2020 Offseason Speculation, free agency, summer trades (keep draft prospect talk in draft thread)

[WeekapaugGroove]

Just so we are clear here, JJ traded Anderson, Warren, Melton, Jackson, and 3 2nds, for TJohnson and Carter...

At least we get to see how the Sun's version of the Rockets looks like, since Diallo will be the starting center. I would totally pick up Bender right now, but we all know JJ loves those empty slots.

James Jones has NOT proven anything except that he is willing to help Lebron James.


Oubre was a LUCKY trade from a botched Dillon Brooks trade attempt.

James Jones also gave away Jackson, Warren, Melton for nada... now ALL three of those players are playing good minutes for Playoff teams.

If the Suns fire James Johnson now... there is NO impact to the team, because he hasn't done anything positive.

if the Suns dont re-sign Saric, that is another strike on James Jones...
If Baynes leaves for nothing... another strike...

Rubio is a good player, but signing him for 3 years might bite him on the butt as well, as he has really high mileage as he has played professional since he was 14 years old (note: Doncic also has played since he was 14), Rubio should have been offered a 2 year deal with the 3rd year as team option at the very worst.

Re-singing Saric to justify a bad trade is worse then cutting your losses (unless we’re talking about signing him for next to nothing). Baynes will need to prove he can be durable before we bring him back. Everything else is hard to argue, yeah.

Yeah we've seen with Knight how destructive it can be to sign a guy simply because you traded for them. It looks like the Saric trade is a bust although I don't think he's been quite as bad as some make him out to be. Personally I liked the trade at the time and thought Dario would be a nice stabilizing addition at PF. But I might have been wrong.

I do kind of doubt he gets much this summer, like why would he get offers better than like jermichael green or vonleh got this past summer? If the suns even extend a QO it wouldn't surprise me if he returned on that and hit FA again in a year.

My grade on Jones is meh so far although I will give him some credit for changing culture from complete **** show to real team. He needs some transaction wins this summer and I'm rooting for him because it's not like firing him and starting over again is a good or realistic path right now.

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[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I am quite sure we won't use that open roster spot on Bender, though the timing is a bit suspicious. I did find this interesting and encouraging if we did pick him up though....especially on a team as good as the Bucks.

This is from his play on the Bucks, not the G league team (other than the 2nd sentence in the first paragraph).

Bender’s 44.4 percent from deep may catch the eye most readily for many, even at a tiny sample of 13 minutes per game over seven contests. Encouraging on that front is Bender’s 42.6 percent shooting on 6.1 triple attempts per game in his 10 G League outings.

It’s Bender’s work on the opposite end that will afford him the opportunity to prove those percentages can hold up, though.

Where many Bucks big men have failed in recent years — looking at you, Thon Maker —Bender is thriving. The 19-year-old has incredible size at his disposal, but it’s the fact that he is also showing good positional awareness and exemplary discipline that really raises his ceiling on that end.

Bender can gamble and make plays given his mobility and quick hands, but he has clearly watched Brook Lopez, and Robin, closely, got reps in a similar system with the Herd, and fully bought into the role of a Bucks’ big in this scheme.

Even adjusted per 36 minutes, Bender’s tally of 2.0 blocks wouldn’t do justice to his influence in protecting the rim. A legitimate seven-footer with a phenomenal 9’3″ standing reach, Bender has used his verticality in textbook fashion to disrupt opponents at the basket in his limited run with the Bucks so far.

There’s undoubtedly a need to be wary of the sample, but the Bucks have won all seven games Bender has played in, and their defensive rating of 94.6 with him on the court is even better than the stellar marks posted by regular rotation cogs such as DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown, and potential Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo.

https://behindthebuckpass.com/2020/01/27/milwaukee-bucks-dragan-bender-proving-seamless-fit-defensively/

I agree that it's unlikely we'll bring him back, despite how much sense it makes, because it would mean the FO admitting a mistake. That's a very rare thing in sports. But it would show me a lot as a Suns fan, and would go down in the win column for me. I'm crossing my fingers that we take him off the waiver wire and re-sign him this offseason. He'd be cheaper than Kaminsky and his ceiling is obviously much higher.

