jmmagicfan

So, here are my thoughts on the moves to make for this roster over the summer. With pick #6 - Taylor Hendricks, and pick #11 Jordan Hawkins. Guarantee or exercise the club options on Fultz, G Harris, and Bitadze. Decline the options or waive Michael Carter-Williams, Bol Bol, and Admiral Schofield. Sign D Schroder to 4/$48M using the MLE, and re-sign Moe Wagner starting at $3.5M. All this still brings us in at about $127M, or about $7M under the cap, we punt on any decision for Isaac until the end of training camp or December, as we can guarantee for the full $17.4M or release him and only pay $7.6M. That makes our rotation look like this: Fultz/Schroder/Anthony Suggs/Harris/Hawkins F Wagner/Houston/Okeke Banchero/Isaac/Hendricks Carter/Bitadze/M Wagner This gives you great roster flexibility to go big or go small, and leaves you cap room to make moves if you have to for injury reasons (Okeke, Isaac). You aren't forced to bring Hendricks or Hawkins along too quickly, but you can easily move either into the backup SF role as well if they are outplaying Houston/Okeke. Schroder and (hopefully) continued improvements in Anthony/Suggs will strengthen your backcourt rotation. I would also say re-sign Keyon Harris to a 2-way spot, and if you can manage it, draft Podziemski with #36 and give him the other 2-way spot. I actually think that every single one of these moves is do-able. The only snag might be Hawkins going before #11, but I think you could plug in Gradey Dick or Cason Wallace into that #11 spot and do almost the same idea. Thoughts?

After reading this article, I am all about going after one of the Laker's guards in free agency, just not the one most people are talking about. I think it might be the time to go after Dennis Schroder. We could offer him most (or all, if necessary) of the MLE to bring him in, which wouldn't put him completely out of their range, but with the potential for putting them at the hard-cap, it would be something they would have to really struggle over. It might mean they have to choose between re-signing Reaves and letting go of Schroder. I think he would be a good addition for us, but I will be the first to admit that screwing the Lakers would be an extremely attractive side benefit as well.

Translation - we gave up too much to get him, we have to do something to at least get something back instead of letting him walk as a free agent.

I’m okay with that in theory, but the problem comes from the specifics of who is available and what it will take to get them.

I love Dame a lot, but hell no on this trade, it is trading away too much long-term for a potentially very short short-term upgrade.

I'm old school, you don't trade big for small unless there is an all-star caliber small involved or the big has left you no choice. I just think WCJ's career is still on an upward trajectory, and I think he is exactly the type of player to make us regret it later if we trade him.

I’m a little bit amused that as often as this forum overrates our own players, it seems that we are now underrating just how good WCJ really is. He just finished averaging 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game with 59% fg shooting; all at the age of 24. Oh yeah, 35.6% on 3-pt shooting too.

Part of why I think we may just guarantee Goga - his play at the end of the year was decent, he's still young and learning/improving, and he's reasonably priced. I wouldn't mind picking up a vet backup who can step in if WCJ is out (a la Robin Lopez a couple years ago). Someone who is a good practice guy, positive influence, and okay to spend a lot of time on the bench. In other words, not DHoward and probably not Vuc. I don't think either would be happy being backup/3rd string.

He definitely exhibits the "Mamba mentality"

Cole is not a starting PG, he is a shooting guard in a point guard body. He doesn't have a PG mentality of getting everyone else going and controlling the game. He tends to be too focused on his own shot. I think Cole is at his best playing as your 6th man. He has that alpha dog attitude, and should dominate other backup PG/SG matchups. We didn't have a reliable backup PG at the start of the season because he was starting, which didn't really work out for him or the team.

No more guys who need to learn how to shoot, please.

My hope is Hendricks and Wallace.

I don’t think anyone is going to trade Wembanyama.

6&11 it is

We'll have to wait and see who is available, and where we are drafting, but there don't seem to be a lot of quality centers this year. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised with Goga, and am not against bringing him back to be our "big" center backup, and keeping Moe Wagner as our PF/C big who gets under opposing teams skin. I think we have a pretty good base that with a couple more good players can go pretty far. I think some tweaking can do a lot for us. Continued development from our young core gives us a lot of upside right now.