Thunder
Out
Melvin Frazier Jr, Isaiah Roby, Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Moe Harkless
Favors was the veteran big man that they....never needed.
I kinda like Roby and Maledon, but you're not building your team around either of those guys.
How many teams have cut Moe Harkless this summer?
In
Chet Holmgren (#2 pick), Jalen Williams (#12 pick), Eugene Omoruyi (2-way), Ousmene Dieng (#11 pick), Jaylin Williams (#34 pick), David Nwaba, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss
All in on Chet! Yeah! What...? Out for the year, huh? Oh well, one more year of sucking won't be too bad....*sigh*
Dieng was one that some scouts raved about. Was he overrated or did the Thunder have some good fortune drop to them?
I'm curious about the two Williamses, can't help but think that the Thunder just got confused during the scouting process and just said, 'Eh, fuck it, take 'em both.'
Nwaba and Chriss and are both gone already, I believe.
Re-signed
Lu Dort (5yr/$82m), Kenrich Williams (4yr/$27.2m), Mike Muscala (2yr/$7m)
I love Lu Dort. Worth every penny. (I'm a little surprised the Thunder had the good sense to keep him, seems like they could've gotten five or six 2nd rd picks for him, they exhibited good discipline)
Williams is kinda perfect for the Thunder right now: solid contributor that won't win games. Excellent!
Muscala....well, yeah...the roster of has 15 spots on it...so...
Rest of roster
PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G Josh Giddey, F Darius Bazeley, F Aleksej Pokusevski, SG Tre Mann, PF Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, SF Aaron Wiggins
Argh! Another year before we get to see any of this in action. I suspect by next summer they'll be moving on from SGA, he will wander through OKC like a ghost on his way to the Knicks or the next team with more pretension than talent.
I love Shai, wish him the best. I love Giddey, this is basically his team at the moment. I kinda like Bazeley and Mann and Robinson-Earl and I'm not out on Poku. I love a good youth movement and this is a good one--or will be once Chet and (Wembamyama?) get their sneaks on.
Next summer's free agents
Bazeley, Burke, Chriss
I like Bazeley and next summer he should still be affordable, if the Thunder are interested in continuity (which they might not be). Burke and Chriss, though, aren't the kind of veterans that a youth movement needs.
Over/Under
14
This team's not trying to win, they'll probably be severely punished for each W. I'm looking forward to seeing this team eventually. Maybe next year....
Nuggets
Out
JaMychal Green, Facundo Campazzo, Austin Rivers, Bryn Forbes, DeMarcus Cousins, Will Barton, Monte Morris
Green is nice but not irreplaceable. I thought Campazzo was kinda overrated, not really the best fit in Denver. Rivers has his good moments and bad moments. Forbes kinda sucked, a real disappointment coming over from the Spurs. Cousins is nice but not reliable. Barton and Morris have been in Denver forever, nice players but this team needs a re-start and that means moving on from some players.
In
Christian Braun (#21 pick), Collin Gillespie (2-way), Peyton Watson (#30 pick), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith, Bruce Brown, Kellan Grady (2-way), DeAndre Jordan, Jack White (2-way)
Bruce Brown is one of the better signings of the off-season, I think he's gonna contribute right away and be a for-real part of this rotation by the playoffs.
I think KCP is good fit here, too. KCP is the classic example of a guy that was overhyped coming into the draft, went to a team that needed him to be more than he actually was and bounced around without anyone realizing what his game is. But with the Nuggets, he can be the natural born 3-and-D guy that he was meant to be and with veteran smarts to boot. KCP is one of those overrated/underrated guys and I think Denver is a good spot for him.
I always liked Ish Smith, but he's a little long in the tooth to be of much use here, I'd say. He's not Austin Rivers, nor is he Campazzo, so it feels like he'll have to work his way into the rotation.
No idea why they picked up DeAndre Jordan. Seriously...what is he gonna do for them? He signed so quick, too, it felt like a secret handshake deal all along....but....why?
