Summer 2023 Trade Thread

[DusterBuster]

I think Ayton is disengaged because of the coaching. I'd like to see him under a new coach. I think he has some untapped potential still. I don't think he's world-changing but I do think he's still young and could use a good leader. I don't know if he's been under good leadership in Phoenix in terms of other players. I'm not a big fan of Chris Paul as a leader, but that's just me.

He definitely doesn’t like Monty, but I believe that’s because of his effort level. He’s **** lazy and Monty - former Blazers assistant who helped Dame coming up - was probably pushing him to give an effort and work to his potential but has given up on him.

100% correct.

It's not just an Ayton/Monty issue. Ayton showed the same lazy tenancies in college. He has all the physical tools to dominate. He just doesn't have the fire.

Some people are happy to do their 9-5 and check out. No judgement, but also doesn’t mean I’m gonna hold out hope that’ll change.

[The Sebastian Express]

I don't think Monty's a bad coach by any means. But part of being a coach, a teacher, is also knowing how to get through to guys differently than you might the others. I truly would like to see Ayton with a player who has the leadership qualities of a Dame. I do acknowledge Ayton has some concerning issues, and also forgot he is being paid north of thirty million which is not ideal and probably would scare me off of doing anything more than Simons + salary filler for him and I still think we should look at another C, but I do think Ayton has a lot of potential left and maybe a change of scenery would help.

[DusterBuster]

I don't think Monty's a bad coach by any means. But part of being a coach, a teacher, is also knowing how to get through to guys differently than you might the others. I truly would like to see Ayton with a player who has the leadership qualities of a Dame. I do acknowledge Ayton has some concerning issues, and also forgot he is being paid north of thirty million which is not ideal and probably would scare me off of doing anything more than Simons + salary filler for him and I still think we should look at another C, but I do think Ayton has a lot of potential left and maybe a change of scenery would help.

You can’t teach or lead-by-example heart. You have it or you don’t. I think Dame would have a good effect on someone like Brooks sooner than he would someone like Ayton. It didn’t work with Dame and Whiteside, so why would it work with Dame and Ayton. Dame can’t reach guys who don’t give an effort - to no fault of his own. He just doesn’t connect with those player, they are bad fits and then leave.

[Wizenheimer]

I don't think Monty's a bad coach by any means. But part of being a coach, a teacher, is also knowing how to get through to guys differently than you might the others. I truly would like to see Ayton with a player who has the leadership qualities of a Dame. I do acknowledge Ayton has some concerning issues, and also forgot he is being paid north of thirty million which is not ideal and probably would scare me off of doing anything more than Simons + salary filler for him and I still think we should look at another C, but I do think Ayton has a lot of potential left and maybe a change of scenery would help.

it's possible

but Ayton is essentially 25 years old. He's spent 5 years and 350 games on NBA floors. And much of that time was spent practicing & playing alongside professionals like Chis Paul, Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder. Expecting him to suddenly morph into a different player sometime in his 6th-7th season, around his 400-500th game, seems like fantasy; it's not realistic. Dame is a great leader but he isn't a magician. And there's nothing I see suggesting that Billups is fundamentally different in approach than Monty

what is fundamentally different in the NBA is the value of the C position and the value of positional versatility. Traditional C's have the lowest value positionally, and the lowest value they've ever had. Ayton is a traditional C, but he's paid like an all-star C who can easily switch to PF. He isn't and he can't. Ayton at 34M/year is an albatross contract; and that albatross contract is the size of an elephant if that contract is on a roster the penny-pinching Vulcans control

[JasonStern]

Just curious, what would Portland's offer to Toronto for Siakum would be if he were made available
by Toronto?

Would Toronto demand Sharpe as part of any trade for Siakum?

Given he is a pending FA, my max offer would be:
Ant + Little + 23

If Toronto would rather route Ant to Orlando for #11 + cap space -> that would be their call.

We aren't the Lakers. We're a team forced to make a move to appease our franchise GOAT (whether that's acquiring more talent or moving him remains to be seen) with an inexperienced GM. Please stop with these ideas that some team is going to gift Portland with an all-star for scraps. Maybe a Melo-tier ten years past his prime "all-star". But in no reality does not trading a high pick (#5) or a talented prospect (Sharpe) land you Siakam. And if you're going to play NBA 2k with trade override enabled, why not S&T Justice Winslow for Embiid/Jokic/Doncic?

