Official 2025 Offseason Thread

[BadMofoPimp]

Who would be the ideal guard to pair with AB off the bench? Microwave type, spot up 3 point shooter or a pure PG and let AB cut off ball and shoot corner 3s?

Certainly is possible they keep Caldwell-Pope, but if he was moved for a different starting guard, would think they could look at the bargain FA's or Goga swaps for AB's partner off the bench. Or it might just be Cole right.... Inevitable player.

Sexton would be great for an off the bench scorer.

[OrlandoMagic]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

[cedric76]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

Wow , some of those names don't make any senses unless you want to get screwed and stuck above the 1st apron

[RichCollab]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

We have zero money to sign FAs.

[eyriq]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

We have zero money to sign FAs.

Very easy to get under the tax and access the full MLE

[Skybox]

got one cooked up for you skybox..

Orlando Trades to Cleveland- WCJ, 16 & Black
Orlando Receives - Allen

It's pretty obvious that garland needs a bigger guard next to him for the defensive help. WCJ still gives the cavs a playable C who can stretch the floor and then 16 is a cherry.

Orlando now has the C for the future and a defensive anchor for Mose's defense. You still have plenty other options to go get a Simons, Sexton type guard using Goga/Cole/Gary/ 26 pick swap and possibly Isaac if needed.

That hurts...but I'd do it...I wonder what we'd have to add to make it Mobley instead of Allen?

I like the plan.

Orlando Trades to Cleveland- WCJ, 16 & Suggs
Orlando Receives - Allen

As a starting point with Magic having to give up more 1sts.

HUUUUGE overpay...did you mean Mobley? I think Suggs alone > Allen

[Skybox]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

I have not seen the words "like" and "Beal" in a sentence in years.

[Skybox]

Who would be the ideal guard to pair with AB off the bench? Microwave type, spot up 3 point shooter or a pure PG and let AB cut off ball and shoot corner 3s?

Certainly is possible they keep Caldwell-Pope, but if he was moved for a different starting guard, would think they could look at the bargain FA's or Goga swaps for AB's partner off the bench. Or it might just be Cole right.... Inevitable player.

Sexton would be great for an off the bench scorer.

Yeah...Sexton or Simons with AB would likely rough up our starters in practice.

[RichCollab]

Players I’d like to see us either Sign or Trade for.

Jrue Holiday
Bradley Beal
Naz Reid
Gary Trent Jr.
Coby White

We have zero money to sign FAs.

Very easy to get under the tax and access the full MLE

You waving Moe and trading our 1st round draft picks. Those all have cap holds.

[VFX]

Who would be the ideal guard to pair with AB off the bench? Microwave type, spot up 3 point shooter or a pure PG and let AB cut off ball and shoot corner 3s?

Certainly is possible they keep Caldwell-Pope, but if he was moved for a different starting guard, would think they could look at the bargain FA's or Goga swaps for AB's partner off the bench. Or it might just be Cole right.... Inevitable player.

Sexton would be great for an off the bench scorer.

Yeah...Sexton or Simons with AB would likely rough up our starters in practice.

Not sure why everyone keeps talking about bench moves.

The starting lineup is a bigger issue along with the fact that they are locking up those guys long term.

And no, they arent moving Jalen Suggs. There are extremely specific trades that even make sense moving that player within the context of the roster.

The question people need to be asking is: "what do they do with KCP and AB IF they actually acquire this sought after playmaker?"

Weltman should be trying to get off KCP's money by any means possible if he plans on actually making decisions. $23m for a low volume scoring defender is less than ideal when people are throwing around trade ideas that bring back money. Just common sense.

Cole and KCP need to be off this roster if Weltman plans on making decisions regarding the guard rotation.

[eyriq]

We have zero money to sign FAs.

Very easy to get under the tax and access the full MLE

You waving Moe and trading our 1st round draft picks. Those all have cap holds.

You can waive Moe, Harris, and CoJo and sign both picks and still be under

[Idiosyncratic]

Sexton would be great for an off the bench scorer.

Yeah...Sexton or Simons with AB would likely rough up our starters in practice.

