** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[ankle420breaker]

Clearly comes down to cost, but stacking a couple of stud 2-way wings changes the game for us.

Re-sign Oubre, Melton, Batum, and Payne

Try and use some draft assets to pry Butler out of Miami.

Sign Jonas V, Bey, and Saric with remaining cap:

Embiid/Valanciunas
Saric/Batum
Butler/Bey
Oubre/Melton
Maxey/Payne

That's a contending lineup.


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[Negrodamus]

Valanciunas is going to go for more than we’re willing to offer a backup. He still has quite a bit of value on a contender.

[76ciology]

For the backup center position, I don't expect us to utilize our cap space.

I'm considering using our cap space on two players who can start or play with Maxey and Embiid. So if one of them is a center, they should be able to play effectively alongside Embiid. Thus, they’re likely to be a PF-C like John Collins or Draymond Green.

[eyeatoma]

Drummond or Val, if you don't get one of them, you've failed as a front office. Enough of undersized centers, or players who don't rebound.

[76ciology]

Nick Richards:
$5M per year
9.7ppg 8rpg 1.1bpg for the Hornets as starter
17 TRB% and 3.9BLK%
Surplus because of Mark Williams

Dayron Sharpe:
$2.2M per year
16ppg 15rpg 1.7 per 36
23TRB% 4.3BLK%
Surplus because of Nic Claxton

Other options:
Chris Boucher (16TRB%; shoot 3s; 55% at PF; familiar Nurse)
Isaiah Jackson (elite rim protector)
Goga Bitadze (17 TRB% 7BLK%)
Xavier Tillman

[eyeatoma]

Goga Bitadze:
17 TRB%
7BLK%
Analytic gem

Nick Richards:
$5M per year
9.7ppg 8rpg 1.1bpg for the Hornets as starter
17 TRB% and 3.9BLK%
Surplus because of Mark Williams

Dayron Sharpe:
$2.2M per year
16ppg 15rpg 1.7 per 36
23TRB% 4.3BLK%
Surplus because of Nic Claxton

Other options:
Chris Boucher (16TRB%; shoot 3s; 55% at PF; familiar Nurse)
Isaiah Jackson (elite rim protector)

No way they're giving up Nik Richards, they didnt' have Mark WIlliams for most of the season, they need injury insurance.

Goga and Sharpe are interesting, but I don't think they really get minutes here. These coaches seem to only play veteran players with a reputation.

[76ciology]

Who are the third best players among the remaining teams in the playoffs?

Knicks. Divicenzo
Pacers: Myles Turner
Celtics: Derrick White
Cavs: Evan Mobley
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
Wolves: Rudy Gobert
Okc: Chet Holmgren
Mavs: PJ Washington

[youngcrev]

I agree, but giving Paul George $50 million kind of limits our options to increase the talent level and get other quality players.

Limits your ability to do so beyond the massive increase in the talent level that he himself would represent.

When he's on the floor and if he really cares. George wants no part of playing in Philly, we all know it - the first time he is booed he will check out. There are mercenaries and there are mercenaries, but if I'm going to pay someone stupid money they have to at least really want to be here. I don't want him either, but with Butler we'd have that at the very least.

Beyond that, his 'massive increase in talent' doesn't provide the depth we need at guard and especially in the front court, and does nothing for our rebounding issues. I can't believe we are arguing over whether a 35-year old declining player who is a West coast guy can come in here and make enough of a difference by himself that gets us anywhere beyond where we've been stuck.

You sure have a lot of narratives built up around this.

Looking strictly at the basketball side (because if he wants no part of playing here... he just won't sign here ), he's a top 40 player in the game with great size/length, shoots for volume and efficiency from 3, plays good defense (not as good as he used to, but would have been the best perimeter defender on our team this past year), and has a game/mindset that would allow him to fluctuate between being the 3rd option and stepping up to be primary option when needed.

He's got pretty much the ideal skillset that you'd want as the 3rd guy to fill in the gaps next to Embiid and Maxey. Is it ideal to pay a guy at that age massive amounts of money? Of course not, at least on the back end of the deal. But you're not finding perfect options.

Free agency, outside of can't miss max players in their prime or minimum salary players, is where you overpay for talent. In theory maybe you'd rather have 2-3 high end role players instead, but those players aren't that easy to hit on either. Buddy Hield felt like an obvious fit here, but ended up being a 19M bench guy while minimum salary players in Lowry and Payne played ahead of him.

[youngcrev]

Who are the third best players among the remaining teams in the playoffs?

Knicks. Divicenzo
Pacers: Myles Turner
Celtics: Derrick White
Cavs: Evan Mobley
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
Wolves: Rudy Gobert
Okc: Chet Holmgren
Mavs: PJ Washington

So you're saying there's zero pattern?

[Kobblehead]

I feel like D'Angelo Russell is going to sit around in free agency, waiting for offers that aren't going to come.

He could be this year's Oubre.

[Kobblehead]

Who are the third best players among the remaining teams in the playoffs?

Knicks. Divicenzo
Pacers: Myles Turner
Celtics: Derrick White
Cavs: Evan Mobley
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
Wolves: Rudy Gobert
Okc: Chet Holmgren
Mavs: PJ Washington

So you're saying there's zero pattern?

