Trade/Free Agency Thread 2023-24, part 10 and Counting . . .

[MeanGeraldGreen]

We share the same logo (clover), please brothers and sisters, let my Greek team (Panathinaikos) have Mykchaliuk

He’s all yours, friend.

[ryan in Maine]

We share the same logo (clover), please brothers and sisters, let my Greek team (Panathinaikos) have Mykchaliuk

Ok, but I like him.

[Hal14]

Doesn't look like Svi is coming here.

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That's ok - his defense worries me..plays like this is likely why he barely got any mins last season on the Knicks:

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Then, let's look at the late season hornets vs thunder game:

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-Early on, Giddey takes him off the dribble and scores easily
-At 4:43 Giddey just blows by him for the layup
-At 7:28 Svi can't quite close out on the shooter tight enough and Joe hits the 3
-At 7:58 Giddey is able to drive in and score way too easily here, with Svi getting hit by a screen while defending Giddey
-At 8:08 Jalen williams gets the ball, Svi defending him. Jalen is able to put the ball on the floor, go by Svi and score very easily

It's probably not ideal to have so many suspect defenders coming off our bench (Pritchard, Hauser, Svi, Brogdon, Kornet)

Also, while Svi shot the ball very well last season, it was on a small sample size of games. The season before that he only shot 30% from 3 and the season before that he only shot 33% from 3.

Terence Davis might be the guy..

Didnt you post about how great svi would be and how his defensive issues was overblown?

Well, all players have pros and cons. Especially with guys who are still a free agent at this point in the offseason - they have flaws.

And I just re-watched some of his film the other day. Some of the defense looked more concerning - especially Giddey (who isn't that good at creating for himself off the dribble) getting by him so easily a few times.

[ryan in Maine]

I'm not really worried that the end of our bench isn't a match for Josh Giddey though lol.

[zoyathedestroya]

Get the next Jokic. How difficult could it be?

[Hal14]

Ok, so we apparently offered Svi a contract, we also had "strong interest" in Davis earlier in the offseason and there were some rumors that we were also interested in Rivers. What do these 3 have in common?

-Small-ish wings (all 6'4" or taller, though)
-Age 26 or older
-Good enough to maybe give us some mins here and there but bad enough so we'd only have to give them a minimum contract
-Volume shooters (all have typically been taking at least 6 threes per 100 possessions) which goes along with Mazzulla's strategy of encouraging players to take more threes

With that in mind, here's a closer look at each free agent wing who fits this criteria:



*Note. 3 pt % numbers are from last season. Usage % and 3PA per 100 possessions I factored in last season, as well as career averages and the 1 or 2 seasons before last to get an idea of where they'll likely be at this season. C&S 3P % are last season, but if i listed 2 numbers, the first number is last season and the next one is the season before. If I listed 3 numbers, the first is last season, the next is season before and the third is season before that. With Green I looked more at 20-21 and 21-22 season since he only played 11 games last season.

Here's what stands out from the chart for me:
-I included usage because we have 3 high usage, high scoring stars. Plus Brogdon and White who will have the ball in their hands quite a bit. So you don't really want any other guys who need the ball in their hands a lot. Ideally, anyone we add is under 20% usage rate. Under 16% is even better. So Davis, Oubre and Ross are probably out. Even Svi isn't an ideal fit (especially when you consider his defensive limitations, which I discussed in a previous post).

-Ideally, we're getting a guy who doesn't need the ball and is also a reliable catch and shoot guy. Not only is Oubre too ball dominant, but he is also not a good enough catch and shoot guy. Not to mention the bad teammate/locker room issues. I'd be very surprised if we sign him.

-The best fits from a basketball standpoint are probably Rivers or Green. McGruder could be a fit, too. But he's just not as good as Rivers or Green. With Rivers, I'm not sure if he would be ok with taking a more limited role here. With Green, there just is not e precedent for guys being good NBA players after coming back from a torn ACL at such an old age. But Green wasn't *that* bad when he came back last season and now he has a full offseason to keep getting his knee stronger.

I like what Green could bring from a leadership perspective and with the experience he has in playoff games, NBA finals games, winning 3 rings on 3 different teams. But he did hint in a recent interview that he's hoping to join Miami after they trade for Dame - not sure how much smoke there is there, though.

-Honestly, McGruder would not be a bad pickup. He checks a lot of boxes. Volume 3 pt shooting, good catch and shoot efficiency, low usage. He's a veteran, just turned 32 so should have some gas left in the tank. He's a scrappy player who plays hard, is not afraid to get in the paint, get his nose dirty and fight for rebounds - plays bigger than his listed height of 6'4". Seems like a dude who would be content just being on a team - especially a title contender and wouldn't mind a smaller role. But if we need a guy to give some spot mins here and there on the wing, hit some shots and not be a liability on D, then why not?

