I doubt they create significant cap space this offseason. They have 3-4 rotation players as free agents. Releasing all their cap holds except Claxton will leave them with about $44M (give or take a few million as I assumed $10M for incomplete roster charges) and a shell of a roster. I'd expect they would be better keeping guys or sign and trading away guys instead of having cap space (I don't think there will be a $40M free agent that will sign with them). I'd guess their best bet is to trade for a guy before the deadline and then sign their own free agents using Bird and early-Bird rights instead of gutting team, hoping a star signs to a gutted team, and then re-sign Claxton to a deal above the cap. If they don't get a trade before this deadline, I expect they will need to wait until 2025 trade deadline to deal Simmons as an expiring before they really have a chance to improve. By 2025 deadline and if they suck until then, I don't think NBA players are going to be lining up to go there and they will have chewed up a lot of Bridges's trade value. Caveat: I could be wrong, but I just think the longer they suck, the more chance they have for something to go wrong (or very right for the Rockets).
sidenote, it's a nice feeling that we are doing tankathon.com for other team's picks instead of our own for a change. the lottery was so stressful the past few years. also i did this 1/1 and got this result. didn't even know this was a possibility but lets goo
The more I thought about it the more it makes sense for the Rockets and Nets to do a deal for Bridges. He’s a known commodity and we already have a ton of young potential. As long as we keep the 2024 pick then I think there is a ton of flexibility to work a deal. More vet leadership for our youth and he fits in perfect with the team and Ime.
I think the new CBA makes it really hard to build around more than two max players which means with 30 teams, there are maybe 60 max contracts out there - maybe 63 or so if some teams are willing to dig deep into the luxury tax to fund a 3 star team but the luxury tax is SUPER punitive now and you eventually lose picks if you stay over the tax. It hasn't totally happened yet, but that's the direction the league is trending because being a luxury tax payer now puts you at a competitive disadvantage if it deprives you of cheap draft depth. As good as Alpi has been, I'm still really skittish on him being your #1 guy given A.)he still has not extended his range, and B.)he can still be exposed defensively when teams want to - credit to Udoka for hiding that better this year and credit to Alpi for also being a lot better but still - he is going to get cooked when isolated with the types of elite guards on playoff teams in a 7 game series. I fully expect him to be one of our franchise players and deserving of a max contract but my point is this - we HAVE to be careful with who our other max contract guys are going to be. The goal is to have a top 15 player and maybe a top 30 player and then a bunch of players NOT on max deals but who perform better than some of the 60 max contract guys. I like Bridges, but he currently is like the 40th best player in the league and has two more years left on his deal after this one and I don't think it's unreasonable to assume he might also get a max deal as a 20+/5+/5+ two way guy - essentially he is a less mean version of Jimmy Butler with a more consistent shot. Thats a really really good player...but unless we think 28 year old Bridges is stepping it up significantly, I don't think him+Alpi are going very far....and oh yeah - Cam Whitmore might one day be a max player so there is a bit of long term planning here to make sure we have options to retain Cam down the road. I think Jalen Green is done with the way Cam is looking, trading for Bridges makes us better tomorrow, but draft equity is KING in the new CBA and Houston has a lot of it right now so I think the only way we consider Bridges is if the price is very right - Jalen Green + Olaidpo/Landale and maybe one of their old picks back. Maybe you throw in another pick if they can let go of Claxton. Thats about it though because I think the likelihood is Bridges is just a two year vet rental before he gets a max elsewhere and leaves us because we can do better with our 2nd max slot.
If Bronny declares for the draft this year we should pick him up with the Nets pick, since u get a free Lebron if you draft Bronny. He's projected as a 10th pick right now if he declares for draft. This is if we don't trade the pick. I doubt Stone will make a major trade anyways.
The elephant in the room is Ben Simmons contract. What has been the anchor that held them down is now the piece that gives them freedom to move. I did their future cap numbers a couple weeks ago .... they are in a good place in that aspect. I said then that they might be better off cap wise than the Rockets and I think that is still true Worst Case - Stretch provision generates them $26,892,096 in wiggle room. That contract is also expiring after next season and at $40m allows them to trade for literally any player in the league one for one contract wise. They have 8 first round picks, three of them unprotected from PHX and a 4th unprotected pick from Dallas. Those PHX picks are a Durant temper tantrum away from solid gold. They can also be proactive this season and move guys that aren't part of the future for more assets. Their obligations to the Rockets are a sunk cost but they should still maximize their own assets .... It may be better for them long term to be sellers at this deadline. I could see them moving just about anyone but Bridges, cam Johnson and Claxton who they'll resign with bird rights. Dinwiddie & Royce O'Neal are both expiring and probably don't get new contracts, they should go for whatever the Nets can get in return and combine for another $30m. Edit - I found the other post where I did the numbers, it's actually $78m they can create. $64.7m if they stretch Simmons.
Trade the picks. So tired of watching essentially a college team and hoping that they pan out years from now. Whoever we draft won’t even come close to Mikal Bridges.
If Bridges can't stop Brooklyn from sucking, what makes you think he can save us? I have no interest in him unless he comes at a discount. He's just not that good. Have you watched his defense this season?
He would be in a different role on a different team. It’s not about hitting a home run, it’s about taking incremental steps to get better while betting on our youth. Nuggets laid the blueprint when they traded for Aaron Gordon, his role changed and the team got a lot better. I also think Mikal is dejected playing there. Either way, if it’s not for Mikal, trade it for another established player.
Note that Aaron Gordon is the same age as Jokic--Bridges is 6 years older than Sengun, 7 years older than Jabari, and 8 years older than Cam Whitmore. When all of our core are age 25-28 he will be 33 years old.
We don’t have to wait until those guys are 25 to be contenders. Sengun and Amen have the bbiq of solid vets already. Jabari is already a plus defender. People are already talking about the thunder as contenders. SGA is a better regular season player than bridges, but he will get the Harden treatment when it counts. Bridges can be a starting sg/sf on a contender for the next five years. If the nets don’t trade bridges they will find their way to mediocrity after this year and the picks won’t be very valuable. The 24 pick is already de-valued with a really mediocre draft.
I mean, SGA is already 25 too. Historically, how many times has the best player on a championship team been under age 25? (Honest question, I don't have the answer at hand, but I do know it's not been often.)
Does that matter? The chances of us finding an established player their age is slim to none. Mikal is still young.
