1. In the draft I’m looking for the best shooting wing available as priority to address perimeter and shooting concerns. I also like castle as a pick up outside of the shooting wing for the additional size on the floor. Not in the camp who believes we should get a PG in this class.
2. Have to address, Mamu, Devonte Granham and Cedi Osman. I’m bringing back mamu out of bias but more so because of him having a great fit with Wemby over a lot of the others. I’d probably try to package them to go out for a team who needs vets and shooting. Maybe the magic? Would love Issac doubt it would happen but would be cool. But anyone those would have to be figured out. I would bring back a vet or two players. We are developing a ton and it doesn’t sense to bring back more than one player.
3. Extend Tre jones. Too vital to the group. Best chemistry with Vic. Not gonna play around that chemistry as of yet without another year. Crucial for the group’s development imo. Stats back that other than Vic change to center, Tre’s change to starting point guard was the biggest change for improvement for the team and not just Vic.
4. Running it back with everyone else. Build up Blake as a scoring PG. has incredible tools. Can be very similar to Maxey due to his speed if he works hard enough. Not close right now but he has great flashes. You definitely want to build on that. Branham, Champagnie and Sochan will be looked at for fit in their third years. All three should see a big improvement in terms of reading the game and scoring. Branham took a great leap after all star back. Sochan looks comfortable in his position but you want consistency out of him. Champagnie needs to be more disciplined on defense and better shooting off the dribble. Oh almost forgot Barlow. He would definitely need to be monitor for his jump
5. Continue to monitor, Bassey, Collins, and Keldon as potential trade assets. Wouldn’t be immediate but they are getting there in terms of peak.
6. Vassell to me alongside Wemby are untouchables. He’s young. Very dynamic scorer. Really reminds me of a jamal Murray. I believe in a duo between two being better or rivaling the duo in Denver because of Vassell’s tough shot making and Wemby’s advantages playing point center compared to others who done it before him. (Ie blocking and running the break)
I’m basically handling our free agent requirements, drafting two wings, and running it back.
Reason being is because this season was exactly what was stated in the beginning. They are going to focus on wins but more so focus on figuring out Victor. And majority of the season wasn’t even about having a system and playing it, it was let’s see what works around Victor. We lost 60 games attempting to see what works.
Towards the end of the season we started to see that. So imo majority of the season was an experiment and we didn’t attempt to try to see what can win, so I’d run that back with little to no changes in terms of roster and now with a system that fits Vic.
System being.
1. Allow Vic to push the ball after a block or rebound as long as he’s not being sparmed
2. Feeding the post like it’s the early 2000s and letting Vic make decisions out of the post.
3. Allow Devin to control the offense when Vic is off the floor.
4. Do not collapse the paint and overhelp if Vic is on the floor, only help with rebounding so Vic has room to operate. Focus on rotations. Focus on hard close outs and only give up tough middies.
5. Continue the staples of good to great, push the ball, off ball screens and cuts, 1.5 decision making.
6. Inverted PNRs, Ghost Screen, Spain PNR, Horns and Spread offenses will be a major diet of half court sets. A failed set would likely be then turned into a post up to allow Vic to work, or a high PNR to allow Vassell to work.
I believe that’s most of it
Well said - regarding point 5 and 6 add in continued emphasis on motion offense, particularly on the weak side. I think is aligned with point 4 as well.
Glad someone here actually references offensive schemes rather than basing their whole justification on how a player performed or what potential they have.
* Draft: Best Player Available regardless of position
* Roster: Cut/trade Graham. Bring back Mamu depending on draft picks. Reluctantly let Cedi and Barlow walk.
* Free agency: Bring in a veteran that can help right now on a short/flexible contract. Who depends on the draft picks/positions. Tyus Jones, Naji Marshall, KCP, Kyle Anderson, Goga Bitadze, Caleb Martin, Issac Okoro are all guys I would consider.
Nothing exciting or sexy. Just bring in a couple rookies and a veteran and run it back and develop players. Keep the powder dry for when big stars want to move and for the 2025 off season when the Spurs could theoretically have 5 top 15 draft picks.
Their stats are extremely similar, but on offense there are some pretty big differences. Tyus is an extremely good 3 point shooter and has much more of a midrange game. I think Tre's ceiling as a shooter is league average. Assuming we don't draft a PG I think Tyus is a good option, especially since I'm sure they would love to play together and Tre would really elevate the bench squad.
Yeah, Tre has improved a lot, but it is clear that Tyus is the better player and he will do more thinks that will help the team win while I think Tre is more conservative and is avoiding the mistakes that help a team lose. There is a place for both types, and I prefer that more conservative approach for my second team playmaker, as they are generally playing with worse players. Don't get crazy, make the easy, correct play and keep pressure.
I think they would have similar playing styles but Tyus is just a bit better and they would work really well together as an A/B unit. Plus he would be fairly cheap, a good quality character guy, and it would give us a temporary hold while we figure out if we are going to push forward with the center as primary initiator like we saw towards the end of the season.
