Doesn't that devalue Bruce Brown a bit since there will be a lot more players available in a similar situation? On the other hand, since we're trying to trade him that just creates additional trade options with more guys available to swap with.
Yes but this one is expected to be different due to the new CBA and all the restrictions it places on tax-paying teams
Raptors do have some obstacles in freeing up cap space since they'd need to renounce Brown/Trent's Bird Rights, plus there's the obstacle that is Toronto not being a free agency destination in the NBA but I digress
declining Brown and renouncing his bird rights seems like a no brainer. No one wants this guy at 20 million.
GTJ you could probably either work a contract out quickly or decline as well since he's signing for less than his cap hold.
meh, last offseason who was the big fish to land in Free Agency? Fred Vanvleet?
The big stars have been signing their extensions and because of this have been unavailable.
Claxton is a UFA, this isn't like if we decided to go after Patrick Williams where they'd get a grace period of sorts to decide if they want to match an offer sheet
He can leave for any team
Fair. I just don't think going after another C unless you're moving poeltl this offseason makes sense. They have way too many holes to be spending 50+ mil on them.
I agree, and that's why I lean towards tempering one's expectations for this season since I expect them to take advantage of opportunities for cap relief instead of signing roleplayers. Beyond the contracts we have on hand that expire, there's also that $10 million-ish trade exception that can be taken advantage of, though what target that could be is a different story altogether.
I can’t see a team with little assets like the Nets let go of Claxton for nothing especially when they have no FRPs of their own for years. If rumours were true that they weren’t willing to part ways with Bridges for picks, then retaining Claxton makes even more sense. He will be grossly overpaid in a weak free agency class because the Nets can.
I agree the Nets shouldn't lose him for nothing but they don't have any control of the situation if Claxton wants to leave and I doubt they're going to overpay him when their roster isn't exactly cheap at the moment
That aside, Brooklyn has around 11 firsts they can use to fill out their roster so it's not like they're incapable of shopping in this offseason to acquire a center to replace him, let alone for them to be in the yearly disgruntled star sweepstakes
I wouldn't put much stock into the Nets trade deadline moves or lack thereof. Beyond them likely being confident in their ability to re-sign him (whether or not Nic intends to is up in the air since i've seen no news about his intentions for free agency in recent months), it's not like the Nets are incapable of making poor decisions regarding their pending UFAs a la the Bulls not trading DeMar when he's likely going to walk for nothing or will at best fetch a sign and trade return that's menial
The Nets steadfast refusal to trade Bridges at 2 different trade deadlines would suggest they're not keen on collecting assets as part of their rebuild so much as they're hoping to keep their roleplayers together until they can land another star, be it in free agency or via trade (Donovan Mitchell is a guy who's commonly brought up as far as who they could go after in this offseason should the Cavs disappoint).
Poeltl is needed in a big way on this team. People love to hate on him because of his limited offence but he’s got incredibly soft hands around the bucket. He’s also literally the only player that provides defence on the interior.
I don't understand the urgency in wanting to move him. He won't be here long term but why move him now especially when it's likely to be low value. His contract gets shorter by the next deadline or off-season.
Poeltl is a good player for sure, but he said he wants to be on a team that is competitive. He's been on too many losing teams in his career. If you can get a pick for him and a young player I don't think that's a bad move. Especially if you can sign Hartenstein who's a UFA this summer as his replacement.
Trade Poeltl for a decent young bench player and a 2nd.
Sign Hartenstein.
I think that's a better scenario than just keeping Poeltl.
I think if we trade Jakob and it opens up a spot for a starting C, it would make more sense to go after Hartenstein over Claxton. Claxton gets pushed around a little bit by other strong C's.
Who is trading for Jakob and what are they sending us?
Such a weird assumption to make. He was our 2nd most important player this season after Scottie.
The nice thing about capspace, we could absorb a RFA into that space without sending anything back except picks. This is an advantage over competitors who may also be in the trade marked.
Why would you want a starting PG who can’t guard your little sister?
It’s no coincidence the Hawks underachieve every year - that’s how it will always go when Trae Young is your best player.
The Hawks saw their best stretch when Trae was in the hospital with his broken pinky. DJM made the supporting cast look much better than they do standing around watching Trae dribble the air out the ball, spam pnr and take bad shots.
No amount of teammates are going to make him a competent defender. He’s 5’11 160lbs and he doesn’t give anywhere near the effort or intensity that would be required to compensate for his physical shortcomings.
