be more than capable of handling those duties while being a number 3 option on the offensive end. Claxton meanwhile, has a great relationship with Kyrie both on and off the court and is the same age as Luka. He's among the best young rim-protecting defensive anchors in the league at the moment. Bringing back Dodo to be your 3rd most important defender is a role he's much more suited to play, but if Dallas really wants to go all-in, (keeping in mind FRPs in '26, '28, and '30 would all now be available to trade in addition to swaps rights in '25, '27, and '29) they could coldly call Toronto two months later once Dorian's trade restriction expires and see if they'd bite on the following package:

DAL ===> D. Finney-Smith / R. Bullock / '26 Unprotected 1st / '28 Unprotected 1st / '30 1st (Top 4 Protected)
TOR ===> O. Anunoby / O. Porter Jr. / C. Koloko

PG: L. Doncic / G. Dragic
SG: K. Irving / J. Hardy / T. Pinson
SF: M. Bridges / J. Holiday / A. Lawson
PF: O. Anunoby / M. Kleber / O. Porter Jr.
C: N. Claxton / D. Powell / C. Koloko

If Dallas gets #1 they have to take Wemby.
If they can't build something special around a Luka/Hardy/Wemby/Green core, they won't ever be able to.
It might take a couple of years, but that would be one of the best ways to satisfy and keep Luka.

I think Toronto says no, and probably the Nets do as well.

[Jg41]

If the Mavs land the 1st overall pick, who says no?

DAL ===> V. Wembanyama / J. Green / T. Hardaway Jr. / D. Bertans / J. McGee / ~6.3MM Cash
BKN ===> M. Bridges / D. Finney-Smith / N. Claxton / DAL '29 1st / DAL '27 2nd / DAL '29 2nd

The Nets get the best prospect to come along in 20 years to help them purge the fans' pain from the failed KD/Kyrie/Harden era. With Giannis and Embiid ruling the East for at least the next 3-5 years, this trade sets their timeline back to take advantage of that impending power vacuum. Claxton and Bridges are 23 and 26 respectively. The Nets move forward with a Wemby, Cam Thomas, Josh Green, 21st pick & 22nd pick 22-and-under core while retaining the full compliment of picks they received from Philly and Phoenix in the Harden and KD trades. Once they give those guys two years of seasoning, they could have close to 100MM in cap room during the summer of 2025 to work with if they so choose.

For the Mavericks, 1) they rebuild the entire front court with excellent immediate and longterm solutions; 2) they replenish their tradable draft capital; and 3) they shed the three most onerous contracts on their books. Bridges is everything right now that you hope Josh Green can be and is locked up on an excellent contract. He's an ironman from a health standpoint and an elite point-of-attack defender who has shown the ability to be more than capable of handling those duties while being a number 3 option on the offensive end. Claxton meanwhile, has a great relationship with Kyrie both on and off the court and is the same age as Luka. He's among the best young rim-protecting defensive anchors in the league at the moment. Bringing back Dodo to be your 3rd most important defender is a role he's much more suited to play, but if Dallas really wants to go all-in, (keeping in mind FRPs in '26, '28, and '30 would all now be available to trade in addition to swaps rights in '25, '27, and '29) they could coldly call Toronto two months later once Dorian's trade restriction expires and see if they'd bite on the following package:

DAL ===> D. Finney-Smith / R. Bullock / '26 Unprotected 1st / '28 Unprotected 1st / '30 1st (Top 4 Protected)
TOR ===> O. Anunoby / O. Porter Jr. / C. Koloko

PG: L. Doncic / G. Dragic
SG: K. Irving / J. Hardy / T. Pinson
SF: M. Bridges / J. Holiday / A. Lawson
PF: O. Anunoby / M. Kleber / O. Porter Jr.
C: N. Claxton / D. Powell / C. Koloko

If Dallas gets #1 they have to take Wemby.
If they can't build something special around a Luka/Hardy/Wemby/Green core, they won't ever be able to.
It might take a couple of years, but that would be one of the best ways to satisfy and keep Luka.