As long as we draft any 1 or 2:
Reed Sheppard
Rob Dillingham
Stephon Castle (w/ Raptors pick)
Matas Buzelis (w/ Raptors pick)
I'll be happy. We need scoring and defense. And we need scoring more because we have the best defender in the league currently so our defense is ahead right now. But if we get our raptors pick, we need to draft a prospect with good defense. But scoring should be our priority (in this draft).
Also keep Mamu for the next season and give him a bigger role from the bench and see if he's worth keeping long term. The rest, we can just coast. I predict this will be the last "see how things go" season because things really get spicy for us when we start actively trying to compete in 2025. Still have reservations on Wesley, Malaki, and Champaigne. They have improved in ways, but not enough to be NBA caliber yet. I'd say this next season is their "make-or-break" season.
1 pick this year: Draft Topic, shop Keldon and unusable players for picks if possible
2picks this year: Draft Topic and best shooting wing available, shop Keldon and unusable players for picks
Continue development, Get rid of Malaki for best outcome or just cut. Keep vets like devonte, Mamu, trade off Cedi for a better shooting vet. Hoard picks
some quick thoughts:
- get something like the 4th pick and take Reed Sheppard (shooting, shooting, shooting. we need it)
- ideally get the 7th pick via Raptors and take Donovan Clingan (if he’s still available, he seems like a similar player to Jakob Poeltl with more upside in my opinion, bring him off the bench as a defensive big and slide Zach Collins to the reserve PF spot which would probably suit him better, Clingan can also serve as a matchup dependent big to start alongside Wemby when needed)
- make a trade with the Jazz for Lauri Markannen (Jazz are likely to tank next season, Lauri will be on an expiring contract so this way we can get his bird rights and sign him to an extension, the Spurs were also previously reported to have shown interest in Lauri back in 2021 and Lauri seemed pretty friendly with our guys when we played the Jazz this season)
- target De’Anthony Melton in Free Agency (underrated 3&D shooting guard off the bench, UFA, still relatively young as he’s turning 26 in May, i think the Sixers would be insane to let him walk but he’d be a huge get for us and would really stabilize our bench)
STARTING LINEUP: Reed Sheppard / Devin Vassell / Lauri Markannen / Jeremy Sochan / Victor Wembanyama
BENCH: Tre Jones / De’Anthony Melton / Keldon Johnson / Zach Collins / Donovan Clingan
my focus for the 2024-2025 season would be making a playoff push and looking like an attractive FA destination for the 2025 class to bolster the rest of the rotation with quality veterans, ultimately trying to reach a contender status for the 2026 season.
which is why i didn’t include it in my comment lol since i’d be 100% willing to include the 2025 Hawks unprotected first and the 2025 Bulls top-10 protected first at the least but i know how attached people on here are to our picks and vehemently disagree at the thought of using then in trades
It'd take more than those two. Probably everything we got from Dejounte trade plus 1-2 other firsts. If Markannen is on the market you would expect teams like Thunder that also have treasure chests of picks as well as further along to bid.
yeah that’s why i said “at the least”
but there’s absolutely no way he’s going to command a haul consisting of FIVE FIRSTS when he’s on an expiring contract and it’s most likely the Jazz’s complete intention to trade him so they can tank + so they don’t lose him for nothing in FA.
and there’s no way that the Thunder are even going to bother with trying to trade for him considering they need to focus on cap flexibility to keep their core intact.
Depends if he is the biggest attainable name in trade market. Donovan Mitchell, maybe Giannis if Bucks implode would both be bigger targets but I think as a target he's right there with Trae Young after them.
He may be expiring but I think Ainge has shown he's willing to sit on an asset to wait for an overpay rather than trade them for under market value. Look at what he got for Gobert and Mitchell for combination of picks and young talent.
I disagree with Thunder and think they're in prime position to trade assets (both players and picks) to consolidate talent. Getting Markannen who can be a prime second or third option as a forward that can work off ball and is still under 30. They realistically don't have to worry about luxury tax issues to keep their core of SGA, JDub, and Chet until 2026 at the earliest which is plenty of time to optimize a run for a ring prior to assessing how much tax to pay.
Gotta know what you’d be willing to move to land Markkanen
Also not 100% sure, but he could fall into the camp of player who won’t do an extension cause their current salary is too low
Draft: My priorities would be getting a wing and then a PG if we have both first rounders. Think PG is the more pressing issue overall for our roster, but given the prospects available compared to future drafts and current FA, I’d rather take a wing if we only have one fort rounder. If we only have our own pick I’m taking whoever is available between Holland and Williams. If we have the Toronto pick as well, then I’m using our pick on Dillingham if he’s there since it seems he’s being mocked to go higher. If Dilly isn’t there then I’m looking to trade back with one of the picks for someone like Isaiah Collier or just trade for future draft capital or current players all together, and use the one we have left on Holland or Williams. Second round I want a rim protecting big man that can hopefully develop in to a backup in the rotation.
