There are probably several teams in that situation, GSW is just the most obvious. If memory serves, when Wiggins signed his deal, there were stories out saying that the true cost of his deal to the team was $77m for this year (salary and luxury tax). You can maybe stomach that when you’re a championship team and you want to run it back. But once you don’t win that championship again, or at least make a deep playoff run, even the richest teams look at that as wasteful spending. While Wiggins might not be the biggest need, I think you have to be opportunistic when good value is there to be taken advantage of.
Offseason Waive Nix Trade Tate / KMJ and #18 for #10 Trade Sengun (and a Nets pick) to Cha for #4 Draft Thompson Draft Wemby Draft Hendricks Sign Harden 45,000,000 Sign Williams 17,390,354 Harden / Amen / TyTy Green / KPJ / JGup Williams / Eason Jabari / Garuba Wemby / Hendricks
This would be a damn near perfect offseason if we could somehow pull it off. Better right away, better in the future. Would be a bummer to lose Sengun but I don't see how you'd get Amen without it. A lot of stuff would have to hit right and other teams would have to play ball, but man that would be drastic 180 for the organization to come out of this offseason looking like this.
Top of my FA list: Cam Johnson addresses a positional need, size, shooting, and he’s a better defender than KJ. 26 and just about to hit his best years. Plus, if we can sign him away from Brooklyn, we improve the value of our Brooklyn pick next year. Wins all around. Get it done Stone.
Completely agree. He'd be a fantastic get, and Brooklyn's cap is actually pretty tight because of Simmons. Like, let's say we draft Scoot. Scoot / Green / Johnson / Smith / Sengun Not too shabby.
https://theathletic.com/4418426/2023/04/18/rockets-fred-vanvleet-free-agents/ […] Which players fit? Which ones don’t? To get a better sense of potential Rockets free agency targets, The Athletic reached out to high-ranking scouts around the league for their insight and opinions on players and fits in Houston. Part two of what these scouts have to say about potential Rockets free agent targets will run later in the week. Cam Johnson (RFA) Profile: 3-and-D wing Age: 27 2022-23 earnings: $4.6 million 2022-23 stats: 15.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg The skinny: Your modern day, lengthy 3-and-D wing who is coveted by many front offices. Johnson is a willing, active defender who can handle multiple assignments and also is a prolific shooter, eclipsing the 40 percent mark from behind the arc on more than six attempts per game. He’s a solid, but not remarkable ball handler who added offensive elements to his game following the trade from Phoenix to Brooklyn. He’s a team-first glue guy willing to pick up the shifts no one wants. From the scouts: “Cam is that kind of guy that is a great fit with any team. So in particular to his fit with the Rockets, I think he’s a really good fit just because of their lack of shooting on the wings. You got Tari (Eason), K.J. (Martin), certain guys that can shoot, but that’s not really what they do. That’s what Cam does and he can play without the ball. The Rockets have Jalen (Green) and Kevin Porter Jr. who want and need the ball in their hands.” Jerami Grant Profile: Combo scoring forward Age: 29 2022-23 earnings: $20.9 million 2022-23 stats: 20.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 apg The skinny: A hard-nosed playing tweener big who might fit like a glove in Houston. He doesn’t rebound nearly as much as you’d like with that size, but he defends well and is offensively capable of carrying an offense in spurts. He also brings unselfishness and can be a locker room leader. He has the ability to create for others and defend bigger centers, which would pair well with an Alperen Şengün in the frontcourt, in addition to his floor spacing capabilities. From the scouts: “Jerami would be tremendously helpful in terms of two-way play, defensive versatility, ability to score and rebound. He’s extremely versatile as far as being able to play the three, the four. Gives them something they don’t have right now. I don’t think he’s a go-to guy, but someone with that level of talent that can contribute right now.” Dillon Brooks Profile: Ball-stopping wing defender Age: 27 2022-23 earnings: $11.4 million 2022-23 stats: 14.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg The skinny: Brooks made headlines this season for his antics, but make no mistake, he is an excellent on-ball defender sure to elevate your team from the moment he steps on the floor. His 3-point shot has cratered in recent years and he fouls more than you’d like, but as far as versatile, physical wing defenders go, there aren’t that many around the league you would rather have to go into battle. He’s grit personified, sure to make an All-Defense team this season and for the foreseeable future. From the scouts: “Dillon’s a good fit. He’s not as seamless of a fit as Cam (Johnson) offensively, but he would bring something that Cam doesn’t defensively. He’s one of the better wing defenders in the league — especially of the available free agents – so I think he would bring that edge. A defensive mindset that would mesh pretty well with Houston. As a target (he) definitely makes sense for them.” Kristaps Porziņģis Profile: Stretch big Age: 27 2022-23 earnings: $33.8 million 2022-23 stats: 23.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.7 apg The skinny: “The Unicorn” has had a rough go of it with injuries over the last couple of seasons, but was able to play 65 games this season, his highest benchmark in seven years. He’s a true floor-spacing stretch big that can split time at both power forward and center. He might be too expensive for Houston right now, commanding over half of their available cap space. From the scouts: “Obviously a bit risky in terms of injury history. You question his toughness at times. But if it all works, you got a guy who can really stretch the floor, and be a good finisher around the rim. But he’s kind of that rare stretch five that can do a whole lot more in terms of creating his own shot and getting others involved. Defensively, he’s probably not helping them, and that would be my worry for their sake. Their defense is already bad and he didn’t help Washington at all this year in terms of rim protection or care factor, so that part could be a little tough.” Fred VanVleet Profile: Lead ball handler with scoring upside Age: 29 2022-23 earnings: $22.8 million 2022-23 stats: 19.