I think Toronto says no, and probably the Nets do as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against keeping him, I'm just leery of the injury history of players fitting his prototype. You'd also likely need to put a Draymond Green type player at the 4 next to him to have any hopes of fielding at least an average defense...and those player archetypes are few and far between. Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

[Maverick41]

Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

This is the way I look at it. If Nico and Cuban think Green can get better and be a legitimate starting wing for years to come, they need to start extension talks asap. Lock him up at a decent contract before he outplays it and demands for much more ala Brunson. If they do NOT think he can be a legitimate starting wing, then they should look to potentially trade him in a package for an upgrade before his contract status becomes an issue that brings down his trade value.

Considering how Nico and Cuban handled Brunson, the likely scenario is that they sit on their hands and do nothing.

[Archx]

Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

He's probably the only wing/guard player that can play consistent defense on this team. You have Maxi at C/PF and then it's a lot of nothing. The Fat guy is trying to save his energy too many times and Kyrie was never a great defender.

I believe his value will actually go way up this year. Another great off season could do wonders for him. He already improved a ton but his confidence was like a pulse. Kidd used him in a starting lineup and the next game he barely saw 20 mins. So, some consistency would be nice.

[Maverick41]

I believe his value will actually go way up this year. Another great off season could do wonders for him. He already improved a ton but his confidence was like a pulse. Kidd used him in a starting lineup and the next game he barely saw 20 mins. So, some consistency would be nice.

I think so too. I'm hoping the FO is pre-emptive and locks him up on a reasonable contract but man it's hard to trust Nico and Cuban.

On another note, I just noticed your favorite team changed to the Nuggets on your profile. Tough times being a Mavs fan huh? I feel you.

[Archx]

On another note, I just noticed your favorite team changed to the Nuggets on your profile. Tough times being a Mavs fan huh? I feel you.

Lol, naaahh. Gotta support my EU guys US Media is trying really hard to discredit the value of Jokic, so i'm just showing support

[Maverick41]

Lol, naaahh. Gotta support my EU guys US Media is trying really hard to discredit the value of Jokic, so i'm just showing support

Yeah I can see that. We live in a society where people wanna pass around the pie and let everyone eat. Same happens with MVP. If Jokic didn't already win back to back MVPs, this would be landslide victory for him imo. Embiid's been great and has had an MVP type year but Jokic has had an all time great year. 25/12/10 on 63% from the field and #1 seed in the West. That is just insane.

[Maverick41]

Another fun scenario:

DAL Receives: KAT + Conley
MIN Receives: SnT Kyrie + THJ

Trade can be 2 separate trades if needed. We probably need to add a pick too.

MIN decides the Gobert/KAT duo ain't gonna work. KAT's having an abysmal playoff series and his value is almost certainly at an all time low. They get Kyrie to create a really dynamic back court and get a shooter in THJ which they also desperately need. They've gone on the record many times of saying how they miss Beasley's shooting. Enter in THJ who's basically a facsimile of him.

DAL gets Wood 10.0 in Towns. Bad defender but a top 3 offensive C in the NBA. He's also a very good rebounder. They get Conley as a veteran guard. Draft Hendricks and sign some defensive wings like McDaniels and Keita Bates Diop. Lineup can be like:

Luka/Conley
Green/Hardy
McDaniels/Bullock
Hendricks/Keita Bates-Diop
Towns/Kleber

Solid mix of vets and young talent.

[Mavrelous]

Lol, naaahh. Gotta support my EU guys US Media is trying really hard to discredit the value of Jokic, so i'm just showing support

Yeah I can see that. We live in a society where people wanna pass around the pie and let everyone eat. Same happens with MVP. If Jokic didn't already win back to back MVPs, this would be landslide victory for him imo. Embiid's been great and has had an MVP type year but Jokic has had an all time great year. 25/12/10 on 63% from the field and #1 seed in the West. That is just insane.