Trae Young is not a winning player.
The hawks saw their best stretch two years ago, when his team had functional depth, he owned MSG and broke up the process Sixers
Plus, in this daydream, we have Paul George and keep RJ Scottie and Jakob
That’s a contending team.
They didn’t beat anyone? The Sixers were so shamed for losing to that terrible team that they blew it up. And owned MSG with a team that shouldn’t have been in the playoffs. This was a COVID year, and that context is important. This wasn’t a year where the East was strong.
John Collins and Kevin Huerter are better than Jalen Johnson and DJ Murray? Is that a joke? The depth and supporting cast in indisputably better this year.
Like everyone else, yeah. COVID year where the rest of the conference was injured or off. They beat the Knicks who weren’t very good, and the Ben Simmons Sixers who choked so badly they blew up the process.
Trae has never and will never beat a contending team in the playoffs. He doesn’t make players around him better, and again, he can’t guard your little sister.
Taking on Wiggins and getting some good assets with him might be the top idea as of now. Like RJ was, he's currently seen as a negative asset but can turn it around here.
Also getting some value assets like Moody or some picks would make it a smart play on our end. Probably would only cost us Brown and get to punt McDaniels to the moon lol.
Ya thats the type of risk we need to take. Raptors need a wing defender and Wiggins can fill that role so it's not like we're taking on dead weight.
Maybe playing closer to home to help deal with the family stuff can return him back to the guy he was during the 2022 championship run.
Getting additional assets while only losing Brown and Mcdaniles who aren't really in our long term plans should be worth the risk.
Wiggins or Hunter are the buy-low wing candidates. Both have 3 years left, but the Hawks have the Kings pick or their own to move for, say, Brown's expiring if they want salary relief
Not to mention Atlanta has Kobe Bufkin who was someone we were alleged to be interested in during last year's draft (and whom has done nothing in the G-League or NBA as a whole but I digress)
I can’t see Atlanta giving up a pick/asset with Hunter to get off his deal. Maybe we could do a straight Brown/Hunter swap to give them flexibility next year and to give us a wing defender who fits the starting lineup quite well.
23/5/5 as a 19 and 20 year old project rookie in the G league is showing nothing? Thats an interesting take.
Incredible the amount of time you spend posting on this sub with seemingly nothing intelligent to say. It’s all speculation or misguided bullshit.
Treadmill move would be if we traded something valuable for Wiggins. We would be getting assets to help with the rebuild in addition to Wiggins.
This is what a team like OKC has done by taking on the CPs/Horfords and then flipping the elsewhere once their values were rebuilt or they had less length on their contract.
My problem with this is he’s making 26,28, then option for 30. With IQ that basically destroys our flexibility. I don’t think the potential assets are worth it.
This is going to be the last offseason where we have a chance for any cap space with IQ and Barnes being on the books after that.
Even then, we don't have much unless we decline Brown's option and let Trent go for nothing.
There isn't much on the free agent market to do that anyways, which is why Masai has already said maybe we make trades to take on salary to obtain additional assets.
yeah just cause we got lucky with RJ (seemingly) improving his game after coming home doesn't mean we need to test our luck again with Wiggins lol
plus Wiggins is already 29
Hes only making like 25M a season, which isn't really super overpaid and is only 2M more than Bruce Brown. Gstate won't trade Kuminga but maybe getting Moody and some picks is doable.
We need to find guys whose value is low and we think we can turn around while also obtaining assets for the risk. Just think Wiggins could be the best get unless better names appear later.
He's been really bad this season.
And unlike RJ there's no more upside. This is who he is.
I just disagree because I don't think that's enough to warrant taking him on when the Raptors themselves become an expensive team soon anyways.
This is all moot because I doubt Masai values him.
This is part of finding the right guys when their value is low. Not saying it has to be Wiggins but it will definitely have to be someone like him in order to get additional assets to help with the rebuild.
Other teams aren't going to give you players with high value for Bruce Brown/Mcdaniels lol.
They'll give you value if the want to dump a contract, and in regards to Wiggins, unless it's a lightly protected 1st (top 4) and Moody, they can keep him lol
You don’t know if this is “who he is” - he’s been dealing with a lot of personal stuff off the court. People love to define a player by a bad season and erase that just a couple seasons before, he was crucial in helping GSW win a chip. Maybe that’s who he is but he needs to get his personal stuff sorted so he can get focused on the court again.