[bwgood77]

I am quite sure we won't use that open roster spot on Bender, though the timing is a bit suspicious. I did find this interesting and encouraging if we did pick him up though....especially on a team as good as the Bucks.

This is from his play on the Bucks, not the G league team (other than the 2nd sentence in the first paragraph).

Bender’s 44.4 percent from deep may catch the eye most readily for many, even at a tiny sample of 13 minutes per game over seven contests. Encouraging on that front is Bender’s 42.6 percent shooting on 6.1 triple attempts per game in his 10 G League outings.

It’s Bender’s work on the opposite end that will afford him the opportunity to prove those percentages can hold up, though.

Where many Bucks big men have failed in recent years — looking at you, Thon Maker —Bender is thriving. The 19-year-old has incredible size at his disposal, but it’s the fact that he is also showing good positional awareness and exemplary discipline that really raises his ceiling on that end.

Bender can gamble and make plays given his mobility and quick hands, but he has clearly watched Brook Lopez, and Robin, closely, got reps in a similar system with the Herd, and fully bought into the role of a Bucks’ big in this scheme.

Even adjusted per 36 minutes, Bender’s tally of 2.0 blocks wouldn’t do justice to his influence in protecting the rim. A legitimate seven-footer with a phenomenal 9’3″ standing reach, Bender has used his verticality in textbook fashion to disrupt opponents at the basket in his limited run with the Bucks so far.

There’s undoubtedly a need to be wary of the sample, but the Bucks have won all seven games Bender has played in, and their defensive rating of 94.6 with him on the court is even better than the stellar marks posted by regular rotation cogs such as DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown, and potential Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo.

https://behindthebuckpass.com/2020/01/27/milwaukee-bucks-dragan-bender-proving-seamless-fit-defensively/

I agree that it's unlikely we'll bring him back, despite how much sense it makes, because it would mean the FO admitting a mistake. That's a very rare thing in sports. But it would show me a lot as a Suns fan, and would go down in the win column for me. I'm crossing my fingers that we take him off the waiver wire and re-sign him this offseason. He'd be cheaper than Kaminsky and his ceiling is obviously much higher.

I also know he was close with TJ and Crawford (he mentioned it) and never got the feeling Booker cared for him much, or really liked him at all.

[Fo-Real]

So really guys, we cut Johnson for a reason I would think. Who on earth are we really looking at to sign? Surely you guys cant be right about Bender, I mean why would he come back here? So realistically who could we be planning to add to this team? Could Atlanta be about to cut Skal?? Will it be a Pg or a big?? Truthfully this time last year I said that neither Melton or Okobo would ever be worth a damn and to this date THAT **** STILL STANDS for me!! Okobo is still always getting yelled at by other players and just cant run **** at all, he does play spirited defense but I just still dont think he will ever be that guy. So, Big or PG and WHO?!?!

[BobbieL]

James Jones has NOT proven anything except that he is willing to help Lebron James.


Oubre was a LUCKY trade from a botched Dillon Brooks trade attempt.

James Jones also gave away Jackson, Warren, Melton for nada... now ALL three of those players are playing good minutes for Playoff teams.

If the Suns fire James Johnson now... there is NO impact to the team, because he hasn't done anything positive.

if the Suns dont re-sign Saric, that is another strike on James Jones...
If Baynes leaves for nothing... another strike...

Rubio is a good player, but signing him for 3 years might bite him on the butt as well, as he has really high mileage as he has played professional since he was 14 years old (note: Doncic also has played since he was 14), Rubio should have been offered a 2 year deal with the 3rd year as team option at the very worst.

Re-singing Saric to justify a bad trade is worse then cutting your losses (unless we’re talking about signing him for next to nothing). Baynes will need to prove he can be durable before we bring him back. Everything else is hard to argue, yeah.

