Our team has too many young guys to that need/want minutes. Just a quick look at the depth chart (listing by who defends what position) Green/TyTy/Christopher KPJ/KJM Amen/Tate/Cam Bari/Tari Sengun/Garuba this is before we make any free agent signings (BroLo,FVV) I can’t imagine that guys like Christopher, Garuba, and KJ, or their camps, are happy about these logjams. Our coaching staff will have to identify who are the keepers early and let the extra guys go to maintain a happy locker room. The key is structure accountability and communication. I hope Ime can instill that culture of team and they all get along. But if you were KJ or Garuba and you’re working to get your bag wouldn’t you want a trade out? How would we pay all these guys if they hit? Some of these guys will be moved I just hope it’s the right ones. The most likely trades in my mind are packages like next years BKN pick, if it looks like it’s heading to mid lotto, attached to guys like Garuba with pick for a swap like we did with EGo. but there’s no rush at this time. Play out the camp and first quarter of the season. Let them battle first decide later.
I could be totally off… He has a team option (they have to decide on here in the next week). They pick it up, he’s under contract and expires after the year. Unrestricted. Real chance he walks (either with the Rockets or whoever he is traded to). They decline it, he becomes a RFA. They can match or decline. If he signs an offer sheet and they match, I think he gets veto rights? Or he signs the qualifying offer and he’s an unrestricted free agent next year. “If a team matches an offer sheet and retains its free agent, then for one year they cannot trade him without his consent, and during that year cannot trade him at all to the team that signed him to the offer sheet. They also can't trade the player in a sign-and-trade transaction. A restricted free agent's resulting contract (whether with the new team or the contract is matched by the player's prior team) cannot be amended in any manner for one year.” Spoiler https://www.spotrac.com/nba/houston-rockets/kenyon-martin-jr-70694/ 2023-24: Club Option/non-guaranteed (deadline 6/29/23), fully guaranteed 2 days before start of moratorium on 6/29/23 (guaranteed during 2022-23 season) https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/03/rockets-martin-meets-rfa-starter-criteria.html Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr. has met the “starter criteria” for potential restricted free agents by being part of Houston’s starting lineup for at least 41 games this season. When a player meets the starter criteria, the value of his qualifying offer increases. Martin’s QO at the end of this season would now be $5,216,324 (up from approximately $2.3MM), the equivalent of 100% of the rookie scale amount for a No. 21 pick from the 2019 draft class. However, there’s no guarantee that Martin will actually become a restricted free agent at season’s end. The Rockets hold a $1.93MM team option on the 22-year-old for the 2023/24 season and could simply exercise that option to keep him under contract for another year. That decision won’t be as simple as it appears on the surface though. Because this is Martin’s third NBA season, he would be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but he’d become unrestricted if Houston picks up his option and postpones his free agency until 2024. In situations like this one, it can make sense for the club to turn down a team-friendly option in order to exert control over the player’s free agency process, rather than risk having him walk for nothing in a year. In fact, the Rockets took that exact approach a year ago with Jae’Sean Tate, who had a 2022/23 team option but would have become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 if that option was picked up. After declining his option, Houston made Tate a restricted free agent and locked him up to a three-year, $20.6MM contract. It remains to be seen what direction the Rockets will go with Martin, but the increased value of his qualifying offer will add a new wrinkle to the decision. If Houston turns down its team option on Martin, then tenders him a qualifying offer, he could accept the QO and put himself on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024 anyway. So he’s a one-year cheap expiring ($1,930,681-TO picked up or $5,216,324-QO) or has veto rights over any trade. I’m sure daddy is advising him.
I’d do it for Caruso alone. For Patrick I think you will have to throw in a highly protected draft pick.
