Dorian Finney Smith (DFS) + 3 SRP TRADED TO CHARLOTTE HORNETS FOR…

This is exactly right. He handcuffed last year in regards to deadline trades and he has handcuffed this off-season. If he really is getting trade offers including a frp for KD without albatross contracts coming back, he is handicapping this franchise for another year.

 

The value of second round picks is that you can fill out slots 11-15 on the roster with salaries that are half to 1/3 the cost of a vet minimum, which leaves you more room to dodge the luxury tax or spend more to get a better rotational player for slots 6-10.

 

he treats them old school, like baseball cards on bike spokes

 

they also have value for moving around the draft, as we saw multiple times a couple weeks ago. And they can get you an impact player. Consider how valuable Steven Adams was in the playoffs for us 2yrs ago. Important to remeber he was acquired with 2nd round picks.

Stone’s approach to 2nd round picks since taking over has been criminal. Whether it’s refusing to trade Tate for 2nd round picks, prematurely attaching I believe like five 2nd rounders to get off Garuba, Christopher and TyTy, or spending three 2nd rounders to get off an expiring DFS….just really poor.

 

Stone has been great at negotiating team friendly contracts, except for the DFS contract which turned out to be a massive mistake.

He has chronically mismanaged assets and draft capital though. Spending a bunch of late 1st round picks on guys he then spent 2nd round picks dumping is just so idiotic. A smarter GM would have used those late 1st round picks on depth/bench prospects rather than drafting JG's buddy, an extremely undersized guard, and a defensive prospect that would have been cheaper to keep than Tate, who also can't shoot.


We can point directly to the bad draft picks and the subsequent poor management and development when we're looking for why our bench is full of washed vets on minimum contracts and washed vets on overpriced contracts like Capela/DFS.

 

David Wesley was actually halfway decent his first year. Just way overplayed. Wesley, Mike James, Jon Barry, Bob Sura combined brought some fun & gun to the JVG staleness. But the Ty Lue Crew before that, & following season, yikes

 

Don’t like giving Memphis 2nd rounder.

 

He was an utter scrub who was already giving signs of being a head case (who can forget him accusing Beyoncé of being the devil?). Why trade for him at all?

 

LOL. Stone is an idiot.

 

lol, almost all of y’all loved the AJ Griffin move at the time calling it insane and a steal

https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/rockets-acquire-aj-griffin.323589/

 

We lack the insight that comes with being an NBA GM. It'd be pretty damn alarming if he had the same level of information as us in the general public.

 

Stone now being viewed as an idiot for a move like 99% of this place was viewing as a mad genius transaction is kinda crazy, and I hate Stone

People will be like “Stone is an idiot and needs to be fired. I think we should trade for Jalen Duren and play him next to Sengun.”

 

Post-moretem reflection

How long were with with the Rockets?
AJ Griffin ~3 months (June 2024 – September 2024)

• Acquisition Date: June 27, 2024
• Games Played: 0 regulart season games
• Departure Date: September 21, 2024 (Waived/Contract Buyout)

Dorian Finney-Smith: ~12 months (July 2025 – July 2026)

• Acquisition Date: July 6, 2025
• Games Played: 41 games total (37 Regular Season, 4 Postseason)
• Departure Date: July 2026 (Traded to Charlotte Hornets)

Type of signing?
AJ Griffin

• Type of deal: Trade (from the Atlanta Hawks)
• Outgoing draft picks: 1 (2024 second-round pick, No. 44)
• Incoming draft picks: 0
• Annual salary: ~$4.0M (2024–25 rookie-scale contract)

Dorian Finney-Smith (DFS)

• Type of deal: Free agent signing
• Outgoing draft picks: 0
• Incoming draft picks: 0
• Annual salary: ~$13.5M/year (4 years, $54M total)

Type of release?
AJ Griffin

• Type of departure: Waived (following a contract buyout)
• Outgoing draft picks: 0
• Incoming draft picks: 0

Dorian Finney-Smith (DFS)

• Type of departure: Trade
• Outgoing draft picks: 5 (all second-round picks)
• Incoming draft picks: 1 (second-round pick)

Initial thoughts from BBS thoughts on signings?
AJ Griffin

• Profile: Hopeful 3-and-D wing
  
• Acquisition: Buy-low, upside gamble
• Expectation: "Surprise me"
• Expectation from team: Head coach and player development staff could help unlock his potential.
  