[zoyathedestroya]

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[zoyathedestroya]

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Something centered around Brogdon and Timelord didn't make the list.

[threrf23]

Ok, so we apparently offered Svi a contract, we also had "strong interest" in Davis earlier in the offseason and there were some rumors that we were also interested in Rivers. What do these 3 have in common?

What do they have in common? They are inefficient chuckers, they either have that rep, and/or in recent seasons they have taken a decent amount of shots per minute despite ranking towards the bottom of their team's rotation in terms of TS%. At least Davis & Rivers fall in this category; Sy wasn't so bad last season and only took so many shots the season before.

ofc Banton & Brissett also have the inefficient chucker rep, and even KP was an inefficient chucker by the numbers in Dallas.

Oh, and we hired Phil Pressey as an assistant.

It's what Brad values.

Oh, and Brad tried to trade Brogdon, who albeit did at times turn into a selfish player in an environment where it was valued, but was insanely efficient for us last season.

[MeanGeraldGreen]

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Wow, Dame making a statement.

[playa-hater]

Not saying I want him but where is Myers Leonard these days?

Possible bigman insurance? He can hits 3s..

Better than Kornet??

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[playa-hater]

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Didnt Theis pick up.5 fouls.in 3 min last game?

I actually would prefer theis over Kornet Because he can play the four or five man position.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[Hal14]

Last 3 seasons, Austin Rivers catch and shoot 3 pt %

22-23: 36.3%
21-22: 37%
20-21: 39.6%

Shoots it with good volume, too. About 6.7 3PA per 100 possessions, a healthy number which tells me that he is certainly not afraid to pull the trigger from deep (so will fit in well within Mazzulla's offense) but it's not a crazy high number which tells me that he's not a chucker - he's not just jacking it up every time he gets the ball. And when you watch film of Rivers from last season, he was actually pretty effective at taking his man off the dribble.

He's a solid perimeter defender, too.

And he's not afraid of the bright lights in the playoffs. Over the course of the 2023, 2022, and 2021 playoffs, he shot 40.3% from 3 (25/62).

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10083258-celtics-minimum-contracts-to-pursue-as-late-nba-free-agency-steals

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported the Celtics have "shown interest" in Rivers. While Washburn noted Rivers was seeking "more than a mentor role," he might have to settle for a situation in which he isn't guaranteed minutes at this stage of free agency.

It's also not impossible Rivers could carve out a small role in Boston. Malcolm Brogdon has had trouble ducking the injury bug, and Peyton Pritchard can be targeted in defense, so there could at least be stretches in which the Shamrocks need Rivers.

If he is ok with accepting the role we have to offer, Rivers might be my top choice at this point. After that probably Davis, then Danny Green. Then it's a tossup between Svi and McGruder.

[Fencer reregistered]

Not saying I want him but where is Myers Leonard these days?

Possible bigman insurance? He can hits 3s..

Better than Kornet??

You know how many people think Ex is overwrought in his dislike of Jaylen et al.?

I wouldn't want Leonard on any team I rooted for.

And by the way, I think he was one of about 3 former Heat players who couldn't get off the Bucks bench in the Bucks-Heat series.

[Triple7]

Zinger didn't work out for Dallas or the Knicks and he shined on a weak Wiz team. This was a BIG risk, high reward move, not to mention we gave up Smahhht and we're stuck keeping a disgruntled Brogdan. Heads are going to roll if this move backfires...Going to be an interesting season for sure! Time to earn that money Bubblegum Joe lmao

Lol. Move on already!

I've moved on boyeee, I'm curious who you and the hate club members are going to get fixated with this year? My guess is Brogs, White, or JB will be next in line or simply Mazzula will have a "fire him now thread" by Dec lol.

Nah i doubt you’ve move on already. Stop calling smart smahhht lol. That’s fan boy language hahaha. Nope. Since Smart is gone, i’m fine with this roster win or lose.

[Fierce1]

Smaht is gone.

Khristhaps is in!

[Triple7]

Smaht is gone.

Khristhaps is in!

Khiiisthaaaps haha.

[tfribs45]

Smaht is gone.

Khristhaps is in!

Nah I'd probably go with Zingahhhhhh, but he hasn't earned that title yet. lets see how this all plays out. J's need to grab the bull by the horns though, this group needs a leader and it's not bubble gum Joe hahaha