Woj: Thomas Bryant has a torn ACL: OUT until 2021-22

[bsilver]

There seems to be some unrest in Sacramento. Maybe Hassan Whiteside is available. It would be interesting to have an actual rim protector here.

[nate33]

There seems to be some unrest in Sacramento. Maybe Hassan Whiteside is available. It would be interesting to have an actual rim protector here.

I'm not a big fan of Whiteside, but I think one of the biggest problems with him is that he doesn't want the backup's role. He thinks he's a full time starter. We could offer him that here, so maybe he would be on his best behavior.

[NatP4]

I don’t think Whiteside can be traded yet. He just signed with Sacramento.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

[NatP4]

Bye bye Jerome Robinson.

[nate33]

Bye bye Jerome Robinson.

My bet is Pasečņiks. Only has a partial guarantee.

[NatP4]

Bye bye Jerome Robinson.

My bet is Pasečņiks. Only has a partial guarantee.

I’m so glad we spent 7.3 million on Robin Lopez. No one on this board would be concerned if we had Nerlens Noel or Willie Cauley Stein stepping into the starting role with Mo Wagner coming off the bench as the backup.

[bsilver]

I don’t think Whiteside can be traded yet. He just signed with Sacramento.

Looks like you're right. Don't know why there's rumours floating around. According to rules below, looks like he couldn't be signed until around Feb 25, since he signed on Nov 25, unless the rules are different this year.

A free agent who signs a standard NBA player contract (or a player who signs, or is converted to, a standard NBA player contract while under a Two-Way Contract) cannot be traded for three months following the date the contract is signed or until December 15 of the Salary Cap Year in which the contract is signed, whichever is later.

[FAH1223]

Bye bye Jerome Robinson.

My bet is Pasečņiks. Only has a partial guarantee.

I’m so glad we spent 7.3 million on Robin Lopez. No one on this board would be concerned if we had Nerlens Noel or Willie Cauley Stein stepping into the starting role with Mo Wagner coming off the bench as the backup.

Tommy Sheppard came into the offseason with 3 needs

- Defense at C
- Defense at SF
- Shooting

And he accomplished NONE OF THEM

[payitforward]

There is never a reason for this team ever to acquire any player at any position, unless he is a young guy with potential.

No one we acquire is going to make us a playoff contender this year. We are too far behind the 8 ball already. Moreover, that was with Bryant, & no one we sign now is going to be as good as he is.

As the roster stands now, the Washington Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA. We have a handful of talented young players -- Bryant, Bonga, Brown, Avdija, Rui & Mathews. But the 5 of them still available do not suffice to overcome the drag-sails that are Westbrook, Smith, Lopez, Robinson, Pasecniks, Gill, & Bertans. Now... Westbrook may be good later in the season (that's how it was in Houston), & I would hope Bertans will return to last year's form (but... when?). But "later" will be too late.

That leaves Neto (he has been flat-out astonishing as a scorer, sporting a .635 TS% -- but that's where it ends), Wagner (who finds it hard to play more than 18 minutes w/o fouling out), & Cassius Winston (a #53 pick who hasn't played even 1 minute & had a rough pre-season).

Plus Brad Beal.

If we can sign Justin Patton, grab him. If we can get Tony Bradley for cash, or for Wagner plus Robinson, or for one of them plus the 2024 R2 pick OKC owes us, go for it. If we can sign Yoeli Childs, good idea. If we can trade Winston to Atlanta for Nathan Knight, do it.

But, what possible point is there to bringing in Ian Mahinmi? Or Dedmon?

[payitforward]

Read on Twitter

I don't understand this. I thought the whole point of a TPE was to let you bring in a player beyond the 15-man roster. Not so?

Why would we need a TPE to sign someone if we had an open roster spot?

[nate33]

I don’t think Whiteside can be traded yet. He just signed with Sacramento.

Looks like you're right. Don't know why there's rumours floating around. According to rules below, looks like he couldn't be signed until around Feb 25, since he signed on Nov 25, unless the rules are different this year.

A free agent who signs a standard NBA player contract (or a player who signs, or is converted to, a standard NBA player contract while under a Two-Way Contract) cannot be traded for three months following the date the contract is signed or until December 15 of the Salary Cap Year in which the contract is signed, whichever is later.

It's a pretty good bet that the rules are different this year.

Typically, the limiting factor isn't the 3-month part, it's the December 15th part, because typically, the offseason activity happens in the first week of July. Basically, in a normal season, guys can start getting traded roughly 45 days into the season on December 15th.

This was an unusual offseason with all free agency action took place in November, right before the start of the season. As such, it wouldn't surprise me if they eliminated or reduced the 3-month wait to something more like "60 days or January 15th, whatever is later".

[NatP4]

I agree with that. Wagner might intrigue Philly because he contrasts Dwight and Embiid with his shooting ability. Wagner for Bradley might work, though we probably would have to add a draft pick. Bradley has some crazy numbers and it looks like he will be a RFA when he is contract is up, which is huge.

We could waive Pasecniks and sign Patton using the DPE.

[nate33]

Read on Twitter

I don't understand this. I thought the whole point of a TPE was to let you bring in a player beyond the 15-man roster. Not so?

Why would we need a TPE to sign someone if we had an open roster spot?

