Build a title contender - not as easy as it seems

[Gold Dragon]

B Lopez/PJ Tucker
Domantas Sabonis/Joe Ingles
Jaylen Brown/TJ Warren/Duncan Robinson
Caris LeVert/Luguentz Dort/Lou Williams
Marcus Smart/Devonte Graham

Jaylen Brown 23.8
Domantas Sabonis 19.8
Caris LeVert 16.2
Marcus Smart 13.4
Brook Lopez 12.7
TJ Warren 12
Joe Ingles 10.8
PJ Tucker 8
Lou Williams 8
Devonte Graham 1.6
Duncan Robinson 1.6
Luguentz Dort 1.5

129M

[Warriorfan]

2005 when Det won B Wallace was only all star that year and 3rd team All NBA

2011 when Mavs won Dirk won he was borderline top 15 player but 2nd team all nba

[Ryoga Hibiki]

You can build without a top10 player, see the Pistons or the Spurs, just it's very hard and you can't build it the way you would build a team around a superstar.
I think you would need:
- a very strong defence
- great passing and ball movement
- a few players who can create their own shot, even you won't find elite ones at that

This would be my roster
Bogdan Bogdanovic 18 (?)
Malcolm Brogdon 21
Jaylen Brown 24
Marcus Smart 13
Robert Covington 12
Jusuf Nurkic 12
Draymond Green 22
Seth Curry 8
Derrick Rose 7
Dwight Howard 2
fillers

[Wolves21]

PG-Smart/Rubio
SG-Curry/Redick
SF-Hart/Convington
PF-Tucker/Melo
C-Capela/Harrell

Think this team would be pretty good,great defensivley,playmaking at the guard spots and a pretty good 3PT shooting team.Think I might have kept the roster even under $100M

[The_Hater]

I’m curious on who these people are that think it’s easy?

[nikster]

Why no rookie scale? Every team has rookie scale players lol

Better yet why no max players? You can't build a championship team without a max player or a rookie deal player who will sign a max eventually.

Because that’s the rules he set out to make it tough?

I dont think its possible. Max players that are undervalued and stars on a rookie scale are the most efficient contracts in the league. Maybe if the restriction was no all-stars on a rookie scale contract it would be

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I’m curious on who these people are that think it’s easy?

it was me before I started trying to fill the roster!
Anyway, I don't think it's impossible but you need to build an amazing chemistry like the Pistons 04 or the Spurs 14.
What you want find are top level creators, that's why you need some great passing game..
The team I proposed I think could be close, assuming we have 2016 Dray back.

[The_Hater]

I’m curious on who these people are that think it’s easy?

it was me before I started trying to fill the roster!
Anyway, I don't think it's impossible but you need to build an amazing chemistry like the Pistons 04 or the Spurs 14.
What you want find are top level creators, that's why you need some great passing game..
The team I proposed I think could be close, assuming we have 2016 Dray back.

There’s a reason why 1. Start with superstar. 2. Add good/very good players around that superstar, is still the only reliable formula.

And that’s also the reason being an NBA fan is far more frustrating then the other major sports.

[dautjazz]

Well, Barkley was a superstar in the 90s and lot of people considered Green better than him for some years...so problem solved.

Really? Yikes.

Yeah and there was this too:

viewtopic.php?t=1438935&start=20

[moderndarwin]

It’s not that difficult it just depends on timing. There’s definitely certain years or times where a top 10 talent isn’t getting paid like one yet.

I don’t have salaries memorized for current year players.

But back in 2016 Dray and Curry were not on rookie contracts and made around $27 combined.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

It’s not that difficult it just depends on timing. There’s definitely certain years or times where a top 10 talent isn’t getting paid like one yet.

I don’t have salaries memorized for current year players.

But back in 2016 Dray and Curry were not on rookie contracts and made around $27 combined.

Yes, but you're not allowed to pick players on rookie contract, the point is to build a balanced team instead of star hunting.
Even for 20/21, you could build easily build one heck of a team around the likes of Luka and Tatum, with Mitchel as a 6th man.
As I said, I don't think building a balanced team would be impossible.

[SelfishPlayer]

The rules say to use 2021 salaries, but that precludes 2020 contract year players. I respected that rule except for Brown. Luxury tax will be paid. Championship!

DENNIS SCHRODER 15.0
ZACH LAVINE 19.5
JAYLEN BROWN 25.7
DAVIS BERTANS 14.8
BROOK LOPEZ 13.3

FRED VANVLEET 20.4
TERRY ROZIER 17.9
CARIS LEVERT 17.5
BUDDY HIELD 19.0
SETH CURRY 8.2
KELLY OUBRE JR. 14.3
JOE INGLES 14.0
T.J. WARREN 12.9
NEMANJA BJELICA 7.1
MYLES TURNER 18.0

[Woodsanity]

PG - Malcolm Brogdon / Dinwiddie
SG - Marcus Smart / Zach Lavine
SF - Bojan Bogdonavic / Josh Richardson
PF - Draymond Green / Jerami Grant
C - Myles Turner / Brook Lopez

Idk. I don't trust teams without superstars

Well, Barkley was a superstar in the 90s and lot of people considered Green better than him for some years...so problem solved.

A very small, dumb minority maybe. Hardly A LOT of people.

[zimpy27]

Curry 7.8 | Caruso 2.7
Smart 13.4 | Justin Holiday 5.7
Brown 22.9 | Covington 12.1 | DFS 4
Green 22.2 | Bertans 13.6
BroLo 12.7 | Wood 13 | Howard 2.5

I think this just scrapes under the luxury tax line.

Defense is the priority here, this would be the best-ranked defense in the NBA.

Everyone can shoot the 3 and the only shooting weak points are Caruso, Smart, Green and Howard, 3 offer majority of the playmaking burden and all bring elite stifling defense to the team.