Road to a Championship start here, 2022 Draft.

[Whole Truth]

IMO, Lebron only takes an extension if Lakers pickup someone like Kyrie for EWestbrook otherwise he turns down the Lakers & NO's are smiling. No Lebron is better than a 40yo Lebron.

[NO-KG-AI]

It's crazy how every word of your response to NO-KG-AI echo my thoughts & beliefs.

NO's had issues containing CP3 so a defensive upgrade was needed but I think people forget how terrible the spacing was in that series. Suns sagging, cheating off Herb & Hayes.. Mavs were weak in the middle but they basically shot their way past the Suns while their guard play with Luka had CP3 on skates & in foul trouble, where vs NO's he didn't have to concern himself with containing CJ.. Suns could put & Keep Bridges on CJ because they didn't concern themselves with Hayes & Herb. They kept Bridges on CJ the entire series with BI going off..

Ayton on Jonas
Bridges on CJ
Crowder on BI
Hayes left open in the half court when he wasn't effective in transition
Herb was respectable from range but had no gravity

Where if either Hayes or Herb were any kind of threat, there would have been no way they could stick with Bridges & or Crowder on their assignments without paying for it. If Dyson replaces CJ without significant improvement in his shot..., teams will just pack the paint with Herb as the lone floor spacer with all of Jonas, Zion & BI in the post to mid range.

I reiterate my last post, CJ's offensive efficiency over Harts defense is why the NO's defense was better post trade dealine. Not CJ's defensive ability.

I'm talking myself into liking 8, greatful it wasn't Dieng, thrilled at 41. Hope Daniels pans out better than expected.

The squad does need more shooting. Zion's presence alone helps free guys up in ways, and hopefully Brandon Ingram's surgery on his hand gets him back to his shooting numbers from before this season. CJ, Ingram, Trey, Jonas, and Herb should all get much cleaner looks off Zion than they got previously.

Internal improvement will probably help Herb, Trey and Alvarado a lot as shooters. Alvarado needs the most work there. Herb was already coming around and is deft at the line, I'm not too worried about him. Murphy is a flame thrower. I think he'll be one of the best shooters alive.

The problem came in that the only guard that warranted a pick at our spot that can shoot the hell out of the ball and doesn't need work was Mathurin. I don't think any of the guys that can feasibly play in the backcourt could both shoot and defend at a high level, or pass the ball at all. So you end up either big time reaching on someone like Griffin, and ignoring that his athleticism tanked this year after injuries and he might never recover to the point of being a really good defender, or you move up and blow assets for someone like Mathurin that doesn't have much upside. Like me and Duke discussed, I think Johnny Davis was the other person you could take and try to develop as a shooter in the back court at 8 and be ok, if you're actually looking for a guard.

I still can't let the Lonzo comparisons go. We improved a ton by inserting Herb in the lineup over someone like Lonzo just based on the fact that he actually attacks the game on both ends of the floor instead of just being passive as hell all game. Dyson has a lot of that same sort of energy and demeanor on defense and in his movement when he doesn't have the ball. He just plays with way more dog in him, aside from being a bigger guy. Herb isn't nearly as talented as Lonzo, but he's a way more valuable player already. Not saying Dyson is like Herb mentally, but I want guys that are more like Herb and Alvarado as role players than I do Lonzo just because he developed a 3 ball (Literally the only thing he developed, he's stagnant otherwise). If he comes in and approaches the game like Lonzo, I'll be very upset.

He shot 33% or more in 8 of his last 9 games (50% or more in 6 of them, 33.3% exactly in the other two), after a long stretch of being cold. Actually, that does sound a lot like Lonzo . I don't see any big flags on his shooting form that make me think can't be an adequate shooter.

All that said, it's not a perfect fit by any means, but I thought he was probably the best mix of talent/upside and ability to contribute in a variety of ways. He just fits the mold of basketball player, and seems like he always finds ways to contribute.

But most importantly, I think it's best we draft for upside. These guys are far from their peaks, and he's only 19. Who knows what the roster will look like in 2-3 seasons when guys are really really hitting their stride and figuring things out.