Yeah we've seen with Knight how destructive it can be to sign a guy simply because you traded for them. It looks like the Saric trade is a bust although I don't think he's been quite as bad as some make him out to be. Personally I liked the trade at the time and thought Dario would be a nice stabilizing addition at PF. But I might have been wrong.

I do kind of doubt he gets much this summer, like why would he get offers better than like jermichael green or vonleh got this past summer? If the suns even extend a QO it wouldn't surprise me if he returned on that and hit FA again in a year.

My grade on Jones is meh so far although I will give him some credit for changing culture from complete **** show to real team. He needs some transaction wins this summer and I'm rooting for him because it's not like firing him and starting over again is a good or realistic path right now.

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I would agree with the grade on Jones. Meh. Its about right. But I do think he has changed the culture. I think Monty is a solid hire with he and his staff. Plus, he is not going anywhere. There will not be a coaching change this summer. He will be here for more than 12 months. Thats a good thing.

But like you said, he needs a really good summer. He needs to hit it at least a 2 run homer, get a 93/100 on his finals - whatever cliché you want. Its a good summer to have cap space. 6 teams will have it and though the Suns are the lowest of the 6, maybe 5the - still good to have it.

Dario has not turned out well but he obviously is not going to cost a lot for any team to bring back and you are right - it might just cost the QO.

I do think very important that Cam and Jerome play a lot of minutes the rest of the season. Even if its post ASB for Jerome - we need to see what the team has to prepare for the offseason.

As for the open roster - I just hope its a "bigger dude" - not a guard, not Isiah Thomas. Bender or another tall guy to see what they have.

[Fo-Real]

Re-singing Saric to justify a bad trade is worse then cutting your losses (unless we’re talking about signing him for next to nothing). Baynes will need to prove he can be durable before we bring him back. Everything else is hard to argue, yeah.

Yeah we've seen with Knight how destructive it can be to sign a guy simply because you traded for them. It looks like the Saric trade is a bust although I don't think he's been quite as bad as some make him out to be. Personally I liked the trade at the time and thought Dario would be a nice stabilizing addition at PF. But I might have been wrong.

I do kind of doubt he gets much this summer, like why would he get offers better than like jermichael green or vonleh got this past summer? If the suns even extend a QO it wouldn't surprise me if he returned on that and hit FA again in a year.

My grade on Jones is meh so far although I will give him some credit for changing culture from complete **** show to real team. He needs some transaction wins this summer and I'm rooting for him because it's not like firing him and starting over again is a good or realistic path right now.

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I would agree with the grade on Jones. Meh. Its about right. But I do think he has changed the culture. I think Monty is a solid hire with he and his staff. Plus, he is not going anywhere. There will not be a coaching change this summer. He will be here for more than 12 months. Thats a good thing.

But like you said, he needs a really good summer. He needs to hit it at least a 2 run homer, get a 93/100 on his finals - whatever cliché you want.

Dario has not turned out well but he obviously is not going to cost a lot for any team to bring back and you are right - it might just cost the QO.

I do think very important that Cam and Jerome play a lot of minutes the rest of the season. Even if its post ASB for Jerome - we need to see what the team has to prepare for the offseason.

As for the open roster - I just hope its a "bigger dude" - not a guard, not Isiah Thomas. Bender or another tall guy to see what they have.

If we were getting Baynes, Saric and Kaminski (and cam to a point), back after the all star break, would you guys still want to add a big?

[darmani]

You guys sure love dwelling on the past.

[BobbieL]

Yeah we've seen with Knight how destructive it can be to sign a guy simply because you traded for them. It looks like the Saric trade is a bust although I don't think he's been quite as bad as some make him out to be. Personally I liked the trade at the time and thought Dario would be a nice stabilizing addition at PF. But I might have been wrong.

I do kind of doubt he gets much this summer, like why would he get offers better than like jermichael green or vonleh got this past summer? If the suns even extend a QO it wouldn't surprise me if he returned on that and hit FA again in a year.

