Marc Gasol age 24 rookie season, finished 8th place ROY
53% FG, 0% 3P, 73% FT, 59% TS
13.9 points
8.6 rebounds
2 assists
2.2 stocks
2.3 turnovers
3.8 PF’s
Post was considered a more developed, but lower-ceiling pick. If he’s has shown us anything, it’s he’s a quick lesson learner, student of the game and has the BBIQ and spirit you want in a Warriors big. If he put on 10 pounds of muscle and continues to work on his defense in the off-season, summer league and pre-season, I think he’s a bonafide starting center.
If you could improve the roster in one (and only one) of these two ways—and in each case to a realistic degree—which would you choose?
1) Raise the team’s ceiling so that the full squad is as competitive as possible, OR
2) Raise the team’s floor so that it is more capable of stealing games against good opponents when Steph and/or Jimmy are out
(Obviously, adding any talent should do a bit of both, but it’s easy to think of acquisition targets who would be more tailored to one of these goals more than the other...)
It’s an interesting question, and the two are pretty hard to separate.
Is #2 describing a decent scoring playmaker (like Ty Jerome was here before taking off with the Cavs) who often gets DNP’s if everyone is available? A guy who’s good and smart enough to keep the team aloft in Curry or Jimmy’s absence would seem to naturally raise the team’s ceiling quite a bit as a 6th man/possible closer. He’s also tough to find. (Going back to Ty Jerome, I was really bummed we couldn’t keep as he checked to many boxes and was also a leader out there.)
I think I’d probably opt for a 3&D wing. Not to beat a dead horse, but an Andrew Wiggins on this current roster would help in so many ways. To your question, I guess that’s more of a ceiling raiser.
"And to come here and know that I'm second to Steph, I think that's a really good thing, actually, when you talk about one of the greatest players ever to play this game. I get to come here and be his sidekick for a couple more years hopefully."
My understanding (which likely has somewhere between some and many flaws): In general, you can "send out" as much as you want the restrictions are on what a team can receive. There are different rules for the receiving end, based on where you are in regards to the cap. If you would still be under the cap after receiving the player, there is no restriction. This is what happens often when bad teams "absorb" a bad contract in exchange for some future draft capital.
If you are above the cap and below the first apron, you can take back 125% of outgoing salary. So 25% variance allowed.
If you are above the first apron, you can't take back more than 110% of the outgoing, reduced to 100% at the second apron. As you imply, this makes it essentially impossible for two teams over the second apron to make a direct trade, because the salaries will never match exactly.
For JK case in particular, it sounds like there are additional rules given his scenario, that if we sign+trade him, we may only be able to take back 50% of his new salary. I don't really understand this particular stipulation, but it's been represented often (ex: https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1923474397446406398). If that is true, it seems to preclude some of the sign + trade targets suggested in media, such as Vucevic, whose $21.5M salary is surely more than 50% of a new JK deal.
There’s no way they’re allowing Aaron Gordon to play tomorrow right? I’m really not trying to watch him tear his hamstring even more 10 minutes into the game
The question is how good will he be defensively another year older.
Another question is can he at 35 shoot the 3 consistently and not be a hope.
If he can actually become a legit 3 point shooter and maintain his current defensive ability it would make a big difference. If that happens we can hopefully get a 5 that can stay on the court in crunch time. Add a vet shooter and that 5 and pray Podz and the gang improve as 3 point shooters.
This seems possible. A lot of guys who were really mediocre shooters have remade themselves. Why not Green? Why can’t Podz,MM and GUI improve?
On the 2016 feelings I'd counter with 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022. I don't see any way GS wins those without him. Or game 7 this year at Houston for that matter. The Poole punch was awful, but most of the rest of Dray's stuff wouldn't have even merited a comment when Bruce Bowen was playing, much less Bill Laimbeer. And given the crap teams give Curry, I actually think a lot of it is almost required. In any event, it really doesn't bother me other than in the moment.
Even if Dray loses a step defensively, there's still a limited group of guys that are in his zip code and most wouldn't work. I do think you can't count on him to D the 5 much anymore - he clearly physically wore down at that this year, but he's still top 4 guarding 2-4, and top 1 on defensive organization / help. I've also never seen another player who can guard a three on one break and stop it cold like he can. To replace him, you would have to have someone with a significant scoring upside to go with high end but lesser defense, because there's no defensive match. And Green's salary, if not a bargain, gets pretty close to bargain territory when you consider his ball skills / passing. Add the fact that you are talking about taking Curry's comfort zone down about 8 notches and there's not much I would pull the trigger on.
If we are talking about trades that actually would work, there's practically nothing I can point to. My baseline (and only realistic possibility I can find) is pretty much Desmond Bane, and he's more expensive and then you have no power forward defensively. But it works in the trade machine if you traded either Hield or Moody and Green for him. And Bane's 26. And Memphis might want to try some experience with Ja, and they would have a terrifying defensive back line. The Ja/Green partnership might also be must-see nuclear melt-down level TV.
This would solve the SG slot for GS, might not cost too much on D and adds some pretty elite scoring. It also would make a JK sign and trade a virtual necessity because of the need for 4/5 defensive size. Who is rebuilding and has size talent, though? Walker Kessler and John Collins for JK just doesn't sound very sexy, but might be the best you are going to get for what you need.
I hope so too, but I can't imagine it. Dude is 35 and has known that the team needs him to hit an open 3. I kinda think he'd already have done it if he were going to.
I'm OK with trading Draymond, as long as we get a good or better defensive center back. But, since that's not very likely, keep him.
It's hard to tell whether he just got worn down or age is starting to diminish his effectiveness, or the league has just gotten bigger, but I think he's less dominant on defense than he still (still great mind you, but he can't shut down all comers any more).
I have come to accept that he is the Yang to Steph's Ying. The DayDay to his NightNight. The Clown Prince of Basketball to The Batman. It is what it is...
Yeah, and he's (mostly) been ok this season (anger-wise). I would trade him for Giannis immediately, but probably not for anyone worse (unless it lead directly to a blockbuster trade or something). He works really well on defense with Butler, and I'm sure we'll get some more shooters starting next month. Excited for whatever happens this off-season, even if there's only a small chance of another big trade.
I asked once if Steph could have taken less salary to make more available for roster construction, and someone (patiently) explained that it wasn't an option because... [rules-cap-lacob-slot-apron-dunno]. So now I'm curious to know if all that is still true today? Could Steph/Jimmy/Draymond pull a stunt like that to get more help? If not for the 2025-26 season, then maybe for 2026-27? I mean, even if you only look at $$$ there is a case to be made that it's more lucrative for your ads, endorsements, vc-funding, pundit and movie cameo career if you are still scything down all-comers on the court?
In NBA, you can't renegotiate a contract to a lower number, so whatever they are locked in for the next 2-3 years is set in stone.
In recent history, before the new aprons were added, every good team is over the cap to begin with, and thus whether someone like Curry made $50m or $30m a year didn't really impact who the team could sign in terms of cap rules.