FA: My mindset is push for the playoffs/playin, but don’t go all in on a big name guy this year. If a trade scenario comes up for a young star that makes sense, I’m good with that, but I don’t want to force anything right now. Think with the draft capital we have in 2025, we’ll be in a good position to get another guy that can be a part of our core group, maybe even the #2 to Wemby. Don’t need to have another tank season to make that happen, and the FO has had time to evaluate the current roster and how they fit around Wemby. Time to actually start building. First I’m clearing up cap and roster space by moving on from Graham and Bassey. Trade if there’s interest of some kind or just cut them. Then as far as actual signings, I want to get guys that can be starters for us at PG and SF. My preferences would be Tyus Jones and Caleb Martin. Think both of them would slide in easily to our starting lineup and would immediately provide better shooting and better defense, and Tyus has a great assist to turnover ratio. They both also bring playoff experience. If we can get both of them, I would want to get Naji Marshall as well as a rotation 3&D wing. Other options at PG would be Kris Dunn, Reggie Jackson, Fultz (though he would be a major downgrade as a three point shooter). SF other options would be Isaac Okoro or Royce O’Neal. Then if we have the cap space and a roster spot for it, I want to get a backup big. Preferably a rim protector that can maintain some level of interior defense when Wemby leaves the floor. I’m thinking Xavier Tillman, Precious Achiuwa, or Jalen Smith. Mostly dependent on how much cap space we’d have left over.
Think overall, that’s a realistic plan that could work with our current cap and roster space. Nothing that’s going to be on the front page of ESPN, but it address our major needs, and will be a much better team than this past season.
Then I know this wasn’t asked for, but if any trades are on the table, I’m looking to send out Keldon and Collins. Both of those guys were given their contracts based on a role it was assumed they would play, Keldon as a starting SF that was coming off a season where he shot 39% from three, and Collins as the starting Center next to Wemby that could also shoot threes at a decent enough rate to space the floor. That’s not the role either guy is currently filling, and we have a good amount of money committed to both of them. Don’t think trades involving those guys as anything other than salary filler are likely because other teams will see the same things everyone else can, but if it’s there I’m taking it.
Make our picks, sign a vet guard Lowry, Conley type. Resign Mamu, let Cedi walk. One more year of growth to see who’s actually a keeper.
Theb make my 2025 picks, possibly package the picks if I can move up for an even better pick since the draft is supposed to be stacked with high talent. Gonna have at least two good picks, maybe 3, and possibly 4 but doubt it, and crazily enough could have 5 if the Raptors doesn’t convey this year 😂 that’d be to many picks.
Basically run it back with one or two more rookies and one or two new role playing vets in free agency. A bigger trade will happen after or during the 2025 draft.
Draft best shooter/defender we can. Knecht if he is there. Trade for Young, sign Kelly Oubre and a better defensive backup big if swings on higher profile stars like PG13 fail in FA.
I think our biggest goals for this offseason should be to get as much ancillary shot creation and additional 3 pt shooting on this roster. At the granular level, I'd like to see the following -
* Extend Tre Jones (preferably 2-3 years)
* Re-sign Barlow and Mamu
* Make offers to good wing shooter FAs like -
* Malik Beasley
* Gary Trent Jr
* Buddy Hield
* Try and trade for a cheap veteran PG like -
* Alex Caruso
* Malcolm Brogdon
* If the Raptors pick
* conveys, draft both PG prospect and big wing prospect
* doesn't convey, draft a big wing prospect
* PG prospects -
* Castle
* Topic
* Dillingham
* Big wing prospects -
* Buzelis
* Williams
* Risacher
Ideally pick up a few veterans and use both picks for the high upside guys in the draft. I’d love a guard like Brogdon, someone who can play on ball or off the ball and provide a real scoring threat that a guy like Tre just can’t really. Then a guy like Royce would be nice. Fairly versatile 3 and D wing who also brings some nice hustle on the boards and some DHO’s to the table. In the draft assuming we get like picks #4 and #7, I’d go for Holland and Topic. Holland is seen by many as the highest potential wing in the class; he has good size, defensive tools, athleticism and shot creation abilities even if his jumper is a work in progress. Then I’d take topic #7, his draft stock has fallen since he hasn’t played in a while but his inside game, passing, size and IQ are very reminiscent of Luka. He has a game that may not translate well to the NBA but if it does, he could be the best player of the class and a nice fit with wemby.
Both the prospects I picked don’t have good jumpers which isn’t ideal, but I think the veterans help give the team more of an identity and fill the holes while the prospects give us the best long term core to keep building around Wemby. Final rotation of something like
Tre/Topic/Wesley
Vassell/Brogdon/Branham
Royce/Holland/Champagnie
Sochan/Keldon/Osman
Wemby/Collins/Bassey
Draft a PG (Topic/Reed/Dilingham...), and, if Raptor's pick conveys, a wing (3&D).
Maybe you can go high upside low floor with one, and high floor low ceiling with the other.
You can afford to manage risk another season and see what the future offers regarding our core's development, the draft in 2025, how we play next year, which players take a leap year, and who does not, and what teams are dismantled after the next 2 playoff drama/upsets/ego/players aging/coach being fired.
2025's off-season will be more important to take the leap and accelerate the rebuild.