• BBS reaction: Mostly excited due to the low acquisition cost.

DFS

• Profile: Proven 3-and-D wing
  
• Acquisition: Market-value free agent signing
• Expectation: Rotation contributor
  
• Expectation from staff: Medical staff could help him recover and return to form.
• BBS reaction: Generally positive. (if maybe replace 80% of Dillon Brooks)

Main reason(s) it didn't work out.
AJ Griffin

• Type: mental
  
• Landmines: There were signs of strong religious fervor from comments by former Hawks teammates and his social media activity, but not enough to disqualify him as a worthwhile buy-low gamble.

DFS

• Type: Physical / On-Court
• Landmines: Underestimated the severity of his medical condition and recovery timeline. I believe the organization expected a recovery similar to Steven Adams', but that assumption did not prove accurate.

 

How will these next two stories play out...

Bruce Thornton

• Duration: Signed July 7, 2026 – Present
• Acquisition Date: June 25, 2026 (Draft Night Trade)

Bogdan Bogdanovic

• Duration: Signed July 1, 2026 – Present
• Acquisition Date: July 1, 2026

Type of signing?
Bruce Thornton

• Type of deal: Trade / Draft-Night Acquisition (No. 31 overall pick in 2026 via NY Knicks)
• Outgoing draft picks: 3 (2026 No. 39, 2026 No. 53, and a 2029 second-round pick)
• Incoming draft picks: 1 (2026 No. 31 overall pick; later moved down No. 53 to No. 55)
• Annual salary: ~$2.32M/year (4 years, $9.3M total; first year fully guaranteed)

Bogdan Bogdanovic

• Type of deal: Free Agent Signing (Unrestricted free agent after LA Clippers declined team option)
• Outgoing draft picks: 0
• Incoming draft picks: 0
• Annual salary: Minimum-salary contract (1 year)

Reactions
Bruce Thornton

• Profile: Tough, high-IQ, four-year college floor general
• Acquisition: Aggressive draft-night trade-up to the top of the second round
• Expectation: Backup guard depth; high-value developmental asset who handles the ball efficiently
• Expectation from team: Learn the ropes behind veterans like Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart while adjusting to NBA speed
• BBS reaction: Highly enthusiastic; praised as a massive "steal" of the second round due to his historic college production, durability, and stellar assist-to-turnover ratio
  
  
• Concerns? Undersized, College transition, Opportunity/Playing time.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

• Profile: Veteran sharpshooter and secondary playmaker
• Acquisition: Buy-low, low-risk free agent bounce-back candidate
• Expectation: Bench spacing/floor general depth if he can stay healthy
• Expectation from staff: Provide leadership to the young core and give the second unit a proven playoff-tested shooter
• BBS reaction: Cautiously optimistic to neutral; fans love his fit and past track record as an elite spacer, but there is clear skepticism after his brutal, injury-plagued season with the Clippers
  
  Concerns? Health, Age/decline, and defensiive limitation

 

Don’t forget the brilliant 3-yr guaranteed contract for a washed up Clint Capela (or 2-sandwiches Clint, as I like to now call him)

 

I don’t get your hate boner for Clint. When Adams went down last year, Clint was good (not great, but helpful) for us.

 

He was washed in Atlanta. So I was surprised we gave him a 3-yr guaranteed contract. But more importantly, I don’t like guys who show up to camp fat, which Clint did. It took him half the season to get into basketball shape. You aren’t allowed to be both washed and fat. If u are relying on Clint for impactful minutes you’ve done something wrong in roster construction.

 

I agree completely, I never questioned that Clint has some bball talent but at this point I doubt bball is the love of his life.

I might be proven wrong.....so be it.