My grade on Jones is meh so far although I will give him some credit for changing culture from complete **** show to real team. He needs some transaction wins this summer and I'm rooting for him because it's not like firing him and starting over again is a good or realistic path right now.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

I would agree with the grade on Jones. Meh. Its about right. But I do think he has changed the culture. I think Monty is a solid hire with he and his staff. Plus, he is not going anywhere. There will not be a coaching change this summer. He will be here for more than 12 months. Thats a good thing.

But like you said, he needs a really good summer. He needs to hit it at least a 2 run homer, get a 93/100 on his finals - whatever cliché you want.

Dario has not turned out well but he obviously is not going to cost a lot for any team to bring back and you are right - it might just cost the QO.

I do think very important that Cam and Jerome play a lot of minutes the rest of the season. Even if its post ASB for Jerome - we need to see what the team has to prepare for the offseason.

As for the open roster - I just hope its a "bigger dude" - not a guard, not Isiah Thomas. Bender or another tall guy to see what they have.

If we were getting Baynes, Saric and Kaminski (and cam to a point), back after the all star break, would you guys still want to add a big?

If he is cheap like Bender or another player they might have for next season on a cheap contract - sure. The Suns - even though they will have cap space - do not have a lot of cap space. They can get to the mid 20's but that might mean needing a bargain to help with the process.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Yeah we've seen with Knight how destructive it can be to sign a guy simply because you traded for them. It looks like the Saric trade is a bust although I don't think he's been quite as bad as some make him out to be. Personally I liked the trade at the time and thought Dario would be a nice stabilizing addition at PF. But I might have been wrong.

I do kind of doubt he gets much this summer, like why would he get offers better than like jermichael green or vonleh got this past summer? If the suns even extend a QO it wouldn't surprise me if he returned on that and hit FA again in a year.

My grade on Jones is meh so far although I will give him some credit for changing culture from complete **** show to real team. He needs some transaction wins this summer and I'm rooting for him because it's not like firing him and starting over again is a good or realistic path right now.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

I would agree with the grade on Jones. Meh. Its about right. But I do think he has changed the culture. I think Monty is a solid hire with he and his staff. Plus, he is not going anywhere. There will not be a coaching change this summer. He will be here for more than 12 months. Thats a good thing.

But like you said, he needs a really good summer. He needs to hit it at least a 2 run homer, get a 93/100 on his finals - whatever cliché you want.

Dario has not turned out well but he obviously is not going to cost a lot for any team to bring back and you are right - it might just cost the QO.

I do think very important that Cam and Jerome play a lot of minutes the rest of the season. Even if its post ASB for Jerome - we need to see what the team has to prepare for the offseason.

As for the open roster - I just hope its a "bigger dude" - not a guard, not Isiah Thomas. Bender or another tall guy to see what they have.

If we were getting Baynes, Saric and Kaminski (and cam to a point), back after the all star break, would you guys still want to add a big?

Yeah it's hard to predict what they will do with that roster spot because they are so vague with injuries I have no idea how soon the bigs will be back. If they expect most of those guys to be out a lot longer then they probably sign a big but if they are going to be back soon then it might be more of a scoring guard.

Or it's just simply some young player of any position they are intrigued with and sign for the rest of the year and give a nonguaranteed second season so they can bring to camp. I'm not opposed to that since they should always be mining for hidden gems.

They might even use the spot to take a look at a couple guys on 10 day contracts.
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[King4Day]

Good points earlier on not going after Waiters. We can't afford a bad personality on this team.

If our bigs aren't any closer to returning, I do think Bender makes the most sense. He would probably want to return since he knows he can get big minutes and it would likely help him find another team in the offseason.

[King4Day]

I wonder why Tyler agreed to a buyout. I would have to think these players won't take a buyout unless they know they will get picked up. What teams out there could have interest in him?

On the flip side, it means more minutes for Jerome (not that Johnson was playing much anyway)

[BobbieL]

I would agree with the grade on Jones. Meh. Its about right. But I do think he has changed the culture. I think Monty is a solid hire with he and his staff. Plus, he is not going anywhere. There will not be a coaching change this summer. He will be here for more than 12 months. Thats a good thing.