I think Jokic is happy he didn't win it, he'd be under massive magnifying glass if he wins 3 straight, and his team team is a bit overrated IMO, it's not his fault if he doesn't win.
This year put his performance last year in context, he dragged a backcourt of Monte Morris, Facu and Rivers to 48 wins, absolutely mental, Steph and Luka failed with better rosters.

[Maverick41]

I think Jokic is happy he didn't win it, he'd be under massive magnifying glass if he wins 3 straight, and his team team is a bit overrated IMO, it's not his fault if he doesn't win.
This year put his performance last year in context, he dragged a backcourt of Monte Morris, Facu and Rivers to 48 wins, absolutely mental, Steph and Luka failed with better rosters.

I completely agree. Almost seemed like he tanked his #s in some of the final games so that he doesn't win. I'm still appalled how he dragged last year's roster to 48 wins. I'm not sure that roster even wins 5 games without him.

[Teffer10]

If the Mavs land the 1st overall pick, who says no?

DAL ===> V. Wembanyama / J. Green / T. Hardaway Jr. / D. Bertans / J. McGee / ~6.3MM Cash
BKN ===> M. Bridges / D. Finney-Smith / N. Claxton / DAL '29 1st / DAL '27 2nd / DAL '29 2nd

The Nets get the best prospect to come along in 20 years to help them purge the fans' pain from the failed KD/Kyrie/Harden era. With Giannis and Embiid ruling the East for at least the next 3-5 years, this trade sets their timeline back to take advantage of that impending power vacuum. Claxton and Bridges are 23 and 26 respectively. The Nets move forward with a Wemby, Cam Thomas, Josh Green, 21st pick & 22nd pick 22-and-under core while retaining the full compliment of picks they received from Philly and Phoenix in the Harden and KD trades. Once they give those guys two years of seasoning, they could have close to 100MM in cap room during the summer of 2025 to work with if they so choose.

For the Mavericks, 1) they rebuild the entire front court with excellent immediate and longterm solutions; 2) they replenish their tradable draft capital; and 3) they shed the three most onerous contracts on their books. Bridges is everything right now that you hope Josh Green can be and is locked up on an excellent contract. He's an ironman from a health standpoint and an elite point-of-attack defender who has shown the ability to be more than capable of handling those duties while being a number 3 option on the offensive end. Claxton meanwhile, has a great relationship with Kyrie both on and off the court and is the same age as Luka. He's among the best young rim-protecting defensive anchors in the league at the moment. Bringing back Dodo to be your 3rd most important defender is a role he's much more suited to play, but if Dallas really wants to go all-in, (keeping in mind FRPs in '26, '28, and '30 would all now be available to trade in addition to swaps rights in '25, '27, and '29) they could coldly call Toronto two months later once Dorian's trade restriction expires and see if they'd bite on the following package:

DAL ===> D. Finney-Smith / R. Bullock / '26 Unprotected 1st / '28 Unprotected 1st / '30 1st (Top 4 Protected)
TOR ===> O. Anunoby / O. Porter Jr. / C. Koloko

PG: L. Doncic / G. Dragic
SG: K. Irving / J. Hardy / T. Pinson
SF: M. Bridges / J. Holiday / A. Lawson
PF: O. Anunoby / M. Kleber / O. Porter Jr.
C: N. Claxton / D. Powell / C. Koloko

If Dallas gets #1 they have to take Wemby.
If they can't build something special around a Luka/Hardy/Wemby/Green core, they won't ever be able to.
It might take a couple of years, but that would be one of the best ways to satisfy and keep Luka.

I think Toronto says no, and probably the Nets do as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against keeping him, I'm just leery of the injury history of players fitting his prototype. You'd also likely need to put a Draymond Green type player at the 4 next to him to have any hopes of fielding at least an average defense...and those player archetypes are few and far between. Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

Yeah, always a concern for injury with those kind of guys, especially with his style of play and skillset.

I just think the risk is worth the reward with Wemby and personally I think Luka has a better chance of being happier with a youthful progressing team, than one being pieced together with a bunch of has beens and misfits.

