I'll also add that ball movement should not be a problem with Llull, Harden, and DMo on the court together. If you see that lineup, don't be surprised if you have flashbacks to the Spurs circa 2014.
Llull's a fine upgrade if nothing else. Now that Harden has taken another leap, it no longer seems necessary to go all out for a third star. Add better depth using the assets (MLE, Jones, #18, #32) and hope the team isn't as plagued with injuries as this year. If the Spurs are looking to dump Diaw, Splitter or Mills, I would take a look there using KPap and Prig's non-guaranteed contracts.
Hope the Rockets go after Lowry, Conley or Lawson. Anything like TJones or Motie/Papa/18th pick and a filler would work. At this point, you want someone who is proven to be your starting PG. I think Lull would only be signed if we fail to get any of the above PG. I can even see Morey going after Avery Bradly for the 18th pick and filler before bringing over Lull.
I'm getting more sold on Llull, and here's why. His defense will probably not be great, but we survived all the way to the WCF with JET who is close to the worst guard defender in the league. Obviously, he will do a better job than that with his speed and age and because there's no way he could be worse. He has a high IQ, pushes the break, and hits the three. I don't see him as a star, but he could be a really good fit. He's also someone we can pick up without losing any of our assets. (Outside of the MLE). So if we sign Llull, we could draft a PG like Jerian or Tyus to develop, or we could package the picks, etc. and get another guard to go along with Harden and Llull. It just makes sense to pick him up. Morey will push for a better PG than Llull like Lowry and Lawson, but he would definitely be an improvement. The biggest thing to remember, though, is that pretty much all of us haven't seen him play outside of the two or so YouTube video and a few scouting articles so the majority of this board (myself included), have no idea whether he'll transition well and be a fit with this team.
The Rockets already have Avery Bradley; his name is Patrick Beverley. No need to give up assets when they can just pay Beverley half as much. I wonder how many good years Dunleavy has left. He's been around 40% shooting on 4 threes per game the past four years. Good team defender as well. If he was a Thibs guy, he'll be looking to move on.
Dunleavy would be a perfect fit. We could give him important minutes but still limit them, especially if we keep KJ McDaniels and he can earn time as a backup wing. He is probably my number 1 "minor" target. I'm also high on Paul Pierce as a bench add.
True but u lose something. Kj Mcdaniels and possibly Smith (imo). If llull signs kj is for sure a goner. At least if not bizzaro world where a young poor player refuses more money.
KJ's free agency process is a total mystery. He has barely played. Is someone going to offer him a big deal over multiple years? I think he can definitely get offered more than our QO, but what if the best offer is something like 3 years, $9 million total. He might pass on that to take the QO, betting on himself to earn more than after another year. He's already passed on guaranteed money once to prove he is worth more. If someone offers him like $5 million+, then sure, he's gone. But is someone going to do that based on the limited experience he has had?
I've said this before........the NBA really needs to consider a 2nd round pick salary exception. It would need to be structured different than 1st round picks, but using a cap exception to sign a player you drafted seems ridiculous.
I agree with this. It is absolutely ridiculous that teams have to use their MLE to sign a guy they drafted that stayed overseas or that opted for a 1 year deal.
After that he will still be a rfa and it will still be a limit to how much he can be offered.. Its not like first round picks that can take the qo and be ufa. The threshold is 3 years for secind rounders. Then they can get the max of 15 millions. I am not an expert like Bima but Im certain he will still be rfa.
I would go after Lin. There was a time in late December 2012 to early January 2013 where we played the finest ball the NBA has EVER seen.
Correct, but he may gamble that with the cap going up next year he'd be in line for better offers, especially from the Rockets, if he has a big year this year. I don't know how it will play out. The question is, is there a team out there that will offering him MLE money or more? If not, is a 3 year, $9 million offer (for example) attractive enough that he would sign it? If he played next year for $1 million and played well, he could reasonably expect that either the Rockets or another team would give him more than that. Like I said, total mystery.
Look. Even that he took that gamble risking injury and being a bust was huge. He has minuscule career earnings. Players in this situation dont leave money on the table and if Hinkie hadnt offered him the Hinkie special but was like the rest of the gms who give three guaranteed he would be locked up now probably. And kj isnt someone unknown. He is hyped. We can thank Simmons for that. Coupled with the fact that young wings is a rare commodity in the nba I have zero doubt someone will offer him much more than the 1.05 qo and lock him up for years now before the cap rise kicks in. Look at the market for wings this summer. Its bad after you consider that Buttler and Leonard are rfa that are foregone to be matched and Matthews is with one leg.