[JasonStern]

Siakum is a better fit in Portland than all those DDR trades I keep seeing for somebody has to
go get the ball for all the offensive minded players in Portland.

I have no doubt Simons can play but he's getting blamed for being a bad fit next to Dame.

I'd much rather have Siakam than DDR, but I feel like the cost of acquisition would also be much higher.

Simons is a Jamal Crawford tier player. Nowhere near as bad as JRoy makes him seem. But probably never an all-star. Can give you 20ppg+ each night, but probably also gives up 20ppg each night. Not a knock. Just being realistic about what type of player he is. I would have loved to have Crawford spend his entire career in Portland, so long as Nate McMillan wasn't forcing a guy who clearly was not a point guard to play point guard.

[BlazersBroncos]

Siakum is a better fit in Portland than all those DDR trades I keep seeing for somebody has to
go get the ball for all the offensive minded players in Portland.

I have no doubt Simons can play but he's getting blamed for being a bad fit next to Dame.

I'd much rather have Siakam than DDR, but I feel like the cost of acquisition would also be much higher.

Simons is a Jamal Crawford tier player. Nowhere near as bad as JRoy makes him seem. But probably never an all-star. Can give you 20ppg+ each night, but probably also gives up 20ppg each night. Not a knock. Just being realistic about what type of player he is. I would have loved to have Crawford spend his entire career in Portland, so long as Nate McMillan wasn't forcing a guy who clearly was not a point guard to play point guard.

This. DDR isnt as good as Pascal, but one certainly demands the #5 and the difference in talent 100% isnt #5 - not to mention Pascal is a EC.

If CHI goes young we could maybe even get Caruso as well.

Simons, Little, #23, 2024 CHA SRP for DDR, Caruso, PDX FRP Returned - puts us in a better win-now spot and is Sharpe takes the jump / #5 gives immediate consistent + minutes who knows what that roster can accomplish. I like DDR alot w/ Sharpe - he great at passing to cutters and SS should be an elite cutter sooner than later.

[zzaj]

I don't think Monty's a bad coach by any means. But part of being a coach, a teacher, is also knowing how to get through to guys differently than you might the others. I truly would like to see Ayton with a player who has the leadership qualities of a Dame. I do acknowledge Ayton has some concerning issues, and also forgot he is being paid north of thirty million which is not ideal and probably would scare me off of doing anything more than Simons + salary filler for him and I still think we should look at another C, but I do think Ayton has a lot of potential left and maybe a change of scenery would help.

it's possible

but Ayton is essentially 25 years old. He's spent 5 years and 350 games on NBA floors. And much of that time was spent practicing & playing alongside professionals like Chis Paul, Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder. Expecting him to suddenly morph into a different player sometime in his 6th-7th season, around his 400-500th game, seems like fantasy; it's not realistic. Dame is a great leader but he isn't a magician. And there's nothing I see suggesting that Billups is fundamentally different in approach than Monty

what is fundamentally different in the NBA is the value of the C position and the value of positional versatility. Traditional C's have the lowest value positionally, and the lowest value they've ever had. Ayton is a traditional C, but he's paid like an all-star C who can easily switch to PF. He isn't and he can't. Ayton at 34M/year is an albatross contract; and that albatross contract is the size of an elephant if that contract is on a roster the penny-pinching Vulcans control

This got me thinking...

Has there ever been a "lazy" player that suddenly turned it on and was noted for becoming a hard worker after a few years in the league? I'm having trouble thinking of one...

Not to pile on TSE, but it's way too rare for the gamble on somebody like Ayton, IMHO.

[The Sebastian Express]

Nurkic was considered a lazy and pouting.

[Norm2953]

Siakum is a better fit in Portland than all those DDR trades I keep seeing for somebody has to
go get the ball for all the offensive minded players in Portland.

I have no doubt Simons can play but he's getting blamed for being a bad fit next to Dame.

I'd much rather have Siakam than DDR, but I feel like the cost of acquisition would also be much higher.

Simons is a Jamal Crawford tier player. Nowhere near as bad as JRoy makes him seem. But probably never an all-star. Can give you 20ppg+ each night, but probably also gives up 20ppg each night. Not a knock. Just being realistic about what type of player he is. I would have loved to have Crawford spend his entire career in Portland, so long as Nate McMillan wasn't forcing a guy who clearly was not a point guard to play point guard.

