Offseason 2025 Thread

[JMAC3]

It all depends on health. If we're healthy, we should have a top 5 offense in the East which should be enough to make the playin. Not many teams have our scoring depth, like we've talked about earlier.

Yeah we are still going to be terrible next year. We are going to be small team with Moussa and Miles starting in front court with a bottom 5 defense in the league. I think Philly is probably getting slept on as a team that could just be the best team in the East with Maxey- McCain- VJ- PG-Embiid.

Teams that are pretty much playoff locks (7) - Cavs, Knicks, Magic, Heat, 76ers, Pistons, Hawks

Boston, Indy, Milwaukee are all more seasoned than us and as long as they are relatively healthy and trying they likely finish higher than us too. Our best hope is that 2 of them just outright tank.

Then you have Toronto, Charlotte, Chicago who are all probably going to try to win and compete for the playin but realistically are just not good enough. Probably makes more sense for all three teams to just tank based on where they are projected to finish.

Washington and Brooklyn appear to be outright tanking.

[LofJ]

If Peterson isn't going to make a trade to improve the frontcourt he needs to actually believe in the guys he's drafted. Start both Salaun and Kalkbrenner and bring Miles off the bench as our super sub. With the below lineup we'll have actual size in the frontcourt and a more balanced mix of offense and defense.

LaMelo/Mann
Kon/Sexton
Miller/Bridges
Salaun/Grant
Kalkbrenner/Diabate

Reserves: Dinwiddie, James, Green, McNeeley, Plumlee.

[LofJ]

Peterson still needs to make a consolidation trade. There's way too much salary tied up in players that shouldn't be in the rotation (Green) or don't compliment the other starters (Bridges).

[Snidely FC]

John Hollinger wrote a winners and losers column for the start of free agency (he called the Hornets winners by the way). But one piece of it stuck out to me.

Now, we’re seeing a new phenomenon where some teams spend the summer prepping their rosters so they can wheel and deal the first week in February: by adding middle-class contracts or giving short balloon contracts to fringe players just so there is tradeable salary on the books come winter, or by lining up future draft picks so the Stepien rule doesn’t torpedo a blockbuster trade, or by managing the tax aprons so their midseason trade flexibility isn’t compromised.

That seems to be the method the Hornets are following. The roster is prepped to swoop in and poach a big name should one become available during a disappointing season. That’s when I’d be looking for the Hornets to make a move, and I’d expect to be a big one should they make it. I don’t think a regular quality center is the goal, and I don’t think there are opportunities out there to upgrade the roster right now. So we’ll have to continue to be patient and prepare ourselves for a nice helping of Mason Plumlee minutes at center for a little while.

[Bassman]

John Hollinger wrote a winners and losers column for the start of free agency (he called the Hornets winners by the way). But one piece of it stuck out to me.

Now, we’re seeing a new phenomenon where some teams spend the summer prepping their rosters so they can wheel and deal the first week in February: by adding middle-class contracts or giving short balloon contracts to fringe players just so there is tradeable salary on the books come winter, or by lining up future draft picks so the Stepien rule doesn’t torpedo a blockbuster trade, or by managing the tax aprons so their midseason trade flexibility isn’t compromised.

That seems to be the method the Hornets are following. The roster is prepped to swoop in and poach a big name should one become available during a disappointing season. That’s when I’d be looking for the Hornets to make a move, and I’d expect to be a big one should they make it. I don’t think a regular quality center is the goal, and I don’t think there are opportunities out there to upgrade the roster right now. So we’ll have to continue to be patient and prepare ourselves for a nice helping of Mason Plumlee minutes at center for a little while.

Don’t disagree but really…any outcomes that resemble tanking or being roadkill by the deadline and I’ll be

[mg]

The thing that gives me pause is if Peterson and the FO really believed Lamelo was for sure their franchise player moving forward they should've already brought in a big man that suits him, even if it cost a big chunk of the warchest. Look at how the Lakers dug up every rock to bring in a center for Luka (yes Ayton landed there but they didn't have assets for anyone better).

I'm happy they loaded up on depth and will at the very least have NBA players on the court even if injuries do hit. There's really little point in hard core tanking these days with the flattened odds especially after seeing both Utah and Washington fall hard in the lottery. Meanwhile teams like Dallas and Atlanta with 39 and 36 wins ended up winning it the last two years. The Spurs with 34 wins got the #2 pick this year. Rockets got the #3 pick last year from the Nets who had 32 wins.