But like you said, he needs a really good summer. He needs to hit it at least a 2 run homer, get a 93/100 on his finals - whatever cliché you want.

Dario has not turned out well but he obviously is not going to cost a lot for any team to bring back and you are right - it might just cost the QO.

I do think very important that Cam and Jerome play a lot of minutes the rest of the season. Even if its post ASB for Jerome - we need to see what the team has to prepare for the offseason.

As for the open roster - I just hope its a "bigger dude" - not a guard, not Isiah Thomas. Bender or another tall guy to see what they have.

If we were getting Baynes, Saric and Kaminski (and cam to a point), back after the all star break, would you guys still want to add a big?

Yeah it's hard to predict what they will do with that roster spot because they are so vague with injuries I have no idea how soon the bigs will be back. If they expect most of those guys to be out a lot longer then they probably sign a big but if they are going to be back soon then it might be more of a scoring guard.

Or it's just simply some young player of any position they are intrigued with and sign for the rest of the year and give a nonguaranteed second season so they can bring to camp. I'm not opposed to that since they should always be mining for hidden gems.

They might even use the spot to take a look at a couple guys on 10 day contracts.
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When you look at the Suns getting to the 26m of cap space - it involves renouncing Baynes, Saric, Diallo and Frank Kaminsky. If the Suns can get a look at Bender or another player of that ilk - maybe they have somebody next year for cheap. They are going to need it.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I wonder why Tyler agreed to a buyout. I would have to think these players won't take a buyout unless they know they will get picked up. What teams out there could have interest in him?

On the flip side, it means more minutes for Jerome (not that Johnson was playing much anyway)

I don't think Johnson took any less money, they are basically just waiving him. Which is fine because he's not part of the present or the future so might as well open a roster spot.

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[WeekapaugGroove]

Final thoughts on JJ. With a new GM the first year is always a purge of guys they don't want from the previous regime. I haven't always agreed with the methods or even some of the players he decided to purge but I get it's part of the process. From here on out it's all his team, the bad money and guys are gone. Hope he finds the right combo going forward or we'll go through this again in a year or two.

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[RunDogGun]

Spoiler:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/therookiewire.usatoday.com/2019/12/06/top-g-league-rookie-players-call-up-10-day-contract/amp/

Potential candidates for our open roster spot. I remember mentioning James Palmer in the Summer League myself as a potential player to be developed as an eventual Warren replacement. His scoring and style of play is just so very similar to TJ Warrens' that with proper development, It'd almost be like we never lost him. Meanwhile, With Oubre and Bridges, He still could be a solid consideration as a 3rd string backup shooting guard/ Small forward.

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Watch on YouTube

Also, some other great prospects to really focus in on for us with our open roster spot would be:

- Kyle Alexander.

Read on Twitter

?s=19 .

Alexander is averaging 12.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.5 assists in 11 games. He is fourth in total rebounds among all players and fifth in offensive rebounds. Alexander has five double-doubles this season and recently strung together three consecutive such games

Alexander started off the season on a complete tear on defense. He tallied 15 total blocks in his first two games, falling just short of a point-rebound-block triple-double in both contests.

Watch on YouTube

- Kyle Guy. *** Already have mentioned him. But he'd be a great knockdown shooter and catch and shoot 3 point Sniper for us alongside of Jerome ( who he was teammates with) during their Virginia Title run. His shooting mechanics are so perfect and crisp that he'd basically be a guard version of Cam Johnson for us. Think of a mix of prime Mark Price/ Better shooting TJ McConnell. And could give us at least 3 deadeye shooters close to, Or over 40% from three alongside of Jerome and Cam Johnson.

Read on Twitter

?s=19

The Kings’ two-way rookie has been among the top players in the G League this season. In nine games played, Guy is averaging 26.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds while he is shooting 36% from 3-point range. He is third among all players in total points and second in 3-pointers.

As previously mentioned, Guy tied a G League season-high with 42 points scored on Nov. 30 against the Iowa Wolves. He shot 11-of-23 from the field, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range to help the Kings to victory in that game.

