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

We enter the offseason with ~77.3M committed in salaries, including:

Russell
Clarkson/Nwaba
Ingram/Deng/Brewer
Randle/Nance
Mozgov/Black/Zubac

We also have a few cap holds, including the picks, and I presume Nick is walking.

I'm looking to position this team to be in the best spot to land PG13 and be immediately as close to contention as possible, so I'm looking to shed Deng and Mozgov. I've scoured the FA lists, and I have a pretty good sense of what's available. I'm also speculating on some trades.

Spoiler: How we get there

If we can swap Deng and 28 for a re-signed Rudy Gay (one year, $14M), I do that. It cuts salary, moves that long-standing contract, and gives us a guy who can at least contribute. Gay even gets a slight raise going into a season in which hey won't be near 100%.

I move Mozgov, Black, and a future first or Mozgov, Brewer, plus a future first for Brook Lopez. This opens up a bit of cap space in the long run (and if it's Brewer, it opens it up immediately). That future pick - say, next year's - is going to be better than the 28th, so it gives Brooklyn something in the short term (Mozgov and Brewer or Black) and something for the future (Black and the pick). It gives us a legit post player and borderline all-star. I don't know which player Brooklyn would rather have - presumably Black?

So, now we're at:
Russell/
Clarkson/Nwaba
Ingram/Gay
Randle/Nance
Lopez/Zubac

And we have 67.1M committed. With minimum cap holds, we'd be at about 69M in salaries committed, meaning we'd have the possibility of offering a deal starting at $32M to someone. Bear that in mind. We could draft Ball, be at $26M for a starting contract, and offer that to Millsap. Two years, $52M. I am far from sure that gets it done, but it might.

If we keep Ball, we can do the following:
Ball/
Russell/Clarkson/Nwaba
Ingram/Gay
Millsap/Randle/Nance
Lopez/Zubac
--Sign Jason Terry for the minimum, add a wing at the minimum, and add in a big for the minimum. We'd be in solid shape.

Scenario 1
Ball/Terry
Russell/Clarkson/Nwaba
Ingram/Gay/WING
Millsap/Randle/Nance
Lopez/Zubac/BIG
--and then see what happens. After the season, Gay and Lopez would expire. We'd have to break the bank on George, giving him max, and we'd have less flexibility, but we could swing it. Lopez might even stick around for four years, $72M or so. I don't know that we get Millsap, but if we do, then we're probably about a 41-44 win team.

I still favor moving JC, JR, and the #2 for George - and doing it now.

Scenario 2
Russell/Terry
George/Nwaba
Ingram/Gay
Millsap/Nance
Lopez/Zubac
--It's a good team. We add nine all-star appearances to the roster, and we still have a core that's under 30 except for Millsap. I project this team at 56 wins next season.

 

Exactly. The #2 pick by itself for George?... maybe but he's still not even under contract past this year. Whether you like Ball, Fox, or Jackson it doesn't really matter. What happens if we trade that kid away and George walks? We get nothing for our effort last year. No thanks. Include other kids too? That doesn't make sense.

Now if we the offer was #2 + some assets for Butler... I'd have to really think about it. Butler is on a really friendly contract for 2 more years. That gives us so much more leeway to get another star in FA. That makes so much more sense.

All in all though, the only real effort we need to make this summer is trading away Mozgov and Deng. I actually think Mozgov could rebuild some value this season, so I'm in no rush there, but Deng has no value. He should be traded or stretched this summer.

 

I don't mind a good conversation, but I have explained this several times.

There's no guarantee George comes here.
-He'll still be giving up $ to leave Indiana.
-We'll need a S&T or a max slot opened - and Indy would likely spite us and not do that.
-Indiana is a much better team than we are.
-A key injury to any one of our young players could make us suck again, further turning off FAs.

If we trade for George, then we have him, his Non Bird Rights, and different options for extending him.
We don't even have to take on extra salary to do that. In fact, we could shed salary in acquiring George.
The #2 pick doesn't mean very much to us, likely gives us a player several years away from being an impact player (honestly, I'd say 3 years, maybe 4, given how other picks have developed).
We already have one the best young combo guards in the NBA, and, statistically, in NBA history.
If we add George this year, we can make other moves to be a playoff team, further enticing FAs to sign or re-sign (for perhaps even less money).
If we don't move some of the young assets we have, we risk losing them for nothing. I would be most willing to move JC, and Randle is second on the list (among those two, Russell, and Ingram).
In terms of skillset, a can't-shoot, can't-defend PF is not a good fit with any team we might want to build.

 

I mean we paid Clarkson and he still has value. I don't think Randle has much leg to stand on to demand much more than a 15-17 million dollar deal and I think that's more than tradable. I agree things need to happen and the window for a perfect landing is next summer, but I don't think our young players have no value if they're extended.

 

Cleveland might want him, too. Gotta act soon.

 

My offer was Clarkson with a bad contract and extra picks on the end. We have some extra 2nds and we have some opportunities to use our future picks or to use the "switch picks" thing that the Nets did. We have the #28 pick.

Clarkson has value as a sixth man on a good contract. Randle's contract will be roughly similar. I'm fine giving both of them those deals. Will we get great value? No, but it doesn't matter anyway. We're past the opportunity where Randle's next contract won't be on the minds of the buyer. He's a year away from his extension. Anyone trading for him knows they're going to be on the hook for his deal next summer. If you're trying to bail on a kid before we (or the next team) has to pay him, it's Russell or Ingram or maybe Nance or Zubac.

I still think there's plenty of value in our young guys and if there isn't, then I'm fine sitting on them.