I think your rotation is wrong, thus your comment about Covington being unhappy is wrong. I see Rivers backing up WB, like you have, but Gordon backing up Harden and no longer playing out of position at SF. Covington becomes a starting wing with Tucker and House and Green back up Covington and Tucker.
Maybe it is a pipe dream but i was kinda hoping to get Covington and keep EG. I have seen many different scenarios that included Shump and picks or Shump and cheap contracts. I don't know if this DLO from GS is real or not. I'm hoping its another false report. If we had to take back Dieng I may just hold my nose and do it. We are pretty low on options at this point. If I had to do it I would rather add Clint to the deal and keep EG. It would suck to have to add Clint or EG. I just know that i'm still not comfortable with this current roster as currently constructed in regards to being able to win it all this year.
3 more possibilities: 1) using the +25% incoming salary from the westbrook trade (up to $9.5M, but more if you add NG guys) - for example we can absorb someone like crowder and send a second round pick. or we can add 4 NG guys and match iguodala's salary. 2) shumpert S&T with picks - can sign him up to $13.2M to avoid BYC status for an incoming salary of up to roughly $16.5M. 3) package NG guys for an incoming salary of up to roughly $11.25M. too expensive to do all 3. it doesn't look like we're taking advantage of #1. but i'm holding out hope that one more roleplayer/starter can be added before the season starts.
We can make moves during the season too. Morey is a wizard at taking advantage of the trade needs of other teams. Stand pat and go from there is always a wise option. Never rush trades.
i agree and disagree. we can make moves during the year. we shouldn't rush and overpay (again). but there is something to be said about having a full team on day 1. morey will say we don't need our best team until april but every game counts in the west. the difference between 1st seed and 6th seed could be 3-5 wins. its just not worth waiting 30, 40, or 50 games until the deadline before we get some help.
Or Wolves Keita Bates Diop. Compared to young Moute. 6'9 young 3-D player, would be reminiscent of Morey picking up Lowry and Dragic before they broke out.
yeah i like the idea of adding young guys like diop or bringing back caboclo, but unfortunately i think its more likely we sign a ring chasing vet to the minimum so we don't have to trade anymore assets or go over the LT.
#1: but instead of Iggy for FRP - SRPs and/or NGs for Bruno, Keita Bates Diop and Nerlens Noel Russ/Rivers Harden/EGo/Green Tucker/House/Shump Bruno/Diop/Bennett Capela/Tyson/Noel Rockets still have flexibility to SnT Shump and/or package either EGo or Clint for the right trade (all star talent only).
i agree, but will rebuilding teams like the wolves and grizzlies be interested in dumping young guys like diop and caboclo? noel would make sense to add into the westbrook trade. we need a 3rd center since chandler plays only about half the games. tucker can cover center sometimes but we don't even have a good backup PF, so if he slides to the 5 there's no one at the 4.
Diop is an up n coming young player that can shoot and play great defense. He defended well against Harden because of his size and lateral quickness.
They do need to rush if they want to take advantage of @smoothie 's #1 idea. How long do teams have with a trade before they have to solidify the details with the league? Who at 9 ish million would the Rox target?
they could extend as long as both teams agree to it. the $9.4M could also be increased if we add salary from our NG contracts. however tilman is broke and won't go that deep over the tax line. for under $10M (excluding iggy, covington, and marvin), i like crowder, kyle anderson, and bjelica. young guys like caboclo and diop would be great too but its less likely that their rebuilding teams want to part with good young players unless we overpay with picks. i would also look at free agents like dante cunningham. my guess is tilman ducks the tax again and we don't make another trade that adds any salary.
Thanks for the detailed answer. I agree with your guess on whether the Rockets do anything to add salary. If they hit the tax this year, and spotrac has them already into the tax by a 100-200 thousand or so, it won't be by much. I'm guessing they let Shumpert walk, and not use him to bring back a good contract, given Fertitta will be paying 2.50(?) for each dollar of salary added to the payroll from now on. I don't know who brought it up, but I agree the Rockets aren't going to pay ~35 million for renting Iggy for a year. Which makes the idea of taking on OPJ even more of a fantasy.
high priced guys like OPJ and love can fit on our team under the tax but it would cost ego/capela etc... so its just unlikely. if we had a rich owner we could technically get it done under the trading rules but we dont just want to raise the cap hit that much into the LT. i think they probably keep shumpert on a minimum deal for depth. doesn't look like he's signing anywhere else. the frustrating thing is i really think we are 1 piece away. we definitely have a chance this year as is, but to be the favorites, we need one more piece. this is why i advocated for spending the NTMLE even though it would hard cap us. reason 1, we'd get a really good player in the rotation. reason 2, the hard cap doesn't matter because tilman will never spend more than that even if we are allowed to. but instead it looks like we will duck the tax completely.
Can't disagree. I unfortunately think you're rather prescient about how all this is going to shake out. I don't want Shumpert here on a minimum deal, for fear that MDA will play him, and his sub 30 percent from 3 shooting, over a younger player needing seasoning and having much higher upside. His value, IMHO, is in his Bird rights, and the better player they can bring back. Absolutely infuriating that Fertitta is willing to throw that away.
i don't want shumpert on the minimum either. i don't want us to duck the tax, and i don't want us to avoid making good trades because the dollar amount is too high. i just think that's what's gonna happen. not only is tilman throwing away shumpert's bird right's and ability to S&T him, but he's throwing away the +25% of incoming salaries ($9.4M) from the westbrook trade. he will likely throw away $8.8M in NG contracts. he threw away the chance to add someone for the NTMLE. i'm realistic, i don't think any team would go $30+M above the tax. but we should have used at least one of those avenues to add one more starter/6th man.