You don't reach with a top 10 pick for fit if no one is there. You get a top 10 talent, and figure the rest out later. If you think he's not top 10 talent? Sure, look elsewhere, but I would never waste a top 10 pick buy reaching for a fit, especially on a team that is still aching for overall talent. Get basketball players that are smart, talented, and good on both ends, and get creative with your lineups. All teams have flaws, but you can make it up with absurd talent too and figure the rest out.

[Whole Truth]

It's crazy how every word of your response to NO-KG-AI echo my thoughts & beliefs.

NO's had issues containing CP3 so a defensive upgrade was needed but I think people forget how terrible the spacing was in that series. Suns sagging, cheating off Herb & Hayes.. Mavs were weak in the middle but they basically shot their way past the Suns while their guard play with Luka had CP3 on skates & in foul trouble, where vs NO's he didn't have to concern himself with containing CJ.. Suns could put & Keep Bridges on CJ because they didn't concern themselves with Hayes & Herb. They kept Bridges on CJ the entire series with BI going off..

Ayton on Jonas
Bridges on CJ
Crowder on BI
Hayes left open in the half court when he wasn't effective in transition
Herb was respectable from range but had no gravity

Where if either Hayes or Herb were any kind of threat, there would have been no way they could stick with Bridges & or Crowder on their assignments without paying for it. If Dyson replaces CJ without significant improvement in his shot..., teams will just pack the paint with Herb as the lone floor spacer with all of Jonas, Zion & BI in the post to mid range.

I reiterate my last post, CJ's offensive efficiency over Harts defense is why the NO's defense was better post trade dealine. Not CJ's defensive ability.

I'm talking myself into liking 8, greatful it wasn't Dieng, thrilled at 41. Hope Daniels pans out better than expected.

The squad does need more shooting. Zion's presence alone helps free guys up in ways, and hopefully Brandon Ingram's surgery on his hand gets him back to his shooting numbers from before this season. CJ, Ingram, Trey, Jonas, and Herb should all get much cleaner looks off Zion than they got previously.

Internal improvement will probably help Herb, Trey and Alvarado a lot as shooters. Alvarado needs the most work there. Herb was already coming around and is deft at the line, I'm not too worried about him. Murphy is a flame thrower. I think he'll be one of the best shooters alive.

The problem came in that the only guard that warranted a pick at our spot that can shoot the hell out of the ball and doesn't need work was Mathurin. I don't think any of the guys that can feasibly play in the backcourt could both shoot and defend at a high level, or pass the ball at all. So you end up either big time reaching on someone like Griffin, and ignoring that his athleticism tanked this year after injuries and he might never recover to the point of being a really good defender, or you move up and blow assets for someone like Mathurin that doesn't have much upside. Like me and Duke discussed, I think Johnny Davis was the other person you could take and try to develop as a shooter in the back court at 8 and be ok, if you're actually looking for a guard.

I still can't let the Lonzo comparisons go. We improved a ton by inserting Herb in the lineup over someone like Lonzo just based on the fact that he actually attacks the game on both ends of the floor instead of just being passive as hell all game. Dyson has a lot of that same sort of energy and demeanor on defense and in his movement when he doesn't have the ball. He just plays with way more dog in him, aside from being a bigger guy. Herb isn't nearly as talented as Lonzo, but he's a way more valuable player already. Not saying Dyson is like Herb mentally, but I want guys that are more like Herb and Alvarado as role players than I do Lonzo just because he developed a 3 ball (Literally the only thing he developed, he's stagnant otherwise). If he comes in and approaches the game like Lonzo, I'll be very upset.

He shot 33% or more in 8 of his last 9 games (50% or more in 6 of them, 33.3% exactly in the other two), after a long stretch of being cold. Actually, that does sound a lot like Lonzo . I don't see any big flags on his shooting form that make me think can't be an adequate shooter.

All that said, it's not a perfect fit by any means, but I thought he was probably the best mix of talent/upside and ability to contribute in a variety of ways. He just fits the mold of basketball player, and seems like he always finds ways to contribute.

But most importantly, I think it's best we draft for upside. These guys are far from their peaks, and he's only 19. Who knows what the roster will look like in 2-3 seasons when guys are really really hitting their stride and figuring things out.