[SOUNDCHASER]

If Dallas gets #1 they have to take Wemby.
If they can't build something special around a Luka/Hardy/Wemby/Green core, they won't ever be able to.
It might take a couple of years, but that would be one of the best ways to satisfy and keep Luka.

I think Toronto says no, and probably the Nets do as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against keeping him, I'm just leery of the injury history of players fitting his prototype. You'd also likely need to put a Draymond Green type player at the 4 next to him to have any hopes of fielding at least an average defense...and those player archetypes are few and far between. Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

Yeah, always a concern for injury with those kind of guys, especially with his style of play and skillset.

I just think the risk is worth the reward with Wemby and personally I think Luka has a better chance of being happier with a youthful progressing team, than one being pieced together with a bunch of has beens and misfits.

If the basketball Gods smile upon us to give us Wemby you would be doomed and cursed forever if you did not keep him and Luka would instantly demand a trade for your being so stupid since he could never ever forgive your stupidity. This may be the case and if you mess up and a year later it looks like you messed up then Luka is definitely gone it is insane to trade off Wemby if you can secure him on a rookie contract that is the only way you proceed. To do anything else is taking insane risk to guarantee you are loosing Luka.

Now with Wemby at PF you add Zach Edey at center and protect Wemby from injuries keeping him away from bigger bulkier types that could speed up his prospects of getting injured and your dominance is secured for decades as we walk into the championship with no other moves needed at all but hey they are both drafted and cheap so you just made a great move from a cap perspective now you have money coming off the books to use next year in Bertans and Bullocks combined 27 million. Trade them individually or in combination at the TDL as I looked at the combined options last night it appeared to me that option would produce little value back to us when we gage it on the basis of seeking one player in that price range and that sucks for us so analyzing the use of each expiring contract on its own to get a player may be the better way to go since with Ky Luka and Wem you are stocked with stars.

Back court is Luka Ky Green and Hardy with Lawson also waiting in the wings. if you need another SF offer Rui money that LA won't be able to match as they sign another star in FA. If KY leaves we definitely need to steal him. NO SNT works just overspend and steal RUI. Adding NAZ may help matters for depth. NO POWELL at all.

You do need to make a trade to get a pick for drafting Zach. Might as well trade a future first if you win the lottery cause you can do that and and own the league for years with what we have to play. Size with insurance against injury out of the gates. No need to draft anymore talent for a long time.

Luka Juan Nunez Wright
Kyrie Hardy THJ
Green (Rui?) Lawson Pinson
Wemby Kleber NAZ
Zach McGee any undrafted big man or might as well add Boban so we can triple tower for the fun of it and use him to mentor them as a big man coach and market them as the three amigos. LOL

expiring contracts to trade Bullock and Bertans

[Mr B]

If the Mavs land the 1st overall pick, who says no?

DAL ===> V. Wembanyama / J. Green / T. Hardaway Jr. / D. Bertans / J. McGee / ~6.3MM Cash
BKN ===> M. Bridges / D. Finney-Smith / N. Claxton / DAL '29 1st / DAL '27 2nd / DAL '29 2nd

The Nets get the best prospect to come along in 20 years to help them purge the fans' pain from the failed KD/Kyrie/Harden era. With Giannis and Embiid ruling the East for at least the next 3-5 years, this trade sets their timeline back to take advantage of that impending power vacuum. Claxton and Bridges are 23 and 26 respectively. The Nets move forward with a Wemby, Cam Thomas, Josh Green, 21st pick & 22nd pick 22-and-under core while retaining the full compliment of picks they received from Philly and Phoenix in the Harden and KD trades. Once they give those guys two years of seasoning, they could have close to 100MM in cap room during the summer of 2025 to work with if they so choose.

