In all seriousness though--I'm assuming CP3 wants nothing to do with us after everything that went down. But if the Suns blow it up/retool after this major embarrassment, Cam Payne might make sense as a backup PG for us. He's a pretty good passer, solid defender, 3P shooting has been kinda up and down, but he can get hot and knock down a bunch, as we just saw. Would sure beat playing Nix, and he already is what we only hope TyTy can turn it around and become.
Backup to who? Why are we trying to fill our backup role before we have a starter? As things stand right now, Cameron Payne should be our starting PG.
Scoot Henderson would be my ideal scenario, assuming we don't land Wemby (although IDK how Payne would feel about playing behind a rook).
If the Suns blow up their team and we were able to get him and draft Scoot, I’d be willing to give him the starting job for the final year of his contract and let Scoot come off the bench. For a team actually trying to win, I think that’s a natural progression. There would be plenty of minutes and spot starts available for Scoot. And Payne was pretty good in his starts this year. https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/cameron-payne-stats-as-a-starter-this-season
The vibe is that it is just Paul & Ayton on the trade block... Ayton still bummed at organization and wanted out (still may end up in Indiana) Suns probably feel like CP3 let them down again. I am not sure where he would end up if traded . It would need to be a contender and he probably wants to start (MIA? TOR? WAS? LAL? MN?). Suns apparently want depth back at PG, SF, and C.
I think they are going to be stuck with Paul. A trade of Ayton for Myles Turner and TJ McConnell would probably make sense for both sides, though I’m not sure if there’s a way for them to trade Ayton to the team they matched an offer sheet from.
Would love to get CP3 but I think he would force his way to a buyout. If we could convince him to stay, it would be a great contract for a short term mentor type if he can give us 60+ games. Defensive minded, great passing, good teacher (I believe he mentored SGA). I don't think he's giving up on a title though and if he gets bought out he'll go to the Lakers.
With more teams getting eliminated in the playoffs, I am keeping "Blowup Alert" in the back of my mind because some of these teams might do just that. Who should we be looking at? I guess it starts with teams that had high expectations and/or that got knocked out early. West: Wolves? Clippers? Suns? East: Nets? Bucks?
I don't think the Bucks blow it up yet, but they may look to move some pieces around to try to get better around Giannis. I think they run it back one more year and maybe Giannis requests a trade if they get bounced early next year. The Nets might try to add a guy like Lillard or Trae Young, but I don't know if they have the pieces to make the trade. If they don't/can't, my expectation is they run it back--they don't seem to want to blow it up. We'll see though, their ownership could change direction and approve a complete rebuild. My prime "blow it up" teams are Toronto, Minnesota, Atlanta, New Orleans in roughly that order. Those teams are going nowhere fast.
Listened to latest Vecenie podcast, and I guess it didn't really occur to me until now that there *could* be a lot of movement this offseason. Feels like GSW, PHX, maybe NYK, POR (unless they get Wemby), and DAL need to make some moves. Throw in MIN, ATL, TOR, maybe BKN, and a few other teams (I'm ignoring BOS/PHI doing deals if Brown/Harden move). I'm not sure if the Rockets make sense for any of the proposed solutions for these teams, but I'd think having at ton of cap space during this time is a good thing.
The new CBA is going to change the way teams do business .....these teams who have been perennial luxury tax payers are going to have to adjust, even if they are making $$$ while doing so because of the restrictive nature of the agreement, particularly for the biggest spenders.
