GT #11: Phoenix Suns @ Washington Wizards 1/11/2021 7:00PM

[nate33]

Man, how stupid was declining Wagner’s option? He’s been one of the best players on the roster so far. Putting up great numbers. He’s been far better than Hachimura.

Yeah, I really didn't understand the move at the time. There was enough luxtax room to opt in on Wagner and still have about $14M left to pay our draft pick, Bonga, and 4 minimum salary guys. As long as Bonga came it at under $6M or so, we could do it.

Instead, we will have $18M to sign our pick, Bonga and 5 other guys. And we will only have 1 true center on the roster (unless we draft one).

We still have Bird Rights to resign Wagner, but by declining the option, he will not be a restricted free agent.

[NatP4]

Man, how stupid was declining Wagner’s option? He’s been one of the best players on the roster so far. Putting up great numbers. He’s been far better than Hachimura.

Yeah, I really didn't understand the move at the time. There was enough luxtax room to opt in on Wagner and still have about $14M left to pay our draft pick, Bonga, and 4 minimum salary guys. As long as Bonga came it at under $6M or so, we could do it.

Instead, we will have $18M to sign our pick, Bonga and 5 other guys. And we will only have 1 true center on the roster (unless we draft one).

We still have Bird Rights to resign Wagner, but by declining the option, he will not be a restricted free agent.

I’ve been looking at fivethirtyeight player ratings while bored at work today, and both last season(pretty good sample size) and this season, Wagner grades out pretty well, especially defensively.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/

RPM gets criticized on this board, but a lot of writers cite the metric, Wagner grades out decently:

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/year/2020/page/2/position/6

His on/off numbers rank him 2nd best on the team this year, and 4th best last season for players that played atleast 500 minutes. Obviously, his counting stats are outstanding, especially when the decrease in turnovers this season. In almost 1400 minutes now, he’s a 17-9-2–1-1 per 36 on 60% TS. Fouls a lot, turns it over some, but at worst, he’s a good backup C.

Why would you not pick that option up? Especially when you are a 25 win team?

[nate33]

Man, how stupid was declining Wagner’s option? He’s been one of the best players on the roster so far. Putting up great numbers. He’s been far better than Hachimura.

Yeah, I really didn't understand the move at the time. There was enough luxtax room to opt in on Wagner and still have about $14M left to pay our draft pick, Bonga, and 4 minimum salary guys. As long as Bonga came it at under $6M or so, we could do it.

Instead, we will have $18M to sign our pick, Bonga and 5 other guys. And we will only have 1 true center on the roster (unless we draft one).

We still have Bird Rights to resign Wagner, but by declining the option, he will not be a restricted free agent.

I’ve been looking at fivethirtyeight player ratings while bored at work today, and both last season(pretty good sample size) and this season, Wagner grades out pretty well, especially defensively.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/

RPM gets criticized on this board, but a lot of writers cite the metric, Wagner grades out decently:

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/year/2020/page/2/position/6

His on/off numbers rank him 2nd best on the team this year, and 4th best last season for players that played atleast 500 minutes. Obviously, his counting stats are outstanding, especially when the decrease in turnovers this season. In almost 1400 minutes now, he’s a 17-9-2–1-1 per 36 on 60% TS. Fouls a lot, turns it over some, but at worst, he’s a good backup C.

Why would you not pick that option up? Especially when you are a 25 win team?

Yeah, his foul rate and lack of heft make me question whether he will ever be a starting-caliber center, but as a backup, he seems like a pretty good bargain for the $3.9M it would have cost to opt in. And by opting in, we would have also maintained RFA rights for the Summer of 2022.

[payitforward]

Man, how stupid was declining Wagner’s option? He’s been one of the best players on the roster so far. Putting up great numbers. He’s been far better than Hachimura.

Yeah, I really didn't understand the move at the time. There was enough luxtax room to opt in on Wagner and still have about $14M left to pay our draft pick, Bonga, and 4 minimum salary guys. As long as Bonga came it at under $6M or so, we could do it.

Instead, we will have $18M to sign our pick, Bonga and 5 other guys. And we will only have 1 true center on the roster (unless we draft one).

We still have Bird Rights to resign Wagner, but by declining the option, he will not be a restricted free agent.

Agreed. Wagner has been very good in his limited minutes. Kid is carrying a .78 TS% -- bettered only by Isaac Bonga (& Gill -- but his is in a total of 4 minutes).

I'm guessing, however, that before declining his option, Tommy shook the trees around the league to see whether anyone wanted to trade for him. That would be common sense.