So 1st of all I really enjoy these articles. Even though none of us have any say in what will happen, it's fun to speculate. That being said, I thought it was a much more interesting discussion in part 1 as all those players are somewhat borderline while it is highly unlikely to impossible that either Ender Wiggins or Looney gets cut or traded. They're not cutting either as they couldn't replace their salary due to cap rules. Both are pretty low value right now on the trade market but with the possibility to be much higher later after more time with the team.
Ender still has a pretty bad rep around the league (as aplayer not as a person) and if we're not yet sold by his small sample size you can be damned sure other teams are not. That means we'd have to pay to trade him (like the Wolves had to pay us with 2 picks). On the other hand if we keep him and what we saw in our small sample turns out to be true he fits in really well. That means he has more value to us than anyone else right now.
Looney is basically the same but because he is injured. I think general perception is that he can't stay healthy so teams don't value him much. Again no one will trade us anything and we'd have to pay to trade him (picks, salary, something). On the other hand, if he can get healthy with the time off, he is worth way more than his current salary. especially to us. Again that means no reason to trade him and just hope he gets healthy.
That leaves Paschall. We like him. Everybody else does. We're not cutting him. He's super cheap. I like him and I think the organization likes him so you'd have to get something pretty valuable for him. But he's definitely the most interesting case to examine. I don't have a sense of his worth, but he's kind of unique and if he can improve his D and, as he has been saying in all those interviews, his 3, I'd say you'd have to pay us a lot for him so I think he also stays.
(I don't believe in the Giannis wet dream, but I guess, who knows. That would sure change the calculus...)
And yeah, fair points on the assurances we have that the remaining cogs are almost certainly here for the long haul. Funnily, I had all three of those guys you mention slated for just this one article, but I ended up going so long on Ender (love the reference!) that it just made too much sense to split this off into it's own article - especially since everything's shut down in the world and there's not much going on anywhere
Ha, sorry! I am happy there will be 3 articles. More entertainment for me. Also interested in your take on the 17M trade exception you promised to someone in another comment. This stuff is all great and interesting. Thank you for keeping the doldrums at bay in this boring/dangerous/weird time.
Do we really want another superstar? I want a team with good chemistry. We broke the Warriors to get KD. That may have been necessary to keep the Spurs or the Cavs from getting him.
Dang, I had never considered what would happen if the phenomenal 2016 Spurs had added KD. They still probably wouldn't have had Kawhi in 2017 because of that injury thing but still, that's scary.
Yeah, but I would like to officially reserve my right to freak out over the contract at a later date - if needed.
But on the real: finding a starting caliber wing is going to always be hard in the current era. We won't ever be able to replace what KD did, but the team needs some sort of non-minimum contract player that can step into a regular rotation spot and not mess stuff up.
If I'm being a good basketball watcher, I have to change my opinion based on evidence, and everything Wiggins did in his short little 12 game Warriors career was pretty close to ideal. So yeah, I'm wiggy for Wiggins.
Wiggins is a good player. Unfairly criticised. I said a while ago that I wasn't excited about him anymore, but that came after the lockdown and consideration of all the possible financial issues we may see, coupled with his contract. But honestly, there's nothing he massively lacks. He's a great all-rounder, which few other players can claim to be. A smaller contract would be ideal, but hey...As long as he doesn't check out of games as badly as Cauley-Stein did, Wiggins can make himself at home here in my eyes.
Apr 16, 2020Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
First comment here, but been following you guys for a long time. Guess the quarantine in the Bay is encouraging me to try a lot of firsts, lol. But yes, I like Wiggins. I'm also on the Obi Toppin train and would love to see a lineup of Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Toppin, Green on the floor. Really think Green has a way of elevating the defensive play of everyone and with the spacing from Toppin's shooting (hopefully translates well into nba) would give Wiggins to do his thing of cutting to the rim and attacking the basket.