I don't know Braun but if he can knock down 3's, he'll get minutes. Ditto with Watson: if you can score, you play.
Re-signed
Vlatko Cancar (3yr/$6.8m), Nikola Jokic (5yr/$254m), Davon Reed (2yr/$4m), GM Calvin Booth (multi-year extension)
Jokic has been one of my favorite players to watch since he got into the league. Worth every penny, they should pay him more (shhhhhh....they probably are). He was so awesome last year, this team was dead on the side of the road and he got them into the playoffs, an amazing effort. I bet he's even better this year but the squad will be better and the voters will look elsewhere. But don't be shocked if Jokic is still the best this season.
As for GM Booth, well, when you're the guy that drafted Nikola Jokic, you get an extension. That's how it works.
I watched Cancar a little bit at EuroBasket this summer, he might be okay.
Don't know Reed.
Rest of roster
SG Jamal Murray, SF Michael Porter Jr, F Aaron Gordon, F Jeff Green, F Zeke Nnaji, PG Bones Hyland
Murray and Porter are back, which pushes Gordon back to his real position. And with another year of Hyland, the pre-season hype on Nnaji and the underappreciated Green in the rotation, this team will be very good.
Next summer's free agents
Smith, Green, Jordan, (and a player option for Brown)
Ish and DJ will not be back next summer (Jordan will be gone by February). Green is 50/50. I expect Brown to opt in.
Over/Under
59
I think they'll be dueling the Clippers for the #1 spot in the West all year long. They've got their core back and the supporting cast is a good match. I don't think they beat the Warriors in the playoffs but for the regular season, the Nuggets are gonna be tough to beat.
Jazz
Out
Eric Paschall, Juan Hernangomez, Trent Forrest Danuel House, Hassan Whiteside, Royce O'Neale, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Xavier Sneed, Bojan Bogdanovic, Saben Lee
The Jazz are definitely downshifting this year. I thought moving on from Gobert and Mitchell was possible (though I was still a little surprised they actually moved both) and once that was done, why bother to hold on to Bogdanovic or O'Neale or even House or Hernangomez (or even Paschall or Forrest or Lee). This team has clearly announced its intentions to play for the #1 pick first and foremost, so W's will be punished, meaning all the talent has to go.
In
Kofi Cockuburn (Ex 10), Coach Will Hardy, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, Walker Kessler, Johnny Juzang (2-way), Ochai Agbaji, Simone Fontecchio, Talen Horton-Tucker, Stanley Johnson, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Cody Zeller, Micah Potter (2-way), Kelly Olynyk, (worth noting they added David Fizdale and Jeff Hornacek to the front office and at least SIX 1st rd picks--nice haul!)
The teardown was total in Utah (well almost: still got to do something about Mike Conley and Clarkson) but with the future in mind, I like most of the guys they're bringing in.
I think Will Hardy was a steal (especially considering that, uh....he'd be coaching the Celtics right now, right?) and when you're trying to create a new attitude, a new coach is the place to start and I think Hardy is an excellent choice. Can he do for them what Quin Snyder did? I think he can.
I like Sexton, I think he can be a major bucket getter for this squad. But in the first year, I expect that to translate to no extra W's--which is perfect!
Likewise with Markkanen, another one of those overrated/underrated guys (I think he's underrated). He's a nice piece to build that new rotation around but shouldn't have much impact on winning (at least right away)--so he's perfect!
I love Jarred Vanderbilt, I think he's one of the more underrated guys in the league. But he's not a hero, he's the hero's best friend; he's a dirty work guy, which will set the tone but won't be decisive in getting victories--he's perfect!
Beasley is a good player, maybe too good for this team. I like Kelly Olynyk, a nice hard working veteran guy, can do a little of everything. I like Johnson, another vet who will do his job (but not win games). I liked what I saw of Fontecchio in the EuroBasket (single-handedly got Italy to the brink of the semifinals before melting down, along with the rest of his team down the stretch), he should be a good 3-baller. Zeller is a perfectly reasonable minute-getter.