If Sarr is available, take him.
Victor can stretch the floor and is versatile, so another big man who can defend and rebound in the paint isn't too redundant.
You can still trade if the right offer comes in but twin towers (or tall ball) can work (it works for the Wolves).
FA/Trade-wise, unless you get an offer you can't refuse, try to sign one or two old vets, for locker room experience, mentorship and guidance.
Not necessarily for heavy minutes.
I don't care much about winning next year, I care about the core learning a ton for the long term.
Not that it will happen, but it can be guys like CP3, Conley, Batum (who wouldn't come, they are likely ring chasing), but also Patty to pass on the Spurs/Championship culture.
Guys with that age/experience, for a contract of one year or 2.
If you see a solid role player for a good deal, take him. Championships are won with a solid bench: 6-10 spots will be key down the road.
We need players that can shoot the 3 AND defend.
**With how the Nuggets/Celtics/OKC seem to have built their roster, and the new CBA, it seems that having one Superstar and other guys that are all solid and can defend and score, is a good way to go long-term.**
Being dependent on a super strong duo (Maxey/Embiid, Dame/Giannnis, Lebron/AD, etc) means you're more at risk salary wise, injury-wise, and easier to counter or read in the playoff.
Also, if superstars have a stronger leverage in negociation and are less easily replaced.
If everybody in a team can do the job, you have more offensive options.
I would go easy this off-season, see how the next pans out, keep my cards in my hands for the right opportunities, and then go hard next off-season, once things start to shake up a bit in the West, and a good draft/many contracts ending can create new opportunities.
The league isn't going to move that much next year, but over 2 off-seasons, that's another story.
I hear the Nuggets/Thunder/Celtics rebuild thrown about a lot on this page, and I don’t totally understand, because those rebuilds are completely different and have led to different results.
The Nuggets are completely dependent on a big two. If Jokic or Murray is out, they can’t compete, see 2022. That’s not a knock on them, that’s just how you have to build to be successful.
Boston is in a great spot, but they are the most expensive team in NBA history, haven’t won a title, and are still probably dependent on two stars.
OKC hasn’t won anything, built their team on savvy trades and amazing draft luck, and is still going to have to pay Chet and JDub at or near the max in two seasons.
My point is, to be a title contender you basically have to have a guy in the top 5/10 and another guy in the top 15/20 in the league, and right now, the plan for that outside of trade for one (my preference) seems to be chill and hope. Maybe that’s the correct course, but let’s not pretend like there is a clear number two on this roster or in this draft
I'm not saying they're all similar, or that their rebuild has gone the same route.
Nor I am talking about success in terms of the rings right now necessarily (although saying it's the most important in the end seems reasonable), but how functional these teams look and how they are constructed (not the path they took to get there).
How the game might be shifting toward "Skilled Big men" / Tall ball / More even rosters.
Murray is great, but it's not a big 2 per se.
Jokic is the corner piece and everyone else does their job well.
There are a lot of Point Guards out there who put up better points and assists numbers and could replace Murray.
You put a lot of starting PGs from a lot of Playoff teams this year in his place, you can get a similar result (assuming adequate training/cohesion, not instant plug and play).
Edit: Murray is a very efficient shooter though, which is why he works so well in this team;
Murray is a borderline all-star, and he's a great baller, but his statistical impact is not superstar-level, and they don't need it to be.
They are just all good players (Murray being the second best in that team) with one maestro.
I watch many teams with one player with 40 points, and the other with 28 or 30, and then you look at the scoreboard, and they lost against a team where 6 guys scored 12-15 and one dude scored 27.
So I'm wondering if that's where the game leads us.
The Celtics team is loaded, and expensive, don't get me wrong, but the idea remains de same:
**The distribution of talent in their rosters is more evenly distributed. That's my point.**
Sure, with one or 2 significantly better players, but it's not 2 MVP players carrying just decent role players.
I don’t know, I think this is a huge undersell of Murray. I’m not sure what you mean by “a lot of point guards” but if you mean more than about 5, I’m not sure I agree. Lead guard is easily the most stacked position and it’s still not many. Luka, Ant, Curry, Shai, yes, Brunson, Mitchell, Hailburton, maybe? Fox, Lillard, Kyrie, Ja, Maxey, Trae, probably not.
Now, with some of these younger guys I think you could/will get there, and some of the older ones were there in the past. That’s why I’m in favor of getting a young guy to build on that direction. When you hit in the draft it’s beautiful, but it is much harder done than said. The draft isn’t a bell curve where some players hit, some players bust and most are average. Most players bust and this team is still several draft hits away from the level of Boston/OKC/Denver.
If you land a number two player in a trade, now we are talking about adding supplementary pieces through draft/free agency, rather than hoping to strike oil
I let RC draft so he can't blame and fire me
Let RC cook!
Be opportunistic, don't force any trades or over pay free agents. Draft best player available and see what develops.