Now with first/second aprons in the latest CBA, there are more levels of penalties depending on how far you exceed the cap. The basic premise still remains that good teams are over the cap and as such can't sign any major free agents to begin with, but it does add some stipulations to reduce flexibility if your team salary gets too high.
OT: Crystal Palace beats Manchester City in the FA Cup final! Palace's 1st big trophy (and they get to play in Europa despite being 12th in the EPL). Man City won't win a trophy for the 1st time in 8 years.
Palace was in 19th at one point, but they didn't fire their coach, so sort of the anti-Nuggets?
Hey, if they beat Spurs on Wednesday, they can rebuild both their front line (maybe even get Gyokeres if they're lucky) and get some midfield and wing-back depth (yes I know they're 0-3 against them this year and this apparently the year that teams with trophy-less streaks end them, but lads, it's Tottenham!).
Whatever happens, though, Amorim should at least get a full year. If United is bottom 5 in December, then whatever, I guess. But at least he isn't changing his system to fit the players like Ten Hag did. (This is an interesting post-Curry Warriors discussion also, but luckily we're not at that point for a few more years)
Can one of you salary cap gurus please explain what the Warriors could actually do if Lacob is willing to just go for it and pay all the taxes and whatever. Can he do something bold that only messes them up for one year or two at the most?
It would be nice to pay back Steph considering what the franchise was worth pre Steph and today. I don’t expect them to bury the future but just wondering what they can do that only incurs having to pay taxes, penalties and the like.
I am sure there are things they simply can’t do regardless but it gets pretty complicated.
They get one taxpayer midlevel (a modest $5.7M) with which to sign a non-Warrior free agent; beyond that they can only offer minimum contracts. And they have to salary-match all trades within 110%.
That applies whether Lacob is willing to “just go for it” or not. The only guys they can open the checkbook for if Joe Lightyears is feeling especially spendthrifty are Kuminga, Looney, and Payton.
Edit: and they can’t legally pay Steph any more or less than his contract dictates ($59.6M next season, $62.6M the season after that).
More. So we if want a $10M player in a trade we need to ship $11M back. If you're in the second apron you can't aggregate the salaries either, so it depends on the timing on what they decide to do with re-signings vs trades
Adding to this: This past season we were $351k below the first apron. Right now we are $17M below the tax threshold, $25M below the 1st apron, and $36.9M below the 2nd apron — but that's without Loon, Payton, JK, and our fringe players (Spencer, Knox, Key, Armstrong).
I am amused enough by any offseason trades or contract discussions conducted by the media, of whatever rationale. Some are quite well informed or targeted ideas, some are wildly silly; there are various rationales and theories. All good -- except for one thing.
I am hereby FORBIDDING any figure in the media from beginning their analysis with this logic: "Steph Curry is a generational talent. The Warriors have to focus on that and provide him with whatever they can to maximize the years he has left. He's too good and too important for the Warriors to mess around. They have to realize that Steph is their best player and --"
WE. GET. THAT. Got it, got it, got it. NO ONE HAS EVER SAID OTHERWISE. No one posts, "What I want the Warriors to do is ignore Steph's twilight years, he's a bum, let's focus only on the future. Maybe trade Steph."
The supposed insight that Steph is important and we need to maximize his time by bringing in the best possible talent next to him is old, it was never clever, it's unoriginal, and it's something the front office already knew a decade ago. If you witness a media member attempting this clever route to justify whatever they say next, report them immediately to me and they will be off the air within hours. I don't reveal my methods.
As for fans, the standard is different -- you can use this rationale in your post, and I won't ban you outright. But be warned, it's not original, and you may be subject to having your car egged.
I was listening to the Dunc’d On podcast’s FA center rankings, and they noted something I hadn’t really considered*: that some of the free agents who re-sign with their current teams may introduce cap/tax-related incentives for those teams to trade other pieces away.
The example they gave was Indiana, where Myles Turner has likely played himself into a $30M+/yr contract. If the Pacers re-sign him at that level, they’ll almost certainly need to make a move to get under the tax. That could be Jarace Walker, or it could be one of Nembhard or Mathurin (since they’re likely a year away from having to choose between those two anyway). Nembhard might not shoot the 3 well enough to work on our roster, but in other respects he’d be a nice fit at the 2: good POA defense, can dribble, has an insanely good playoff track record… It might seem crazy to think they’d make a move like that given the run they’re on at the moment, but we’ve seen teams do this kind of thing (eg, Denver letting go of KCP and Bruce Brown).
Anyway, just thought this was an interesting angle as the rosterbators among us look for out-of-the-box, but feasible, trade options.
*although belilaugh suggested a similar rationale yesterday when musing about a hypothetical Goga Bitadze acquitisition
Indy is $39.36M below the second apron and $27.48M below the 1st apron. As you say, Turner's deal is their biggest decision.
The rest of their FA picture isn't too bad. Their next big decision is Isaiah Jackson, who is RFA with a QO of $13.3M but was out with an Achilles injury this season. They can let old man James Johnson go. Thomas Bryant is UFA with a QO of $2.3M, and Tony Bradley is UFA with a QO $2.9M, so they have to see what the market will bid. Their only other FAs are two-ways.
I don't see how it will help them to trade WalkerNembhard/Mathurin if they have to take back equivalent money that they can't dump immediately. Maybe they could trade for someone they can buy out cheap, and/or non-guaranteed contracts. I've never understood how trade exemptions work so maybe there's something in that.
I don't see how we can take advantage of that situation but maybe I just don't understand it.
Well, I was thinking of it more as an example of a mechanism by which some unexpected players might become available. As for this specific case, I guess I was imagining a multi-team deal, where one of the teams has cap space (or a trade exception).
- release Looney and GPII - trade everyone except Butler and Curry for picks, but take back no salary - trade Butler for players that cost about $40 mil total ---> we are now $50+ mil under the cap - LeBron opts out, signs with the Warriors - Giannis demands a trade to the Warriors - Warriors trade tons of picks + the players we got for Butler for Giannis (we can take back more than we send out + use a 3rd team) - Sign Looney, GPII, etc for vets mins, + whoever wants to ring-chase (Lopez?) - WGBC (x2)!! - Luka refuses to sign long-term with LA - LeBron and Curry sign for the vet min in 2027 - Luka signs with the Warriors: we still have 2 max slots - Jokic and SGA opt out and sign with the Warriors
There's a flaw in there somewhere, I think. Can't quite put my finger on it.
I think you forgot the part where Spo and Mike Brown join Kerr's staff to do skills development, since Stotts and Stackhouse already have the main assistants jobs.
I like our coaching team a lot, but I wish there was a spot for Brown. He deserves to be a head coach, though. Maybe as a short-term 'special assistant' (like the Logo was for the front office, except as a coach) until he gets a big gig again?
I'd be fine with Brown replacing either of our assistant coaches. Not that I have any visibility into the coaching staff, but from the outside, he seems like the best assistant we've had in the dynasty run.
It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Stotts retires. He's 67.
But, I can't see Brown taking an assistant job. I think he'll look for head coaching jobs. He may not get one, but he's still young enough to try, and fall back on something else (assistant, head coach at a university). And, he's still got the Sac contract money coming in for another year, I think.