And they've got a batch of youngsters to figure out: Cockburn, Agbaji, Bolmaro, Kessler, and Juzang (and Azubuike) are all there to work out.
I think the core going forward is Sexton, Markannen and Vanderbilt, with Beasley, Olynyk, Horton-Tucker, Johnson, and Zeller as trade bait (more 2nd rd picks for the pile). Fontecchio and the youngsters are coach Hardy's main job for now.
Re-signed
(none)
Wow, the old days are gone.
Rest of roster
PG Mike Conley, SG Jordan Clarkson, F Rudy Gay, PG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, F Udoka Azubuike, F Jared Butler
Well...almost. Conley's gotta go: lovable vet on an expiring contract needs to get to a playoff team (Heat?). And Jordan Clarkson probably should, too: on the one hand he will shoot them out of games but he will occasionally get hot enough to win them, too, and that's bad.
Not sure what this team thinks of Alexander-Walker. Is he a keeper or not? I dunno and I don't know if Utah knows.
Azubuike is part of the youth movement.
Gay is probably done. Not even valuable as trade bait, really. Gay had a weird career: overrated for chunks of time, underrated for chunks of time, but when Paul George broke his leg for Team USA, Coach K wasted no time calling Rudy Gay (Rudy Gay?) to be the guy for them. And he showed up and he was good. His Team USA time is probably the best part of his career.
Next summer's free agents
Alexander-Walker, Johnson, Juzang, Zeller, (and player options for Clarkson, Horton-Tucker and Gay)
Coach Hardy, up to you to figure out whether NAW and Juzang are keepers.
I think we already know that Johnson, Zeller, Clarkson, Gay are not and that Horton-Tucker probably isn't either.
Over/Under
14
I think Sexton is gonna put up MVP numbers and no one will notice because the Jazz will be horrendous. Hey, all part of the plan. But make no mistake: right here, right now on the verge of opening night the most important thing is to figure out how to get rid of Mike Conley. Top priority! (Yeah....that kinda year for the Jazz)
Wolves
Out
Josh Okogie, McKinley Wright, Greg Monroe, Jake Layman, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, (and 3 1st rd picks and 2 pick swaps)
Beasley, Beverley and Vanderbilt were significant parts of the rotation last year but they'll be getting replaced by Rudy Gobert and an improving Anthony Edwards.
The Wolves never figured out what they had with Okogie, but he was clearly not part of their future.
Monroe and Layman are just bench fillers, shouldn't be too hard to replace.
Bolmaro, well, they never really had, did they?
In
Rudy Gobert, Wendell Moore Jr. (2-way), Kyle Anderson, Bryn Forbes, Austin Rivers, Josh Minott (#45 pick), AJ Lawson (2-way), Eric Paschall (2-way), CJ Elleby (Ex 10), Luka Garza (Ex 10), PJ Dozier
Okay, we'll see if the Gobert experiment works. He is still a monster defender and I guess Towns wants to be more of perimeter guy anyway, so they need an eraser down low. That said, I'm still dubious that the Gobert addition really makes them a better team (it'll depend on Edwards, really).
Dozier, Anderson, Paschall and Rivers are fine vet rotation guys. But, man, I think Forbes sucked last year, not sure he's what the Wolves are looking for.
The others are TBD.
Re-signed
Taurean Prince (2yr/$14.6m), Karl-Anthony Towns (4yr/$224m), Nathan Knight (2yr/$3.8m)
The big extention for Towns is the right move and yet I'm still not sure he's the guy they want to build around. He's a big talent but he doesn't really have the instinct for the game that a top tier guy typically has. He'll be good, but will he be good enough?
I like Prince, that's a good contract. I don't know Knight, but he's not too expensive.
Rest of roster
PG D'Angelo Russell, G Anthony Edwards, SG Jaden McDaniels, F Jordan McLaughlin, SF Jaylen Nowell, C Naz Reid
The maturation of Edwards is what this team is all about (though they act like it's all about McDaniels, which is odd). Also, it could be that Russell and Gobert finally make the best of each other. And McLaughlin and Reid have upside, too.