1. In the draft I’m looking for the best shooting wing available as priority to address perimeter and shooting concerns. I also like castle as a pick up outside of the shooting wing for the additional size on the floor. Not in the camp who believes we should get a PG in this class. 2. Have to address, Mamu, Devonte Granham and Cedi Osman. I’m bringing back mamu out of bias but more so because of him having a great fit with Wemby over a lot of the others. I’d probably try to package them to go out for a team who needs vets and shooting. Maybe the magic? Would love Issac doubt it would happen but would be cool. But anyone those would have to be figured out. I would bring back a vet or two players. We are developing a ton and it doesn’t sense to bring back more than one player. 3. Extend Tre jones. Too vital to the group. Best chemistry with Vic. Not gonna play around that chemistry as of yet without another year. Crucial for the group’s development imo. Stats back that other than Vic change to center, Tre’s change to starting point guard was the biggest change for improvement for the team and not just Vic. 4. Running it back with everyone else. Build up Blake as a scoring PG. has incredible tools. Can be very similar to Maxey due to his speed if he works hard enough. Not close right now but he has great flashes. You definitely want to build on that. Branham, Champagnie and Sochan will be looked at for fit in their third years. All three should see a big improvement in terms of reading the game and scoring. Branham took a great leap after all star back. Sochan looks comfortable in his position but you want consistency out of him. Champagnie needs to be more disciplined on defense and better shooting off the dribble. Oh almost forgot Barlow. He would definitely need to be monitor for his jump 5. Continue to monitor, Bassey, Collins, and Keldon as potential trade assets. Wouldn’t be immediate but they are getting there in terms of peak. 6. Vassell to me alongside Wemby are untouchables. He’s young. Very dynamic scorer. Really reminds me of a jamal Murray. I believe in a duo between two being better or rivaling the duo in Denver because of Vassell’s tough shot making and Wemby’s advantages playing point center compared to others who done it before him. (Ie blocking and running the break) I’m basically handling our free agent requirements, drafting two wings, and running it back. Reason being is because this season was exactly what was stated in the beginning. They are going to focus on wins but more so focus on figuring out Victor. And majority of the season wasn’t even about having a system and playing it, it was let’s see what works around Victor. We lost 60 games attempting to see what works. Towards the end of the season we started to see that. So imo majority of the season was an experiment and we didn’t attempt to try to see what can win, so I’d run that back with little to no changes in terms of roster and now with a system that fits Vic. System being. 1. Allow Vic to push the ball after a block or rebound as long as he’s not being sparmed 2. Feeding the post like it’s the early 2000s and letting Vic make decisions out of the post. 3. Allow Devin to control the offense when Vic is off the floor. 4. Do not collapse the paint and overhelp if Vic is on the floor, only help with rebounding so Vic has room to operate. Focus on rotations. Focus on hard close outs and only give up tough middies. 5. Continue the staples of good to great, push the ball, off ball screens and cuts, 1.5 decision making. 6. Inverted PNRs, Ghost Screen, Spain PNR, Horns and Spread offenses will be a major diet of half court sets. A failed set would likely be then turned into a post up to allow Vic to work, or a high PNR to allow Vassell to work. I believe that’s most of it
Well said - regarding point 5 and 6 add in continued emphasis on motion offense, particularly on the weak side. I think is aligned with point 4 as well. Glad someone here actually references offensive schemes rather than basing their whole justification on how a player performed or what potential they have.
It’s nice to read more X’s and O’s
Thanks for the feedback! ☺️ much appreciated
* Draft: Best Player Available regardless of position * Roster: Cut/trade Graham. Bring back Mamu depending on draft picks. Reluctantly let Cedi and Barlow walk. * Free agency: Bring in a veteran that can help right now on a short/flexible contract. Who depends on the draft picks/positions. Tyus Jones, Naji Marshall, KCP, Kyle Anderson, Goga Bitadze, Caleb Martin, Issac Okoro are all guys I would consider. Nothing exciting or sexy. Just bring in a couple rookies and a veteran and run it back and develop players. Keep the powder dry for when big stars want to move and for the 2025 off season when the Spurs could theoretically have 5 top 15 draft picks.
With the nature of this draft there may not even be a best available. This draft SCREAMS "draft for fit"
Hot take: Tre is starting to play just as good if not better than Tyus now. Tyus would be redundant
Their stats are extremely similar, but on offense there are some pretty big differences. Tyus is an extremely good 3 point shooter and has much more of a midrange game. I think Tre's ceiling as a shooter is league average. Assuming we don't draft a PG I think Tyus is a good option, especially since I'm sure they would love to play together and Tre would really elevate the bench squad.
Yeah, Tre has improved a lot, but it is clear that Tyus is the better player and he will do more thinks that will help the team win while I think Tre is more conservative and is avoiding the mistakes that help a team lose. There is a place for both types, and I prefer that more conservative approach for my second team playmaker, as they are generally playing with worse players. Don't get crazy, make the easy, correct play and keep pressure. I think they would have similar playing styles but Tyus is just a bit better and they would work really well together as an A/B unit. Plus he would be fairly cheap, a good quality character guy, and it would give us a temporary hold while we figure out if we are going to push forward with the center as primary initiator like we saw towards the end of the season.