It's weird, I think this was a team with very significant flaws (lack of shooting and secondary shot creation, lack of size, no on-ball stopper) but even so, could very well have won the title if things broke in their favor.
Next year is going to likely be harder, at least in the West (OKC/HOU/LAL/SAS will likely be better). But Steph always gets you a chance, and as we've seen this year, that may be all you need. Need to improve though, which brings us to the players we could target. Most/all of these will be some variant of Kuminga sign and trades as that's pretty much the only salary we can send out in most trades (Draymond/Jimmy are almost certainly safe). Finding a team that wants Kuminga and has what we want is going to be very difficult, so it's likely going to require some 3/4/X team trade that moves around a lot of different assets. The good thing is that MDJ has proven adept at doing those sorts of deals and Kuminga did restore his value against MIN.
Tier 1: Completely Pie In The Sky But Somehow Not Totally Hopeless
1. Giannis: This one's obvious, anything but #30. The only way this really happens is if Giannis says he wants to go to the Warriors only, Milwaukee respects his wishes and the Warriors are able to cobble together enough assets with Jimmy + Kuminga + Podz + picks. That's a lot of ifs, but it's not 0%.
Tier 2: Almost Certainly Not Going To Happen, But Worth A Try
1. AD: If Dallas were being run by competent individuals, this might be somewhat realistic. They really should be building around Flagg now, but Nico's not going to trade AD 6 months after what he did.
2. Austin Reaves: Reaves is kinda the odd man out for the Lakers right now. He's one of their only assets, is someone who can conceivably be an all-star but his value is much lower on the Lakers when Luka/LeBron are healthy. Because he's on one of the best contracts in the league, the asset cost is going to be really high (and we don't have a C to trade to them) which probably puts us out of the running. He'd be really good here though.
3. Jarrett Allen: Cavs might decide to do something drastic after their shellacking in the playoffs and he's perhaps the most likely candidate to be traded from their big 4. He's a good C for 30 million per year and would fit in decently here (though the spacing is a bit tricky). Hard to see us getting the deal done though, especially when a team like the Lakers would be incredibly desperate to get a guy like Allen.
4. Deni Avdijia or Toumani Camara: They'd work great for us, but will be hella expensive. Portland doesn't really have any incentives to trade them unless we make a ludicrous offer so super unlikely.
5. Lauri Markkannen: There's a reason he was the dream candidate last offseason lol. I don't think the issue with this deal is the amount of assets, he's on a contract that may well be bad (because it looks like he's regressed athletically which is a problem). But he's really big, can really shoot and hold up on defense. GSW is the dream fit for him. The difficulty is that it's going to be almost impossible to reach his salary without including Jimmy, and we're not including Jimmy for Markkannen. And it's Danny Ainge.
6. Quentin Grimes: He's going to get paid an awful lot of money most likely. Don't really think PHI is too interested in keeping him long-term though with Maxey and McCain already there so he's likely a trade piece for them (also an RFA like Kuminga). Solves our shot-creation and on-ball stopper issues so he's a perfect fit. The asset cost is likely quite high though, but might be worth it IMO.
Tier 3: Actually Possible Targets, But The Price Is High
1. Cam Johnson: A worse version of Markannen basically, but with a much more palatable salary number. The issue is that BKN are one of the few (only?) teams with cap space, so if they wanted him then they could just pay him. So we'll basically have to pay in picks. 2 firsts + Kuminga likely gets in done, but is that too steep for Cam Johnson? Probably.
2. Whoever Dallas Wants To Trade From Their Frontcourt: The Mavs have the most stacked frontcourt rotation in the league. They also have one of the least stacked backcourts in the league with Kyrie out for most (all?) of the year, so they'll definitely be active in the trading market. Currently, they have AD, Lively, Gafford, PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, Klay, Flagg who will all play minutes at the 4-5. Of those guys, anyone but Klay would work great for us (and even Klay might for this version of the team, though that's not gonna happen). They're not going to trade the top guys, but they might listen to offers on Gafford/Washington/Marshall, and any of those guys will work well for us. They don't want Kuminga, so we'll need to spin up some sort of 3 way trade (maybe with BKN to send Cam Thomas to DAL?).
3. MPJ: If DEN loses tomorrow, he might be the guy they move (he's perhaps their only chance of improving the team short of trading Murray or Gordon which is unlikely). He'd fit pretty amazingly (at least on offense) and he's big. Also a worse version of Markkannen lol? Getting to his salary number is going to be really difficult though which is the issue.
4. Herb Jones: Quintessential 3 and D guy (though the 3 is spotty). On a great contract as well, so the price is going to be high (multiple firsts?).
5. Aaron Wiggins: Not the A Wiggins we love, but he's a good shooter and okay defender on a great contract. No reason OKC trades him unless the offer is really good so that's why the price is likely very high. Would fit really well though.
Tier 4: Actually Possible Targets And The Value Might Be Reasonable
1. Anfernee Simons: Solves our shooting and shot creation issues almost single handedly, but might create way more issues defensively. Has 1 year on his deal and doesn't seem like he's got a long-term future in POR because of Sharpe/Scoot. I'm not the biggest fan, but it would make sense.
2. Malik Monk: Similar to Simons, but basically a more proven (less upside) version on a more palatable salary. God only knows what SAC wants, but Monk/Lavine/Demar seems like an untenable fit. Then again, this is Sacramento.
3. KCP: I know it sounds horrid after the season that KCP had, but I think he's still fine. He forgot how to shoot for some reason, but that may just be because the Orlando Magic tax. Put him next to Steph and he'll be good again IMO. His 21/22 million number is also fairly reasonable for a starting level 2 guard. Can't imagine his value being high, they might be glad to just get rid of him.
4. Jrue Holiday or Porzingis: The Cs needed to trade someone for financial reasons before the Tatum injury, now it's pretty much a certainty. You don't pay that much tax for a 5th seed. Holiday (age) and Porzingis (age and injuries) seem like the most likely candidates and both of them would be very useful. Porzingis would be ideal if he could stay healthy but that applies for 29 other teams in the league. Jrue makes the shooting issues more salient but you just know he'd be a great Warrior. They don't want Kuminga obviously, so we'd need to figure out some complex trade though. And while they're talking, maybe through out Butler for Tatum lol (who the hell knows after the Luka trade).
5. Jay Huff: Protects the rim, can shoot 3s and is on a minimum contract. MEM weren't really using him down the stretch, so get him please. He'd be a better Post which we really need on this team.
Tier 5: It's Available, But Really?
1. Khris Middleton: He's on 30 million a year and still has all-star level performances sometimes when he's healthy (which is never). You can trade for him in the hopes that Celebrini can coax 1 more run out of him. Washington isn't doing anything next year so I imagine that they'd be happy with Kuminga (might even get our top 20 protected pick back fully which gives us flexibility in trades). Really not the biggest fan, but I'd have to think about it depending on what was available.