Not sure why everyone keeps talking about bench moves.

The starting lineup is a bigger issue along with the fact that they are locking up those guys long term.

And no, they arent moving Jalen Suggs. There are extremely specific trades that even make sense moving that player within the context of the roster.

The question people need to be asking is: "what do they do with KCP and AB IF they actually acquire this sought after playmaker?"

Weltman should be trying to get off KCP's money by any means possible if he plans on actually making decisions. $23m for a low volume scoring defender is less than ideal when people are throwing around trade ideas that bring back money. Just common sense.

Cole and KCP need to be off this roster if Weltman plans on making roster decisions regarding the guard rotation.

To be fair, the original question was what player type fits best with AB off the bench in the event Caldwell-Pope is in the deal for the starter.

[RichCollab]

Very easy to get under the tax and access the full MLE

You waving Moe and trading our 1st round draft picks. Those all have cap holds.

You can waive Moe, Harris, and CoJo and sign both picks and still be under

We would be at the 1st apron

[Bensational]

Who would be the ideal guard to pair with AB off the bench? Microwave type, spot up 3 point shooter or a pure PG and let AB cut off ball and shoot corner 3s?

Certainly is possible they keep Caldwell-Pope, but if he was moved for a different starting guard, would think they could look at the bargain FA's or Goga swaps for AB's partner off the bench. Or it might just be Cole right.... Inevitable player.

AB already gives us elite point-of-attack defense and a 6'7 secondary creator who has quietly hit on >38% of his threes since the all-star break. What the second unit still needs is
1. high-volume spacing (attempt rate not just percentage)
2. Someone who can chew up usage in spurts so AB isn't forced into tough pull-ups
3. Enough defense to allow small ball lineups

This translates into a microwave + quick-trigger hybrid, not a pure setup PG. You want AB handling against second units, attacking second sides and cutting from the slot; surround him with a guard whose single greatest skill is getting threes up. Beasley, Melton, or Merrill come to mind.

Depends, because if Mosley continues to stagger Paolo and Franz then they’ll likely continue to take lead playmaking duties when sharing with AB unless he makes a big jump this offseason.

I like Clayton Jr as a backcourt partner for AB, other than the rookie experience. A gun spot up shooter who can also handle and create himself. McCain would be a similarly great fit.

I think KCP has to be the one going out if a starter is coming back.

BOS: KCP
ORL: JRue
BKN: Cole/Jett + FRP

Gets Boston out of the 2nd apron whilst still leaving them with a competitive player who fits their team.

Possible follow up deal: Goga + Isaac + Cole/Jett for KP.

KP/WCJ
Paolo/?
Franz/TDS
Suggs/AB
JRue/ClaytonJr

That SL is all-in for next season. Bench needs more veterans to be a contender. Boston save a ton of money and maintain quality depth pieces for when Tatum returns.

[eyriq]

Who would be the ideal guard to pair with AB off the bench? Microwave type, spot up 3 point shooter or a pure PG and let AB cut off ball and shoot corner 3s?

Certainly is possible they keep Caldwell-Pope, but if he was moved for a different starting guard, would think they could look at the bargain FA's or Goga swaps for AB's partner off the bench. Or it might just be Cole right.... Inevitable player.

AB already gives us elite point-of-attack defense and a 6'7 secondary creator who has quietly hit on >38% of his threes since the all-star break. What the second unit still needs is
1. high-volume spacing (attempt rate not just percentage)
2. Someone who can chew up usage in spurts so AB isn't forced into tough pull-ups
3. Enough defense to allow small ball lineups

This translates into a microwave + quick-trigger hybrid, not a pure setup PG. You want AB handling against second units, attacking second sides and cutting from the slot; surround him with a guard whose single greatest skill is getting threes up. Beasley, Melton, or Merrill come to mind.

Depends, because if Mosley continues to stagger Paolo and Franz then they’ll likely continue to take lead playmaking duties when sharing with AB unless he makes a big jump this offseason.

I like Clayton Jr as a backcourt partner for AB, other than the rookie experience. A gun spot up shooter who can also handle and create himself. McCain would be a similarly great fit.