This. DDR isnt as good as Pascal, but one certainly demands the #5 and the difference in talent 100% isnt #5 - not to mention Pascal is a EC.

If CHI goes young we could maybe even get Caruso as well.

Simons, Little, #23, 2024 CHA SRP for DDR, Caruso, PDX FRP Returned - puts us in a better win-now spot and is Sharpe takes the jump / #5 gives immediate consistent + minutes who knows what that roster can accomplish. I like DDR alot w/ Sharpe - he great at passing to cutters and SS should be an elite cutter sooner than later.

Would Pascal really demands 5?

Pascal plays a position of great need but the cost of extending him might be too much for Portland if they
extend Grant.

I'm still skeptical of these win now moves. If Portland simply does a rebuild, they don't have to worry
about the pick owed to Chicago. Even if the team makes the playoffs next season, the 2024 draft is
supposed to be bad unless the 7-3 Spanish center headed to UCLA is the real deal.

Most of these win now moves require Portland taking on the cost of the new contract + Grant which might
be $60 million to the payroll minus the cost of the win now players.

Teams talk of these win now moves but they make moves to suit themselves for this is the same franchise
that kept getting rid of Steve Blake

[Brandon-Clyde]

If Ayton puts up 18 and 10 while playing solid defense and playing 65+ games I will take that for the Blazers. I like Simons but this Blazers team needs size and Ayton gives us that. So unless the lotto balls give us Wemby I would trade Simons and a little filler for Ayton and then draft Jarace Walker or Taylor Hendricks ( Whitmore 3rd choice). Re-sign Eubanks and try to or some other experienced big man such as Andre Drummond for depth. Personally I am a little tired of having almost no NBA quality bigs on the roster with those we do have missing significant time during the season.

[JRoy]

Siakum is a better fit in Portland than all those DDR trades I keep seeing for somebody has to
go get the ball for all the offensive minded players in Portland.

I have no doubt Simons can play but he's getting blamed for being a bad fit next to Dame.

I'd much rather have Siakam than DDR, but I feel like the cost of acquisition would also be much higher.

Simons is a Jamal Crawford tier player. Nowhere near as bad as JRoy makes him seem. But probably never an all-star. Can give you 20ppg+ each night, but probably also gives up 20ppg each night. Not a knock. Just being realistic about what type of player he is. I would have loved to have Crawford spend his entire career in Portland, so long as Nate McMillan wasn't forcing a guy who clearly was not a point guard to play point guard.

The biggest problem with Simons is his fit with Lillard. He might thrive on a stronger defensive team that could cover him and stop pretending he’s a pg.

[BlazersBroncos]

If Ayton puts up 18 and 10 while playing solid defense and playing 65+ games I will take that for the Blazers. I like Simons but this Blazers team needs size and Ayton gives us that. So unless the lotto balls give us Wemby I would trade Simons and a little filler for Ayton and then draft Jarace Walker or Taylor Hendricks ( Whitmore 3rd choice). Re-sign Eubanks and try to or some other experienced big man such as Andre Drummond for depth. Personally I am a little tired of having almost no NBA quality bigs on the roster with those we do have missing significant time during the season.

We have size at C. What we need is size at 2-4.

Ayton isn’t enough or an upgrade over Nurkic to burn assets on. His advanced metrics show a worse defender than Jusuf actually, while being a far worse passer and actually having less spacing ability than Nurk (Who hit nearly 1 3 per last year). He is worse at drawing fowls than Nurk too as he always goes weak to the rim w/ a turnaround or jump hook.

He is better than Jusuf at traditional post up scoring and a better roller to the rim on the PNR. And younger. That’s about it, and he cost 34M to boot. With a whiney entitled attitude.

His age makes him flexible if we go win now but get no results so pivot to rebuild. For that I would maybe do Nurkic and Little for him. But burning Simon, who I do want traded, isn’t the right move IMO.

[Wizenheimer]

Nurkic was considered a lazy and pouting.

pretty clearly he's still prone to pouting

lazy is harder to peg, but he does seem to have to work himself into shape each season rather than showing up in shape. I don't believe Nurk has fully recovered from his injuries, and at 29 years old and nearly 300 pounds he may never regain his form

[Brandon-Clyde]

If Ayton puts up 18 and 10 while playing solid defense and playing 65+ games I will take that for the Blazers. I like Simons but this Blazers team needs size and Ayton gives us that. So unless the lotto balls give us Wemby I would trade Simons and a little filler for Ayton and then draft Jarace Walker or Taylor Hendricks ( Whitmore 3rd choice). Re-sign Eubanks and try to or some other experienced big man such as Andre Drummond for depth. Personally I am a little tired of having almost no NBA quality bigs on the roster with those we do have missing significant time during the season.