You don't reach with a top 10 pick for fit if no one is there. You get a top 10 talent, and figure the rest out later. If you think he's not top 10 talent? Sure, look elsewhere, but I would never waste a top 10 pick buy reaching for a fit, especially on a team that is still aching for overall talent. Get basketball players that are smart, talented, and good on both ends, and get creative with your lineups. All teams have flaws, but you can make it up with absurd talent too and figure the rest out.

I was considering potential fit as well as player potential, I know some don't believe Mathurin would be anything more than a role player, I disagree & I think Pacers might hold that opinion too. My pick/s went 6/7 so I'm not sure they can be classified as a reach at 8. I take everything into consideration because I think fit matters in developing players down to depth & playing time. Which is why I was fully against Dieng as a project at SF/PF... & thankful he wasn't taken.

I certainly don't hate the Daniels pick there's a lot to like & on a different roster I might of had a different preference for him. We are all making educated guesses & I know I can be as wrong as I am right so there's no condemnation of the selection. I like the defenisve versatility & offensive potential & hope he ultimately makes a fool of my opinion because it would mean success, which is the end goal.

Mathurin/Sharpe were already off the board so I have nothing to really be upset about other than the fact they were off the board. I considered Sochan a similar defensive option with greater switchability & shooting flaw, so other than the fact my options were off the board. It was a can't miss scenario with a mix of preference/fit among the 3. Daniels is a good prospect as Ball was too, so it's not a knock to reference the similarity of their size & skillset, a version of Ball at 8 is a solid pick in this draft but as Duke pointed out, he was not atop our preference because of how we view the roster makeup & it's potential. We want the ball in Zion & BI's hands, not Daniels but if you take the ball out of Daniels hands, his shot is a work in progress.. and if you have a rotation of Zion, BI, Herb & Daniels. Herb would be considered the floor spacer. Teams would just, pack the paint as they did with NAW who can defend, playmake but was a streaky shooter.

IMO, Offensive efficiency is important to this team because they have 3-4 defensive weak links that are it's key offensive players that teams can target defensively. So to compliment them defensively with out spacing is to not fully compliment them.

The debate - at least in my mind - Mathurin either had to buy into playing defense having the tools & lacking the focus with Green as his coach who got a 1-12 team to buy in or Daniels has to get his shot to where it's atleast consistent & considered a threat. I just happen to believe in the prior more than the latter.

I have my doubts but if Daniels can get consistency in his shot to where he's a threat. NO's can't really ask for much better from the 8th pick they weren't supposed to have.

[Duke4life831]

My view on the Daniels pick and why Ive been pretty vocal on my disappointment with it is two fold.

1. The fit part, I wont go into detail on that since Ive done it enough already haha. I just dont see how he fits that well alongside BI and Zion, especially not how he fits alongside those two plus CJ.
2. If I felt like there was a big gap between Daniels and the next guy in just the best pick available department I wouldnt be so against the pick. I just dont see the gap between say Daniels and Johnny Davis, Mark Williams, Jalen Duren. And I think you can easily make the case for those 3 better much better fits with this roster.

I wasn't the highest on Davis with this team, but with Mathurin gone I get a wrench was kind of thrown into the ideal scenario. But to me Davis had two potential clear fits with the team. He either improves as a 3pt shooter so he could play off ball with both BI and Zion are on the court and be that secondary ball handler when either one sits. Or the 3pt shot never really comes around and you can pencil him in as the 6th man bucket getter (who also plays defense).

When it comes to Mark Williams. You get the elite defensive big to finally pair up with Zion in the front court. Freakish length, to go with good mobility and elite awareness and timing. I also dont think he's more than a year or so to being at least even to where Jonas is as a floor spreader. With the Hayes experiment never really gaining traction and not knowing how well JV and Zion will mesh, I like the idea of Mark as the backup big for the next two years (maybe one if he progresses well and can flip JV) behind JV.

When it comes to Duren. I wasn't the highest on Duren, but I get the high ceiling talk with him. Its basically attempt #2 at Hayes. A top tier athletic big that is pretty damn raw. But Duren is far more physically advanced than Hayes still is and he seems to have his head screwed on much better than Hayes does (on and off the court). And you go with the hope of having that freak athlete defensive 5 to pair up with Zion in the front court.

I just dont see Daniels having a much higher ceiling/potential than those 3 guys and I think those 3 all have much clear fits with the current roster and with the idea of a team being built around BI and Zion being the franchise guys.

