Quote:
Originally Posted by Melonhead
Honestly at a loss for what the team should do.
Trade THJ? But what is a primary need? We have so many own dimensional guys. A priority for the off-season will be to retain Brunson
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1) I think the presence of Chriss shows you just how important that forward spot is-- particularly the 4. Chriss is great, but if you can (with @#$@ for assets) get an upgrade/supplement for Chriss like Jerami Grant/Pascal Siakam, you do it. KP played super well next to Chriss and then we saw how well Luka did which just proves how much of a black hole the PF spot is. We need athleticism, length, rebounding, and defense next to Luka and KP. Sabonis provides less athleticism/length/rebounding/defense role but could be a deadly passer and playmaker next to KP and Luka. DFS is a strong player who doesn't wilt under pressure, but he's been far too exposed guarding bigger players. You keep DFS as a 3/D SF or you throw him into a trade if it makes you significantly better.
2) Clear salary. With or without Brunson, we are over the cap/tax and will be for as long as we have KP/Luka both taking the max. I'm not sure the FO wants to offer Brunson what it will take to get him (20+/year) if it means paying the tax for the exact same barely-.500 team we are fielding. Unless we make a blockbuster deal to get rid of KP, we only really have a few options. We have to get better, clear cap space, or both.
2a) Shedding THJ (even just for space) makes the most sense. He has a long deal, but it's a fairly friendly one and goes down by the year and is fairly palatable for a team in need of scoring. Is anyone desperate enough to take him, though? Maybe not this year, but maybe next year or the year after as the $ goes down.
2b) Powell will have 1.5 years left and getting out of that could open up some opportunities. He's a great locker room guy and expiring contract next year but absolutely worthless without a playmaker capable of lobs
2c) Kleber? He only has 1.5 more years at a very reasonable salary. He defends, fits the system well, and hits the three. I wouldn't protect him, but I also wouldn't shop him for salary savings alone.
2d) Bullock - again he's paid fairly reasonably paid which means he could be an asset, but if he can keep playing defense while hitting threes, he's exactly the player you want.
2e) the small contracts. Sterling, Boban, Franky, and Moses are all outperforming their salaries and you aren't going to get under the cap by trading them. Burke is worth exploring as a way of getting a roster spot for Chriss, but also won't clear massive space for you to keep Brunson.
Some will say that we need another playmaker, but Kidd has made KP into a solid playmaker (4.7 assists in last 3 games) and we've even seen solid team playmaking recently including a 10assist game from Green. Brunson has also been solid at 6ast. I'm not sure you go looking for another playmaker, particularly with such a glaring need at PF and so few assets to work with.