Mr Puddles wrote:Ghost of Kleine wrote:Goga is a top ( vet min) free agency option for me as more mobile, more athletic version of Nurkic for Nurkic insurance, along with Nik Richards ( via trade) or Yves Missi in the draft.
You sell Bidatze on the value education that happened for his teammate Bol Bol here with us and a possible eventual starting spot consideration once Nurkic leaves.
Now if Missi is off the board at 22, then you pivot to a trade back ( with New York or Washington) and take Kolek and Dunn ( 10% block percentage/ elite recovery defender/ lockdown defensive wing), and take Ariel Hukporti ( alternatively) as an undrafted option.
Ariel Hukporti is a rugged, physical, mobile 7 ft version of Clint Capela with much the same strengths and weaknesses, but much much cheaper. And a walking productive double/ double utility defensive big that can play off of our offensive players in a simplified role.
Then you can look to sign either ( or both) Blake Hinson and/ or Moses Wood for 6'8 jumbo wing forwards that are both athletic, physical 3 point assassins with absurd shooting versatility. If Kolek is gone in a trade back scenario, no big deal! You simply pivot with your acquires 2nd round pick to Ajay Mitchell who compares favorably to Jalen Brunson and still take Dunn as a long explosive lockdown defensive wing, Mitchell at around 38-40. And then Huktpori on one of our 3 available teo ways.
Then you head into free agency having already addressed defensive athletic backup center option, table setting floor general backup guard and a very athletic lockdown defensive wing. Now we only need to supplement our 3 or scoring and further veteran depth with:
1- Kyle Lowry or Kris Dunn.
2- Goga Bidatze or Mason Plumlee 2nd rotation big.
3- Mike Muscala, Meyers Leonard or Matthew Hurt? Maybe even look at bringing back Kaminsky or adding Pter Cornelie ( a name probably nobody has heard of)??
If more shooting is needed, Koe Harris is still unsigned, as is Daniel House and Vincent Valerio Bodon too ( 6'9 sharpshooting wing).
I think if we trade back with NY it's so they can draft Dunn at 22. He seems like a tibs guy and he's insurance for OG leaving.
Guys like Dunn scare me. I remember everyone here was all giddy about guys like Thybulle and Clarke but they haven't been transcend defensively. If we trade down, I think it will be for Kolek and one of the lower projected guys we've been working out (e.g. Bronnie, although I'm guessing we'll go big if we draft Kolek with say #25)
For sure! Everyone's concerns about Dunns' shooting deficiencies are very valid as we've all been conditioned to believe that outlier shooting traits are the proverbial " be all end all" of determining value for prospects in this currently offensively aesthetic league. But I'll remind people that as awesome and alluring as elite offensive players can be for many, the game of basketball is not won on one side of the court alone.
This past postseason made this premise very evident in what attributes the team's that sent us home in a first round sweep and sent last season's nba champions home early too (Timberwolves) and the team that shut down elite scorer Doncic embodied in dominant fashion. It also showed distinct aspects that our current roster severely lacks/ lacked as well. Athleticism, defense, physicality, size, relentless motor/ energy, volume three point shooting, grit and toughness!
Now for Dunns' consideration, even if he wouldn't somehow improve his shooting, he'd still address at least 4-5 of the above mentioned critical attributes that our roster lacks and has lacked for multiple seasons. To be able to address that many weaknesses with a single player is a significant win for us in a draf that is clearly shallow, devoid of high level impact talent/ star talent.
And in the context of a trade back scenario still possibly getting such a player with elite underlying attributes is even more of a win, giving us added advantage heading into free agency with less glaring weaknesses needing to be addressed at multiple positions. This would allow us to focus more comfortably on specific targets knowing that we fully utilized the draft effectively in addressing multiple issues.
To your point of past elite defenders not being able to transcend their concerns, of course that's always a valid concern. But the best you can hope for with any prospect is developmental improvements adding to the overall value/ impact of their games. With Dunn, he's already shown/ established elite lockdown abilities and elite defensive versatility and switchability which will translate to impact value in the league as shown by the recent success of teams' embodying these traits in the postseason as well as the direction the league is trending in playing to his athletic and physical advantages too.
But additionally, he's also already showing the awareness and understanding/ willingness to put in the work to improve:
Which is a critical attribute of outlier developmental improvement for young evolving players. So in the context of possibly getting such a versatile prospect with elite outlier traits that directly address our needs as a late first or even 2nd round selection in an already consensus weak/ shallow draft, it should be seen as an extreme value acquisition even in spite of such concerns.
Next year's draft is flush with legit stars/ high ceiling impact players. This draft is to fill supplemental / utility depth positions and is an ideal complimentary situation for us with our big three already in place.