Ugh. Literally every summary on Toppin comments on how he can't play D. I know fans all like his highlight power dunks, but even if he's THAT good in the NBA, it sounds like he'll just be like D-Lo and give up as much as he scores. Warriors championship teams play D. I'd rather get Okoroh and hope his O comes around than Toppin and hope his D comes around. Maybe that's just me, but one of the things I loved about the death and hamptons lineups was watching them frustrate teams defensively. That was a big reason those lineups worked.
Totally understand, but I feel like it's easier to go from an O oriented baller that picks up a defensive fire (also with good coaching) than the other way around. DLo had much of the season without Steph, Klay, and even Draymond which could have contributed to his lackluster play on D. Think Toppin will also get you at least 5+ rebounds a game which I would never expect from Dlo. Not too big on Okoroh because he's another guard that I feel won't allow us to run small effectively (wiggins at 4, and low 3%). With Toppin, you're essentially swapping Wiggins for AI and Toppin for Barnes which I can see working.
No I didn't mean Toppin and D-Lo were comparable they're very different players/positions obviously (D-Lo might get you 5+ assists/game which you won't get from Toppin. Neither will play enough D was the point).
Toppin at the 4 is not going small. If you're going to do that, just put Chriss in that lineup instead of Toppin. Problem is the small lineup is supposed to run the opposing bigs off the floor and Toppin won't make that happen (or no more than Chriss will). We need a wing for the second unit AND to fill the small lineup. I'm not sold on Okoroh particularly , he was just an example of a good D wing we could fill that role (basically Iggy).
Truth is I don't think they can replicate what they did before and I will be interested to see what the coaching staff can build out of the pieces they have and can get. I do think they will look for more 2-way type players than Toppin is (unless they agree with you that he can improve on D - I'm not saying it's impossible, but the knock across the board on him is his D and basically zero analysts felt like there was a high ceiling for it.)
Chriss can run 4s and 5s off the floor. Rewatch him again the Lakers last years; whenever Kai pushed it Marquese beat everyone down court for the dunk. His ability and willingness to run down court full speed is one of the reasons Draymond and Kerr are so high on him.
I was noting that Toppin might have a better situation to work on his D than Dlo. Sure, Toppin at 4 isn't quite small, but Draymond at 5 is. And Toppin has shown more potential to shoot the 3 than Chriss so think that will fit. I'm hoping his 40% from deep on 2-3 attempts a game is not a fluke.
But I get you. Bringing in Toppin does weird things to our line up like what do we do with Paschall, etc. It really will be interesting to see what the Dubs do! And yes, these teams from the past 5 years were truly special and most likely impossible to replicate.
Welcome to the land of the non-lurkers! Thanks for your comment.
I've really hopeful that the Warriors strike gold in the upcoming draft. I don't follow college ball closely enough to have opinions on all the prospects yet, but I for sure agree that Draymond is going to help anyone that can be helped on the defensive end. Interestingly, he actually had some pretty high praise for Wiggins D - we are going to need all the help we can get in order to resurrect the Warriors defense next season. I don't think my soul can handle another year of watching a team as bad as this season's
Thank you sir! And yea, totally agreed on Draymond's ability and what we're seeing in Wiggins. So hopeful that players we pick up get that defensive tenacity.
Apr 16, 2020Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
The only glitch in Ender’s game playing for the Warriors was the stand around 3 when he got tired. He cuts hard and plays active positional D. Since the contract is untradable unless he has an excellent year, he’s absolutely a keeper. Bet’s are on that he’ll be more effective than Barnes on O and almost as effective against post ups on D while beimg slightly better on the perimeter. A great cog for the 4 in a small ball closing lineup. Where can the Warriors find the 3? Either way the W’s have a really good team in place for next year. Let’s hope we get to see them play soon!
There’s no way they cut that huge contract, and it will be difficult to trade it. So I think we’re mostly stuck with him, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Realistically, I think we should expect a lot of what was there in Minnesota: inconsistent play on both ends. There seems to be something there with him, where he just doesn’t show up sometimes and it’s I believe wishful thinking to think that part just goes away.