We have size at C. What we need is size at 2-4.

Ayton isn’t enough or an upgrade over Nurkic to burn assets on. His advanced metrics show a worse defender than Jusuf actually, while being a far worse passer and actually having less spacing ability than Nurk (Who hit nearly 1 3 per last year). He is worse at drawing fowls than Nurk too as he always goes weak to the rim w/ a turnaround or jump hook.

He is better than Jusuf at traditional post up scoring and a better roller to the rim on the PNR. And younger. That’s about it, and he cost 34M to boot. With a whiney entitled attitude.

His age makes him flexible if we go win now but get no results so pivot to rebuild. For that I would maybe do Nurkic and Little for him. But burning Simon, who I do want traded, isn’t the right move IMO.

We have Nurkic who hasn't been healthy for a good part of the season having missed 30 and 26 games the last two seasons and often was playing hurt and often ineffective. He also didn't play quite 27 mpg. That left us Eubanks , Watford and Walker as the only regular players above 6'8" ( all three being 6'9"). Portland was one of the worst interior defenses last season and one of the worst rebounding teams. If we could get Ayton for Little and Nurk I would be fine with that but I don't think either has much positive trade value so more would need to be added ( the number 23 pick at least and probably a future first as well) if we are to outbid other teams. As I said I like Simons but we can slide Thybulle or Sharpe into the starting SG slot and still have three possibly four players who could get 20 on a given night and better defense. Unless there is a better offer for Simons Ayton strikes me as a good win now player while also being young and remember Simons will cost $25 million as well so moving Simons and Nurkic would actually give the Blazers more cap space.

[BlazersBroncos]

If Ayton puts up 18 and 10 while playing solid defense and playing 65+ games I will take that for the Blazers. I like Simons but this Blazers team needs size and Ayton gives us that. So unless the lotto balls give us Wemby I would trade Simons and a little filler for Ayton and then draft Jarace Walker or Taylor Hendricks ( Whitmore 3rd choice). Re-sign Eubanks and try to or some other experienced big man such as Andre Drummond for depth. Personally I am a little tired of having almost no NBA quality bigs on the roster with those we do have missing significant time during the season.

We have size at C. What we need is size at 2-4.

Ayton isn’t enough or an upgrade over Nurkic to burn assets on. His advanced metrics show a worse defender than Jusuf actually, while being a far worse passer and actually having less spacing ability than Nurk (Who hit nearly 1 3 per last year). He is worse at drawing fowls than Nurk too as he always goes weak to the rim w/ a turnaround or jump hook.

He is better than Jusuf at traditional post up scoring and a better roller to the rim on the PNR. And younger. That’s about it, and he cost 34M to boot. With a whiney entitled attitude.

His age makes him flexible if we go win now but get no results so pivot to rebuild. For that I would maybe do Nurkic and Little for him. But burning Simon, who I do want traded, isn’t the right move IMO.

We have Nurkic who hasn't been healthy for a good part of the season having missed 30 and 26 games the last two seasons and often was playing hurt and often ineffective. He also didn't play quite 27 mpg. That left us Eubanks , Watford and Walker as the only regular players above 6'8" ( all three being 6'9"). Portland was one of the worst interior defenses last season and one of the worst rebounding teams. If we could get Ayton for Little and Nurk I would be fine with that but I don't think either has much positive trade value so more would need to be added ( the number 23 pick at least and probably a future first as well) if we are to outbid other teams. As I said I like Simons but we can slide Thybulle or Sharpe into the starting SG slot and still have three possibly four players who could get 20 on a given night and better defense. Unless there is a better offer for Simons Ayton strikes me as a good win now player while also being young and remember Simons will cost $25 million as well so moving Simons and Nurkic would actually give the Blazers more cap space.

We have no path to cap space if the team has Dame, Ayton and Grant on board.

I simply dont see turning Simons and Nurkic into Ayton improving the team. And once that move is done we have zero movable salary to improve elsewhere.