If we send out (KjM, Tate, TyTy, Jaygup, no pick up options) for 2nd round picks, that leaves you with 8 really young players still. That's a lot. Starting season ages: 23-KPj 22-Tari 21-Jalen 21-Alpy 21-Garuba 20-Jabari 20-Amen 19-Cam I've officially come around on most of the boards ideas. Take a look at the avg age of Ime's Celtics. Tatum was 23, Jaylen 25. Grant 23. Horford being the old man vet in his mid 30s. Smart was 27 and White was 27. Robert Williams 24. Maybe people envision Brook being our Horford and FVV being our Derrick White. Except were still a good 2 years away from our main young core hitting the beginning of their physical prime. Brook is 35 right now. FVV is 30 by all star break. Now, i know the Celtics core was even younger(Tatum 21? Jaylen 23?) when they went to the ECF-but 1. That was the asterisk Bubble. 2. They had far more vets on that roster(Robert and Grant barely played, no Horford). 3. They were a 1st round exit the next season before Ime. 4. Tatum and Jaylen were just physically far more developed young men compared to Jalen and Jabari. The blueprint should be the C's WITH Ime which means we spend the next few seasons going through growing pains with hopefully a taste of the playoffs or play-in by year 2. So, yeah, getting at least 2 vets does seem nice after i've been against it. If Ime can get Alpy to slide his feet like Horford, he and Brook may work with Bari at the 3 in the short term. We know the effort level is good with Alpy and we know if he's benched, he will use it as motivation, but maybe in general Alpy is the Horford Ime envisions and not Brook who is a short term placeholder. Looking at Robert Williams who is not much bigger than Garuba, i think with 2 years developing and Brook now gone, you hope for Garuba and Sengun starting together. Williams played the most minutes of his career under Ime and i think Garuba is one of the most Ime players on the roster. So the emphasis really needs to be floor spacing and defense with Alpy and Garuba(robert provides nothing on O-Garuba can spot up from 3). Bari needs to get stronger and develop his handle. Amen-shooting of course but just needs playing time against real pro competition. Cam is the youngest. He just has to prove himself and maybe he overtakes KPj in time, but in theory he can be your super Grant Williams. Tari will do whatever is asked of him and will remain a fan favorite. If Garuba doesn't work out, Tari is the starting 3. C:Lopez/Garuba/Sengun PF:Jabari/Sengun/Tari SF:KPj/Tari/Cam SG:Green/KPj/Cam PG:FVV/Amen Eventually in a few years after Brook's done, KPj goes to the bench. Bari slides to the 3, Sengun and Garuba slide up. Amen takes over the point at any time he overtakes it from FVV and i do like that i don't think FVV could talk much or become disgruntled if a guy like Amen beats him out giving us a nice bench option at backup pg, but it gets real tricky if Amen and Alpy can't shoot.
I think we just need to add defensive minded vets that are good shooters. I don’t think we need to worry about PG/C specifically. Sengun is going to facilitate for 28-35 mins a night. Amen can facilitate 20 mins a game. Even KPJ can be a shooting PG for a short amount of time. Get some sharpshooters for the bench in case our kids continue to struggle from outside. Jabari showed the last 20 games that he can shoot and he is adding muscle so a few minutes at the 5 is not out of the question. I believe we will roll with the same starting line-up as last year, with the exception of SF. If we sign somebody in the Jerami Grant or Grant Williams mode, Jabari is going to spend a lot of time at the 3. Lopez will be great off the bench, but I’m thinking someone will outbid us and give him a starting role. Bridges would be ideal as our starting 3, but I don’t think we will be able to obtain him.
Cam Johnson is not a big. He is a shooter only. Poor defensive player and doesn’t have great handles. I don’t mind signing him for his sharp shooting off the bench, but he should not start at SF. We need guys that play defense to get the majority of the minutes.
Try to package KMJ, Tyty, and a Brooklyn pick for Conley, DeWiddie, Kyle Lowry, Tyus Jones, or any point guard not named FVV
I’m a big KMJ fan. He’s a great spark plug who showed solid improvement last year. I understand that minutes will be tight, but I think he’s earned his share of PT.
I’d rather send a package for Tyus Jones or Derrick White. Caruso ain’t that good. I’d rather bring back Dj Augustine than trade assets for him
Caruso is bigger, a better 3pt shooter and better on defense than Jones and I do it because I feel this team needs defenders more than pass first PGs. Augustine is done. White just became the starter for Boston. With Whitmore onboard Tate and KJ are expendable.
Patrick is nicknamed the PAW.....and his game is similar to the Claw (Kawhi). Not sure what it would take; but like the Wizards, the Bulls are also blowing things up. Catch-n-Shoot 3's Patrick Williams......3.1 (3PA w/CnS)...41.9% (3P% on CnS) 41.5% (3P% / season)......3.4 (3PA / season) Caruso....................2.0 (3PA w/ CnS)....37.5% (3P% on CnS) 36.4% (3P% / season)......2.3 (3PA / season)