[luciano-davidwesley]

The thing that gives me pause is if Peterson and the FO really believed Lamelo was for sure their franchise player moving forward they should've already brought in a big man that suits him, even if it cost a big chunk of the warchest. Look at how the Lakers dug up every rock to bring in a center for Luka (yes Ayton landed there but they didn't have assets for anyone better).

I'm happy they loaded up on depth and will at the very least have NBA players on the court even if injuries do hit. There's really little point in hard core tanking these days with the flattened odds especially after seeing both Utah and Washington fall hard in the lottery. Meanwhile teams like Dallas and Atlanta with 39 and 36 wins ended up winning it the last two years. The Spurs with 34 wins got the #2 pick this year. Rockets got the #3 pick last year from the Nets who had 32 wins.

Odds are odds as Skeletor says.

It is very unlikely that outcome occurs again and if it does it effectively confirms that the draft lottery is rigged. Even Skeletor doesn't want to make it that obvious.

[Chapelchilla]

The thing that gives me pause is if Peterson and the FO really believed Lamelo was for sure their franchise player moving forward they should've already brought in a big man that suits him, even if it cost a big chunk of the warchest. Look at how the Lakers dug up every rock to bring in a center for Luka (yes Ayton landed there but they didn't have assets for anyone better).

I'm happy they loaded up on depth and will at the very least have NBA players on the court even if injuries do hit. There's really little point in hard core tanking these days with the flattened odds especially after seeing both Utah and Washington fall hard in the lottery. Meanwhile teams like Dallas and Atlanta with 39 and 36 wins ended up winning it the last two years. The Spurs with 34 wins got the #2 pick this year. Rockets got the #3 pick last year from the Nets who had 32 wins.

The Lakers are operating on LeBron time so they HAVE to try to win NOW.
Plus they have the NBA helping them stay competitive.
We're building up the team in stages but they're still too young/unheathly overall to put the chips in.
I think it's coming soon though.

[Diop]

The thing that gives me pause is if Peterson and the FO really believed Lamelo was for sure their franchise player moving forward they should've already brought in a big man that suits him, even if it cost a big chunk of the warchest. Look at how the Lakers dug up every rock to bring in a center for Luka (yes Ayton landed there but they didn't have assets for anyone better).

in their defense, Lamelo needs to prove he can play 60 games before they commit to him being the corner stone.

[Diop]

Peterson still needs to make a consolidation trade. There's way too much salary tied up in players that shouldn't be in the rotation (Green) or don't compliment the other starters (Bridges).

Read on Twitter

we are not alone

[Diop]

funny thing is what the front office is doing is exactly what I wanted the front office to do during the Bobcat years. Grabbing youth, not targeting being competitive at all costs and trying to build something.

i think its the burnout from recent failure that makes it tougher to deal with. its year 2 of their build, it has some fans in the media world, even forced Bill Simmons to say something positive about the team.

i hope they soon give me a reason to be more excited

[Diop]

If Peterson isn't going to make a trade to improve the frontcourt he needs to actually believe in the guys he's drafted. Start both Salaun and Kalkbrenner and bring Miles off the bench as our super sub. With the below lineup we'll have actual size in the frontcourt and a more balanced mix of offense and defense.

LaMelo/Mann
Kon/Sexton
Miller/Bridges
Salaun/Grant
Kalkbrenner/Diabate

Reserves: Dinwiddie, James, Green, McNeeley, Plumlee.

you can believe in them without throwing them in the fire. LA believed in Kobe but didn't start him till year 3.
lets not go nuts now.

[KembaWalker]

funny thing is what the front office is doing is exactly what I wanted the front office to do during the Bobcat years. Grabbing youth, not targeting being competitive at all costs and trying to build something.

i think its the burnout from recent failure that makes it tougher to deal with. its year 2 of their build, it has some fans in the media world, even forced Bill Simmons to say something positive about the team.

i hope they soon give me a reason to be more excited

its easier for third party media that doesnt care about the team to call something year 2 of a build, the actual people who follow this team haven't seen a lick of anything resembling the lowest bar of what could be called success in a decade many of us dont see it that way. those assets and pick didnt disappear in thin air, the owners didnt buy an expansion team. its about to be year 6 of LaMelos career and his future here is in question by many. if we trade him, are we back in year 0 of a new rebuild or still in year 2? i don't really get it. almost through the offseason of year 2 of "their build" and our best players are a year 6 guy a year 3 guy and a year 8 career Hornets players? Hows that their build?