I would love to improve upon Nurkic, but Ayton brings a TON of the same issues. Motor is up and down, not really switchable, not a floor spacer, not a rim protector (Averaged the same BPG as Nurkic in more MPG). I can see Myles, he actually has 2 skillsets we could use in a C (Elite defense - much, much better than Ayton, excellent 3PT spacing for a C). Turner makes like 14M less per year than Ayton as well.

The team needs needle movers more than anything - Ayton simply isnt one. The idea of Ayton is better than the player.

[Norm2953]

I tend to think on a team with ball dominant players, Nurk will pout for he's being asked
to rebound/defend his basket with few touches on the offensive end. Ayton would also
end up pouting as well if he's at best the fourth option on offense. At least when Nurk is
scoring, he does rebound/defend his the basket and is much cheaper than Ayton.

Team does need a bigger version of Josh Hart for even if they dump Simons, they still have
Dame, Grant and Sharpe who would want XX amount of touches offensively. Team needs to
find the next Buck Williams for somebody other than Nurk, has to get the ball for the scorers
to score.

[Brandon-Clyde]

We have size at C. What we need is size at 2-4.

Ayton isn’t enough or an upgrade over Nurkic to burn assets on. His advanced metrics show a worse defender than Jusuf actually, while being a far worse passer and actually having less spacing ability than Nurk (Who hit nearly 1 3 per last year). He is worse at drawing fowls than Nurk too as he always goes weak to the rim w/ a turnaround or jump hook.

He is better than Jusuf at traditional post up scoring and a better roller to the rim on the PNR. And younger. That’s about it, and he cost 34M to boot. With a whiney entitled attitude.

His age makes him flexible if we go win now but get no results so pivot to rebuild. For that I would maybe do Nurkic and Little for him. But burning Simon, who I do want traded, isn’t the right move IMO.

We have Nurkic who hasn't been healthy for a good part of the season having missed 30 and 26 games the last two seasons and often was playing hurt and often ineffective. He also didn't play quite 27 mpg. That left us Eubanks , Watford and Walker as the only regular players above 6'8" ( all three being 6'9"). Portland was one of the worst interior defenses last season and one of the worst rebounding teams. If we could get Ayton for Little and Nurk I would be fine with that but I don't think either has much positive trade value so more would need to be added ( the number 23 pick at least and probably a future first as well) if we are to outbid other teams. As I said I like Simons but we can slide Thybulle or Sharpe into the starting SG slot and still have three possibly four players who could get 20 on a given night and better defense. Unless there is a better offer for Simons Ayton strikes me as a good win now player while also being young and remember Simons will cost $25 million as well so moving Simons and Nurkic would actually give the Blazers more cap space.

We have no path to cap space if the team has Dame, Ayton and Grant on board.

I simply dont see turning Simons and Nurkic into Ayton improving the team. And once that move is done we have zero movable salary to improve elsewhere.

I would love to improve upon Nurkic, but Ayton brings a TON of the same issues. Motor is up and down, not really switchable, not a floor spacer, not a rim protector (Averaged the same BPG as Nurkic in more MPG). I can see Myles, he actually has 2 skillsets we could use in a C (Elite defense - much, much better than Ayton, excellent 3PT spacing for a C). Turner makes like 14M less per year than Ayton as well.

The team needs needle movers more than anything - Ayton simply isnt one. The idea of Ayton is better than the player.

Except that Myles Turner is probably not available now that he has re-signed in Indiana and they have traded Sabonis and even if he was available it would cost Portland their lottery pick. So unless Indiana wins the Wembanyama sweepstakes I expect that they will keep him barring an overwhelming offer. Portland needs size and rebounding ( a weakness of Turner btw). I merely see Ayton as one piece we add with the players we select with our picks and an mle signing. Add size and rebounding to Dame, Sharpe and Grant scoring and I see a competitive team.

[BlazersBroncos]

We have Nurkic who hasn't been healthy for a good part of the season having missed 30 and 26 games the last two seasons and often was playing hurt and often ineffective. He also didn't play quite 27 mpg. That left us Eubanks , Watford and Walker as the only regular players above 6'8" ( all three being 6'9"). Portland was one of the worst interior defenses last season and one of the worst rebounding teams. If we could get Ayton for Little and Nurk I would be fine with that but I don't think either has much positive trade value so more would need to be added ( the number 23 pick at least and probably a future first as well) if we are to outbid other teams. As I said I like Simons but we can slide Thybulle or Sharpe into the starting SG slot and still have three possibly four players who could get 20 on a given night and better defense. Unless there is a better offer for Simons Ayton strikes me as a good win now player while also being young and remember Simons will cost $25 million as well so moving Simons and Nurkic would actually give the Blazers more cap space.