I will also throw out the idea of trading down to get one of AJ or Agbaji who I think both dont have the same ceiling as the guys mentioned above, but I think both would fit great with what this team needs. But I wont bash the front office for not trading down because I have no clue if there were any available offers and if there were, how good they were.

And just to throw this on there to be clear this isn't just me flat out crapping on the front office and David Griffin (which I know I do plenty). Like Ive said in other posts, I still feel like last night was a win because of the Liddell pick. Any negatives I have with the first pick, the positives of the Liddell pick outweighs that.

[Whole Truth]

SAS basically said NO's need their PG to be able to shoot, space the court because a PG that can shoot opens the floor which is a basic fact. Claimed he liked the pick but not the fit with ultimate praise of saying he could see NO's in the mix of contention next yr & the NO's comments in the comment sectiion are saying that he's trying to hate on NO's

Talk about a complex.. is small market syndrom a thing.

When did truth become insulting ?.

I don't know if it matters but I agree with the take. Good prospect, potentially not the best fit.

[Whole Truth]

There was pre draft rumors Philly could have interest in Hayes. I'm thining the 23 pick could have been in play.

Minnesota traded for #23 Kessler on draft night.

Minnesota have rumored interest in Hayes.

IMO Hayes for Kessler would be an ideal swap for NO's

[Whole Truth]

I had it Kessler & Liddell at 23 if NO's were to trade with Philly, Koloko 30-35 packaging the 2nds. So the fact Liddell fell to 41, was draft gold. With Minnesota's interest in Hayes, If NO's can flip him for #23 Kessler, it would be a near perfect draft scenario. Outside of landing Mathurin at 8 for me.

[Whole Truth]

I see NO fans looking for Hayes based trades. I have one that's not exciting but could make sense.

Nets have an 11m TE. They could use some size, athleticsim & youth.

NO's trade - (Hayes, Temple) to Nets for (10.5m TE)

There's not many players at 11m Nets could get better than Hayes in terms of need & potential. NO's attach Temple's contract to open 2 roster spots, & dump 10m in committed salary.

NO's who have about 3m in cap space I think, can extend this option to the Knicks who want to also create some added cap space... maybe pick up a pick in taking back 1 contract like Detroit did with Kemba. ie Nerlens Noel 8m + pick comp.

Nets trade - (10.5m TE) for (Hayes, Temple)

Knicks trade - (Noel + pick comp) for (8m cap space)

NO's trade - (Hayes, Temple) for (Noel, protected FRP) 8m cap saved or (Noel, Reddish) 12m cap saved

[NO-KG-AI]

My view on the Daniels pick and why Ive been pretty vocal on my disappointment with it is two fold.

1. The fit part, I wont go into detail on that since Ive done it enough already haha. I just dont see how he fits that well alongside BI and Zion, especially not how he fits alongside those two plus CJ.
2. If I felt like there was a big gap between Daniels and the next guy in just the best pick available department I wouldnt be so against the pick. I just dont see the gap between say Daniels and Johnny Davis, Mark Williams, Jalen Duren. And I think you can easily make the case for those 3 better much better fits with this roster.

I wasn't the highest on Davis with this team, but with Mathurin gone I get a wrench was kind of thrown into the ideal scenario. But to me Davis had two potential clear fits with the team. He either improves as a 3pt shooter so he could play off ball with both BI and Zion are on the court and be that secondary ball handler when either one sits. Or the 3pt shot never really comes around and you can pencil him in as the 6th man bucket getter (who also plays defense).

When it comes to Mark Williams. You get the elite defensive big to finally pair up with Zion in the front court. Freakish length, to go with good mobility and elite awareness and timing. I also dont think he's more than a year or so to being at least even to where Jonas is as a floor spreader. With the Hayes experiment never really gaining traction and not knowing how well JV and Zion will mesh, I like the idea of Mark as the backup big for the next two years (maybe one if he progresses well and can flip JV) behind JV.

When it comes to Duren. I wasn't the highest on Duren, but I get the high ceiling talk with him. Its basically attempt #2 at Hayes. A top tier athletic big that is pretty damn raw. But Duren is far more physically advanced than Hayes still is and he seems to have his head screwed on much better than Hayes does (on and off the court). And you go with the hope of having that freak athlete defensive 5 to pair up with Zion in the front court.

