Out: Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton, CJ Wilcox, Ed Davis, Georgios Pappagiannis
I kinda liked Ed Davis and unless they're expecting Nurkic to double his game, the Blazers didn't replace his rebounding or defense, I think losing him will be tougher than they think. Connaughton and Wilcox never quite developed, not bad shooters but not ones the Blazers could afford to keep waiting on. Okay I'll admit it: Napier is one of my least favorite players, at best he's a shadow of, say, Terry Rozier. Pappagiannis was a flyer they picked up late last year, gonna file that under easy come/easy go.
In: Anfernee Simmons, Nik Stauskus, Gary Trent Jr, Seth Curry
All shooting Guards? Simmons and Trent look to be an exciting combo guards for the Blazers to develop, on the one hand you don't expect too much out of a rookie, on the other they'll both probably get playing time, if they can score then they'll play. Stauskus was overrated coming out of college, screwed up his draft position and the relative expectations of his game; he's good in int'l play, but he's not the star he was thought to be, a few low pressure off the bench minutes for the Blazers ought to be just fine for him. Is Seth Cutty the poor man's Steph Curry? (No, that's still Jimmer Fredette) But Curry is a 3rd string veteran who will protect the ball and score a few points. I think the Blazers needed to get more to replace Ed Davis, but perhaps overpowering wing scoring could be their thing.
Re-signed: Jusuf Nurkic
I always liked Nurkic (4yr/$48m), toughness down low, sly scorer, I like him with Lillard and McCollum. The Blazers didn't have the money to make a big splash, felt like Nurkic was the guy they had to keep, I think it's a good deal for player and team.
All in all
This team still belongs to Lillard and McCollum, probably the two most over/underrated guys I've ever seen: just when you think they're the shit, their limitations will get put in display, but when you think they can't get it done--shit, that's when they're the most fun to watch! Evan Turner, Mo Harkless and Jusuf Nurkic round out the starting five, got #4 seed last year but I don't quite get how.
Actually I'd start Al-Farouk Aminu and bring Turner off the bench, maybe that's how they run. Letting go of Davis indicates they're expecting jumps out of Meyers Leonard and Zach Collins, thought Collins had a solid if unspectacular rookie season last year and as much as I see the promise of Leonard, I've never actually seen that promise translate to productivity, so we'll see about those two. Curry/Simmons/Stauskus/Trent/Baldwin will give them minutes off the bench, I got no idea which, if any, of them will make a difference. Caleb Swanigan and Jake Layman feel like practice players, hard to imagine big minutes for either of those guys. Blazers finished 4th last year (4th!) but as much as I like watching Lillard and McCollum, I don't see this team as one that's built to go deep in the West.
Jazz
Out: Erik McCree, Jonas Jerebko, David Stockon
Jerebko is a nice random guy off the bench, not great at anything but not bad at anything either, his minutes will go to rookie Grayson Allen, who will probably be about as good as Jerebko, maybe a better scorer, Jerebeko is a nice player (the Warriors will like him) but not irreplaceable by any means. I watched a lot of the Jazz last year and I don't even know who McCree is, I can only assume he is easily replaceable. Stockton has been up/down with them for the last coupla years, this doesn't mean he can't still be a G-League regular for them. The Jazz didn't lose much this summer.
I kinda liked Allen at Duke, decent hardworking 3-and-d guy, kind of an asshole (which is not a bad thing necessarily), his job is to pick up Jerebko's minutes, which I think he'll do nicely, he'll give them a nice 10min/gm, if he knocks down shots he could be a crowd fave, maybe even an ROY longshot (*). I have no idea who Lyles, Cavanagh (2-way), Cousins or Haas are, they may be 2-way guys or be gone by the end of pre-season, I'm sure the Jazz are rooting for all of them. The new guys aren't going to be the difference makers but the Jazz don't have great needs from any of these guys.