For the Mavericks, 1) they rebuild the entire front court with excellent immediate and longterm solutions; 2) they replenish their tradable draft capital; and 3) they shed the three most onerous contracts on their books. Bridges is everything right now that you hope Josh Green can be and is locked up on an excellent contract. He's an ironman from a health standpoint and an elite point-of-attack defender who has shown the ability to be more than capable of handling those duties while being a number 3 option on the offensive end. Claxton meanwhile, has a great relationship with Kyrie both on and off the court and is the same age as Luka. He's among the best young rim-protecting defensive anchors in the league at the moment. Bringing back Dodo to be your 3rd most important defender is a role he's much more suited to play, but if Dallas really wants to go all-in, (keeping in mind FRPs in '26, '28, and '30 would all now be available to trade in addition to swaps rights in '25, '27, and '29) they could coldly call Toronto two months later once Dorian's trade restriction expires and see if they'd bite on the following package:

DAL ===> D. Finney-Smith / R. Bullock / '26 Unprotected 1st / '28 Unprotected 1st / '30 1st (Top 4 Protected)
TOR ===> O. Anunoby / O. Porter Jr. / C. Koloko

PG: L. Doncic / G. Dragic
SG: K. Irving / J. Hardy / T. Pinson
SF: M. Bridges / J. Holiday / A. Lawson
PF: O. Anunoby / M. Kleber / O. Porter Jr.
C: N. Claxton / D. Powell / C. Koloko

If Dallas gets #1 they have to take Wemby.
If they can't build something special around a Luka/Hardy/Wemby/Green core, they won't ever be able to.
It might take a couple of years, but that would be one of the best ways to satisfy and keep Luka.

I think Toronto says no, and probably the Nets do as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against keeping him, I'm just leery of the injury history of players fitting his prototype. You'd also likely need to put a Draymond Green type player at the 4 next to him to have any hopes of fielding at least an average defense...and those player archetypes are few and far between. Also, I low-key think this may be the time to capitalize on Josh Green's value--it very well could be at an all-time high.

They would definitely need a bruiser playing next to Wemby.

[Mr B]

Another fun scenario:

DAL Receives: KAT + Conley
MIN Receives: SnT Kyrie + THJ

Trade can be 2 separate trades if needed. We probably need to add a pick too.

MIN decides the Gobert/KAT duo ain't gonna work. KAT's having an abysmal playoff series and his value is almost certainly at an all time low. They get Kyrie to create a really dynamic back court and get a shooter in THJ which they also desperately need. They've gone on the record many times of saying how they miss Beasley's shooting. Enter in THJ who's basically a facsimile of him.

DAL gets Wood 10.0 in Towns. Bad defender but a top 3 offensive C in the NBA. He's also a very good rebounder. They get Conley as a veteran guard. Draft Hendricks and sign some defensive wings like McDaniels and Keita Bates Diop. Lineup can be like:

Luka/Conley
Green/Hardy
McDaniels/Bullock
Hendricks/Keita Bates-Diop
Towns/Kleber

Solid mix of vets and young talent.

Kyrie wouldn’t agree to that.

[daoneandonly]

Another fun scenario:

DAL Receives: KAT + Conley
MIN Receives: SnT Kyrie + THJ

Trade can be 2 separate trades if needed. We probably need to add a pick too.

MIN decides the Gobert/KAT duo ain't gonna work. KAT's having an abysmal playoff series and his value is almost certainly at an all time low. They get Kyrie to create a really dynamic back court and get a shooter in THJ which they also desperately need. They've gone on the record many times of saying how they miss Beasley's shooting. Enter in THJ who's basically a facsimile of him.

DAL gets Wood 10.0 in Towns. Bad defender but a top 3 offensive C in the NBA. He's also a very good rebounder. They get Conley as a veteran guard. Draft Hendricks and sign some defensive wings like McDaniels and Keita Bates Diop. Lineup can be like:

Luka/Conley
Green/Hardy
McDaniels/Bullock
Hendricks/Keita Bates-Diop
Towns/Kleber

Solid mix of vets and young talent.

Kyrie wouldn’t agree to that.

Nor would Minny, THJ is trash

I would love KAT, but cant see a deal that makes sense for all. Even a 3 way with Mia where HErro goes to Mina nd Kyrie to the heat wouldnt be enough for the Wolves

[arkuo]

A motivated Kyrie is and will be better than Brunson. So that's a no brainer.