I just dont see Daniels having a much higher ceiling/potential than those 3 guys and I think those 3 all have much clear fits with the current roster and with the idea of a team being built around BI and Zion being the franchise guys.

I will also throw out the idea of trading down to get one of AJ or Agbaji who I think both dont have the same ceiling as the guys mentioned above, but I think both would fit great with what this team needs. But I wont bash the front office for not trading down because I have no clue if there were any available offers and if there were, how good they were.

And just to throw this on there to be clear this isn't just me flat out crapping on the front office and David Griffin (which I know I do plenty). Like Ive said in other posts, I still feel like last night was a win because of the Liddell pick. Any negatives I have with the first pick, the positives of the Liddell pick outweighs that.

I wouldn't have minded Williams or Duren. I don't think either have shown signs of being a shooter at all yet, so I wouldn't think you were into either on this roster haha.

I see NO fans looking for Hayes based trades. I have one that's not exciting but could make sense.

As for Jaxson Hayes, I think if you move him now, you're basically just clearing a roster spot. He's a complete knucklehead, but he looked a lot better to finish the season and didn't do bad playing as a 4 and a 5. I don't think any teams will actually give up anything for him at this point, so it's probably better just to let him play out this last year and see what he does and either give him the QO or let him walk. His shooting stroke looks so good and pure at times, and his movement ability makes you wanna hang on just in case. I wouldn't be upset if they moved him though, especially if some team is still buying high on the potential that is there.

As for #8, I wouldn't have been against a trade down either, like I said, I like Daniels, but I don't absolutely love him either. Apparently the FO really does though and were discussing a swap with Indiana to move up because they thought Portland was going to take him.

I wouldn't have minded consolidating some of our future picks to go up further if they really liked someone else, and I have a feeling if there was a top tier guard that looked like a 3 level scorer, they would have loaded up to get into the top 5 or so.

Part of the fun of having so many picks and so much flexibility going forward, I still think the best course for now is just stockpiling the guys you think are the best talents, and tweak it as you go.

[Whole Truth]

I see NO fans looking for Hayes based trades. I have one that's not exciting but could make sense.

As for Jaxson Hayes, I think if you move him now, you're basically just clearing a roster spot. He's a complete knucklehead, but he looked a lot better to finish the season and didn't do bad playing as a 4 and a 5. I don't think any teams will actually give up anything for him at this point, so it's probably better just to let him play out this last year and see what he does and either give him the QO or let him walk. His shooting stroke looks so good and pure at times, and his movement ability makes you wanna hang on just in case. I wouldn't be upset if they moved him though, especially if some team is still buying high on the potential that is there.

As for #8, I wouldn't have been against a trade down either, like I said, I like Daniels, but I don't absolutely love him either. Apparently the FO really does though and were discussing a swap with Indiana to move up because they thought Portland was going to take him.

I wouldn't have minded consolidating some of our future picks to go up further if they really liked someone else, and I have a feeling if there was a top tier guard that looked like a 3 level scorer, they would have loaded up to get into the top 5 or so.

Part of the fun of having so many picks and so much flexibility going forward, I still think the best course for now is just stockpiling the guys you think are the best talents, and tweak it as you go.

With Nets situation, I was thinking getting an upside big man like Hayes for ther TPE is a boon, especially if they lose any or both Irving & KD, they will need the 22yo potential. NO's attach Temples dead weight contract for his value. Once they obtain the TE from Nets, Knicks could look to add a protected pick to get off of one contract to clear cap space as rumored. So it would be Hayes,Temple for one contract, open roster spot & protected FRP.

I like Hayes & his potential but it's now a bad situation for him & NO's. Besides the fact that NO's will have to pay Nance to retain him because he's valuable as the small ball 5. Darfting Liddell makes them both potentially expendable with Zion returining & on a max contract. It doesn't hurt all of BI, Murphy & Herb can spell minutes at PF too. Hayes proving he's best playing at PF, is this teams strongest & deepest position without him. He would have to show he's a capable 5 for possible retention of his potential IMO.