2. Immanuel Quickley: He's low-key on a pretty terrible contract but he fills a few holes for us (secondary shot creation and on-ball defense). Kuminga for Quickley makes no sense for Toronto with their present construction but Toronto's been doing non-sensical things for 2-3 years at this point so who the hell knows. RJ Barrett might also fit here though I don't like the shooting issues.
3. Nic Claxton: Had an off-year and BKN ain't doing anything in the next few years so trading him makes sense. The shooting here would be rough (and Claxton makes Draymond look like Steph) but the defense would be so so good. I hate it, but I'd kinda get it.
4. Jalen Green: This would be so weird after the recent series lol, but he's a good shooter, athletic and adds a dimension we don't have. Somewhat like the Monk/Simons types, just paid even more. He has improved on defense though. Not going to happen in a million years but could be a buy low option.
5. Robert Williams: Great player (when healthy), is never healthy. He's basically a lottery ticket but we don't have the matching contracts to buy a lottery ticket anymore. I'd be for it though if we were able to get the salaries to work somehow.
6. John Collins: Fun player, but a 4 who can't protect the rim, can't really shoot and is on 25+ million is a pretty difficult sell. Will be available though and did have a bounce-back year.
Zion was my preferred trade candidate option, but I think that train's gone now. You cannot have him, Jimmy and Draymond and I don't think we're trading Jimmy or Draymond for him. And he restored his value as well so he probably won't be cheap.
Jimmy and Draymond are a really problematic 3/4 or 4/5 to build around lol.
2. Interview Marc Campbell, NBA shooting coach, about player development.
3. Do my usual Draft Tournament, though with less enthusiasm since I am not crazy about this class and I also think it very likely GSW will trade the pick.
Are there any questions you want me to ask either interviewee?
- do players practice shooting with defenders giving them the 'high five' foul?
- what is the biggest factor that effects a shooters % from 'lights out in the gym' highlights to 'mediocre' in games? Eg shot sped up due to defense, shooting more on the move, noise or visual distractions from crowd, fatigue, focusing less on target (ie The Long Gaze), pressure from game, etc
- and do they train for that?
- do they do things like fun free throw game challenges in practice?
- is there a "He's heating up" NBA JAM type code/signal to give players (other than Steph) the Ultimate Green Light? (Eg, why did Kerr have to tell Podz (4/6) to not stop shooting?)
- Can anyone block a tall enough players shot? Ie can Wemby just shoot over everyone?)
People like to give the Head Coach of a team credit (or derision) for any player development that occurs. How much input/impact does the head coach actually typically have on player development?
I am betting my humble home that Kerr will not be in the gym this offseason working with JK or anyone else on their 3 point shooting, even though I believe he is still #1 as a player in 3 point shooting %.
I remember those old days when I was making about $1000 for the entire year as a HS varsity head coach spending countless hours in the offseason changing people’s shots.
1. The JK question(s): - is the salary matching in an S&T trade 1:1 or .5 incoming:1 outgoing (if he signs for $20 mil, do we take back $20 mil, $10 mil). Do we have to take back players/salary if the other team (Nets) has enough cap space? -can a player acquired for JK in an S&T be combined with another player in 2 or multi-team trade? Can they be included in a trade that's not the one with the Sign-and-Trade?
2. some possible questions (defintely not a request): - Being a good 3pt shooter usually translates to above-average free throw shooting, but can focusing on improving free throw technique help a player's 3pt success (by focusing on concentration and technique) - Do you think that young NBA players would be better developed when they came into the league if the NCAA moved the 3pt line to NBA distance? How much would the NBA adopting FIBA rules help international prospects? - of course players want to improve themselves, but does the decision to work on certain aspects of their game sometimes also come from staff/coaches?
Actually, I generally AM pumped to dive into second round picks. 😀 I loved doing last year’s tourney for #51. I consider older prospects to be quite undervalued as solid bench players. (For instance, Post and TJD from last couple of years.)
But my gut tells me that this year’s #41 is going to be moved to grease the wheels of a trade to re-shape the roster.
Also, the NIL money has created a couple of draft years where more players projected for the second round are staying in college. In 2-3 years, the crop of players with no college eligibility will return to a more typical state.
great point about NIL: I wonder if we'll see the US college 2nd rounders stay to try and get that 1st round money, leaving mostly international or older US players
This is a Quinten Post post.
His rookie season shooting:
45% FG, 41% 3P, 78% FT, 60% TS
Per 36:
17.8 points
7.8 rebounds
2.9 assists
1.7 stocks
1.7 turnovers
4.4 PFs
Marc Gasol age 24 rookie season, finished 8th place ROY
53% FG, 0% 3P, 73% FT, 59% TS
13.9 points
8.6 rebounds
2 assists
2.2 stocks
2.3 turnovers
3.8 PF’s
Post was considered a more developed, but lower-ceiling pick. If he’s has shown us anything, it’s he’s a quick lesson learner, student of the game and has the BBIQ and spirit you want in a Warriors big. If he put on 10 pounds of muscle and continues to work on his defense in the off-season, summer league and pre-season, I think he’s a bonafide starting center.
I’m excited about our “Big Bjeli”
If you could improve the roster in one (and only one) of these two ways—and in each case to a realistic degree—which would you choose?
1) Raise the team’s ceiling so that the full squad is as competitive as possible, OR
2) Raise the team’s floor so that it is more capable of stealing games against good opponents when Steph and/or Jimmy are out
(Obviously, adding any talent should do a bit of both, but it’s easy to think of acquisition targets who would be more tailored to one of these goals more than the other...)
It’s an interesting question, and the two are pretty hard to separate.
Is #2 describing a decent scoring playmaker (like Ty Jerome was here before taking off with the Cavs) who often gets DNP’s if everyone is available? A guy who’s good and smart enough to keep the team aloft in Curry or Jimmy’s absence would seem to naturally raise the team’s ceiling quite a bit as a 6th man/possible closer. He’s also tough to find. (Going back to Ty Jerome, I was really bummed we couldn’t keep as he checked to many boxes and was also a leader out there.)
I think I’d probably opt for a 3&D wing. Not to beat a dead horse, but an Andrew Wiggins on this current roster would help in so many ways. To your question, I guess that’s more of a ceiling raiser.
"And to come here and know that I'm second to Steph, I think that's a really good thing, actually, when you talk about one of the greatest players ever to play this game. I get to come here and be his sidekick for a couple more years hopefully."
We love you Jimmy!
So now, they're reporting a partially-torn meniscus for Jaylen Brown. Boston is having a time of it...
I mean, honestly there couldn't be a better time for this from Boston's point of view.
I don't think this is the first time the Celtics had a player play through a serious injury...
Time Lord, Isaiah Thomas, others?
Bill Walton for sure.
Kinda puts that whole Mazzula yelling at Tatum to get up in a diff light, huh?
A question regarding trades:
I understand that if we get an x million dollar player in, we have to send x million dollars worth of players out.
Does it have to exactly x million going out? That will be be incredibly hard to match exactly, no? Or is there some kind of tolerance +/-?
My understanding (which likely has somewhere between some and many flaws): In general, you can "send out" as much as you want the restrictions are on what a team can receive. There are different rules for the receiving end, based on where you are in regards to the cap. If you would still be under the cap after receiving the player, there is no restriction. This is what happens often when bad teams "absorb" a bad contract in exchange for some future draft capital.