What the Mavs lacked this season was DEFENSE and REBOUNDING. Brunson couldn't have helped in any of those categories even if he tried.

Kyrie + Luka isnt the problem. The pieces around them are. Just draft or trade the pick for a PF. Then do another trade for a center. Mavs should be hanging around the middle of the playoffs (3 to 6) if they change those two positions.

[41Dirk41]

A motivated Kyrie is and will be better than Brunson. So that's a no brainer.

What the Mavs lacked this season was DEFENSE and REBOUNDING. Brunson couldn't have helped in any of those categories even if he tried.

Kyrie + Luka isnt the problem. The pieces around them are. Just draft or trade the pick for a PF. Then do another trade for a center. Mavs should be hanging around the middle of the playoffs (3 to 6) if they change those two positions.

Yes, the narrative about this season was atrocious... Mostly from outside Mavs world by people who never watched 1 game after the trade.
Kyrie played great, he finished 1st (i hope it's correct this time ) in fourth quarter points.

25+5+6 and 51/39/95 split.

But hey, it's cool write sh*t about Kyrie and throw him under the bus for his non-basketball statements when the roster was putrid.

**** Irving! You suck!!!

[daoneandonly]

A motivated Kyrie is and will be better than Brunson. So that's a no brainer.

What the Mavs lacked this season was DEFENSE and REBOUNDING. Brunson couldn't have helped in any of those categories even if he tried.

Kyrie + Luka isnt the problem. The pieces around them are. Just draft or trade the pick for a PF. Then do another trade for a center. Mavs should be hanging around the middle of the playoffs (3 to 6) if they change those two positions.

You're not wrong, but the problem is will he be motivated and on his best behavior once he gets the guaranteed money. It's still very risky.

[Teffer10]

A motivated Kyrie is and will be better than Brunson. So that's a no brainer.

What the Mavs lacked this season was DEFENSE and REBOUNDING. Brunson couldn't have helped in any of those categories even if he tried.

Kyrie + Luka isnt the problem. The pieces around them are. Just draft or trade the pick for a PF. Then do another trade for a center. Mavs should be hanging around the middle of the playoffs (3 to 6) if they change those two positions.

Yep....still scratching my head wondering why they didnt address a gaping hole in our frontcourt since last season.

Everybody in the world, with the exception of Kidd knew McGee was a knuckleheaded 3rd string center and that was their answer to our woes?

Then they make the miraculous trade for Kyrie giving up our best defender and made no attempt whatsoever to replace him.

And they wonder why the whole Kyrie/Luka thing didnt work.

Good grief!!!!

[arkuo]

A motivated Kyrie is and will be better than Brunson. So that's a no brainer.

What the Mavs lacked this season was DEFENSE and REBOUNDING. Brunson couldn't have helped in any of those categories even if he tried.

Kyrie + Luka isnt the problem. The pieces around them are. Just draft or trade the pick for a PF. Then do another trade for a center. Mavs should be hanging around the middle of the playoffs (3 to 6) if they change those two positions.

Yep....still scratching my head wondering why they didnt address a gaping hole in our frontcourt since last season.

Everybody in the world, with the exception of Kidd knew McGee was a knuckleheaded 3rd string center and that was their answer to our woes?

Then they make the miraculous trade for Kyrie giving up our best defender and made no attempt whatsoever to replace him.

And they wonder why the whole Kyrie/Luka thing didnt work.

Good grief!!!!

Yeah. Agreed. I think the FO and Kidd put too much faith on the Bullock + Powell frontcourt tandem which is frankly stupid. Those two and bench players at best. I remember Kyrie talking about building the team for the long term so I hope he knows something we dont. And hopefully they can get back to competing as early as next season.

Its really those two that come up with empty possessions when you analyze it. Kyrie + Luka are fine and should be unguardable when they click. It's Bullock + Powell and to a certain extent THJ that come up with weak production numbers from their position. You replace them with players that are ready to produce at a high level then you can compete in the playoffs.