I saw a supposed insider post NO's draft board. They had an option between Daniels & Mathurin, which for me is concerning. Herb was a great pick but if they knew what they were getting & how he panned out in his rookie campaign they would not have risked him falling in the 2nd round. Hayes & NAW who I think is a similar target to Daniels.. was picked over trading back from Garland. Mathurin was obviously higher on the Pacers board seeing they have Hali, Brogdon & Duarte at his position.. BPA over fit but like I said, the draft is educated guessing where people talk big in hindsight.

My only trade up option was Houston for Smith but they have a plethora of picks & youth potential, they'd want to consolidate for Zion apposed to adding more lesser picks & future picks. They hit gold with Nets situation imploding..

Brings me to a hypothetical,,, Would you trade Zion for Smith & a few of those Nets picks ?. I'd prefer to trade Zion out of division but I would strongly consider it. NO's have a potent offense without Zion, Smith is a far more versatile defender, he's got more positional versatility & is a 3 pt threat/floor spacer with potential at Zion's position, who in time could move to 5 in place of Jonas.

future rotation.

Smith - Jonas
Murphy - Liddell
BI - Maji
Herb - CJ
Danieals - Alvarado

2 max contracts vs 3, several more FRP's lotto prohected added for future sustainability & quality depth.

No player smaller than 6'6", 4 switchable defenders with only Daniels shot in question. Zion's efficiency & max contract, replaced by Smith's shooting efficiency, 1-5 defensive switchability & rookie scale + some combination of the imploding Nets FRP's. I think i'd be tempted.

[Whole Truth]

Irving opting in with Nets for a yr. Has me worried when Westbrook's 40 something mil contract expires next yr where LA will have significant cap space, Kyrie will walk to LA & they will be able to reup Lebron with the addition of Kyrie & 23 first round pick. Lebron will be near 40 but a core of AD, Lebron & Kyrie could have negative effects on the 24/25 pick swap.

[sol537]

NYK fan here... given the current state of the contract negotiations between Miles and the front office, would your team entertain a Julius Randle for Miles Bridges S&T? NYK even throws in $3m cash and two 2nd rounders.... wouldn't such a swap be better fits for both teams? (we slot Bridges next to RJ and Obi while ya'll get an inside outside attack with 'Melo and Randle...)

Remember, your GM drafted Randle so there's plenty of familiarity there.

[Duke4life831]

NYK fan here... given the current state of the contract negotiations between Miles and the front office, would your team entertain a Julius Randle for Miles Bridges S&T? NYK even throws in $3m cash and two 2nd rounders.... wouldn't such a swap be better fits for both teams? (we slot Bridges next to RJ and Obi while ya'll get an inside outside attack with 'Melo and Randle...)

Remember, your GM drafted Randle so there's plenty of familiarity there.

Wrong team board?

[Eric Bieniemy]

Buddy Hield for Devonte Graham and Larry Nance.

Pels get shooting. They lose Nance, but his role could very well be quite minimized with the return of Williamson.

[Whole Truth]

Buddy Hield for Devonte Graham and Larry Nance.

Pels get shooting. They lose Nance, but his role could very well be quite minimized with the return of Williamson.

Nance is valued for being the teams only PO small ball 5. Otherwise the value seems fair.

[Whole Truth]

A move to potentially push the chips in.

NO's trade - (Graham, Hayes, Temple, Lakers 23, Bucks 2 swaps & Bucks 27) for (Murray & Poeltl)

Lakers/MO's unprotected swap could give Spurs mutliple shots at the 23 draft lotto with their supposed interest to tank for this draft. 3 Bucks picks for Jrue returned for a younger version of him in Murray.

What about roster & cap implications ?

- Poeltl can defend the rim & the PNR his extension is in line with Jonas 15m expiring. Potential future option at C.
- Murray is a big 2 way guard that would have fit better next to Mathurin who can shoot but he too will reach his extension in 2 yrs when CJ's max is expiring.
- In Spurs interest in picks all of Graham, Hayes & Temple are moved as fillers.
- 3 for 2 trade opens a roster spot for Liddell.
- NO's consolidate to bolster depth & future options but keep the Lakers 24/25 swap for another potential lotto pick.