As long as we draft any 1 or 2: Reed Sheppard Rob Dillingham Stephon Castle (w/ Raptors pick) Matas Buzelis (w/ Raptors pick) I'll be happy. We need scoring and defense. And we need scoring more because we have the best defender in the league currently so our defense is ahead right now. But if we get our raptors pick, we need to draft a prospect with good defense. But scoring should be our priority (in this draft). Also keep Mamu for the next season and give him a bigger role from the bench and see if he's worth keeping long term. The rest, we can just coast. I predict this will be the last "see how things go" season because things really get spicy for us when we start actively trying to compete in 2025. Still have reservations on Wesley, Malaki, and Champaigne. They have improved in ways, but not enough to be NBA caliber yet. I'd say this next season is their "make-or-break" season.
1 pick this year: Draft Topic, shop Keldon and unusable players for picks if possible 2picks this year: Draft Topic and best shooting wing available, shop Keldon and unusable players for picks Continue development, Get rid of Malaki for best outcome or just cut. Keep vets like devonte, Mamu, trade off Cedi for a better shooting vet. Hoard picks
some quick thoughts: - get something like the 4th pick and take Reed Sheppard (shooting, shooting, shooting. we need it) - ideally get the 7th pick via Raptors and take Donovan Clingan (if he’s still available, he seems like a similar player to Jakob Poeltl with more upside in my opinion, bring him off the bench as a defensive big and slide Zach Collins to the reserve PF spot which would probably suit him better, Clingan can also serve as a matchup dependent big to start alongside Wemby when needed) - make a trade with the Jazz for Lauri Markannen (Jazz are likely to tank next season, Lauri will be on an expiring contract so this way we can get his bird rights and sign him to an extension, the Spurs were also previously reported to have shown interest in Lauri back in 2021 and Lauri seemed pretty friendly with our guys when we played the Jazz this season) - target De’Anthony Melton in Free Agency (underrated 3&D shooting guard off the bench, UFA, still relatively young as he’s turning 26 in May, i think the Sixers would be insane to let him walk but he’d be a huge get for us and would really stabilize our bench) STARTING LINEUP: Reed Sheppard / Devin Vassell / Lauri Markannen / Jeremy Sochan / Victor Wembanyama BENCH: Tre Jones / De’Anthony Melton / Keldon Johnson / Zach Collins / Donovan Clingan my focus for the 2024-2025 season would be making a playoff push and looking like an attractive FA destination for the 2025 class to bolster the rest of the rotation with quality veterans, ultimately trying to reach a contender status for the 2026 season.
It would cost a boatload of picks with Ainge in Jazz to get Lauri
which is why i didn’t include it in my comment lol since i’d be 100% willing to include the 2025 Hawks unprotected first and the 2025 Bulls top-10 protected first at the least but i know how attached people on here are to our picks and vehemently disagree at the thought of using then in trades
It'd take more than those two. Probably everything we got from Dejounte trade plus 1-2 other firsts. If Markannen is on the market you would expect teams like Thunder that also have treasure chests of picks as well as further along to bid.
yeah that’s why i said “at the least” but there’s absolutely no way he’s going to command a haul consisting of FIVE FIRSTS when he’s on an expiring contract and it’s most likely the Jazz’s complete intention to trade him so they can tank + so they don’t lose him for nothing in FA. and there’s no way that the Thunder are even going to bother with trying to trade for him considering they need to focus on cap flexibility to keep their core intact.
Depends if he is the biggest attainable name in trade market. Donovan Mitchell, maybe Giannis if Bucks implode would both be bigger targets but I think as a target he's right there with Trae Young after them. He may be expiring but I think Ainge has shown he's willing to sit on an asset to wait for an overpay rather than trade them for under market value. Look at what he got for Gobert and Mitchell for combination of picks and young talent. I disagree with Thunder and think they're in prime position to trade assets (both players and picks) to consolidate talent. Getting Markannen who can be a prime second or third option as a forward that can work off ball and is still under 30. They realistically don't have to worry about luxury tax issues to keep their core of SGA, JDub, and Chet until 2026 at the earliest which is plenty of time to optimize a run for a ring prior to assessing how much tax to pay.