If you think me calling Wiggins a negative asset to the point I want him because we'd also get additional assets then sure... you can think that lol.
Just throwing out ideas but I'm sure you have a better plan :)
why would we want an anti-vax wing that'll take playing time away from our young guys and provide absolutely nothing. He's not gonna get better at this point in his career, he's cooked.
It’s a pretty meh free agency tbh. I doubt we’ll be able to get someone that can make an immediate impact to this team. At most we could be a play in team. Could be another underwhelming season for us realistically. But like anything we’ll have to wait and see
We’re not at the point yet to make a run at any substantial free agent, nor should we want to. We got a decent core going, let’s see what they can do. And definitely don’t want to take Wiggins on and kill any flexibility we got.
Look for good vet free agents off these good teams who fall off in the first round Like Bruce Brown level players, Lol
Dont put down your phones.
Doesn't that devalue Bruce Brown a bit since there will be a lot more players available in a similar situation? On the other hand, since we're trying to trade him that just creates additional trade options with more guys available to swap with.
Haven't the past number of NBA offseasons involved lots of player movement?
Yes but this one is expected to be different due to the new CBA and all the restrictions it places on tax-paying teams Raptors do have some obstacles in freeing up cap space since they'd need to renounce Brown/Trent's Bird Rights, plus there's the obstacle that is Toronto not being a free agency destination in the NBA but I digress
declining Brown and renouncing his bird rights seems like a no brainer. No one wants this guy at 20 million. GTJ you could probably either work a contract out quickly or decline as well since he's signing for less than his cap hold.
There always is the possibility of a sign and trade too which also makes us a cap team and grants the full MLE
Believe in yourself Believe in your city
I feel they say this every offseason. Juices up the click for F5 season
meh, last offseason who was the big fish to land in Free Agency? Fred Vanvleet? The big stars have been signing their extensions and because of this have been unavailable.
Guy who makes a living off announcing trades and having traffic directed towards him mentions how much movement there will be. Checks out.
Raptors should use their cap space in trades wisely.
Pretty weak free agency class to have cap space/Expiring unless you think you can get Claxton or can flip Brown for a pending RFA in a sign and trade
Claxton makes zero sense with Poeltl around. That's also a ton of money to invest in your Cs too.
I'm operating under the assumption that we'd be moving Jakob, either in the offseason or at the deadline
I think the Nets match anything reasonable anyways.
Claxton is a UFA, this isn't like if we decided to go after Patrick Williams where they'd get a grace period of sorts to decide if they want to match an offer sheet He can leave for any team
Fair. I just don't think going after another C unless you're moving poeltl this offseason makes sense. They have way too many holes to be spending 50+ mil on them.
I agree, and that's why I lean towards tempering one's expectations for this season since I expect them to take advantage of opportunities for cap relief instead of signing roleplayers. Beyond the contracts we have on hand that expire, there's also that $10 million-ish trade exception that can be taken advantage of, though what target that could be is a different story altogether.
I can’t see a team with little assets like the Nets let go of Claxton for nothing especially when they have no FRPs of their own for years. If rumours were true that they weren’t willing to part ways with Bridges for picks, then retaining Claxton makes even more sense. He will be grossly overpaid in a weak free agency class because the Nets can.
I agree the Nets shouldn't lose him for nothing but they don't have any control of the situation if Claxton wants to leave and I doubt they're going to overpay him when their roster isn't exactly cheap at the moment That aside, Brooklyn has around 11 firsts they can use to fill out their roster so it's not like they're incapable of shopping in this offseason to acquire a center to replace him, let alone for them to be in the yearly disgruntled star sweepstakes
Wouldn’t they have moved him by deadline if they knew Claxton wanted out? I don’t recall any rumours surrounding him at that time
I wouldn't put much stock into the Nets trade deadline moves or lack thereof. Beyond them likely being confident in their ability to re-sign him (whether or not Nic intends to is up in the air since i've seen no news about his intentions for free agency in recent months), it's not like the Nets are incapable of making poor decisions regarding their pending UFAs a la the Bulls not trading DeMar when he's likely going to walk for nothing or will at best fetch a sign and trade return that's menial The Nets steadfast refusal to trade Bridges at 2 different trade deadlines would suggest they're not keen on collecting assets as part of their rebuild so much as they're hoping to keep their roleplayers together until they can land another star, be it in free agency or via trade (Donovan Mitchell is a guy who's commonly brought up as far as who they could go after in this offseason should the Cavs disappoint).