I think KCP has to be the one going out if a starter is coming back.

BOS: KCP
ORL: JRue
BKN: Cole/Jett + FRP

Gets Boston out of the 2nd apron whilst still leaving them with a competitive player who fits their team.

Possible follow up deal: Goga + Isaac + Cole/Jett for KP.

KP/WCJ
Paolo/?
Franz/TDS
Suggs/AB
JRue/ClaytonJr

That SL is all-in for next season. Bench needs more veterans to be a contender. Boston save a ton of money and maintain quality depth pieces for when Tatum returns.

Agreed on Clayton, love this kid and his fit.

[eyriq]

Let's be blunt about NBA roster changes: If you want drastic improvement, you have to re-tool the core of the team. Settling for just moderate gains means you're focused on swapping out starters. Anything less than that, aiming for only minor boosts, is just tinkering with the bench. The level of players you change dictates the potential leap, period.

We have strong tailwinds from player development, so significant improvement could still come without re-tooling, but it's important to be realistic about what the desired acceleration will actually require.

[RichCollab]

Let's be blunt about NBA roster changes: If you want drastic improvement, you have to re-tool the core of the team. Settling for just moderate gains means you're focused on swapping out starters. Anything less than that, aiming for only minor boosts, is just tinkering with the bench. The level of players you change dictates the potential leap, period.

We have strong tailwinds from player development, so significant improvement could still come without re-tooling, but it's important to be realistic about what the desired acceleration will actually require.

We have our top 3 already. I doubt we add a center.

AB and KCP will need to be moved to open up last starting spot.

We don’t need dramatic change.

[eyriq]

Let's be blunt about NBA roster changes: If you want drastic improvement, you have to re-tool the core of the team. Settling for just moderate gains means you're focused on swapping out starters. Anything less than that, aiming for only minor boosts, is just tinkering with the bench. The level of players you change dictates the potential leap, period.

We have strong tailwinds from player development, so significant improvement could still come without re-tooling, but it's important to be realistic about what the desired acceleration will actually require.

We have our top 3 already. I doubt we add a center.

AB and KCP will need to be moved to open up last starting spot.

We don’t need dramatic change.

You don't trade AB for a starting spot upgrade. Terrible.

[Bensational]

Let's be blunt about NBA roster changes: If you want drastic improvement, you have to re-tool the core of the team. Settling for just moderate gains means you're focused on swapping out starters. Anything less than that, aiming for only minor boosts, is just tinkering with the bench. The level of players you change dictates the potential leap, period.

We have strong tailwinds from player development, so significant improvement could still come without re-tooling, but it's important to be realistic about what the desired acceleration will actually require.

Disagree. Or, it’s not that black and white. Retooling the supporting cast might prove a better fit and overall team product and generate drastic improvements in results. Especially with a young squad.

We haven’t seen how far our big 3 of Paolo/Franz/Suggs could’ve taken us this year. We haven’t seen them with their equivalent of Porzingis and White/JRue in the starting lineup with them, and a reliable Payton Pritchard off the bench. That’s gotta be the next iteration, IMO.

[eyriq]

Let's be blunt about NBA roster changes: If you want drastic improvement, you have to re-tool the core of the team. Settling for just moderate gains means you're focused on swapping out starters. Anything less than that, aiming for only minor boosts, is just tinkering with the bench. The level of players you change dictates the potential leap, period.

We have strong tailwinds from player development, so significant improvement could still come without re-tooling, but it's important to be realistic about what the desired acceleration will actually require.

Disagree. Or, it’s not that black and white. Retooling the supporting cast might prove a better fit and overall team product and generate drastic improvements in results. Especially with a young squad.

We haven’t seen how far our big 3 of Paolo/Franz/Suggs could’ve taken us this year. We haven’t seen them with their equivalent of Porzingis and White/JRue in the starting lineup with them, and a reliable Payton Pritchard off the bench. That’s gotta be the next iteration, IMO.

That's fair, and I agree. It just amuses me that the posters which are most critical of this build are the most protective of our core's weakest link.