But I think he can get to a much higher baseline of play. He can be a more efficient offensive player. His game is very well suited to play in the passing scheme and space created by Steph and Klay. He already took a major step forward in his passing, and the sight lines he’ll start to see will click that in even more.
He can become a better defender. Obviously we already saw that activity increase. I think just being on a team where the three best players all care about D will set that expectation for him. Also, playing on a contending team where this matters will hopefully just increase his attention.
So overall, you take guy who’s been disappointing. You make him 10-20% better on both ends. You minimize the confusing lapses. Maybe he has off games instead of off weeks. Or off weeks instead of off months. Add all that up and you get a really good, valuable player at the hardest to find position in the NBA.
The chemistry is a big part of what works for us. With Kerr, Green, Curry, Thompson, we'll be able to get lot more out of him than the T-wolves could. Lacob/Myers did all right. Who knows, maybe we'll get a deeper rotation and really be able to reclaim Strength In Numbers, which we threw out get KD. I miss Speights and Barbosa.
Ha! True. Though, WCS didn't actually get to play with anyone other than Dray and it certainly wasn't on a winning team. Also, WCS is just a whole other level. His demeanor in games was shocking to me. Differing talent levels aside, I saw more from Wiggins is 12 games then I saw from WCS.
yeah, I was thinking about really embracing the "cut" element and looking at some potential trades, but everything is just so much guess work that I felt it was just too speculative / not my style.
I may dip my toes into some of those moves when we get to the MLE/TPE side of the roster but for now I think it's sufficient to just say "keep Wiggins"
Yeah, for the "obvious keep" players I think it's more interested to speculate on lineups, rotations, and playing time.
We can assume Steph will stick to his usual pattern of Q1, second half Q2, Q3, second half Q4, and Klay will be in for similar minutes as his own usual as well.
Does Wiggins get Death Lineup style minutes off the bat? I think Kerr tries it but there's a chance someone else like Paschall or Chriss earns that spot, depending on who else fills out the roster. Iguodala's shoes are going to be hard to fill in that lineup.
Randomly, could the Dubs use the TPE to get Iguodala back from Miami? That's quite a lot of money on an aging player but given the team chemistry and those magic hands I would still like to have him on the team. Maybe not at that price, though, since I have to assume he's playing fewer minutes.
Does Paschall come off the bench? What position is he (defending) most often? Is he alongside Draymond or substituting for him?
We haven't even gotten to see him play with the band yet. He was often the best player on the floor for the Ws. Once he sees the kind of space he gets with Steph and Klay out there, his game should really open up offensively. If he can pick up some intensity and savvy from Dray, the sky's the limit.
it would have been some sort of trade... but it's like the closing line says - you trade him for a superstar. Which isn't really a fun article for me to write.
I'll try and craft the next article to be truer to the series theme.
Maybe here, the interesting question would be something like "who's the worst player the Warriors would trade Wiggins for?"
Well, when you put that question out there, there is only one answer, NO ONE! Wiggins is an asset, no matter what one's opinion about him is. As you and others mention, the only way he is moved is for a deal that cannot be passed up, which means he is probably staying right here.
I do feel we need a big man more than most of you. And, a true backup PG. Who do I like? I won't even venture into that territory and will leave it up to the Warrior team to make those decisions. There are so many complications to sort through financially and I'm ill equipped to do that from my sofa. Trades, FAgency, outright signings are full of possibilities but until they decide who they are taking in the draft and whether that comes with any blockbuster trade attached to it, we can't know. Things always present themselves in the moment. While the draft is a crap shoot, I couldn't possibly tell you who is the best player for the Dubs. Wiseman is still someone they must consider and evaluate. He's gotta be better than Ender. So many doubts about Toppin and his D. The Warriors have never had much luck with size. They are always looking out for that guy who can do everything and that is not an easy find. I'm waiting with baited breath.
