eyriq wrote:Interesting stuff. Beal and LaVine have all-star pedigree and are paid for it but have consistently fallen short of all-star production. McCollum and Simons are paid like core players but their teams haven't performed well at all. Sexton is paid to be a 4th starter.Skybox wrote:Just some comps for discussion and perspective. Lavine & Beal have absurd contracts - but if not for that, would be considered excellent offensive players. I did last 4 seasons, including this one, for all stats except for games played - which I used last 3 full seasons....
Player /Age Games PPG Assists 3pt apg 3pt % Remaining contract (after this year)
Bradley Beal / 31 47.7 20.6 4.6 4.9 37.2 $111m over 2 years
Zach Lavine / 29 56 23 4.3 7.1 39.3 $95m over 2 years
CJ McCollum / 33 67.7 21.3 4.8 7.9 39.4 $30.7m for one year
Anfernee Simons / 25 55 19.9 4.7 8.4 38 $27.7m for one year
Collin Sexton / 26 45.7 16.7 3.5 3.9 36.6 $19.2m for one year
*Beal & Lavine are not under consideration just based on salary, imo...I think the other 3 are all candidates for a substantial 6th man role for ORL. You can see that Simons' offensive production has been among some pretty strong company and proven over time. He's also the youngest. I think all 3 of the "candidates" would consider re-signing for $20m per or so when their present deals expire and would thrive in roles where their offensive strengths would be applied and their defensive weaknesses would be minimized by pairing next to guys like AB, Suggs & KCP. Any of them would have to subjugate their previous on-ball time with the understanding that Paolo & Franz are numbers 1 & 2 in the offensive pecking order. Suggs would, hopefully, continue to grow as an offensive player, but be slightly relieved of the burden of trying to playmake and score on a level he's just not cut out for. I like Sexton a lot but his offensive efficiency is kind of a recent development, not as proven over time as the younger Simons.
All good scorers and offensive threats. All in mid to terrible teams. All overpaid as a percentage of the cap. Given that our guard rotation projects to be Suggs, KCP, and AB, most would struggle to make our 2027 eight man rotation.
That said, we could and probably should kick the tires on Simons and Sexton. There is a risk that extension talks break down and we lose them for nothing, which is why we shouldn't pay much for them. Jett is the in-house option. Sexton would be making around the same salary as our 6th as does now, eo maybe he can stomach the lost compensation as a % of the cap. Simons would likely need to take a $10M haircut. Is being part of our championship run worth it? He's going to take a pay cut on his next deal either way IMO, he's drastically overpaid.
What’s the tax rate on Simons income like in Portland compared to what it would be like here in Florida? That did factor into how much of a raise or cut he’d be getting or taking.
Technically, speaking with no state income tax he could take less but still make the same
...if multiple teams were in hot pursuit, he'd have been moved over a year ago. 
"We had him"