Re-signed: Dante Exum, Derrick Favors, Raul Neto, Naz Mitrou-Long, Georges Niang
Salt Lake City is notoriously a tough sell for NBA players, so the Jazz pretty much live on draft picks and resigning their veterans, which is what they did with their money this summer, I figured they would and I think they did right thing. Exum (3yr/$33m) is hard to figure, he's been around a while but he's played so few games that I just have no sense of his game, I think he's good enough to be Donovan Mitchell's backup even if $11m off the bench seems kinda pricey, that said, the Jazz know him better than anyone else does, perhaps they think 3/$33 is a steal, I have to assume this is a good signing (though I'm pretty sure it's not a bad one). Favors (2yrs/$37.6m) is another predictable, safe and smart signing, Favors isn't the bust out down low presence he might've been but with Gobert and Mitchell around he doesn't really need to be, the money is little pricey but a 2yr deal is good for player and team, good signing. I like Neto (2yr/$4.4m), he's a top quality 3rd string PG, he keeps the continuity which means you're winning games in October instead of just futzing around til New Year's like the star-laden teams, the price/years are very reasonable, good signing. Even Niang (3yr/$4.9m) and Mitrou-Long (2-way) are bring-backs and though I don't recall ever seeing either of them, the deals are reasonable and I have to assume that the Jazz have made the right move.
All in all
The Jazz are built for the foreseeable future around Donovan Mitchell handling the ball and Rudy Gobert DPOY-ing down low. Derrick Favors is a weird fit but he's a good player and fan favorite. Ricky Rubio, too, is not a perfect fit with Mitchell but they're both good players and play well enough together. I guess Jae Crowder rounds out the starting five; he was added late last year but seems like a good fit in that rotation.
Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Thabo Sefolosha off the bench with Raul Neto, Royce O'neal, rookie Grayson Allen getting the deep minutes. As I said, I watched a lot of the Jazz last year and I forgot that Alec Burks was even on the team til they whipped him out against OKC and he was making buckets; I have no idea what they get out of Burks or Sefolosha (who was out most of last season) who are like found money for the Jazz: if one or the other gives them really quality minutes perhaps he gives them the extra piece that gets them deep into the post-season or perhaps they're the expiring contract trade chip that brings in that guy, either way whatever they got out of those guys is pure bonus. Not sure why Ekpe Udoh or Tony Bradley are there, guess they're nice guys.
The continuity suggests that the Jazz will hit the ground running, whereas who knows what we'll get out of the Blazers or Wolves, and you know the Lakers will take a while to get it together. Their ability to start fast should give them an advantage on a top-4 seed and will give them plenty of time to build a deep roster. If they can stay fresh through the season, never know, man, they might could catch the Rockets slippin' or the Lakers still figuring it out or the Spurs shooting poorly, this could be the year that injuries catch up with the Warriors. I think the Jazz are gonna be really good, I think they've got a good squad, deep veteran squad, good coach, good star to lead them, good defense, good fans, I think they're primed to be really good this year. I don't think they beat the Warriors but I think they can hang with most everyone else (are you ready for Jazz-Raptors? Eh, I'm okay with that).
Nuggets
Out: Devin Harris, Richard Jefferson, Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, Kenneth Faried, (2019 1st rd pick), (2020 2nd rd pick), (2021 2nd rd pick), (2022 2nd rd pick swap w/Sixers)
They cleared out the veterans and the future draft picks that would theoretically replace them. Chandler, Arthur and Faried had to go and there was no reason for Harris or Jefferson to stay. The Nuggets have their team of the future already in place, so giving up draft picks to prune the roster is actually a minimal cost.
In: Micheal Porter Jr, Thomas Welsh, Jarred Vanderbilt, Isaiah Thomas, (option to 2022 rd pick swap with Sixers), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, Xavier Silas, Donald Sloan
Porter was, I thought, a top 5 talent who dropped on draft day because concerns about his back and his personality (the Grizzlies might be kicking themselves for years), but the Nuggets were well positioned to pick up what could be the steal of the draft, and I suspect we'll know fairly soon, reports are he's healthy to play and I expect he'll play. Isiah Thomas (1yr/$2.m) is arguably the most valuable signing of the summer: if he can harness that natural Denver home court advantage to get him back anywhere near his MVP-ish 2016-17 season, then $2m will be the biggest bargain since Auburn got Cam Newton for "free"; that said, I'm not sure whether he's a starter or a 6th man, not sure he fits with the rest of the squad, not sure he's got that kind of game in him, not sure he doesn't just stifle the maturation of the rest of the youth. We'll see. I have no idea who Welsh, Terry, Akoon-Purcell, Silas and Sloan are, I suspect they'll be G-Leaguers. I did see some of Jarrod Vanderbilt at Kentucky: hell of an athlete, but I wasn't convinced he was a basketball player, not sure if Calapari wanted his roster spot or if he's just better than he looked (or thinks he is), but what I saw was a G-League level talent, a guy that probably go to China and get by on pure athleticism. Porter and Thomas could be diamonds in the rough (actually Welsh and Vanderbilt could be, too) that the Nuggets got at rock bottom prices, if so the Nuggets could be really good this year. And, as for the pick swap, well the Sixers are planning on being good in 2022, so I doubt that swap does the Nuggets much good.