[Braggins]

The simplest way I can explain why I am not happy about this offseason is that they went into it with a solid core of three guys imo (LaMelo/Miller/Mark) and a ton of assets and I feel like they somehow managed to not raise the long term ceiling of the team at all. They traded their third best player for a garbage return and used a top four pick on a lower ceiling player, they may actually have a lower ceiling than they did going in.

I think the team could see s decent improvement in wins next season due to improved healthy mostly and also having more playable depth pieces, but they are no closer to having a playoff worthy core than they were going into the offseason. I'm really surprised at how much praise the new front office has been getting. I think some of the moves they made were smart, but the moves I liked were all low impact stuff that doesn't really move the needle on their long term outlook (good second round in the draft, acquiring Sexton).

I thought the franchise was in a great position to significantly improve their short term and long term outlook, but they have put themselves in a position where they basically have to keep tanking. I'm pro-tanking when the situation calls for it. I didn't think the situation called for it, but now it seems inevitable that its the only way forward.

[MasterIchiro]

The simplest way I can explain why I am not happy about this offseason is that they went into it with a solid core of three guys imo (LaMelo/Miller/Mark) and a ton of assets and I feel like they somehow managed to not raise the long term ceiling of the team at all. They traded their third best player for a garbage return and used a top four pick on a lower ceiling player, they may actually have a lower ceiling than they did going in.

I think the team could see s decent improvement in wins next season due to improved healthy mostly and also having more playable depth pieces, but they are no closer to having a playoff worthy core than they were going into the offseason. I'm really surprised at how much praise the new front office has been getting. I think some of the moves they made were smart, but the moves I liked were all low impact stuff that doesn't really move the needle on their long term outlook (good second round in the draft, acquiring Sexton).

I thought the franchise was in a great position to significantly improve their short term and long term outlook, but they have put themselves in a position where they basically have to keep tanking. I'm pro-tanking when the situation calls for it. I didn't think the situation called for it, but now it seems inevitable that its the only way forward.

The people with money on the line set our win total at 24.5.

The celebration of the offseason covered and spread by social media has biased outlook. Expectations do not match reality now whatsoever.

Some people think the next step could generate double wins, or at least they seem to be stroking the front office like the win total will be drastically different based on 1 offseason where the real needle movers were already here, and none were Jeff's first offseason additions Salaün/Green.

[yosemiteben]

I just cannot accept that we had a solid core when 2/3 of that core shouldn't be expected to play more than half of a season.

[SWedd523]

I just cannot accept that we had a solid core when 2/3 of that core shouldn't be expected to play more than half of a season.

Then stop Tyson Chandlering around, trade them, and actually start over with a rebuild

They're going to get a trade demand in the next year or so at this rate anyway

[yosemiteben]

I just cannot accept that we had a solid core when 2/3 of that core shouldn't be expected to play more than half of a season.

Then stop Tyson Chandlering around, trade them, and actually start over with a rebuild

They're going to get a trade demand in the next year or so at this rate anyway

Well we did trade one, which is part of what prompted the complaint in the first place.

I personally am not at all concerned about a trade demand from Melo, until he stays healthy we're not getting good value for him anyway. We just saw this go down with Mark, we moved him and lots of folks are mad that it wasn't better value and think we should have kept him.

It seems very possible that they think Melo's long term health outlook is better than Mark, and also that he's more impactful when actually able to play, and so they are willing to ride the ride longer with him. But I also think they aren't committed to keeping Melo long term if he never shows an ability to stay healthy.

I think it is smart to not make moves that move us into the tax before we have reason to believe that at least the core parts of our foundation can make it through a season.

[KembaWalker]

are we just gonna be stuck forever in this limbo between "LaMelo would play more games if they mattered" and the arbitrary hurdle of "making it through a season" that he has to jump before we're allowed to make a an actual strong move toward winning or what

[MasterIchiro]

are we just gonna be stuck forever in this limbo between "LaMelo would play more games if they mattered" and the arbitrary hurdle of "making it through a season" that he has to jump before we're allowed to make a an actual strong move toward winning or what

Winning requires a longterm spending obligation on a bigger contract. I worry Jeff doesn't have authorization to spend longterm even if he keeps the budget below the tax.