His point is that superteams are dead. Clippers and Suns were trashed in the first round.

So Morey should focus on having 4-6 productive scorers in the playoffs instead of hunting for a 3rd star.

[ProcessDoctor]

Paul George with Backup C Emphasis Offseason


1. Draft Terrence Shannon Jr. at #16
2. Sign Paul George to a 4-year max
3. Sign Jonas Valanciunas and De'Anthony Melton with remaining cap space (~$15 mil)
4. Sign Kyle Anderson with the room MLE
5. Sign Kyle Lowry, Cam Payne, Nico Batum, Dario Saric, and Robert Covington with vet mins


Maxey/Payne/Lowry
Melton/Shannon/Council
George/Batum/(project)
Anderson/Saric/Covington
Embiid/Valanciunas/(project)

[youngcrev]

Who are the third best players among the remaining teams in the playoffs?

Knicks. Divicenzo
Pacers: Myles Turner
Celtics: Derrick White
Cavs: Evan Mobley
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
Wolves: Rudy Gobert
Okc: Chet Holmgren
Mavs: PJ Washington

So you're saying there's zero pattern?

His point is that superteams are dead. Clippers and Suns were trashed in the first round.

So Morey should focus on having 4-6 productive scorers in the playoffs instead of hunting for a 3rd star.

Celtics have Porzingis and Holiday, both of which would qualify as a 3rd star.

Gobert is on a max and just won his 22nd DPOY.

Porter is paid like one. Chet and Mobley will be once their rookie deals are up.

Divecenzo and Washington are really the only role player guys on that list (and Donte is like the 7th best player on his team when healthy).

[zaz102]

Who are the third best players among the remaining teams in the playoffs?

Knicks. Divicenzo
Pacers: Myles Turner
Celtics: Derrick White
Cavs: Evan Mobley
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr.
Wolves: Rudy Gobert
Okc: Chet Holmgren
Mavs: PJ Washington

So you're saying there's zero pattern?

His point is that superteams are dead. Clippers and Suns were trashed in the first round.

So Morey should focus on having 4-6 productive scorers in the playoffs instead of hunting for a 3rd star.

Ok, but most of these teams are/will be paying big money for three guys. Some of those guys didn't even make the list here (OG/Randle, Porzingis/Holiday).

I feel that this list is more of a statement that the third guy should fit with the first two guys and in general you need production from more than your top three guys.

Someone like PG13 is a great fit next to Embiid and Maxey even at his age. Obviously, the bigger concern is how you fill out the rest of those roster spots.

[Jailblazers7]

The margin for error with super teams is so thin. You need injury luck (which we never get) and your stars have to play at peak levels consistently. Even the Heatles struggled because their depth sucked & Wade was always battling knee issues.

[mjkvol]

because if he wants no part of playing here... he just won't sign here )

Oh, he'll sign here. If the Clippers won't give him the max and Morey bends over, I have no doubt he would sign here. If it was worth essentially punting a season to bring in a $200 million mercenary looking for his last payday, then all the Morey critics were right on the money - he's a washed star chaser with zero imagination or creativity. I'll hold out hope that he's a bit more than that.

[youngcrev]

There's multiple ways to build this thing out around Embiid/Maxey. I simply thinking it's easier to do so if you can find a 3rd star that fits with them than it is to nail a handful of role players. Check out "top free agents" this summer and Tobias Harris and Buddy Hield show up pretty prominently. I get the Knicks have a bunch of awesome players in the 9-20M range, but that's not easy to do.

[youngcrev]

because if he wants no part of playing here... he just won't sign here )

Oh, he'll sign here. If the Clippers won't give him the max and Morey bends over, I have no doubt he would sign here.

You're being silly if you think he's going to sign here while wanting no part in playing here. Would he rather stay where he's at if the money is equal? Seems that way. But not being his #1 preference and wanting no parts of playing here are not the same thing.

[mjkvol]

because if he wants no part of playing here... he just won't sign here )

Oh, he'll sign here. If the Clippers won't give him the max and Morey bends over, I have no doubt he would sign here.

You're being silly if you think he's going to sign here while wanting no part in playing here. Would he rather stay where he's at if the money is equal? Seems that way. But not being his #1 preference and wanting no parts of playing here are not the same thing.

I hadn't finished my post.

Oh, he'll sign here. If the Clippers won't give him the max and Morey bends over, I have no doubt he would sign here. If it was worth essentially punting a season to bring in a $200 million mercenary looking for his last payday, then all the Morey critics were right on the money - he's a washed star chaser with zero imagination or creativity. I'll hold out hope that he's a bit more than that.

[Kobblehead]

There's multiple ways to build this thing out around Embiid/Maxey. I simply thinking it's easier to do so if you can find a 3rd star that fits with them than it is to nail a handful of role players. Check out "top free agents" this summer and Tobias Harris and Buddy Hield show up pretty prominently. I get the Knicks have a bunch of awesome players in the 9-20M range, but that's not easy to do.

That's not really building around Embiid/Maxey, though. That's relying on the third star to come here and be the savior.

Unless that guy is Jimmy Butler and he's healthy, it's not likely to work. Especially not likely to work with Pal Jorge IMO.