If you are above the cap and below the first apron, you can take back 125% of outgoing salary. So 25% variance allowed.
If you are above the first apron, you can't take back more than 110% of the outgoing, reduced to 100% at the second apron. As you imply, this makes it essentially impossible for two teams over the second apron to make a direct trade, because the salaries will never match exactly.
For JK case in particular, it sounds like there are additional rules given his scenario, that if we sign+trade him, we may only be able to take back 50% of his new salary. I don't really understand this particular stipulation, but it's been represented often (ex: https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1923474397446406398). If that is true, it seems to preclude some of the sign + trade targets suggested in media, such as Vucevic, whose $21.5M salary is surely more than 50% of a new JK deal.
OT: Just saw Freaky Tales and loved it. So much 1980s, East Bay and Warriors in it, plus a "Joe Barely Cares" reference.
Note: quite violent, but in an intentionally cheesy, silly way.
There’s no way they’re allowing Aaron Gordon to play tomorrow right? I’m really not trying to watch him tear his hamstring even more 10 minutes into the game
On scale of "We have worked ___ days without an incident" to "2016 finals and/or Poole punch," where's everyone at on Draymond?
And (of course taking into account his on-court skills), who's the worst player (or pick I guess) you would trade him for?
Antentrnkoumoo
I appreciated that you didn't even try.
Hes earned his keep. Let him retire a Warrior.
The question is how good will he be defensively another year older.
Another question is can he at 35 shoot the 3 consistently and not be a hope.
If he can actually become a legit 3 point shooter and maintain his current defensive ability it would make a big difference. If that happens we can hopefully get a 5 that can stay on the court in crunch time. Add a vet shooter and that 5 and pray Podz and the gang improve as 3 point shooters.
This seems possible. A lot of guys who were really mediocre shooters have remade themselves. Why not Green? Why can’t Podz,MM and GUI improve?
On the 2016 feelings I'd counter with 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022. I don't see any way GS wins those without him. Or game 7 this year at Houston for that matter. The Poole punch was awful, but most of the rest of Dray's stuff wouldn't have even merited a comment when Bruce Bowen was playing, much less Bill Laimbeer. And given the crap teams give Curry, I actually think a lot of it is almost required. In any event, it really doesn't bother me other than in the moment.
Even if Dray loses a step defensively, there's still a limited group of guys that are in his zip code and most wouldn't work. I do think you can't count on him to D the 5 much anymore - he clearly physically wore down at that this year, but he's still top 4 guarding 2-4, and top 1 on defensive organization / help. I've also never seen another player who can guard a three on one break and stop it cold like he can. To replace him, you would have to have someone with a significant scoring upside to go with high end but lesser defense, because there's no defensive match. And Green's salary, if not a bargain, gets pretty close to bargain territory when you consider his ball skills / passing. Add the fact that you are talking about taking Curry's comfort zone down about 8 notches and there's not much I would pull the trigger on.
If we are talking about trades that actually would work, there's practically nothing I can point to. My baseline (and only realistic possibility I can find) is pretty much Desmond Bane, and he's more expensive and then you have no power forward defensively. But it works in the trade machine if you traded either Hield or Moody and Green for him. And Bane's 26. And Memphis might want to try some experience with Ja, and they would have a terrifying defensive back line. The Ja/Green partnership might also be must-see nuclear melt-down level TV.
This would solve the SG slot for GS, might not cost too much on D and adds some pretty elite scoring. It also would make a JK sign and trade a virtual necessity because of the need for 4/5 defensive size. Who is rebuilding and has size talent, though? Walker Kessler and John Collins for JK just doesn't sound very sexy, but might be the best you are going to get for what you need.
Very good points.
I just hope he dedicates himself to coming back a dependable 3 point shooter that teams need to guard in the 4th quarter.
It is possible. If they are really going to contend the guys they have must get better in addition to whoever they add.
I hope so too, but I can't imagine it. Dude is 35 and has known that the team needs him to hit an open 3. I kinda think he'd already have done it if he were going to.
I keep thinking about how much Post improved and what he’ll look like a year from now.
Agree
I'm OK with trading Draymond, as long as we get a good or better defensive center back. But, since that's not very likely, keep him.
It's hard to tell whether he just got worn down or age is starting to diminish his effectiveness, or the league has just gotten bigger, but I think he's less dominant on defense than he still (still great mind you, but he can't shut down all comers any more).
I have come to accept that he is the Yang to Steph's Ying. The DayDay to his NightNight. The Clown Prince of Basketball to The Batman. It is what it is...
> The DayDay to his NightNight
🌟🏅🌟
Yeah, and he's (mostly) been ok this season (anger-wise). I would trade him for Giannis immediately, but probably not for anyone worse (unless it lead directly to a blockbuster trade or something). He works really well on defense with Butler, and I'm sure we'll get some more shooters starting next month. Excited for whatever happens this off-season, even if there's only a small chance of another big trade.
Draymond playing on any other team, without the understanding/tolerance of his issues, is not a thought exercise I want to go through...
Damn, is this a player/organizational Codependent relationship?
I asked once if Steph could have taken less salary to make more available for roster construction, and someone (patiently) explained that it wasn't an option because... [rules-cap-lacob-slot-apron-dunno]. So now I'm curious to know if all that is still true today? Could Steph/Jimmy/Draymond pull a stunt like that to get more help? If not for the 2025-26 season, then maybe for 2026-27? I mean, even if you only look at $$$ there is a case to be made that it's more lucrative for your ads, endorsements, vc-funding, pundit and movie cameo career if you are still scything down all-comers on the court?
In NBA, you can't renegotiate a contract to a lower number, so whatever they are locked in for the next 2-3 years is set in stone.
In recent history, before the new aprons were added, every good team is over the cap to begin with, and thus whether someone like Curry made $50m or $30m a year didn't really impact who the team could sign in terms of cap rules.
Now with first/second aprons in the latest CBA, there are more levels of penalties depending on how far you exceed the cap. The basic premise still remains that good teams are over the cap and as such can't sign any major free agents to begin with, but it does add some stipulations to reduce flexibility if your team salary gets too high.
It’s still true that Steph, JB, and Dray cannot take less than their contracts dictate, for 2025-26 or 2026-27.
Steph: $59.6M, $62.6M
Dray: $25.9M, $27.7M
Jimmy: $54.1M, $56.8M
Whether or not pay cuts would be more lucrative to them is immaterial, since (as Sab notes) they’re not allowed to take them.
There's no guarantee any of those guys are going to play beyond their current deals. And their current deals can't be renegotiated.
OT: Crystal Palace beats Manchester City in the FA Cup final! Palace's 1st big trophy (and they get to play in Europa despite being 12th in the EPL). Man City won't win a trophy for the 1st time in 8 years.
Palace was in 19th at one point, but they didn't fire their coach, so sort of the anti-Nuggets?
More importantly... another trophy for yanks abroad! (Chris Richards.)
Also good for Deano (Henderson)!
