Even if healthy they are a player or two from catching us. Fox has been injured 4 out of his 8 years in the league. Vassel is meh, Castle sucks, Sochan is an ok role player. Maybe Harper gets them closer sooner or later, but probably not this upcoming season. I don’t think Durant is in the cards, because of the matching salaries.
I think PER is trash, but you don't mind using it. Also, his WS/48 was above league average and almost identical to Fred's. Not trying to make this an anti-Jalen thread by any means, but Jalen has never posted a league average WS/48. Bottom line, you can cherry pick any stat you want to try to prove either side of this debate. But there's four things you can't disprove: Jabari's age, his length, his shooting potential and his defensive versatility. The latter three make him a valuable asset for any NBA team. As for the first, he's the third youngest prospect on the roster behind only Reed and Whitmore, and we all knew when the Rockets drafted him that he would be more of a project. Giving up on him now and moving him while his value is this low would be a huge mistake. And you make it sound like he isn't a switchable 7-footer who can shoot, but that's literally exactly what he is and it's why he's so valuable. Guys like that don't grow on trees, and his positional versatility and potential to stretch the floor make him an extremely valuable piece. Even if he only sees a marginal improvement from where he's at right now and turns into something like a 15/8/2/1/1 player with elite switchable defense, that's a huge asset to have for a contender. I don't know why anyone would be in a rush to trade him; it makes zero sense to me.
We're basically paying that to Dillon Brooks right now. And he doesn't have half of Bari's upside. $25M for a player with his skillset is good value, and if he even only improved marginally, he'd easily outplay a contract at that AAV.
Fans really need to stop thinking of this as dollar figure and instead compare it as a percentage of the cap. If you pay Jabari $25M a year. This year, that is only 16% of the cap and with the cap increasing 10% each season for the next few years, that percentage of the cap is going to be less and less. For a player of Jabari's skill set, 16% of the cap is pretty damn good.
Thank you for also noticing that Castle sucks. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills with the hype he gets.
Houston In: KD and fillers Phoenix In: Gafford, Brooks, Landale, Holiday and #10 Dallas In: Grayson Allen, Cam Whitmore, #29, 2027 Dallas Pick Houston gets KD Phoenix gets quality role players and the lottery pick Dallas gets their 2027 pick back, couple of rotation players and a 2025 pick.
Exactly. As the cap increases, the dollar figures that seemed high previously exponentially shrink in terms of significance to the cap. There was a time not that long ago where $25M was for superstars only; that's a role player salary in today's NBA. And if we signed him at that now, we'd be sitting pretty in a few years when the going rate for quality role players exceeds $30M (if it hasn't already).
Lol yeah not much else to mention outside of that key difference between Miami and Minneapolis Que the JR tweets from KD about Minny
OK how about this. Total games won in the Conference Finals or Finals since 1990, by players 37 or older averaging >=18 points per game: Zero. (correct me if I'm wrong, I could have missed one but don't think so).
Exactly, and he gives you upside as the majority of NBA players improve from his age over seasons historically. Versus a 60 million dollar two year extension for a 37 year old who will decline and greater odds to hurt flexibility with even a possibility of dead money like the Sixers experienced. It will be far easier to manage young, talented players on rookie extension contracts and is a much better value long term. You have more room to make moves as well.
We must be having two different conversations - I don't think that KD in 2024 or 2025 is the same KD that existed 5 years ago. Having said that - he still averaged nearly 27 points a game, he still had an EFG of nearly 60% and he still shot nearly 55/45 from the floor. Yes - Durant will continue to age, and he will continue to decline (or more likely get hurt), but I am not assuming that he is going to fall off a cliff next season, especially based on how he has declined the last few seasons. Also - I pointed out his rebounds and assists to show that he is not simply a shooter or decoy, he is still actively involved in the offense on the floor. Would I sign KD to a 3-4 year deal? Absolutely not - would I take him next year, and possibly a 1-2 year extension? Possibly, but would really feel more comfortable with one year. I would say the same thing about LeBron James - is he the player at 40 that he was at 35? No, but he is still a very good player - and he is 40 years old.
it may not be Durant, but Spurs are trying to make moves, and adding Dylan Harper in the draft is no joke they will surpass us soon while we sit and hope for injuries and that our home grown talent, majority of it mediocre, makes giant leaps
Jalen could go to a third or even fourth team. The Rockets want to be involved in the KD deal - even if they do not get KD.
We can make other moves for younger stars in coming years. And the team has improved from 22 wins to 52 wins over a few years. that organic leap is one of and possibly the best in the NBA over two years. Clawing to match a Spurs team who had season ending injuries from a 21 year old (which might foreshadow a future trend) to get a 37 year old for $60 million is only looking at one season and desperate. If you look long term you avoid those contract pitfalls, keep building with smart long term moves that make sense. At least look for a younger talented star on a good contract.
That’s the 3rd team for a trade. Stone also has a relationship with them, but maybe that’s the team that don’t want Jalen. Just use Fred &/or Dillon’s contract with them or another team to make it happen. I don’t know why we so hellbent on keeping Fred. His contract is the perfect asset for a team seeking cap flexibility, if stone misses this opportunity he will be forced to trade some of the young players instead.
A good post. You sort of convinced me. I was a bg fan of Durant in his one year at UT. After his chicken move to the Warriors I have had hard time appreciating him.
This isn't going to be decided until after the Finals end btw so maybe this weekend if OKC closes it out tonight.