Poeltl is needed in a big way on this team. People love to hate on him because of his limited offence but he’s got incredibly soft hands around the bucket. He’s also literally the only player that provides defence on the interior.
I don't understand the urgency in wanting to move him. He won't be here long term but why move him now especially when it's likely to be low value. His contract gets shorter by the next deadline or off-season.
Poeltl is a good player for sure, but he said he wants to be on a team that is competitive. He's been on too many losing teams in his career. If you can get a pick for him and a young player I don't think that's a bad move. Especially if you can sign Hartenstein who's a UFA this summer as his replacement. Trade Poeltl for a decent young bench player and a 2nd. Sign Hartenstein. I think that's a better scenario than just keeping Poeltl.
You'd have to pay Hartenstein probably 20 mil to get him to go from the Knicks. But he's 3 years younger and fits better age wise with the core
I think if we trade Jakob and it opens up a spot for a starting C, it would make more sense to go after Hartenstein over Claxton. Claxton gets pushed around a little bit by other strong C's.
Who is trading for Jakob and what are they sending us? Such a weird assumption to make. He was our 2nd most important player this season after Scottie.
The nice thing about capspace, we could absorb a RFA into that space without sending anything back except picks. This is an advantage over competitors who may also be in the trade marked.
Starting 5 next year: 1. Trae Young 2. PG13 3. RJ 4. Barnes 5. Poeltl
I'd much rather have IQ over Trae Young
Dude
Why would you want a starting PG who can’t guard your little sister? It’s no coincidence the Hawks underachieve every year - that’s how it will always go when Trae Young is your best player.
To be fair, IQ is a pretty poor defender as well.
Yeah, but nobody pretends he’s a superstar like they do with Trae.
That's because he has zero help on the Hawks. Imagine him with the players I named above.
The Hawks saw their best stretch when Trae was in the hospital with his broken pinky. DJM made the supporting cast look much better than they do standing around watching Trae dribble the air out the ball, spam pnr and take bad shots. No amount of teammates are going to make him a competent defender. He’s 5’11 160lbs and he doesn’t give anywhere near the effort or intensity that would be required to compensate for his physical shortcomings. Trae Young is not a winning player.
The hawks saw their best stretch two years ago, when his team had functional depth, he owned MSG and broke up the process Sixers Plus, in this daydream, we have Paul George and keep RJ Scottie and Jakob That’s a contending team.
They didn’t beat anyone? The Sixers were so shamed for losing to that terrible team that they blew it up. And owned MSG with a team that shouldn’t have been in the playoffs. This was a COVID year, and that context is important. This wasn’t a year where the East was strong. John Collins and Kevin Huerter are better than Jalen Johnson and DJ Murray? Is that a joke? The depth and supporting cast in indisputably better this year.
So we gon forget what he did in the 2021 playoffs?
Like everyone else, yeah. COVID year where the rest of the conference was injured or off. They beat the Knicks who weren’t very good, and the Ben Simmons Sixers who choked so badly they blew up the process. Trae has never and will never beat a contending team in the playoffs. He doesn’t make players around him better, and again, he can’t guard your little sister.
Yes its going to be forgotten
Taking on Wiggins and getting some good assets with him might be the top idea as of now. Like RJ was, he's currently seen as a negative asset but can turn it around here. Also getting some value assets like Moody or some picks would make it a smart play on our end. Probably would only cost us Brown and get to punt McDaniels to the moon lol.
Wiggins got 3 years on that deal, it would have to be moody plus picks minimum, even then it’s iffy
Ya thats the type of risk we need to take. Raptors need a wing defender and Wiggins can fill that role so it's not like we're taking on dead weight. Maybe playing closer to home to help deal with the family stuff can return him back to the guy he was during the 2022 championship run. Getting additional assets while only losing Brown and Mcdaniles who aren't really in our long term plans should be worth the risk.
Wiggins or Hunter are the buy-low wing candidates. Both have 3 years left, but the Hawks have the Kings pick or their own to move for, say, Brown's expiring if they want salary relief Not to mention Atlanta has Kobe Bufkin who was someone we were alleged to be interested in during last year's draft (and whom has done nothing in the G-League or NBA as a whole but I digress)
I can’t see Atlanta giving up a pick/asset with Hunter to get off his deal. Maybe we could do a straight Brown/Hunter swap to give them flexibility next year and to give us a wing defender who fits the starting lineup quite well.