Jonas - Poeltl - Hermangomez
Zion - Nance - Liddell
Herb - Murphy - Naji
BI - CJ - Kira
Murray - Daniels - Alvarado

That's basically 2 starting units & 3rd stringers that can compete with most benches but to balance offense & defense, in acquiring Murray it should push CJ into a 6th man scoring role with a defensive bench unit. Murray bolsters the perimater D in the starting rotation with the ball in BI & Zions hands where if they need spacing or a change of pace .. CJ can enter the game.

When Jonas & CJ's contracts come up, Poeltl would be insurance to Matkovic's potential. Murray would replace the 32yo CJ's max with Daniels more seasoned & hopefully with range azquired, which wouldn't have been an issue with Mathurin .

Rotation in 2yrs

Poeltl - Matkovic
Zion - Liddell
Herb - Murphy
BI - Daniels
Murray - Alvarado - Kira ?

Lakers 24/25 pick to cheaply bolster the roster. By this time this team should have shown whether it's a team to pay the tax for or not.

[Eric Bieniemy]

Buddy Hield for Devonte Graham and Larry Nance.

Pels get shooting. They lose Nance, but his role could very well be quite minimized with the return of Williamson.

Nance is valued for being the teams only PO small ball 5. Otherwise the value seems fair.

Where does Nance fit with Williamson? It seems that Williamson replaces Nance's role entirely.

They need Hield so much more than Nance (with Williamson back).

[Whole Truth]

Buddy Hield for Devonte Graham and Larry Nance.

Pels get shooting. They lose Nance, but his role could very well be quite minimized with the return of Williamson.

Nance is valued for being the teams only PO small ball 5. Otherwise the value seems fair.

Where does Nance fit with Williamson? It seems that Williamson replaces Nance's role entirely.

They need Hield so much more than Nance (with Williamson back).

Backup 4/PO small ball 5 until Liddell who was just drafted, can potentially replace him.

[Eric Bieniemy]

A move to potentially push the chips in.

NO's trade - (Graham, Hayes, Temple, Lakers 23, Bucks 2 swaps & Bucks 27) for (Murray & Poeltl)

Lakers/MO's unprotected swap could give Spurs mutliple shots at the 23 draft lotto with their supposed interest to tank for this draft. 3 Bucks picks for Jrue returned for a younger version of him in Murray.

What about roster & cap implications ?

- Poeltl can defend the rim & the PNR his extension is in line with Jonas 15m expiring. Potential future option at C.
- Murray is a big 2 way guard that would have fit better next to Mathurin who can shoot but he too will reach his extension in 2 yrs when CJ's max is expiring.
- In Spurs interest in picks all of Graham, Hayes & Temple are moved as fillers.
- 3 for 2 trade opens a roster spot for Liddell.
- NO's consolidate to bolster depth & future options but keep the Lakers 24/25 swap for another potential lotto pick.

Jonas - Poeltl - Hermangomez
Zion - Nance - Liddell
Herb - Murphy - Naji
BI - CJ - Kira
Murray - Daniels - Alvarado

That's basically 2 starting units & 3rd stringers that can compete with most benches but to balance offense & defense, in acquiring Murray it should push CJ into a 6th man scoring role with a defensive bench unit. Murray bolsters the perimater D in the starting rotation with the ball in BI & Zions hands where if they need spacing or a change of pace .. CJ can enter the game.

When Jonas & CJ's contracts come up, Poeltl would be insurance to Matkovic's potential. Murray would replace the 32yo CJ's max with Daniels more seasoned & hopefully with range azquired, which wouldn't have been an issue with Mathurin .

Rotation in 2yrs

Poeltl - Matkovic
Zion - Liddell
Herb - Murphy
BI - Daniels
Murray - Alvarado - Kira ?

Lakers 24/25 pick to cheaply bolster the roster. By this time this team should have shown whether it's a team to pay the tax for or not.

Where's the shooting?

[Eric Bieniemy]

Nance is valued for being the teams only PO small ball 5. Otherwise the value seems fair.

Where does Nance fit with Williamson? It seems that Williamson replaces Nance's role entirely.

They need Hield so much more than Nance (with Williamson back).

Backup 4/PO small ball 5 until Liddell who was just drafted, can potentially replace him.

And Hayes? Where does he fit?

Williamson is the small-ball five.

I'd love for you to post the depth chart as of today. Unless Val gets injured, I don't see much of a role for Nance with Williamson.

Just my opinion.