Watch on YouTube

Are there any specific G league prospects and/or waiver wire players that we should be targeting to take a chance on?

[BobbieL]

Final thoughts on JJ. With a new GM the first year is always a purge of guys they don't want from the previous regime. I haven't always agreed with the methods or even some of the players he decided to purge but I get it's part of the process. From here on out it's all his team, the bad money and guys are gone. Hope he finds the right combo going forward or we'll go through this again in a year or two.

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And thats why my new strategy for this offseason is not worrying about needing a PF. The biggest need is getting a player that helps the bench out. If Jones falls into a trap of needing a 4 - he might pass on better talent.

The stats show the current starting 5 is pretty dynamic. Its the bench. Now, I get injuries are a factor - but if the best fit is Bogdonovich and he costs you 15-18m of cap space - so be it. Thats a lot of wing players - but get the talent.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I am quite sure we won't use that open roster spot on Bender, though the timing is a bit suspicious. I did find this interesting and encouraging if we did pick him up though....especially on a team as good as the Bucks.

This is from his play on the Bucks, not the G league team (other than the 2nd sentence in the first paragraph).



https://behindthebuckpass.com/2020/01/27/milwaukee-bucks-dragan-bender-proving-seamless-fit-defensively/

I agree that it's unlikely we'll bring him back, despite how much sense it makes, because it would mean the FO admitting a mistake. That's a very rare thing in sports. But it would show me a lot as a Suns fan, and would go down in the win column for me. I'm crossing my fingers that we take him off the waiver wire and re-sign him this offseason. He'd be cheaper than Kaminsky and his ceiling is obviously much higher.

I also know he was close with TJ and Crawford (he mentioned it) and never got the feeling Booker cared for him much, or really liked him at all.

That doesn't surprise me. Booker always seemed to be impatient with him. Can't blame him, as Book was ready at such a young age, and Bender was so slow to develop.

It's just that he's so OBVIOUSLY the best fit for our current needs that I'd be very sad if we were unable to bring him back. And frankly, if he shoots anywhere near as consistently as he's shot in the G League and in limited minutes on the Bucks this season, Booker will come around.

This summer, give me Bender and Wood, glue Diallo to the bench if you wish to retain him or add a true 5 to use in special situations. Do those things and you'll still have cap space left over to add a shooting guard in free agency. Get one of these players: E'Twuan Moore, Langston Galloway, Garrett Temple, Justin Holiday, Bryn Forbes, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Furkan Korkmaz, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, Luguentz Dort. Some of these guys are obviously better options than others, but there's no reason you shouldn't be able to add one of them.

Rubio/Jerome/Okobo/Carter
Booker/[See list]/Lecque
Bridges/Johnson
Oubre/Wood/
Ayton/Bender/[Diallo]

Do all that and you won't need to depend on trades or the draft to fill out your rotation, so you can draft BPA regardless of position. Certainly you could get that "true 5" to stick on the bench via the draft, but we'd surely have minutes to award to a 2/3 or a 3/4 when injuries inevitably kick in.

.... Of course, looking at that roster, I see why we wanted Kennard. None of our wings other than Booker are playmakers. If Jerome can step up and play healthy, I don't think that will be much of an issue, but it's hard to depend so heavily on him, given his injuries this season.

[BobbieL]

I agree that it's unlikely we'll bring him back, despite how much sense it makes, because it would mean the FO admitting a mistake. That's a very rare thing in sports. But it would show me a lot as a Suns fan, and would go down in the win column for me. I'm crossing my fingers that we take him off the waiver wire and re-sign him this offseason. He'd be cheaper than Kaminsky and his ceiling is obviously much higher.

I also know he was close with TJ and Crawford (he mentioned it) and never got the feeling Booker cared for him much, or really liked him at all.

That doesn't surprise me. Booker always seemed to be impatient with him. Can't blame him, as Book was ready at such a young age, and Bender was so slow to develop.

It's just that he's so OBVIOUSLY the best fit for our current needs that I'd be very sad if we were unable to bring him back. And frankly, if he shoots anywhere near as consistently as he's shot in the G League and in limited minutes on the Bucks this season, Booker will come around.

