Keeping a 29yr old, 3rd/4th string center whose only definable skill is 3pt shooting, which is nice but not the most important skill you want from your center, but has little value elsewhere is unnecessary. He is owed $2.2mil on a NG deal, they would be better off to let him walk and use that spot on a younger center they can develop, especially since with Williams' surgery (again) and Ayton's salary, they are likely to have both back next year.
They should look to acquire a late 1st or 2nd round pick and draft one of the many interesting big men in this draft, who could then step in when Ayton and Williams are inevitably sent packing?
There are lots of interesting big men in this draft: Johni Broome, Joan Beringer, Alex Condon, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tomislav Ivisic, Maxime Raynaud, Rocco Zikarsky
Banton will be 26 next year and is a career 31% 3pt shooter, but more problematic IMO is that he is unable to play well within a team structure. Oh, he can show it for a few minutes but then inevitably his nature kicks in and he goes 1v3, blindly drives to the hoop or hoists up a bad shot. He is another end of bench player, but one that does not provide that useful of a skill. His eFG% ranks in the 30th percentile, his TS% ranks in the 32nd percentile.
Instead of resigning him, you know what might be a better idea? Signing a player who can shoot. This year POR ranks 24th in FG% and 24th in 3pt FG%
POR is projected @ $172mil or so. Luxury tax is $187.8mil. Their 1st round pick (11th, would be $4.3). With their 1st round pick they would have 14 players under contract, if they waive Reath, 13. That gives them $13mil or so to go after a shooter and as luck would have it, there are some FA who can shoot available this year
Ty Jerome (28) is probably out of reach, but 43.1% from 3pt range, would be ideal IMO
- Alexander-Walker\MIN (27) would also be ideal, shooting 39.6% from deep could be available with all of MIN cap issues and priority to resign Reid (and they have Divencenzo\Shannon\Dillingham)
- Caris Levert (31) would be another, shooting 41.4% from 3pt
- Luke Kennard (29), shooting 48.5% from 3pt - MEM tried to move him @ the deadline
- Amir Coffey (28), shooting 41% from 3pt (38.4% for career)
- Jake LaRavia (24), shooting 44.4% from 3pt
- Sam Merrill (29), shooting 35.6% from 3pt (career 38.3%)
- Taurean Prince (32), shooting 45.4% from 3pt
MLE is up to $14.1
BAE is up to $5.1
The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams who haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and whose team salary remains below the first tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the first tax apron for the rest of the league year.
The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and below the first tax apron...It can also only be used once every two years
Probably try to get a guy with the BAE on a 2yr deal, unless they can get a guy like Jerome\NAW\maybe LeVert on an MLE, though that caps them at 1st apron, but Cronin does not really seem to care about that, just staying under luxury tax....
If you are "hard capped" at the 1st apron, which happens if you use the taxpayer MLE, you have the following restrictions:
Using more than Tax MLE out of NTMLE
Using BAE
Acquiring player via Sign-and-Trade
Signing a buyout player who made more than NTMLE on previous contract
Using more than 100% in salary matching in a trade
Using a TPE that was created in prior season
Nothing too crazy there IMO, would seem obvious to try and use BAE 1st, unless a good enough player is gettable for MLE. Difficulty would be trading away Ayton\Simons\Williams \Thybulle (if he is on the team) and taking back less salary, but Cronin does not like to make deals during the season anyway, so maybe not?
Thybulle: I still think there's a chance, if he and his agent believe he can get a 3 or 4 year deal with a playoff team at 7-10M/year, that he opts out and signs elsewhere. Maybe a 50-50 chance; maybe lower. It was definitely a mistake to match the offer sheet from Dallas
I completely agree, he tried to get out of POR once already, and chances are (especially with his play, showing he is healthy, same active defender he always has been). he could choose to opt out of $11mil on a team with a limited role, and accept a 2-3 year deal at\slightly less and on a team of his choosing.
I hope that happens, it would alleviate some issues for POR and give them more room under the luxury tax.