Meanwhile as a Manchester United fan.... *sobs*
Maybe they won't get relegated? :D
Hey, if they beat Spurs on Wednesday, they can rebuild both their front line (maybe even get Gyokeres if they're lucky) and get some midfield and wing-back depth (yes I know they're 0-3 against them this year and this apparently the year that teams with trophy-less streaks end them, but lads, it's Tottenham!).
Whatever happens, though, Amorim should at least get a full year. If United is bottom 5 in December, then whatever, I guess. But at least he isn't changing his system to fit the players like Ten Hag did. (This is an interesting post-Curry Warriors discussion also, but luckily we're not at that point for a few more years)
Up Tottenham! COYS!!!
I love your optimism!
But yeah, the post Fergie years...have been interesting. hahaha
Can one of you salary cap gurus please explain what the Warriors could actually do if Lacob is willing to just go for it and pay all the taxes and whatever. Can he do something bold that only messes them up for one year or two at the most?
It would be nice to pay back Steph considering what the franchise was worth pre Steph and today. I don’t expect them to bury the future but just wondering what they can do that only incurs having to pay taxes, penalties and the like.
I am sure there are things they simply can’t do regardless but it gets pretty complicated.
Thanks.
They get one taxpayer midlevel (a modest $5.7M) with which to sign a non-Warrior free agent; beyond that they can only offer minimum contracts. And they have to salary-match all trades within 110%.
That applies whether Lacob is willing to “just go for it” or not. The only guys they can open the checkbook for if Joe Lightyears is feeling especially spendthrifty are Kuminga, Looney, and Payton.
Edit: and they can’t legally pay Steph any more or less than his contract dictates ($59.6M next season, $62.6M the season after that).
Thanks.
I was hoping maybe they could sign someone they need and go over the cap and just pay a huge tax or something.
I really need to do some educational mind numbing reading I keep avoiding.
This is going to require some great skill and a lot of luck.
Maybe another Otto P is lurking out there just itching to come to the Bay.
While we are at it, what is the realistic max return for JK?
If they sign him for 28M can they trade him even up for another guy making the same or are there little gotchas attached?
Thanks
> And they have to match all trades with 110%.
Is that +/- 10% or we are required to send out "matching or more" salary?
More. So we if want a $10M player in a trade we need to ship $11M back. If you're in the second apron you can't aggregate the salaries either, so it depends on the timing on what they decide to do with re-signings vs trades
Adding to this: This past season we were $351k below the first apron. Right now we are $17M below the tax threshold, $25M below the 1st apron, and $36.9M below the 2nd apron — but that's without Loon, Payton, JK, and our fringe players (Spencer, Knox, Key, Armstrong).
I just saw this after I posted. So I guess that applies to my JK question.
I am amused enough by any offseason trades or contract discussions conducted by the media, of whatever rationale. Some are quite well informed or targeted ideas, some are wildly silly; there are various rationales and theories. All good -- except for one thing.
I am hereby FORBIDDING any figure in the media from beginning their analysis with this logic: "Steph Curry is a generational talent. The Warriors have to focus on that and provide him with whatever they can to maximize the years he has left. He's too good and too important for the Warriors to mess around. They have to realize that Steph is their best player and --"
WE. GET. THAT. Got it, got it, got it. NO ONE HAS EVER SAID OTHERWISE. No one posts, "What I want the Warriors to do is ignore Steph's twilight years, he's a bum, let's focus only on the future. Maybe trade Steph."
The supposed insight that Steph is important and we need to maximize his time by bringing in the best possible talent next to him is old, it was never clever, it's unoriginal, and it's something the front office already knew a decade ago. If you witness a media member attempting this clever route to justify whatever they say next, report them immediately to me and they will be off the air within hours. I don't reveal my methods.
As for fans, the standard is different -- you can use this rationale in your post, and I won't ban you outright. But be warned, it's not original, and you may be subject to having your car egged.
Whaf if I make a post about how they need to make an all in trade for Giannis or theyre wasting Kuminga's prime?
This is right at the nexus of acceptable and unacceptable.
Please allow me three business days to check with my lawyers.
I was listening to the Dunc’d On podcast’s FA center rankings, and they noted something I hadn’t really considered*: that some of the free agents who re-sign with their current teams may introduce cap/tax-related incentives for those teams to trade other pieces away.
The example they gave was Indiana, where Myles Turner has likely played himself into a $30M+/yr contract. If the Pacers re-sign him at that level, they’ll almost certainly need to make a move to get under the tax. That could be Jarace Walker, or it could be one of Nembhard or Mathurin (since they’re likely a year away from having to choose between those two anyway). Nembhard might not shoot the 3 well enough to work on our roster, but in other respects he’d be a nice fit at the 2: good POA defense, can dribble, has an insanely good playoff track record… It might seem crazy to think they’d make a move like that given the run they’re on at the moment, but we’ve seen teams do this kind of thing (eg, Denver letting go of KCP and Bruce Brown).
Anyway, just thought this was an interesting angle as the rosterbators among us look for out-of-the-box, but feasible, trade options.
*although belilaugh suggested a similar rationale yesterday when musing about a hypothetical Goga Bitadze acquitisition
Indy is $39.36M below the second apron and $27.48M below the 1st apron. As you say, Turner's deal is their biggest decision.
The rest of their FA picture isn't too bad. Their next big decision is Isaiah Jackson, who is RFA with a QO of $13.3M but was out with an Achilles injury this season. They can let old man James Johnson go. Thomas Bryant is UFA with a QO of $2.3M, and Tony Bradley is UFA with a QO $2.9M, so they have to see what the market will bid. Their only other FAs are two-ways.
I don't see how it will help them to trade WalkerNembhard/Mathurin if they have to take back equivalent money that they can't dump immediately. Maybe they could trade for someone they can buy out cheap, and/or non-guaranteed contracts. I've never understood how trade exemptions work so maybe there's something in that.
I don't see how we can take advantage of that situation but maybe I just don't understand it.
Well, I was thinking of it more as an example of a mechanism by which some unexpected players might become available. As for this specific case, I guess I was imagining a multi-team deal, where one of the teams has cap space (or a trade exception).
Completely realistic, 100% fool-proof offseason plan:
- release Looney and GPII - trade everyone except Butler and Curry for picks, but take back no salary - trade Butler for players that cost about $40 mil total ---> we are now $50+ mil under the cap - LeBron opts out, signs with the Warriors - Giannis demands a trade to the Warriors - Warriors trade tons of picks + the players we got for Butler for Giannis (we can take back more than we send out + use a 3rd team) - Sign Looney, GPII, etc for vets mins, + whoever wants to ring-chase (Lopez?) - WGBC (x2)!! - Luka refuses to sign long-term with LA - LeBron and Curry sign for the vet min in 2027 - Luka signs with the Warriors: we still have 2 max slots - Jokic and SGA opt out and sign with the Warriors
Approves
There's a flaw in there somewhere, I think. Can't quite put my finger on it.
I think you forgot the part where Spo and Mike Brown join Kerr's staff to do skills development, since Stotts and Stackhouse already have the main assistants jobs.