It's not money. So right now, without cap space if they trade for a player who makes 17Mil they have to give up a player or players who make 17Mil to balance the scale (not counting the TPE). Using the TPE they still need to make a trade, but they can take back 17M more in salary that they send out. For example they could trade a pick that makes no salary for a player that makes 17M. Without the TPE cap rules would prohibit that. So basically they are looking for a team that is trying to cut salary (probably not looking to be in contention next season)and is willing to give up a good player to do it.
Another thing that may be a problem: if the cap goes down the new player puts them more over the cap and into the tax. We're all hoping ownership is still willing to spend, but that 17M might cost them a lot more than that in taxes so who knows what they'll do.
yeah, more than any non-lockout year, it's really hard to predict what's going to happen!
I could see teams looking to shed salary under next season's lower cap as a reason why that TPE could work wonders for the Warriors once the NBA resumes
That's my hope. Just worried that they might start caring about money, too, since social distancing means no concerts and other money making events at chase forsome time
Horford would be a great fit. Problem is you're trading a wing for big, and that creates a big hole. It's just so much easier to find functional bigs for the MLE and lower. You're also trading a player who's going to be 25 next season for a player who's going to be 34. Horford has a game that'
From Philly's perspective the positional fit is probably better. I'm not sure I'd forecast the same gains for Wiggins in that system vs ours. Personality-wise...I wouldn't really see it either, though he and Embiid obviously played at Kansas together.
Nice, I added both of those names to my list of potential targets. I've got to cover some peripheral players first (Paschall, Looney) but will be getting to the potential trades and such after that.
So 1st of all I really enjoy these articles. Even though none of us have any say in what will happen, it's fun to speculate. That being said, I thought it was a much more interesting discussion in part 1 as all those players are somewhat borderline while it is highly unlikely to impossible that either Ender Wiggins or Looney gets cut or traded. They're not cutting either as they couldn't replace their salary due to cap rules. Both are pretty low value right now on the trade market but with the possibility to be much higher later after more time with the team.
Ender still has a pretty bad rep around the league (as aplayer not as a person) and if we're not yet sold by his small sample size you can be damned sure other teams are not. That means we'd have to pay to trade him (like the Wolves had to pay us with 2 picks). On the other hand if we keep him and what we saw in our small sample turns out to be true he fits in really well. That means he has more value to us than anyone else right now.
Looney is basically the same but because he is injured. I think general perception is that he can't stay healthy so teams don't value him much. Again no one will trade us anything and we'd have to pay to trade him (picks, salary, something). On the other hand, if he can get healthy with the time off, he is worth way more than his current salary. especially to us. Again that means no reason to trade him and just hope he gets healthy.
That leaves Paschall. We like him. Everybody else does. We're not cutting him. He's super cheap. I like him and I think the organization likes him so you'd have to get something pretty valuable for him. But he's definitely the most interesting case to examine. I don't have a sense of his worth, but he's kind of unique and if he can improve his D and, as he has been saying in all those interviews, his 3, I'd say you'd have to pay us a lot for him so I think he also stays.
(I don't believe in the Giannis wet dream, but I guess, who knows. That would sure change the calculus...)
hey, no shortcuts!
And yeah, fair points on the assurances we have that the remaining cogs are almost certainly here for the long haul. Funnily, I had all three of those guys you mention slated for just this one article, but I ended up going so long on Ender (love the reference!) that it just made too much sense to split this off into it's own article - especially since everything's shut down in the world and there's not much going on anywhere
Ha, sorry! I am happy there will be 3 articles. More entertainment for me. Also interested in your take on the 17M trade exception you promised to someone in another comment. This stuff is all great and interesting. Thank you for keeping the doldrums at bay in this boring/dangerous/weird time.
Keep Wiggins? But haven't you heard? We're trading him for Giannis!
Do we really want another superstar? I want a team with good chemistry. We broke the Warriors to get KD. That may have been necessary to keep the Spurs or the Cavs from getting him.
