2019/20 Players' Transactions: Breaking News , Trades, Free Agents, And Rumors

Maybe Zu is going out with Deng in a deal for PG-13 and he knows it.

 

Almost the next sentence after that quote was,"We think Zubac is a pillar of our rebuild" or something like that. He also spoke highly of Mozgov. He did not mention Deng at all, ever.

That quote is a little out of context.

 

A few quick thoughts on Centers...

"Pure Centers" who are currently FAs
1. Monroe* - He's only 27, he can opt out, and he's a career 14/9 guy who shoots over 51%. Even in a year he was benched, he has played well - 19/11 per36, 21 PER, and 1.8 VORP.
2. Noel - He'll be 23, is a career 10/8, shooting 51%, and he's a well above league average player at this point (20 PER this year, 1.4 VORP).
3. Plumlee - He'll be 27, is a 10/8 player on 56% shooting. His offensive stats are really good - 18 PER, 2.5 VORP, but Nuggets fans can't stand him.
4. Len - He'll be 24, averages 8/7, shooting 50%, and he's already a league average player.
5. McGee - Not a starter, but he's a quality backup.
6. Pachulia - Aging vet, probably not a guy you'd dump big $ on.
7. Withey - 27 year old likely career backup. I wouldn't be opposed on a cheap contract, because his per36 look good, but he's not a guy we'd call a starter from day 1.
8. Tavares - He'll be 25, and he has almost no game time. Intriguing prospect, but he's not a guy you'd make a starter.
9. Olynyk - He'll be 25, doesn't rebound, but he's at 9 points on 51% FGs this season. A touch above league average at 15.2 PER and 1.0 VORP.
10. Hibbert - been there, done that.
11. Anthony - Never really was a starter. Just a guy who did some dirty work.


PFs who can play C
1. Ibaka - At 28 next year, he's got good years left - a good shooter, can stretch the floor, and averaged 15/7 this year. Still above average overall and especially on D.
2. Gasol* - Can't see him coming back, but a one-year deal would be intriguing.

So, honestly, if we moved JC, JR, and a pick to bring in George and added Monroe or Noel, that would be an intriguing move. And if we added Ibaka short term or Gasol for one year, then depending upon what other moves we made - is Moz out? Is Deng? Are both? We could field an immediate solid playoff team.

 

A new crazy idea.

JR, JC, Hou 1st for George.
Sign Noel straight up, starting at 18M/year. (Don't like that, fine, but bear with me.)
Trade Mozgov and Top3 for Lin and Thornton.

Russell/Lin/Ennis
George/Thornton/Nwaba
Ingram/Brewer
Deng/Nance/Robinson
Noel/Black/Zubac

I don't love Deng at the PF spot, but we have enough versatility to slide some of our bigs around. Nance can play the 4, Robinson is an adequate backup, but Black can also play that spot.

We add:
Respectable outside shooting from Lin and Thornton
Another solid ball handler in Lin
Massively improved defense at the 2, 5.

The Drawbacks:
Can a team with Deng starting make the playoffs? Sure. Can it go deep? I don't know; it really depends on his fitness and dedication.
It's not the huge splashes some want.
Does it mortgage the future? Thornton could be on a one or two year deal. Lin has two years left on his deal. Black could walk after next season. So, I don't think so. I think we would be in full win-now mode. And I can't see anyone saying no to any of those proposed moves. If you have anything better for the first pick that doesn't involve landing Butler, let me know.

I honestly believe that four of our starters have all-star potential over the next three seasons.

 

He's there to make salaries work.

 

Lol. Sorry. Marcus Thornton. But he was waived, so I'm not sure it would work. It could honestly be anyone on their roster for ~4M.

 

Actually, the salaries work without Thornton, so we don't need him. We could snag a vet who wants to play with Paul George.

 

s***. Where did I assume that? When I suggested a contract of 4 years, $75m? They may match, but he's worth it - which is why you have to make the offer. Monroe is another fish in the sea, by the way. But - for what it's worth, you can also offer a trade built around that top3 pick if you keep it - in order to get them to NOT match. It's all in how you play it.

 

I'm not sure what you're going for here, but I'll try to answer your questions in as straightforward a way as possible. Note that we're in the Free Agency thread, and I'm discussing Free Agents.

Will Dallas match all possible offers on Noel? I don't think so, but perhaps you have some evidence to suggest they will. I'd like to hear it (they WANT him back - no doubt - but at what cost?). So given that there are some limits to what they'll match, I drew a line at four years, $75m. Here's why: 12 players in the NBA received larger offers than that last season. Eight of them were returning to their previous team. Among those who didn't: Horford was chasing a better playoff team, Barnes went to Dallas, Parsons left Dallas, and Anderson went to Houston for the shot at a ring. I don't know what to make of Dallas, except to say that they're on the decline, while the Lakers are not. They probably do want Noel, but how badly do they want him? 75M bad? Maybe. You force their hands.

Why would anyone consider Monroe? Did you read my earlier post? He'll be 27, averaged 12/7 off the bench, was his most efficient ever, and had probably his second best season as a pro. He's the second best player on that team, and both the traditional stats and the advanced stats tend to bear that out. It's true that they were a better team this year than last year, if that's what you mean by moving him to the bench, but they had four new starters this year an a year older Giannis. I don't know how much you'd attribute to the switch for Monroe in this case (but look at his on/off numbers; they're better when he plays - by far). Why would anyone consider him? Why WOULDN'T anyone consider him? Given that the Lakers have voiced an interest in a 5, he absolutely has to be at or near the top of a very short list. If not him, who?

 

I was all for a Noel for Clarkson swap last offseason. It would have prevented us from going after Mozgov and after what Noel got traded for, Clarkson would have been great for them.