I don’t think we necessarily need a SG. Some of our most effective lineups have been PG + 3 wings + Center. We need an effective perimeter scorer IMO regardless of position.
Trade with the Nets: JaJa for CamCam (in the offseason if salaries difficult to match now). Use picks if needed. Both Cams are shooting great from 3pt, our offense would fly with them. We would see just a minor impact to the defense. Thomas is a bit of a black hole and can’t create for others but he can put the ball in the hole consistently unlike Jalen. Johnson maybe doesn't have Jabari’s size and defensive versatility, but he is lights out from the outside. Our core trio (Alpi, Amen, Tari) and the two Cams would make us top in the West. We would still have Reed, DB, our existing Cam and FVV to use in the rotation or as assets.
Now it would be Jalen and filler for Levine. If we had traded Jalen this offseason it would have been Jalen and filler for Lavine and a 1st rounder. Asset MGMT!
LaVine has actually been pretty solid this season. 23 ppg, 52% FG%, 44% FG3%, .65 TS%. We desperately need that kind of production. However, I can't justify trading for him because his contract would hinder our ability to resign our guys. It'd be one thing if there was only one year left, but I'd imagine there is a decent shot he opts into the last year. I just don't trust his health.
We are 18 games in and people are slobbering over freakin Zach Lavine. The Bulls have been trying to dump him for 2 years. So after less than 25% of a season we are declaring Zach Lavine our starting SG for 3 years. By the way, DD is the main proponent for this, enough said.
He's also about to turn 30. For a guy with his injury history, I wouldn't be surprised if his production falls off a cliff any year now. See also: Paul George after age 30. We need somebody younger. Just going to have to wait and see who becomes available.
Herro and Rozier for FVV, Bari, Whitmore, and draft capital. The money works. The FVV and Bari can both start for the Heat, and Whitmore gives them another young prospect. They also need the draft capital because they don't have many tradeable picks. Herro provides the offense we've been lacking, and Rozier is a decent rotational piece. Herro / Green / Brooks / Thompson / Sengun Rozier / Sheppard / Eason / Landale or Adams
Interesting thought. Not sure how our offense would fare swapping FVV for Rozier though. Rozier is a vastly inferior playmaker. Neither Reed nor Amen seem ready to play point guard for big minutes.
Yeah, there would certainly be some bumps. But I would view this as a long-term move. A Herro / Amen / Eason / Sengun core is really intriguing. All under 25. I’d be willing to deal with some short-term strife.
Udoker ain’t trading Fred (or Dillon). Have to see it to believe it. (Same with them potentially moving on after the season. I don’t believe it. Think they’ll decline the option and he’ll be brought back on another short term, lower salary deal)
Vucevic for expiring contracts and a very protected pick would be excellent. We’d have a backup stretch 5 who - like Sengun - has been a passable defender at the 5 the past couple of years. Tari/Amen can protect him well.
I don't think you can go after Lavine - that contract is just toxic. The Rockets are going to have a hell of a time staying under the 2nd apron in 26/27 even if they let FVV walk for nothing and Lavine has a salary $13m more than Jalen in that year & you are a 2A team with that. 26/27 would be year one of Tari and Jabari's next contracts. Giving them just 20% cap contracts, not the 25% rookie extension max made the numbers very difficult to manage. Assuming he doesn't shape up and play consistently well the rest of the season, there has to be a better option - with a much lower price point than Jalen's $36m that season, unless of course it's for a true star.
"LaVine is coming off his worst season since 2018 and only played 24 games while dealing with a foot injury that eventually led to season-ending surgery. The 29-year-old averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 34.9 minutes per game. He shot 45.2% from the field and 34.9% from three-point range. That was his lowest mark from beyond the arc since the 2017-18 season." I don't think his value has gone up with the season starting, he seems like an injury prone player and his contract is terrible. They have been trying to give him away for a couple of years now. Herro would be a really good target, but I wouldn't give away all of our picks for him.
Don't know why we'd be particularly interested in Herro. He's had a hot 15 games to start the season and he's a better 3pt shooter than Jalen yes, but Herro is a career 56% TS guy (compared to Jalen's 54%) who is worse at basically every other part of basketball than Jalen (a low bar). Worse defender, rebounder, penetrator, finisher. Similarly weak as a playmaker. Advanced stats don't like Herro much either. There's a reason Miami couldn't find any takers for Herro when they wanted to facilitate a Dame trade. Lavine similarly is unwanted for a reason. He's a one-dimensional scorer with consistently poor on/off metrics who now has a reputation as a bad competitor and locker room guy. No GM wants to ask their owner to sign $50M checks to him. One thing I'm pretty certain of, whoever the "big consolidation trade" is for, it will be someone Ime approves of. A competitor. Think Fox, Booker, Jaylen Brown, Durant, Bane.