Let's not make that mistake again.
Dang, I had never considered what would happen if the phenomenal 2016 Spurs had added KD. They still probably wouldn't have had Kawhi in 2017 because of that injury thing but still, that's scary.
Wait is that Duby Dub Dubs coming around on the Wiggins deal??? :D
Yeah, but I would like to officially reserve my right to freak out over the contract at a later date - if needed.
But on the real: finding a starting caliber wing is going to always be hard in the current era. We won't ever be able to replace what KD did, but the team needs some sort of non-minimum contract player that can step into a regular rotation spot and not mess stuff up.
If I'm being a good basketball watcher, I have to change my opinion based on evidence, and everything Wiggins did in his short little 12 game Warriors career was pretty close to ideal. So yeah, I'm wiggy for Wiggins.
Wiggins is a good player. Unfairly criticised. I said a while ago that I wasn't excited about him anymore, but that came after the lockdown and consideration of all the possible financial issues we may see, coupled with his contract. But honestly, there's nothing he massively lacks. He's a great all-rounder, which few other players can claim to be. A smaller contract would be ideal, but hey...As long as he doesn't check out of games as badly as Cauley-Stein did, Wiggins can make himself at home here in my eyes.
First comment here, but been following you guys for a long time. Guess the quarantine in the Bay is encouraging me to try a lot of firsts, lol. But yes, I like Wiggins. I'm also on the Obi Toppin train and would love to see a lineup of Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Toppin, Green on the floor. Really think Green has a way of elevating the defensive play of everyone and with the spacing from Toppin's shooting (hopefully translates well into nba) would give Wiggins to do his thing of cutting to the rim and attacking the basket.
Ugh. Literally every summary on Toppin comments on how he can't play D. I know fans all like his highlight power dunks, but even if he's THAT good in the NBA, it sounds like he'll just be like D-Lo and give up as much as he scores. Warriors championship teams play D. I'd rather get Okoroh and hope his O comes around than Toppin and hope his D comes around. Maybe that's just me, but one of the things I loved about the death and hamptons lineups was watching them frustrate teams defensively. That was a big reason those lineups worked.
Totally understand, but I feel like it's easier to go from an O oriented baller that picks up a defensive fire (also with good coaching) than the other way around. DLo had much of the season without Steph, Klay, and even Draymond which could have contributed to his lackluster play on D. Think Toppin will also get you at least 5+ rebounds a game which I would never expect from Dlo. Not too big on Okoroh because he's another guard that I feel won't allow us to run small effectively (wiggins at 4, and low 3%). With Toppin, you're essentially swapping Wiggins for AI and Toppin for Barnes which I can see working.
No I didn't mean Toppin and D-Lo were comparable they're very different players/positions obviously (D-Lo might get you 5+ assists/game which you won't get from Toppin. Neither will play enough D was the point).
Toppin at the 4 is not going small. If you're going to do that, just put Chriss in that lineup instead of Toppin. Problem is the small lineup is supposed to run the opposing bigs off the floor and Toppin won't make that happen (or no more than Chriss will). We need a wing for the second unit AND to fill the small lineup. I'm not sold on Okoroh particularly , he was just an example of a good D wing we could fill that role (basically Iggy).
Truth is I don't think they can replicate what they did before and I will be interested to see what the coaching staff can build out of the pieces they have and can get. I do think they will look for more 2-way type players than Toppin is (unless they agree with you that he can improve on D - I'm not saying it's impossible, but the knock across the board on him is his D and basically zero analysts felt like there was a high ceiling for it.)
Chriss can run 4s and 5s off the floor. Rewatch him again the Lakers last years; whenever Kai pushed it Marquese beat everyone down court for the dunk. His ability and willingness to run down court full speed is one of the reasons Draymond and Kerr are so high on him.
I was noting that Toppin might have a better situation to work on his D than Dlo. Sure, Toppin at 4 isn't quite small, but Draymond at 5 is. And Toppin has shown more potential to shoot the 3 than Chriss so think that will fit. I'm hoping his 40% from deep on 2-3 attempts a game is not a fluke.
