2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I'm not sure if you've looked into Denver's cap situation...

Jokic: 59m
Murray: 50.1m
Gordon: 32m
Cam: 23m
Braun: 21.5m
Valanciunas: 10m
Zeke: 7.5m
Strawther: 4.8m
Holmes II: 3.4m
Tyson: 2.4m
Pickett: 2.4m
Bruce Brown: 2.5m
Tim Hardaway Jr: 2.5m
1x Vet Min Cap Hold: 2.5m
----
Total: $223.6m

They're already over the 2nd Apron without resigning Watson and assuming Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr come back for the minimum. If we force them into matching 30m for Peyton Watson, their roster cost would balloon to over $250m and their tax bill would be ~$185m - so they've got real decisions to make. They've shown they don't want to pay more than $20m in tax. To get down to that, they'd have to shed about $35-40m in salary.

I imagine they get rid of Cam (dumping into someone's cap space) & Valanciunas (non guaranteed). That lowers their wage bill by $28m and gets them closer to a $30m tax payment. That will weaken them. If they lose Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr as well, their new found depth is gone again.

Agreed, Ellis is a two way player. He isn't some lockdown defender like a Scottie Pippen, Tony Allen or Ron Artest. What he is, is a very good POA defender that puts alot of effort in, gets a good amount of steals and can shoot over 40% from 3. Plus his cap hold and contract should be really cheap moving forward.

Grimes is a big 6'4 with a 6'8 wingspan and some weight behind him. He can guard 1-3 and only has a weakness with the fastest 1's or biggest 3's. He is also a tertiary creator and a good shooter. We'd be a little small with a lineup of Ellis (6'4), Reaves (6'5), Grimes (6'4), Luka (6'8) but we could always insert LaRavia into the starting lineup and have Ellis off the bench. We'd only be missing a 3-4 wing defender and the hope would be that Adou can grow into that.

Not sure if we'd have enough offence, but a rotation of Ellis, Smart, Grimes, LaRavia, Vando, Adou and Claxton would be alot of defense and 5 credible two way players (not including Vando or Adou's offence).

 

We seem obsessed with small ball for some reason, but nobody is winning like that

 

We could easily run a

Grimes (6'4) / Ellis (6'4)
Reaves (6'5) / Smart (6'4)
LaRavia (6'8) / Adou (6'8)
Luka (6'8) /Vando (6'9)
Claxton (7') / Hayes (7')

That's a pretty modern, balanced lineup. 4 guards, two of which are thicker (Smart and Grimes), 4 wings and 2 seven footers. Plus the TPMLE for a 4/5.

 

Again, I’ll be pretty content with adding a couple of guys who can consistently walk and chew gum at the same time. The inconsistency of some of our guys is ridiculous.

except Gabe. He’s consistently terrible.

 

That group is going to get pounded on the boards and in the paint, by Denver, Minnesota, OKC, Houston, and The Flippers, probably Dallas too.

 

oh i've looked at it. i just know they can probably get a 1st for johnson from a cap space team (of which there should be a few who have enough to absorb and would be willing to do so), and they'd dump jonas and be pretty close to something they could stomach financially.

again, i still think if we can, we should force that--don't let them sign watson to a team-friendly deal. they're a competitor for the next couple years, minimum.

i'd probably start ellis and bring grimes off the bench (with a bigger paycheck and more minutes), but yeah, to me that's a team that can compete with the best ones. and again, denver and okc should lose and not gain players going forward, and they're the only teams that just flat out outclass us right now. i guess maybe detroit, but i need to see them win in the playoffs first.

 

So...Claxton weighs about 160 soaking wet, with a career avg of 7 rebs. We think he and Hayes are enough at 5, to be elite? That's crazy. Then we are going to plop Luka at 4 on defense? Have you watched Luka on D, in the paint this season? Another crazy idea IMO.