Re-signed: Torrey Craig, Nikola Jokic, Will Barton, Monte Morris
Jokic (5yr/$147.7m) and Barton (4yr/$53m) are good players and Morris (3yr/$4.7m) and Craig (2yr/$4.1m) are reasonable youngsters to fill out the bench. All of these are good moves for the Nuggets.
All in all (**)
Last season, the Nuggets got bounced from the playoffs on the last day of the regular season when they ran out of gas in OT in Minnesota (right as the Wolves were running out of gas, too). This Nuggets roster is kinda weird but there's a lot of talent and a lot of possibility to go with their unique home court advantage. I like the Nuggets to make the playoffs.
I'm guessing they'll start Thomas (though that guy has 6th Man written all over him this year). So the lineup should look like: PG Thomas, SG Murray, SF Lyles/Hernangomez, PF Jokic, C Millsap with Beasley, Harris, Barton, Porter, Lydon, Plumlee off the bench with whatever Craig and Lydon produce being a total bonus. That's a pretty strong man rotation, good depth, and even in the crowded West (Grizzlies and Mavs look to be much better), I think there's enough potential here for the Nuggets to glide into the top 8. And with that home court, I think they'll be a dangerous matchup for the Rockets, Thunder or Spurs (though I kinda doubt they'd give the Warriors, Lakers or Jazz much of a contest).
Thunder
Out: Daniel Hamilton, PJ Dozier, Corey Brewer, Josh Huestis, Dakari Johnson, (2019 2nd rd pick), Carmelo Anthony, (2022 1st rd pick), Devon Hall, Kyle Singler, Donte Grantham
I dunno, I don't see any big losses here. I was never a fan of the Carmelo trade (but they were able to parlay him into Shroeder and Luwawu, so not bad all in all, if you're willing to overlook the year they just wasted with him). Brewer is a nice vet off the bench but hardly irreplaceable. The money/years they gave Singler were kinda mind-boggling at the time, good for the Thunder for finally moving on from him. Hamilton, Huestis, Dozier, Grantham and Dakari were youngsters that just didn't pan out, that happens. Giving up the 1st rounder may come back to bite them but they've got enough youth on the roster right now that they look pretty well built at the moment.
In: Deonte Burton, Nerlens Noel, Abdel Nader, Dennis Shroeder, Timothe Luwawu, Hamidou Diallo, Tyler Davis, Abdul Gaddy, Bryce Alford, KJ McDaniels, Richard Solomon
Nerlens is a guy that has yet to find his footing in the league but this is probably his best (last?) chance to establish himself as the premiere shot blocker/rebounder that he was meant to be. I liked Abdel Nader with the Celtics last year; clearly there was no room in that rotation for him but I think he'll give good energy and a sneaky scoring punch off the bench. I was never a huge fan of Shroeder and I don't think he's the perfect fit here but he is offensively talented and if he can embrace coming off the bench, he could be a secret weapon in the 2nd half for the Thunder all year long. Luwawu is am unknown commodity but he's still young enough to be an exciting prospect. I watched Diallo at Kentucky and he has his moments of being an effective wing-scorer, which suggests to me that the Thunder aren't really a good fit for him; I expect he'll be in the G-League a lot this year (or perhaps snagged in trade by, say, the Pelicans or Sixers?). McDaniels is a high wire athlete, had his moments of looking like a diamond in the rough but hasn't really caught on (I'm guessing he's a great practice player and in that way could be really valuable to team trying to get better).
Re-signed: Paul George (4yr/$136.9m), Jerami Grant (3yr/$27m), Ray Felton (1yr/$2.4m)
Re-signing PG was the "get" of the summer, no? Seemed a foregone conclusion that he was gonna walk but he chose to stay, good for the Thunder. Grant emerged last year as a talented playmaker at the forward spot, this is a reasonable deal for him (wouldn't be surprised to see him get traded, though). Felton is a reliable veteran PG off the bench and that's pretty much a bargain price for him.