But I get you. Bringing in Toppin does weird things to our line up like what do we do with Paschall, etc. It really will be interesting to see what the Dubs do! And yes, these teams from the past 5 years were truly special and most likely impossible to replicate.
welcome into the fold Mr. Hong!
Thank you sir! Glad to be here!
Welcome to the land of the non-lurkers! Thanks for your comment.
I've really hopeful that the Warriors strike gold in the upcoming draft. I don't follow college ball closely enough to have opinions on all the prospects yet, but I for sure agree that Draymond is going to help anyone that can be helped on the defensive end. Interestingly, he actually had some pretty high praise for Wiggins D - we are going to need all the help we can get in order to resurrect the Warriors defense next season. I don't think my soul can handle another year of watching a team as bad as this season's
Thank you sir! And yea, totally agreed on Draymond's ability and what we're seeing in Wiggins. So hopeful that players we pick up get that defensive tenacity.
And remember, when Klay came here, the biggest knock on him was that he wasn't a good defender.
The stats still think he isn't a good defender, lol
The only glitch in Ender’s game playing for the Warriors was the stand around 3 when he got tired. He cuts hard and plays active positional D. Since the contract is untradable unless he has an excellent year, he’s absolutely a keeper. Bet’s are on that he’ll be more effective than Barnes on O and almost as effective against post ups on D while beimg slightly better on the perimeter. A great cog for the 4 in a small ball closing lineup. Where can the Warriors find the 3? Either way the W’s have a really good team in place for next year. Let’s hope we get to see them play soon!
"more effective than Barnes on O" would be HUGE
There’s no way they cut that huge contract, and it will be difficult to trade it. So I think we’re mostly stuck with him, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Realistically, I think we should expect a lot of what was there in Minnesota: inconsistent play on both ends. There seems to be something there with him, where he just doesn’t show up sometimes and it’s I believe wishful thinking to think that part just goes away.
But I think he can get to a much higher baseline of play. He can be a more efficient offensive player. His game is very well suited to play in the passing scheme and space created by Steph and Klay. He already took a major step forward in his passing, and the sight lines he’ll start to see will click that in even more.
He can become a better defender. Obviously we already saw that activity increase. I think just being on a team where the three best players all care about D will set that expectation for him. Also, playing on a contending team where this matters will hopefully just increase his attention.
So overall, you take guy who’s been disappointing. You make him 10-20% better on both ends. You minimize the confusing lapses. Maybe he has off games instead of off weeks. Or off weeks instead of off months. Add all that up and you get a really good, valuable player at the hardest to find position in the NBA.
The chemistry is a big part of what works for us. With Kerr, Green, Curry, Thompson, we'll be able to get lot more out of him than the T-wolves could. Lacob/Myers did all right. Who knows, maybe we'll get a deeper rotation and really be able to reclaim Strength In Numbers, which we threw out get KD. I miss Speights and Barbosa.
I agree, but then again I thought the same thing about WCS
Ha! True. Though, WCS didn't actually get to play with anyone other than Dray and it certainly wasn't on a winning team. Also, WCS is just a whole other level. His demeanor in games was shocking to me. Differing talent levels aside, I saw more from Wiggins is 12 games then I saw from WCS.
yeah, I was thinking about really embracing the "cut" element and looking at some potential trades, but everything is just so much guess work that I felt it was just too speculative / not my style.
I may dip my toes into some of those moves when we get to the MLE/TPE side of the roster but for now I think it's sufficient to just say "keep Wiggins"
Yeah, for the "obvious keep" players I think it's more interested to speculate on lineups, rotations, and playing time.
We can assume Steph will stick to his usual pattern of Q1, second half Q2, Q3, second half Q4, and Klay will be in for similar minutes as his own usual as well.