The point of the TPE is that it's an exception used to exceed the salary cap. We are currently over the cap and have used almost our entire MLE. The only way we can sign anybody is with the vet minimum exception or $1.7M (we have an unlimited number of those) or the Bi-Annual Exception (about $3M IIRC). The Injury Exception gives us another option, this one allows us to spend up to half of Bryant's salary.

The bigger obstacle is the luxury tax. These exceptions don't shield the player's salary from counting against the luxtax. And we are right against the limit.

[queridiculo]

It's a shame Bryant got injured and I wish him a smooth recovery.

What this injury drives home to me though is yet another offseason failure to add competent players that address an obvious area of need.

Last year the Wizards brought in Ish Smith, not because he was the best available player for the money at the position, but because his playing style most resembled that of injured John Wall.

This year they bring in Lopez, not because he's the best available player, but because of some obscure metric that shows he's the best player when Jupiter and Saturn pair up in the sky before the harvest moon.

It's absurd that the Wizards dug into their MLE and they couldn't even bring in a player that's good enough to handle starter minutes when necessary.

[nate33]

I don’t think Whiteside can be traded yet. He just signed with Sacramento.

Looks like you're right. Don't know why there's rumours floating around. According to rules below, looks like he couldn't be signed until around Feb 25, since he signed on Nov 25, unless the rules are different this year.

A free agent who signs a standard NBA player contract (or a player who signs, or is converted to, a standard NBA player contract while under a Two-Way Contract) cannot be traded for three months following the date the contract is signed or until December 15 of the Salary Cap Year in which the contract is signed, whichever is later.

It's a pretty good bet that the rules are different this year.

Typically, the limiting factor isn't the 3-month part, it's the December 15th part, because typically, the offseason activity happens in the first week of July. Basically, in a normal season, guys can start getting traded roughly 45 days into the season on December 15th.

This was an unusual offseason with all free agency action took place in November, right before the start of the season. As such, it wouldn't surprise me if they eliminated or reduced the 3-month wait to something more like "60 days or January 15th, whatever is later".

I'm seeing on Twitter that the December 15th deadline is unchanged. I haven't seen any comments about the 90-day deadline. I wonder if that was just eliminated.

[wall_glizzy]

But, what possible point is there to bringing in Ian Mahinmi? Or Dedmon?

I've got no delusions about the current team's competitiveness, but I do think there's some value to surrounding what young players you have with veterans that are at least functional. I think there's a point where the baseline competence of, say, a Dewayne Dedmon provides a greater benefit (by not actively hampering the development of our other young players) than does chasing the very slim number of outcomes where Mo Wagner magically blossoms into a markedly more effective player than Dedmon upon getting 35 minutes of run a night.

That's pretty much a last resort though, I think - I'd love to give Patton or somebody a try first, and absolutely agree that whatever stopgap big we end up with absolutely should not have a cost, salary- or asset-wise, above a vet minimum contract.

[Ruzious]

Read on Twitter

I don't understand this. I thought the whole point of a TPE was to let you bring in a player beyond the 15-man roster. Not so?

Why would we need a TPE to sign someone if we had an open roster spot?

The point of the TPE is that it's an exception used to exceed the salary cap. We are currently over the cap and have used almost our entire MLE. The only way we can sign anybody is with the vet minimum exception or $1.7M (we have an unlimited number of those) or the Bi-Annual Exception (about $3M IIRC). The Injury Exception gives us another option, this one allows us to spend up to half of Bryant's salary.

The bigger obstacle is the luxury tax. These exceptions don't shield the player's salary from counting against the luxtax. And we are right against the limit.

I can't see how it's worth more than a bologna sandwich to the Wiz, since there's virtually no chance they choose to go over the luxtax threshold. Am I missing something?

[JAR69]

But, what possible point is there to bringing in Ian Mahinmi? Or Dedmon?

I've got no delusions about the current team's competitiveness, but I do think there's some value to surrounding what young players you have with veterans that are at least functional. I think there's a point where the baseline competence of, say, a Dewayne Dedmon provides a greater benefit (by not actively hampering the development of our other young players) than does chasing the very slim number of outcomes where Mo Wagner magically blossoms into a markedly more effective player than Dedmon upon getting 35 minutes of run a night.

That's pretty much a last resort though, I think - I'd love to give Patton or somebody a try first, and absolutely agree that whatever stopgap big we end up with absolutely should not have a cost, salary- or asset-wise, above a vet minimum contract.

There is only a point if we want to keep Beal. He wants to win right now. If Ian or Dedmon give you a better chance for doing that than Bradley or Childs or whoever has upside, at no cost, then you should sign them. It is the 11th hour with Beal.

If that ship has sailed (and it has for me, and had a year ago), then there is no point.

[queridiculo]

I can't see how it's worth more than a bologna sandwich to the Wiz, since there's virtually no chance they choose to go over the luxtax threshold. Am I missing something?

Some people continue to believe that the Wizards would be willing the luxury tax despite ample evidence to the contrary.

The Wizards won't touch the threshold until they believe it's worth making that commitment to a winning team.

Dipping it at this point would be a mistake, so that's hardly surprising.

I am half expecting the Wizards to do something stupid like surrender a prospect or some future draft picks to shed salary via the Knicks or Hornets.