This summer, give me Bender and Wood, glue Diallo to the bench if you wish to retain him or add a true 5 to use in special situations. Do those things and you'll still have cap space left over to add a shooting guard in free agency. Get one of these players: E'Twuan Moore, Langston Galloway, Garrett Temple, Justin Holiday, Bryn Forbes, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Furkan Korkmaz, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, Luguentz Dort. Some of these guys are obviously better options than others, but there's no reason you shouldn't be able to add one of them.

Rubio/Jerome/Okobo/Carter
Booker/[See list]/Lecque
Bridges/Johnson
Oubre/Wood/
Ayton/Bender/[Diallo]

Do all that and you won't need to depend on trades or the draft to fill out your rotation, so you can draft BPA regardless of position. Certainly you could get that "true 5" to stick on the bench via the draft, but we'd surely have minutes to award to a 2/3 or a 3/4 when injuries inevitably kick in.

.... Of course, looking at that roster, I see why we wanted Kennard. None of our wings other than Booker are playmakers. If Jerome can step up and play healthy, I don't think that will be much of an issue, but it's hard to depend so heavily on him, given his injuries this season.

Thats pretty solid plan. There are a lot of options for the back up shooting guard if you add a 4 like Wood or Bender. But if Bender is amenable - I hope they have made the call/

[Barkley6]

I also know he was close with TJ and Crawford (he mentioned it) and never got the feeling Booker cared for him much, or really liked him at all.

That doesn't surprise me. Booker always seemed to be impatient with him. Can't blame him, as Book was ready at such a young age, and Bender was so slow to develop.

It's just that he's so OBVIOUSLY the best fit for our current needs that I'd be very sad if we were unable to bring him back. And frankly, if he shoots anywhere near as consistently as he's shot in the G League and in limited minutes on the Bucks this season, Booker will come around.

This summer, give me Bender and Wood, glue Diallo to the bench if you wish to retain him or add a true 5 to use in special situations. Do those things and you'll still have cap space left over to add a shooting guard in free agency. Get one of these players: E'Twuan Moore, Langston Galloway, Garrett Temple, Justin Holiday, Bryn Forbes, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Furkan Korkmaz, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, Luguentz Dort. Some of these guys are obviously better options than others, but there's no reason you shouldn't be able to add one of them.

Rubio/Jerome/Okobo/Carter
Booker/[See list]/Lecque
Bridges/Johnson
Oubre/Wood/
Ayton/Bender/[Diallo]

Do all that and you won't need to depend on trades or the draft to fill out your rotation, so you can draft BPA regardless of position. Certainly you could get that "true 5" to stick on the bench via the draft, but we'd surely have minutes to award to a 2/3 or a 3/4 when injuries inevitably kick in.

.... Of course, looking at that roster, I see why we wanted Kennard. None of our wings other than Booker are playmakers. If Jerome can step up and play healthy, I don't think that will be much of an issue, but it's hard to depend so heavily on him, given his injuries this season.

Thats pretty solid plan. There are a lot of options for the back up shooting guard if you add a 4 like Wood or Bender. But if Bender is amenable - I hope they have made the call/

I like that plan, with one tweak. We NEED a better PG in the second unit. Whether they are a passing or scoring guard, we need an upgrade on Jerome, Okobo and Carter. My thought would be to bring in Trey Burke right now, let him audition in the last half of the season, see how he fits with our second unit, and make a decision on him for next year. If he balls, great, keep him. If not? No harm done.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I could see them revisit a Kennard trade depending where their pick lands. A combo guard who can shoot and take some playmaking duties is a must this summer. Ideally a better defender than Kennard but if the perfect guy isn't there I'd conceed on that defensive part.

He wouldn't really help with playmaking but I wouldn't mind taking a look at Furkan Korkmaz. Good shooter and young enough to still have some upside. Not a great defender but he is 6'7 so at least he's big for a guard.

Furkan also had one of the funniest quotes after last season so extra credit for that

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