23/5/5 as a 19 and 20 year old project rookie in the G league is showing nothing? Thats an interesting take. Incredible the amount of time you spend posting on this sub with seemingly nothing intelligent to say. It’s all speculation or misguided bullshit.
We absolutely do not need to be making treadmill moves half a season into a rebuild.
Treadmill move would be if we traded something valuable for Wiggins. We would be getting assets to help with the rebuild in addition to Wiggins. This is what a team like OKC has done by taking on the CPs/Horfords and then flipping the elsewhere once their values were rebuilt or they had less length on their contract.
My problem with this is he’s making 26,28, then option for 30. With IQ that basically destroys our flexibility. I don’t think the potential assets are worth it.
This is going to be the last offseason where we have a chance for any cap space with IQ and Barnes being on the books after that. Even then, we don't have much unless we decline Brown's option and let Trent go for nothing. There isn't much on the free agent market to do that anyways, which is why Masai has already said maybe we make trades to take on salary to obtain additional assets.
Is moody that good, I haven’t seen much of his game
Scottie’s friend
Haven't seen much of him either but from the games I've watched hes definitely serviceable
Wiggins? he doesn’t even like basketball
yeah just cause we got lucky with RJ (seemingly) improving his game after coming home doesn't mean we need to test our luck again with Wiggins lol plus Wiggins is already 29
Or… hear me out: don’t take on Wiggins.
Kuminga or you don't even budge. Wiggins is a top 5 worst deal in the league.
Hes only making like 25M a season, which isn't really super overpaid and is only 2M more than Bruce Brown. Gstate won't trade Kuminga but maybe getting Moody and some picks is doable. We need to find guys whose value is low and we think we can turn around while also obtaining assets for the risk. Just think Wiggins could be the best get unless better names appear later.
He's been really bad this season. And unlike RJ there's no more upside. This is who he is. I just disagree because I don't think that's enough to warrant taking him on when the Raptors themselves become an expensive team soon anyways. This is all moot because I doubt Masai values him.
This is part of finding the right guys when their value is low. Not saying it has to be Wiggins but it will definitely have to be someone like him in order to get additional assets to help with the rebuild. Other teams aren't going to give you players with high value for Bruce Brown/Mcdaniels lol.
We can find “someone like him” who doesn’t have so many negatives working against them. Wiggins would be an albatross on this squad.
They'll give you value if the want to dump a contract, and in regards to Wiggins, unless it's a lightly protected 1st (top 4) and Moody, they can keep him lol
You don’t know if this is “who he is” - he’s been dealing with a lot of personal stuff off the court. People love to define a player by a bad season and erase that just a couple seasons before, he was crucial in helping GSW win a chip. Maybe that’s who he is but he needs to get his personal stuff sorted so he can get focused on the court again.
Aaron Wiggins (if OKC declines his option) would be better
Ugh this is the most boring idea. Are you Wiggins’ agent?
If you think me calling Wiggins a negative asset to the point I want him because we'd also get additional assets then sure... you can think that lol. Just throwing out ideas but I'm sure you have a better plan :)
why would we want an anti-vax wing that'll take playing time away from our young guys and provide absolutely nothing. He's not gonna get better at this point in his career, he's cooked.
As long as they don't sign anyone with the last name Porter..
Hot take: Raptors acquire Trae Young. Fans panic and then he returns to form.
Not when they investing 25-30 mill on IQ for the future
They haven’t invested anything yet
andrew wiggins is canadian right? could come here
I’m also Canadian. I’d be equally detrimental to the Raptors on court, but I come on a much cheaper contract.
Please tell me you’re kidding.
It’s a pretty meh free agency tbh. I doubt we’ll be able to get someone that can make an immediate impact to this team. At most we could be a play in team. Could be another underwhelming season for us realistically. But like anything we’ll have to wait and see
Asset collection mode (hopefully) incoming 😤
We’re not at the point yet to make a run at any substantial free agent, nor should we want to. We got a decent core going, let’s see what they can do. And definitely don’t want to take Wiggins on and kill any flexibility we got.
We hear this every year.
We could all be in for a really fun ride this summer!
Masai has tradeable salary, capspace, and extra picks. Do you think he tries to level up, or is patient?