Does Wiggins get Death Lineup style minutes off the bat? I think Kerr tries it but there's a chance someone else like Paschall or Chriss earns that spot, depending on who else fills out the roster. Iguodala's shoes are going to be hard to fill in that lineup.
Randomly, could the Dubs use the TPE to get Iguodala back from Miami? That's quite a lot of money on an aging player but given the team chemistry and those magic hands I would still like to have him on the team. Maybe not at that price, though, since I have to assume he's playing fewer minutes.
Does Paschall come off the bench? What position is he (defending) most often? Is he alongside Draymond or substituting for him?
We haven't even gotten to see him play with the band yet. He was often the best player on the floor for the Ws. Once he sees the kind of space he gets with Steph and Klay out there, his game should really open up offensively. If he can pick up some intensity and savvy from Dray, the sky's the limit.
He played ONE game with Steph (and did really well). I'm keen to not just see him with Klay, but with a fully healthy and rested Dray too.
Not even close. Keep him!
I second this!
I think “keep or cut?” might not be the actual question. Shirley they can’t be serious about cutting him.
it would have been some sort of trade... but it's like the closing line says - you trade him for a superstar. Which isn't really a fun article for me to write.
I'll try and craft the next article to be truer to the series theme.
Maybe here, the interesting question would be something like "who's the worst player the Warriors would trade Wiggins for?"
Well, when you put that question out there, there is only one answer, NO ONE! Wiggins is an asset, no matter what one's opinion about him is. As you and others mention, the only way he is moved is for a deal that cannot be passed up, which means he is probably staying right here.
I do feel we need a big man more than most of you. And, a true backup PG. Who do I like? I won't even venture into that territory and will leave it up to the Warrior team to make those decisions. There are so many complications to sort through financially and I'm ill equipped to do that from my sofa. Trades, FAgency, outright signings are full of possibilities but until they decide who they are taking in the draft and whether that comes with any blockbuster trade attached to it, we can't know. Things always present themselves in the moment. While the draft is a crap shoot, I couldn't possibly tell you who is the best player for the Dubs. Wiseman is still someone they must consider and evaluate. He's gotta be better than Ender. So many doubts about Toppin and his D. The Warriors have never had much luck with size. They are always looking out for that guy who can do everything and that is not an easy find. I'm waiting with baited breath.
I'm getting to that next!! You are around next week, right?
Psst.. In my best whisper voice: topic: bring Spellman back?
It's not money. So right now, without cap space if they trade for a player who makes 17Mil they have to give up a player or players who make 17Mil to balance the scale (not counting the TPE). Using the TPE they still need to make a trade, but they can take back 17M more in salary that they send out. For example they could trade a pick that makes no salary for a player that makes 17M. Without the TPE cap rules would prohibit that. So basically they are looking for a team that is trying to cut salary (probably not looking to be in contention next season)and is willing to give up a good player to do it.
Another thing that may be a problem: if the cap goes down the new player puts them more over the cap and into the tax. We're all hoping ownership is still willing to spend, but that 17M might cost them a lot more than that in taxes so who knows what they'll do.
yeah, more than any non-lockout year, it's really hard to predict what's going to happen!
I could see teams looking to shed salary under next season's lower cap as a reason why that TPE could work wonders for the Warriors once the NBA resumes
That's my hope. Just worried that they might start caring about money, too, since social distancing means no concerts and other money making events at chase forsome time
Horford would be a great fit. Problem is you're trading a wing for big, and that creates a big hole. It's just so much easier to find functional bigs for the MLE and lower. You're also trading a player who's going to be 25 next season for a player who's going to be 34. Horford has a game that'
From Philly's perspective the positional fit is probably better. I'm not sure I'd forecast the same gains for Wiggins in that system vs ours. Personality-wise...I wouldn't really see it either, though he and Embiid obviously played at Kansas together.
Nice, I added both of those names to my list of potential targets. I've got to cover some peripheral players first (Paschall, Looney) but will be getting to the potential trades and such after that.
Getting some names to start with is helpful!