All in all
I think they've added a lot of talent and shed a lot of dead wood to get to this point but this is a combustible mix, as well. Nerlens Noel and Dennis Shroeder in the same locker room? Is the fact that neither of them is even remotely close to being the star of the team going to be good for them or bad? Grant, Ferguson, Nader, Luwawu, Patterson and Roberson are basically jockeying for the same playing time, right? Will this be the perfect mix of offense and defense or will we see a mass exodus come the trade deadline? I'm not worried about the top of the lineup: this is Westbrook's team and I think he and George have the necessary respect for each and for Adams, who is clearly the third banana. But, on down that roster is a lot of weird personalities and a lot of grubby competition that could lead to some hard feelings in the locker room.
This is one of those teams that if they come together just right, they could be an offensive machine that plays stingy defense....or they could all fall apart and hate each other by New Year's. We'll see. Last year, I thought adding Carmelo interrupted the flow that Westrbook and PG could attain together, when really what they needed was more depth on the bench than a 3rd banana. Looking back on that...I was right. And the moves they've made this summer give them a lot more flexibility and depth without sacrificing the identity of the team (this is Westbrook's team, for better or worse, this is Westbrook's team). I'm gonna err on the side of good thinking that Coach Donovan has been there long enough to establish his own hold over the locker room. I think the problem with this team, as we saw against the Jazz last year, is that they have a tendency to think the game is won when there is still a long way to go. If this squad develops cohesion and the discipline to run through the finish line, I think they can be really good. Like really really really good. (Yeah, like beating the Warriors in the playoffs good)
Wolves
Out: Jamal Crawford, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Amile Jefferson, Cole Aldrich, Anthony Brown, Aaron Brooks, Nemanja Bjelica, (Jimmy Butler?)
Crawford played much too much for the Wolves last year, his absence is addition by subtraction. Aldrich is a fine backup big man but he didn't play a huge role for the Wolves. Personally, I love Bjelica but he's a luxury that was probably not as useful for the Wolves as for other teams out there (though his new team the Kings would not be on that list either). Georges-Hunt, Jefferson and Brown were youngsters that just got wedged out. I don't even remember Brooks even being there, so not a big loss.
In: Josh Okogie, Jared Terrell, Keita Bates-Diop, Anthony Tolliver, CJ Williams, James Nunnaly, Luol Deng, Darius Johnson-Odom, Jonathon Stark
Okogie and Bates-Diop are promising rookies, we'll see how much run they get in the Thibs rotation. Tolliver is a fine vet off the bench. Deng is the kind of vet trying to get his game back that I would normally like on a young team but with the history with Coach Thibs makes me squeamish. Williams and Nunnaly are vets capable of providing a minimal amount of minutes. Terrell, Johnson-Odom and Stark are unknowns, maybe they are Thibs kinda guys.
Re-signed: Derrick Rose, Karl-Anthony Towns (extension),
Rose doesn't get me too exceited but at this price point, he's a reasonable signing. I'm all in on Towns--and clearly they chose him over Butler (which I would agree with).
All in all
The Jimmy Butler situation is hanging over the start of the season for this team and may well be the event that helps this team get going: the fact that they all seem to hate him might bring this squad together. The Butler trade was a good move at the time but clearly hasn't worked out: even last year's "success" may well have hindered the maturation of these players and Thibs' overuse of him didn't help the team go deep in the playoffs nor did it properly revitalize the team, so what good was the Butler period in Minnesota?
But now we can go ahead and assume that Butler won't play and we can't really nail down the rotation until his replacement appears. As it is the Wolves are a pile of pieces that may or may not fit together and will only work if Wiggins details his game and Towns continues to move forward. Seems like we won't get any more of Justin Patton than we got last year, so hard to project the youth movement. I dunno, man, the Butler thing might be a great thing for this team but we won't know til they actually take the court.
(*) I don't think I'd put Grayson Allen terrribly high for ROY chances but he's in a good situation which could make a massive difference in his performance or our perception of his performance. So while he is far from looking like one of my favorite rookies, I can see him having a ROY-ish type season.
(**) A look ahead to Summer 2019 for the Nuggets. They'll have team options to pick up on Jamal Murray ($4.4m), Paul Millsap ($30m), Juan Hernangomez ($3.3m), Tyler Lydon ($2.1m), Malik Beasley ($2.7m) and Trey Lyles and Isiah Thomas will be expiring. I would suggest they'll keep Murray and likely sign him to an extension regardless of how he plays this year. So the choice is: Millsap or Isiah or some combo of Hernangomez/Lydon/Beasley/Lyles or none of those guys and bringing in someone new. How 2018-19 plays out will determine what they who they want to cling to next summer.
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