Next summer's free agents
Russell, Nowell, Reid, Forbes, Rivers, Elleby
What happens to Russell?
Reid will be back, I doubt any of the rest will be, though.
Over/Under
47
I think this team will be good but I think a lot of teams around the league will be good this year, so I'm not sure how much of a step forward the Wolves take. They've got a lot of moving parts and there are a number of pathways to better-ness but there could be just as many to awful-ness.
Russell is a maligned PG but he does the pick-and-roll very well; can he and Gobert be a tag team? Or is it Edwards and Towns blending into a devastating combo? Or can the vet core turn Reid and/or McDaniels into stars? Or do they all fight over the ball and lose night after night in the 4th quarter? Do the pile up W's in the regular season and then fall apart in the playoffs--or, do they struggle night after night and then figure it out in the post-season? I dunno, man, this team can go in a lot of different directions.
My gut is that they will be pretty good but not dominant at anything. I think they'll be a good regular season team but strangely un-scary in the playoffs.
Blazers
Out
CJ Elleby, Elijah Hughes, Keljin Blevins, Ben McLemore, Joe Ingles, Eric Bledsoe, Didi Silva, Brandon Williams
None of those guys really even played for the Blazers, so no big loss in any of it.
In
Shaedon Sharpe (#7 pick), Jabari Walker (#57 pick), Jerami Grant, Gary Payton II, Isaiah Miller (Ex 10), Jared Rhoden (Ex 10), Olivier Sarr (Ex 10)
Here we go with the hot takes! In the draft last June I thought the guy to keep an eye on was Shaedon Sharpe. If he is what he is supposed to be, I think he'll be a for-real scorer right away (and will make some teams regret passing on him). Also, this team sucks so bad that he can be given carte blanche to go nuts and still not win any games. I'm not hearing any ROY buzz about him and I don't know why because to me he's the obvious choice!
Grant will give them the semblance of a for-real lineup without actually winning any games. This is just a year for him to pile up numbers and get a fresh contract next summer (after the Knicks strike out on the guy they really want, they'll give Grant a bunch of money--win-win!).
Payton was a game-changing defender last year in the playoffs and, well, it's disappointing to see him nowhere near the playoffs this year. Too new to be trade bait, he'll be watching at home just like me.
Don't know the other guys, can't imagine they'll contribute too much this season.
Re-signed
Anfernee Simons (4yr/$100m), Jusuf Nurkic (4yr/$70m), Ismael Kamagate (rights), Drew Eubanks (1yr/$2m), Damien Lillard (2yr/$122m)
Giving Lillard all the money allowed by law is a no-brainer.
I'd say ditto for Simons. He was good enough they had to shut him down last year, I don't think there's enough depth to get regular season W's this year, so he should have a nice season without interrupting the tank show.
Nurkic is nice and the deal is reasonable. But I'm a little surprised the Blazers dedicated that much right now for him. He strikes me as future trade bait.
Eubanks will be in the rotation, fine pickup.
Rest of roster
SG Josh Hart, F Nassir Little, F Justise Winslow, SG Keon Johnson, C Greg Brown, SF Trendon Watford
I like Hart and Little and Johnson and Watford. And I still think Winslow can be a worthwhile NBA rotation guy. And I'm not out on Brown.
Next summer's free agents
Grant, Little, Winslow, Miller (and Hart with a player option)
Litte has already been re-upped.
Grant will move on, Winslow probably will, too.
Hart is 50/50. He's a nice enough player he might find greener pastures next summer--possibly even with the Blazers!
Over/Under
31
I like most all of these guys but I don't think the will to win is with this squad, so if they win too much, I think the team will ship dudes out. This season will see a lot of teams trading up and teams trading down, I think Blazers are one of the down teams. So while I actually kinda like this roster, I just don't think it stays intact--especially if they're winning.
This team wants to tank but has too much talent to just suck, so this is shaping up to be a season in the doldrums.
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