I like our coaching team a lot, but I wish there was a spot for Brown. He deserves to be a head coach, though. Maybe as a short-term 'special assistant' (like the Logo was for the front office, except as a coach) until he gets a big gig again?
I'd be fine with Brown replacing either of our assistant coaches. Not that I have any visibility into the coaching staff, but from the outside, he seems like the best assistant we've had in the dynasty run.
It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Stotts retires. He's 67.
But, I can't see Brown taking an assistant job. I think he'll look for head coaching jobs. He may not get one, but he's still young enough to try, and fall back on something else (assistant, head coach at a university). And, he's still got the Sac contract money coming in for another year, I think.
It's weird, I think this was a team with very significant flaws (lack of shooting and secondary shot creation, lack of size, no on-ball stopper) but even so, could very well have won the title if things broke in their favor.
Next year is going to likely be harder, at least in the West (OKC/HOU/LAL/SAS will likely be better). But Steph always gets you a chance, and as we've seen this year, that may be all you need. Need to improve though, which brings us to the players we could target. Most/all of these will be some variant of Kuminga sign and trades as that's pretty much the only salary we can send out in most trades (Draymond/Jimmy are almost certainly safe). Finding a team that wants Kuminga and has what we want is going to be very difficult, so it's likely going to require some 3/4/X team trade that moves around a lot of different assets. The good thing is that MDJ has proven adept at doing those sorts of deals and Kuminga did restore his value against MIN.
Tier 1: Completely Pie In The Sky But Somehow Not Totally Hopeless
1. Giannis: This one's obvious, anything but #30. The only way this really happens is if Giannis says he wants to go to the Warriors only, Milwaukee respects his wishes and the Warriors are able to cobble together enough assets with Jimmy + Kuminga + Podz + picks. That's a lot of ifs, but it's not 0%.
Tier 2: Almost Certainly Not Going To Happen, But Worth A Try
1. AD: If Dallas were being run by competent individuals, this might be somewhat realistic. They really should be building around Flagg now, but Nico's not going to trade AD 6 months after what he did.
2. Austin Reaves: Reaves is kinda the odd man out for the Lakers right now. He's one of their only assets, is someone who can conceivably be an all-star but his value is much lower on the Lakers when Luka/LeBron are healthy. Because he's on one of the best contracts in the league, the asset cost is going to be really high (and we don't have a C to trade to them) which probably puts us out of the running. He'd be really good here though.
3. Jarrett Allen: Cavs might decide to do something drastic after their shellacking in the playoffs and he's perhaps the most likely candidate to be traded from their big 4. He's a good C for 30 million per year and would fit in decently here (though the spacing is a bit tricky). Hard to see us getting the deal done though, especially when a team like the Lakers would be incredibly desperate to get a guy like Allen.
4. Deni Avdijia or Toumani Camara: They'd work great for us, but will be hella expensive. Portland doesn't really have any incentives to trade them unless we make a ludicrous offer so super unlikely.
5. Lauri Markkannen: There's a reason he was the dream candidate last offseason lol. I don't think the issue with this deal is the amount of assets, he's on a contract that may well be bad (because it looks like he's regressed athletically which is a problem). But he's really big, can really shoot and hold up on defense. GSW is the dream fit for him. The difficulty is that it's going to be almost impossible to reach his salary without including Jimmy, and we're not including Jimmy for Markkannen. And it's Danny Ainge.
6. Quentin Grimes: He's going to get paid an awful lot of money most likely. Don't really think PHI is too interested in keeping him long-term though with Maxey and McCain already there so he's likely a trade piece for them (also an RFA like Kuminga). Solves our shot-creation and on-ball stopper issues so he's a perfect fit. The asset cost is likely quite high though, but might be worth it IMO.
Tier 3: Actually Possible Targets, But The Price Is High
1. Cam Johnson: A worse version of Markannen basically, but with a much more palatable salary number. The issue is that BKN are one of the few (only?) teams with cap space, so if they wanted him then they could just pay him. So we'll basically have to pay in picks. 2 firsts + Kuminga likely gets in done, but is that too steep for Cam Johnson? Probably.
2. Whoever Dallas Wants To Trade From Their Frontcourt: The Mavs have the most stacked frontcourt rotation in the league. They also have one of the least stacked backcourts in the league with Kyrie out for most (all?) of the year, so they'll definitely be active in the trading market. Currently, they have AD, Lively, Gafford, PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, Klay, Flagg who will all play minutes at the 4-5. Of those guys, anyone but Klay would work great for us (and even Klay might for this version of the team, though that's not gonna happen). They're not going to trade the top guys, but they might listen to offers on Gafford/Washington/Marshall, and any of those guys will work well for us. They don't want Kuminga, so we'll need to spin up some sort of 3 way trade (maybe with BKN to send Cam Thomas to DAL?).
3. MPJ: If DEN loses tomorrow, he might be the guy they move (he's perhaps their only chance of improving the team short of trading Murray or Gordon which is unlikely). He'd fit pretty amazingly (at least on offense) and he's big. Also a worse version of Markkannen lol? Getting to his salary number is going to be really difficult though which is the issue.
4. Herb Jones: Quintessential 3 and D guy (though the 3 is spotty). On a great contract as well, so the price is going to be high (multiple firsts?).
5. Aaron Wiggins: Not the A Wiggins we love, but he's a good shooter and okay defender on a great contract. No reason OKC trades him unless the offer is really good so that's why the price is likely very high. Would fit really well though.
Tier 4: Actually Possible Targets And The Value Might Be Reasonable
1. Anfernee Simons: Solves our shooting and shot creation issues almost single handedly, but might create way more issues defensively. Has 1 year on his deal and doesn't seem like he's got a long-term future in POR because of Sharpe/Scoot. I'm not the biggest fan, but it would make sense.
2. Malik Monk: Similar to Simons, but basically a more proven (less upside) version on a more palatable salary. God only knows what SAC wants, but Monk/Lavine/Demar seems like an untenable fit. Then again, this is Sacramento.
3. KCP: I know it sounds horrid after the season that KCP had, but I think he's still fine. He forgot how to shoot for some reason, but that may just be because the Orlando Magic tax. Put him next to Steph and he'll be good again IMO. His 21/22 million number is also fairly reasonable for a starting level 2 guard. Can't imagine his value being high, they might be glad to just get rid of him.
4. Jrue Holiday or Porzingis: The Cs needed to trade someone for financial reasons before the Tatum injury, now it's pretty much a certainty. You don't pay that much tax for a 5th seed. Holiday (age) and Porzingis (age and injuries) seem like the most likely candidates and both of them would be very useful. Porzingis would be ideal if he could stay healthy but that applies for 29 other teams in the league. Jrue makes the shooting issues more salient but you just know he'd be a great Warrior. They don't want Kuminga obviously, so we'd need to figure out some complex trade though. And while they're talking, maybe through out Butler for Tatum lol (who the hell knows after the Luka trade).
5. Jay Huff: Protects the rim, can shoot 3s and is on a minimum contract. MEM weren't really using him down the stretch, so get him please. He'd be a better Post which we really need on this team.