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.1 apg The skinny: His defensive impact and shooting aren’t quite what it was in seasons past, but VanVleet brings structure, organization and most importantly, cohesion on both ends of the floor. He makes up for his lack of size with intelligence and poise. He has been Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s eyes and ears for years in Toronto, and was a key cog in their 2019 Finals run. A locker room leader, VanVleet has the ability to be the adult in the room sorely needed in Houston. He’s also one of the best passers this league has seen over the last five years. From the scouts: “I think he’s a really good fit, too. The Rockets need a point guard. Ideally, for them with where they are, you want a point guard that’s more of a facilitator, more of a run-your-team kind of point guard. Just to help the young guys grow and get the shots they need. I think Fred is a really high-level target for a team that needs some scoring punch. The way the Rockets are assembled, a lot of their scoring is coming from the wings or other ball handlers. He’s not an ideal fit for them, but he’s a really damn good player. Super smart and he’ll figure it out.” Brook Lopez Profile: Floor-spacing defensive anchor center Age: 35 2022-23 earnings: $13.9 million 2022-23 stats: 15.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg The skinny: Age is nothing but a number. Lopez playing some of the best two-way basketball in his mid-30s, a rare sign for centers like him. A legitimate contender for Defensive Player of the Year, he can anchor the backline of a defense in a way not many other centers can. He’s communicative, smart and a quality floor spacer for guards. The Bucks’ defensive efficiency is nearly 10 points better with him on the floor, a 97th percentile impact. From the scouts: “He’s a no-brainer fit. Similar to Cam (Johnson), he fits pretty much on any team. He’s likely to win Defensive Player of the Year – or at least be in the running – and the Rockets have struggled defensively. No-brainer on that side of the ball. Does what he does on offense — still has a lot of game left. Great three-point shooter. Would help give Jalen (Green), Scoot (Henderson) and those guys a little more space to operate. Been perfect for Milwaukee’s system just because of how they play. They want to shoot threes and protect the rim. That style is perfect for Brook.” Gary Trent Jr. Profile: Sharpshooting wing Age: 24 2022-23 earnings: $17.3 million 2022-23 stats: 17.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg The skinny: This was a bit of a down season for him. He didn’t move with the same pop and smoothness we’ve seen in the past, but is still a lethal outside shooter. Can put the ball on the floor at times if need be, but his obvious plus is his floor spacing and high-level marksmanship. Trent has not shown any real signs of being a consistent defender since the trade from Portland, but is still young enough at 24 to develop, especially with a 6’9 wingspan at his height. From the scouts; “He can really shoot the ball and space the floor. But for what you’re ending up paying him, is he going to do the little things in terms of rebounding, defense and everything like that? He can obviously shoot, but for (the Rockets) to change their identity, they have to find guys that want to play a little defense.”
Kevin Ollie is the coach of the OverTime Elite (team of the Thompson brothers) and a coaching candidate for the vacant job with the Pistons.
Trades KJM & Nix to Indiana for TJ McConnell and FRP via Cleveland (pick 26) LAC pick (20), Garuba and Christopher to Toronto for Thaddeus Young and pick 13 Free Agency Sign Cam Johnson, Donte DiVincenzo and DeAndre Jordan Draft 1.2 - Scoot Henderson 1.13 - Dariq Whitehead 1.26 - Adem Bona Henderson/McConnell/Washington Green/DiVincenzo/KPJ Johnson/KPJ/Eason/Whitehead (RGV) Smith/Eason/Young Sengun/Jordan/Bona (RGV)
I hope we draft very high, such as Wemby, Scoot or Brandon Miller. Also, for the 20th pick we choose Lively…..rim protector and rim runner.
The picking # 5 build Pre-Draft Cut Nix Trade #5, Eason, Tate, Washington Brooklyn 1st in 2026 and Brooklyn swaps in 2025 and 27 for Jaylen Brown. #20+Martin to move up for Cason Wallace. Offseason Sign James Harden. 3 years 35 million. Sign Cam Johnson 4 years 96 million. Player option after year 3. Make this a sign and trade with Porter to make the the cap work. Sengun/Garuba Smith/Johnson Brown/Johnson Green Harden/Wallace still need a couple pieces but that is a good team.
My draft order which is probably a hot take: Wemby Scoot Jarace Walker Amen Brandon Miller (holding my nose)
No $35 per year. And i actually think if he wants Houston, he might do it for closer 30. Yea im interested to see others thoughts on what he would cost? Its really only 2FRP+ 2 swaps and a few young unproven youngins. Also keep in mind Im probably lower on Eason that a lot of people. I think it would be fine if he would just focus on spot up, shooting defending and rebounding. I think the spot up shooting and his rebounding were excellent this year. I thought he was horribly selfish and underwear on off pants and I didn’t even think his defense was always that great. however, he has a lot of potential and there’s obviously a great teammate. I’m just looking at him as the main young player in the trade please because I want to protect Sengun, Green and Smith.
Ohh. Okay. Then I wonder if the math works out, cap wise. Adding Brown, Cam Johnson, and Harden at 30 - 35 mil seems like it would blow past our 60 mil in cap space, even with a KPJ sign-and-trade.