We have no path to cap space if the team has Dame, Ayton and Grant on board.

I simply dont see turning Simons and Nurkic into Ayton improving the team. And once that move is done we have zero movable salary to improve elsewhere.

I would love to improve upon Nurkic, but Ayton brings a TON of the same issues. Motor is up and down, not really switchable, not a floor spacer, not a rim protector (Averaged the same BPG as Nurkic in more MPG). I can see Myles, he actually has 2 skillsets we could use in a C (Elite defense - much, much better than Ayton, excellent 3PT spacing for a C). Turner makes like 14M less per year than Ayton as well.

The team needs needle movers more than anything - Ayton simply isnt one. The idea of Ayton is better than the player.

Except that Myles Turner is probably not available now that he has re-signed in Indiana and they have traded Sabonis and even if he was available it would cost Portland their lottery pick. So unless Indiana wins the Wembanyama sweepstakes I expect that they will keep him barring an overwhelming offer. Portland needs size and rebounding ( a weakness of Turner btw). I merely see Ayton as one piece we add with the players we select with our picks and an mle signing. Add size and rebounding to Dame, Sharpe and Grant scoring and I see a competitive team.

But Nurkic has size and is an elite rebounder. Why replace him with a guy that has similar limitations and cost more.

Ayton is a bit better switching, but still not good. He has better hands, a softer touch in traditional post plays and a better middie. He can finish above the rim on the PNR as well.

Nurkic is much cheaper, a way better passer, by all metrics a better rebounder and has developed a 3. He also gets to the line more as he doesn’t shy from contact like Ayton(A huge issue w/ him IMO).

They both have warts. Ayton is a bit better. He isn’t ‘out big love of the summer’ better. Not by any means.

This team + Ayton - Simons, Nurkic isn’t doing anything next year unless SS takes a 20ppg+ jump and/or we strike the lottery w/ our FRP.

[Brandon-Clyde]

We have no path to cap space if the team has Dame, Ayton and Grant on board.

I simply dont see turning Simons and Nurkic into Ayton improving the team. And once that move is done we have zero movable salary to improve elsewhere.

I would love to improve upon Nurkic, but Ayton brings a TON of the same issues. Motor is up and down, not really switchable, not a floor spacer, not a rim protector (Averaged the same BPG as Nurkic in more MPG). I can see Myles, he actually has 2 skillsets we could use in a C (Elite defense - much, much better than Ayton, excellent 3PT spacing for a C). Turner makes like 14M less per year than Ayton as well.

The team needs needle movers more than anything - Ayton simply isnt one. The idea of Ayton is better than the player.

Except that Myles Turner is probably not available now that he has re-signed in Indiana and they have traded Sabonis and even if he was available it would cost Portland their lottery pick. So unless Indiana wins the Wembanyama sweepstakes I expect that they will keep him barring an overwhelming offer. Portland needs size and rebounding ( a weakness of Turner btw). I merely see Ayton as one piece we add with the players we select with our picks and an mle signing. Add size and rebounding to Dame, Sharpe and Grant scoring and I see a competitive team.

But Nurkic has size and is an elite rebounder. Why replace him with a guy that has similar limitations and cost more.

Ayton is a bit better switching, but still not good. He has better hands, a softer touch in traditional post plays and a better middie. He can finish above the rim on the PNR as well.

Nurkic is much cheaper, a way better passer, by all metrics a better rebounder and has developed a 3. He also gets to the line more as he doesn’t shy from contact like Ayton(A huge issue w/ him IMO).

They both have warts. Ayton is a bit better. He isn’t ‘out big love of the summer’ better. Not by any means.

This team + Ayton - Simons, Nurkic isn’t doing anything next year unless SS takes a 20ppg+ jump and/or we strike the lottery w/ our FRP.

Nurkic has become unreliable due to poor health. He missed 30 games last season and even when he played seemed to be inconsistent with his play because he was playing hurt. I want reliability something that gives me pause about Turner who has only played over 62 games in a season twice in his 8 years in the league. Turner is also a sub par rebounder and with Grant at one forward spot we need rebounding at both center and the other forward spot. So I believe we need to trade a guard for a big and draft another big. Ayton won't solve all of our problems but I believe that he would help.