Tier 5: It's Available, But Really?
1. Khris Middleton: He's on 30 million a year and still has all-star level performances sometimes when he's healthy (which is never). You can trade for him in the hopes that Celebrini can coax 1 more run out of him. Washington isn't doing anything next year so I imagine that they'd be happy with Kuminga (might even get our top 20 protected pick back fully which gives us flexibility in trades). Really not the biggest fan, but I'd have to think about it depending on what was available.
2. Immanuel Quickley: He's low-key on a pretty terrible contract but he fills a few holes for us (secondary shot creation and on-ball defense). Kuminga for Quickley makes no sense for Toronto with their present construction but Toronto's been doing non-sensical things for 2-3 years at this point so who the hell knows. RJ Barrett might also fit here though I don't like the shooting issues.
3. Nic Claxton: Had an off-year and BKN ain't doing anything in the next few years so trading him makes sense. The shooting here would be rough (and Claxton makes Draymond look like Steph) but the defense would be so so good. I hate it, but I'd kinda get it.
4. Jalen Green: This would be so weird after the recent series lol, but he's a good shooter, athletic and adds a dimension we don't have. Somewhat like the Monk/Simons types, just paid even more. He has improved on defense though. Not going to happen in a million years but could be a buy low option.
5. Robert Williams: Great player (when healthy), is never healthy. He's basically a lottery ticket but we don't have the matching contracts to buy a lottery ticket anymore. I'd be for it though if we were able to get the salaries to work somehow.
6. John Collins: Fun player, but a 4 who can't protect the rim, can't really shoot and is on 25+ million is a pretty difficult sell. Will be available though and did have a bounce-back year.
A good shooter doesn't have one good shooting game and disappear in the other six. Gotta use a different adjective than "good" for him...
Gimme Gafford, Marshall or both, baby.
Edit: Gonna switch that - Marshall first choice, I think he’s younger.
Great list. I’ll be referring back to it as I daydream!
Fun post, slight disagree on some points, but lots of food for thought. Where's Zion? (not advocating for this, though)
I'd really like to see Deni or Herb Jones on this team, but a fast 2-guard and a well-rounded center are higher priorities.
Zion was my preferred trade candidate option, but I think that train's gone now. You cannot have him, Jimmy and Draymond and I don't think we're trading Jimmy or Draymond for him. And he restored his value as well so he probably won't be cheap.
Jimmy and Draymond are a really problematic 3/4 or 4/5 to build around lol.
I am thinking this off-season to
1. Interview Perks re cap and transaction stuff
2. Interview Marc Campbell, NBA shooting coach, about player development.
3. Do my usual Draft Tournament, though with less enthusiasm since I am not crazy about this class and I also think it very likely GSW will trade the pick.
Are there any questions you want me to ask either interviewee?
For Campbell Shoot:
- do players practice shooting with defenders giving them the 'high five' foul?
- what is the biggest factor that effects a shooters % from 'lights out in the gym' highlights to 'mediocre' in games? Eg shot sped up due to defense, shooting more on the move, noise or visual distractions from crowd, fatigue, focusing less on target (ie The Long Gaze), pressure from game, etc
- and do they train for that?
- do they do things like fun free throw game challenges in practice?
- is there a "He's heating up" NBA JAM type code/signal to give players (other than Steph) the Ultimate Green Light? (Eg, why did Kerr have to tell Podz (4/6) to not stop shooting?)
- Can anyone block a tall enough players shot? Ie can Wemby just shoot over everyone?)
Thanks
For Perks - what are some possible trades for Moody?
I think if a player shrinks in the playoffs, rather than rises, or at least stays the same, it’s important to be realistic about them.
Yes. Can you please ask Campbell to come work exclusively with the Warriors for the next 5 months? Tell him we will all donate on his website.😊
Anyone you talk to who knows defensive development? I’m wondering how Quinten Post (and maybe TJD) can take the next steps in his.
For Mark:
Can players improve their 3 point shot with enough practice..say from 30 to 37%?
Can they improve from mid 60s to mid 70s on FT%?
see link to Marc's piece below for at least one example. As for what keeps every player from doing that, that's one of my questions for him...
For Mark Campbell, quantitatively, can u showcase the effect of shooting coaches in improving shooting ability?
On a blunt level, he himself worked with Malik Beasley early in his career and Malik had a big jump in his 3P% and other finer aspects of his game. He describes the development plan here: https://open.substack.com/pub/lowmanhelp/p/how-to-build-a-player-development?r=3lm3s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
After going to his website I now have several solicitations for various newsletters. Just letting you know.
Really good. Thanks.
Do they know where to buy DNHQ merch?
4. Do a bang-up job reporting on the Golden State Valkyries.
Definitely! Valkyrienation.substack.com with occasional cross-posts here.
For Perks: What transactions cause you to be hardcapped at the first apron?
The ones I think I know about are:
1. Receiving a S&T player.
2. Signing a player using one of the MLEs (don't know which one, TBH, though I assume it's the TPMLE).
Are there others?
People like to give the Head Coach of a team credit (or derision) for any player development that occurs. How much input/impact does the head coach actually typically have on player development?
I am betting my humble home that Kerr will not be in the gym this offseason working with JK or anyone else on their 3 point shooting, even though I believe he is still #1 as a player in 3 point shooting %.
I remember those old days when I was making about $1000 for the entire year as a HS varsity head coach spending countless hours in the offseason changing people’s shots.
These NBA guys are so spoiled😄
Wow, this is great, thanks EA!
1. The JK question(s): - is the salary matching in an S&T trade 1:1 or .5 incoming:1 outgoing (if he signs for $20 mil, do we take back $20 mil, $10 mil). Do we have to take back players/salary if the other team (Nets) has enough cap space? -can a player acquired for JK in an S&T be combined with another player in 2 or multi-team trade? Can they be included in a trade that's not the one with the Sign-and-Trade?
2. some possible questions (defintely not a request): - Being a good 3pt shooter usually translates to above-average free throw shooting, but can focusing on improving free throw technique help a player's 3pt success (by focusing on concentration and technique) - Do you think that young NBA players would be better developed when they came into the league if the NCAA moved the 3pt line to NBA distance? How much would the NBA adopting FIBA rules help international prospects? - of course players want to improve themselves, but does the decision to work on certain aspects of their game sometimes also come from staff/coaches?
You’re not super pumped to deep dive into #41 prospects?!?!
Actually, I generally AM pumped to dive into second round picks. 😀 I loved doing last year’s tourney for #51. I consider older prospects to be quite undervalued as solid bench players. (For instance, Post and TJD from last couple of years.)
But my gut tells me that this year’s #41 is going to be moved to grease the wheels of a trade to re-shape the roster.
Also, the NIL money has created a couple of draft years where more players projected for the second round are staying in college. In 2-3 years, the crop of players with no college eligibility will return to a more typical state.
great point about NIL: I wonder if we'll see the US college 2nd rounders stay to try and get that 1st round money, leaving mostly international or older US players
More likely they trade that pick with cash if someone they want is a few picks before.