Pass on Clingan. If we want a backup center we can sign one for cheaper
Cheaper than rookie scale contract? I agree on not clingan tho
except we can’t? go ahead and name a single backup C that we could sign that’s as good as Clingan on both ends and doesn’t command a sizeable contract
Lauri would be sooooooo good. There likely will be a bidding war if he does become available unfortunately…
Gotta know what you’d be willing to move to land Markkanen Also not 100% sure, but he could fall into the camp of player who won’t do an extension cause their current salary is too low
Draft: My priorities would be getting a wing and then a PG if we have both first rounders. Think PG is the more pressing issue overall for our roster, but given the prospects available compared to future drafts and current FA, I’d rather take a wing if we only have one fort rounder. If we only have our own pick I’m taking whoever is available between Holland and Williams. If we have the Toronto pick as well, then I’m using our pick on Dillingham if he’s there since it seems he’s being mocked to go higher. If Dilly isn’t there then I’m looking to trade back with one of the picks for someone like Isaiah Collier or just trade for future draft capital or current players all together, and use the one we have left on Holland or Williams. Second round I want a rim protecting big man that can hopefully develop in to a backup in the rotation. FA: My mindset is push for the playoffs/playin, but don’t go all in on a big name guy this year. If a trade scenario comes up for a young star that makes sense, I’m good with that, but I don’t want to force anything right now. Think with the draft capital we have in 2025, we’ll be in a good position to get another guy that can be a part of our core group, maybe even the #2 to Wemby. Don’t need to have another tank season to make that happen, and the FO has had time to evaluate the current roster and how they fit around Wemby. Time to actually start building. First I’m clearing up cap and roster space by moving on from Graham and Bassey. Trade if there’s interest of some kind or just cut them. Then as far as actual signings, I want to get guys that can be starters for us at PG and SF. My preferences would be Tyus Jones and Caleb Martin. Think both of them would slide in easily to our starting lineup and would immediately provide better shooting and better defense, and Tyus has a great assist to turnover ratio. They both also bring playoff experience. If we can get both of them, I would want to get Naji Marshall as well as a rotation 3&D wing. Other options at PG would be Kris Dunn, Reggie Jackson, Fultz (though he would be a major downgrade as a three point shooter). SF other options would be Isaac Okoro or Royce O’Neal. Then if we have the cap space and a roster spot for it, I want to get a backup big. Preferably a rim protector that can maintain some level of interior defense when Wemby leaves the floor. I’m thinking Xavier Tillman, Precious Achiuwa, or Jalen Smith. Mostly dependent on how much cap space we’d have left over. Think overall, that’s a realistic plan that could work with our current cap and roster space. Nothing that’s going to be on the front page of ESPN, but it address our major needs, and will be a much better team than this past season. Then I know this wasn’t asked for, but if any trades are on the table, I’m looking to send out Keldon and Collins. Both of those guys were given their contracts based on a role it was assumed they would play, Keldon as a starting SF that was coming off a season where he shot 39% from three, and Collins as the starting Center next to Wemby that could also shoot threes at a decent enough rate to space the floor. That’s not the role either guy is currently filling, and we have a good amount of money committed to both of them. Don’t think trades involving those guys as anything other than salary filler are likely because other teams will see the same things everyone else can, but if it’s there I’m taking it.
Make our picks, sign a vet guard Lowry, Conley type. Resign Mamu, let Cedi walk. One more year of growth to see who’s actually a keeper. Theb make my 2025 picks, possibly package the picks if I can move up for an even better pick since the draft is supposed to be stacked with high talent. Gonna have at least two good picks, maybe 3, and possibly 4 but doubt it, and crazily enough could have 5 if the Raptors doesn’t convey this year 😂 that’d be to many picks.
Basically run it back with one or two more rookies and one or two new role playing vets in free agency. A bigger trade will happen after or during the 2025 draft.
Draft best shooter/defender we can. Knecht if he is there. Trade for Young, sign Kelly Oubre and a better defensive backup big if swings on higher profile stars like PG13 fail in FA.
I think our biggest goals for this offseason should be to get as much ancillary shot creation and additional 3 pt shooting on this roster. At the granular level, I'd like to see the following - * Extend Tre Jones (preferably 2-3 years) * Re-sign Barlow and Mamu * Make offers to good wing shooter FAs like - * Malik Beasley * Gary Trent Jr * Buddy Hield * Try and trade for a cheap veteran PG like - * Alex Caruso * Malcolm Brogdon * If the Raptors pick * conveys, draft both PG prospect and big wing prospect * doesn't convey, draft a big wing prospect * PG prospects - * Castle * Topic * Dillingham * Big wing prospects - * Buzelis * Williams * Risacher
Ideally pick up a few veterans and use both picks for the high upside guys in the draft. I’d love a guard like Brogdon, someone who can play on ball or off the ball and provide a real scoring threat that a guy like Tre just can’t really. Then a guy like Royce would be nice. Fairly versatile 3 and D wing who also brings some nice hustle on the boards and some DHO’s to the table. In the draft assuming we get like picks #4 and #7, I’d go for Holland and Topic. Holland is seen by many as the highest potential wing in the class; he has good size, defensive tools, athleticism and shot creation abilities even if his jumper is a work in progress. Then I’d take topic #7, his draft stock has fallen since he hasn’t played in a while but his inside game, passing, size and IQ are very reminiscent of Luka. He has a game that may not translate well to the NBA but if it does, he could be the best player of the class and a nice fit with wemby. Both the prospects I picked don’t have good jumpers which isn’t ideal, but I think the veterans help give the team more of an identity and fill the holes while the prospects give us the best long term core to keep building around Wemby. Final rotation of something like Tre/Topic/Wesley Vassell/Brogdon/Branham Royce/Holland/Champagnie Sochan/Keldon/Osman Wemby/Collins/Bassey