Yep, and I think there are also other somewhat unique factors. A lot of these teams seem invested in making deep playoff runs, and with things being pretty wide open, I think some teams can convince themselves to take some risks. It's not like they have to go against prime Warriors/Spurs/LeBron/etc teams. When you actually go team by team, it feels like you can come up with a decent argument for most to make a move. The free agent pool is kinda meh, but given these factors, it seems Rockets have a lot of potential great options for that cap space. So watch them throw big money at Kyrie and Christian Wood. :/
I like your list. Golden State - likely will retool around Steph as opposed to a rebuild. They are developing a couple young players in Moody and Kaminga. Wiggins is only 28 and Poole is pretty young. I don’t think they are a trade partner for Houston. Suns - they are looking to retool around Durant and Booker. CP3 ain’t playing here and Ayton isn’t worth his salary. They’ll be looking to swap out a PG and a Center; both positions we are lacking in, and they don’t have picks to trade. If Houston likes Payne maybe, but other than that not really a partner for Houston. Knicks - I think the Knicks are looking to add to get over the top. I see them bringing back Josh Hart (who I really want Houston to sign). There’s definitely some bad team chemistry going on with Randel, but I don’t think he’s a good fit for Houston. The guy that could finally be on the move is Quigley. He’s had terrible playoff performances and his role is unclear with Brunson’s domination. If the rockets like Quigley, I bet there’s a chance to pry him from the Knicks. Blazers - Portland is a wildcard. Assuming they don’t get Wemby, there is a legit chance Portland finally trades Dame. They have two guys I’d love to build around in Simmons and Sharpe, but they aren’t letting this guys go. Nurk is probably gone regardless; they are a candidate to trade for Ayton and try to run it back with Dame. Regardless of it they blow it up or give it another go with Dame, Houston is not a compatible trade fit. Mavs - they are definitely going to make some moves. I’m not sure what they have to work with. They’re definitely a candidate to trade their pick if it lands outside the top 4, but they are looking for an impact vet/star to pair with Luka, and maybe convince Kyrie to resign. We don’t have what they are looking for. It’s all about getting that player which Luka thinks he can win a chip with. Not a good trade partner for Houston. Wolves - this organization is pretty screwed up. What a terrible trade last year. They have to be reconsidering their direction. They could role with the KAT/Rudy twin towers or they could cut their losses and blow that up. Either player would fetch a strong return, even if they take a loss on that Gobert trade. I think KAT is a good player but I don’t see a championship mentality; he’s a bit soft for me. Gobert has significant limitation in terms of the defense you can run with him. I bet the only player that’s truly safe in Minny is Ant man. If the rockets like one of those bigs I bet there’s a trade to be made. If Minny can’t get a big star for one of those guys they very well could be looking for picks and prospects to rebuild around Edwards. I also like Jaden McDaniels. Hawks - i think they are in a very bad cap situation. Plus they have to keep Snyder happy. The Hawks are definitely moving some players this offseason. There’s a really good chance Collins gets moved, maybe even Hunter or Capella. Are they giving up on the Young/Murray backcourt? The Hawks have a ton of players that could help the rockets. I don’t think Collins or Hunter are fits, but Capella or either of their guards would be great. Assuming their guards are not on the block I think a Capella rerun could be possible. Toronto - they are another wildcard. Could retool around Siakam, OG and Barnes. It sounds like they want to bring back Poeltl which means they are not likely going full rebuild. If they can add another star to their core they’ll be competitive next year, but they trade could go in a different direction and trade Siakam or OG for picks and prospects. Both players would be worthy trade targets for the rockets, but the competition from other teams with picks and prospects (like OKC) would be fierce. Nets - Brooklyn has to rebuild. With Simmons taking up so much cap room they can’t really compete. I do think they will try to retain Cam Johnson. I don’t think they are trading Bridges for anything less than a king’s ransoms. They’ll be looking to acquire more picks and prospects, especially control of their own picks. The Nets are a top trade target for Houston. A deal for Cam (maybe Claxton or even Bridges) is realistic. We have players and picks Brooklyn wants and they have players we want.
Jason Dumas: I’m told Jonathan Kuminga aims to split his off-season time in Miami, NYC, and LA. He wants to participate in alot of NBA open runs and showcase to people around the league what he can do on the court. Jonathan Kuminga not so subtly asking for a trade. That's a spot where we could offer KJM straight up. Gives them a a good replacement player and saves them some luxury tax money.
A better defensive player and better 3pt shooter who’s two years younger. KJM is the better player right now, but Kuminga still has the higher ceiling.