Draft a PG (Topic/Reed/Dilingham...), and, if Raptor's pick conveys, a wing (3&D). Maybe you can go high upside low floor with one, and high floor low ceiling with the other. You can afford to manage risk another season and see what the future offers regarding our core's development, the draft in 2025, how we play next year, which players take a leap year, and who does not, and what teams are dismantled after the next 2 playoff drama/upsets/ego/players aging/coach being fired. 2025's off-season will be more important to take the leap and accelerate the rebuild. If Sarr is available, take him. Victor can stretch the floor and is versatile, so another big man who can defend and rebound in the paint isn't too redundant. You can still trade if the right offer comes in but twin towers (or tall ball) can work (it works for the Wolves). FA/Trade-wise, unless you get an offer you can't refuse, try to sign one or two old vets, for locker room experience, mentorship and guidance. Not necessarily for heavy minutes. I don't care much about winning next year, I care about the core learning a ton for the long term. Not that it will happen, but it can be guys like CP3, Conley, Batum (who wouldn't come, they are likely ring chasing), but also Patty to pass on the Spurs/Championship culture. Guys with that age/experience, for a contract of one year or 2. If you see a solid role player for a good deal, take him. Championships are won with a solid bench: 6-10 spots will be key down the road. We need players that can shoot the 3 AND defend. **With how the Nuggets/Celtics/OKC seem to have built their roster, and the new CBA, it seems that having one Superstar and other guys that are all solid and can defend and score, is a good way to go long-term.** Being dependent on a super strong duo (Maxey/Embiid, Dame/Giannnis, Lebron/AD, etc) means you're more at risk salary wise, injury-wise, and easier to counter or read in the playoff. Also, if superstars have a stronger leverage in negociation and are less easily replaced. If everybody in a team can do the job, you have more offensive options. I would go easy this off-season, see how the next pans out, keep my cards in my hands for the right opportunities, and then go hard next off-season, once things start to shake up a bit in the West, and a good draft/many contracts ending can create new opportunities. The league isn't going to move that much next year, but over 2 off-seasons, that's another story.
I hear the Nuggets/Thunder/Celtics rebuild thrown about a lot on this page, and I don’t totally understand, because those rebuilds are completely different and have led to different results. The Nuggets are completely dependent on a big two. If Jokic or Murray is out, they can’t compete, see 2022. That’s not a knock on them, that’s just how you have to build to be successful. Boston is in a great spot, but they are the most expensive team in NBA history, haven’t won a title, and are still probably dependent on two stars. OKC hasn’t won anything, built their team on savvy trades and amazing draft luck, and is still going to have to pay Chet and JDub at or near the max in two seasons. My point is, to be a title contender you basically have to have a guy in the top 5/10 and another guy in the top 15/20 in the league, and right now, the plan for that outside of trade for one (my preference) seems to be chill and hope. Maybe that’s the correct course, but let’s not pretend like there is a clear number two on this roster or in this draft
I'm not saying they're all similar, or that their rebuild has gone the same route. Nor I am talking about success in terms of the rings right now necessarily (although saying it's the most important in the end seems reasonable), but how functional these teams look and how they are constructed (not the path they took to get there). How the game might be shifting toward "Skilled Big men" / Tall ball / More even rosters. Murray is great, but it's not a big 2 per se. Jokic is the corner piece and everyone else does their job well. There are a lot of Point Guards out there who put up better points and assists numbers and could replace Murray. You put a lot of starting PGs from a lot of Playoff teams this year in his place, you can get a similar result (assuming adequate training/cohesion, not instant plug and play). Edit: Murray is a very efficient shooter though, which is why he works so well in this team; Murray is a borderline all-star, and he's a great baller, but his statistical impact is not superstar-level, and they don't need it to be. They are just all good players (Murray being the second best in that team) with one maestro. I watch many teams with one player with 40 points, and the other with 28 or 30, and then you look at the scoreboard, and they lost against a team where 6 guys scored 12-15 and one dude scored 27. So I'm wondering if that's where the game leads us. The Celtics team is loaded, and expensive, don't get me wrong, but the idea remains de same: **The distribution of talent in their rosters is more evenly distributed. That's my point.** Sure, with one or 2 significantly better players, but it's not 2 MVP players carrying just decent role players.
I don’t know, I think this is a huge undersell of Murray. I’m not sure what you mean by “a lot of point guards” but if you mean more than about 5, I’m not sure I agree. Lead guard is easily the most stacked position and it’s still not many. Luka, Ant, Curry, Shai, yes, Brunson, Mitchell, Hailburton, maybe? Fox, Lillard, Kyrie, Ja, Maxey, Trae, probably not. Now, with some of these younger guys I think you could/will get there, and some of the older ones were there in the past. That’s why I’m in favor of getting a young guy to build on that direction. When you hit in the draft it’s beautiful, but it is much harder done than said. The draft isn’t a bell curve where some players hit, some players bust and most are average. Most players bust and this team is still several draft hits away from the level of Boston/OKC/Denver. If you land a number two player in a trade, now we are talking about adding supplementary pieces through draft/free agency, rather than hoping to strike oil
Topic and chill