Grizzlies
Out
De'Anthony Melton, Yves Pons, Jarrett Culver, Kyle Anderson, Tyrell Terry
This team is deep but losing a reliable vet like Anderson and a good young talent like Melton will take a bit of time. Even Pons, Culver and Terry had moments of promise.
In
Danny Green, Jake LaRavia (#19 pick), David Roddy (#23 pick), Kenneth Lofton (2-way), Vince Williams (#47 pick), Kennedy Chandler (#38 pick)
But adding 1st rd talent in LaRavia and Roddy (loved Roddy in the tournament!) and more young depth in Lofton (interesting prospect, the Grizz might be the perfect spot for that guy), and Chandler just keeps the pipeline open on a team that has drafted really well over the last few years.
Green is hurt and won't play at all this year.
Re-signed
Ja Morant (5yr/$193m), Tyus Jones (2yr/$29m), John Konchar (3yr/$19m), Dakota Matthias (1yr/$?), Steven Adams (2yr/$25.2m)
Yes on giving Ja all the money. The city of Memphis should find new ways to keep paying him more money.
I like keeping Jones, makes losing Melton and Anderson a little easier to deal with.
I like re-signing Adams, too. Always liked that guy, he's past the most egregiously overpaid portion of his tenure and I'll bet he's a real cool guy in real life (hey, that shit matters!). Maybe a bit rich but if they like him, then it's a good signing.
Not sure they needed Konchar, feels like that salary slot could've been allotted more efficiently; but, again, if they like him then they like him.
Rest of roster
SG Dillon Brooks, PF Zaire Williams, PF Brandon Clarke, SF Desmond Bane, C Santi Aldama, G Xavier Tillman, G Killian Tillie
Love Brooks. Great player, total Memphis guy.
Love Bane. Love that guy, he's all over the place.
Love Clarke. Good on them to re-up him (I was afraid he was falling out of favor).
The buzz is getting deafening around Aldama, apparently he's ready to blow up this year (which would be helpful considering they'll be without Jaren Jackson for a while).
I thought they drafted high on Williams and he was okay as a rook. Curious to see if he expands his game this year.
I'm not out yet on Tillie or Tillman.
Next summer's free agents
Brooks, Green, Clarke, Tillie
Gotta keep Brooks. Clarke has already been re-upped.
No way Green comes back. And Tillie is probably moving on, too.
Over/Under
58
I think this team plays hard all day every day and wins a ton of games. They won without Ja last year, they'll have to start without Jackson this year, but I don't think it'll matter. I think these guys were born to play ball and in the regular season, they might be gladiators. In the post-season, I think now is the last chance for them to sneak up on people and, outside of the Warriors, I think they can beat anybody. The Grizzlies are the team to watch this year: they're gonna win, they're gonna be fun, and they're gonna be stupid. Can't wait!
Pelicans
Out
Gary Clark Jr, Jared Harper, Tony Snell, Iziah Brockington
Nothing too harmful here.
In
Dyson Daniels (#8 pick), Daeqwon Plowden (Ex 10), Dereon Seabron (2-way), John Petty (2-way), Ja'Vonte Smart (1yr/$?), John Butler (2-way), Zylan Cheatham ($?)
Daniels is a ball handling big man from Australia. Okay, sounds good.
Don't know about any of the rest.
Re-signed
Zion Williamson (5yr/$193m), CJ McCollum (2yr/$64m), Larry Nance (2yr/$21.6m)
Zion hasn't really done anything yet but he sure looks like it'll be fucking awesome when he does. Worth the money? Sure, why not?
McCollum getting a big bonus--good for him. I liked the way the Pelicans finished last year, if they can just incorporate Zion into that (rather than, say, being the support team for his hero ball for 48 minutes a night), then these guys could be really good in the regular season and a tough out in the playoffs. McCollum is the key to that, so definitely worth the raise.
I always liked Nance (another underappreciated Laker draft pick from back in the day), never really found the right spot (playing with Lebron in Cleveland looked to be the ideal but that didn't happen), hopefully this is it. Not monster money but a nice contract.
Rest of roster
SG Brandon Ingram, C Jonas Valenciunas, PG Devonte Graham, PF Jaxson Hayes, SF Garrett Temple, SG Kira Lewis, F Trey Murphy, F Willy Hernangomez, F Herbert Jones, F Nnaji Marshall, PG Jose Alvarado
Ingram is ready to take off--very much in the Most Improved race.
Valenciunas has always been underrated and last year he was pretty integral to dragging them into the playoffs. If he can figure out life with Zion, he could be real handy for this team.
Graham is a good (but not great) play making PG that will look to spread it around. I think he'll be better in the 6th Man role.
Hayes, Lewis, Murphy and Jones are all ready to take a step up. Maybe Marshall and Alvarado, too.
Always loved all the Hernangom-i. Which one is Willy? Don't matter, I like him, he'll do fine on this team.
I got a nickname for Temple: "Ancient". (Fits, right?) 'And making his first start of the year Garrett Ancient Tem-Ple!!!!!' (*crowd goes wild*)
Next summer's free agents
Hayes
Bust out, get contract. Don't bust out, play Summer League for the Lakers. Those are your options, young man.
Over/Under
43
I think this team will plod along but they should win more games than they lose. They've got a weird batch of talent but I like everybody there, just a matter of how long it takes to unlock the magic Zion. Once they do, this team could be real dangerous--but that might not be this season. I've got them in the hunt for the play-in and I think they'll get there.
Mavs
Out
JJ Reddick, Sterling Brown, Marquese Chriss, Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Moses Wright, Jalen Brunson
Losing Brunson is gonna be tough. But they got waaaaaay more out him than they ever thought they would, now's the time to go find the next one.
I thought they had good moments with ball-handling Boban a coupla years ago, but they never really gave that a try and I guess I don't blame them. Otherwise, none of these guys made a huge impact.
In
Jalen Hardy (#37 pick), Christian Wood, JaVale McGee, Tyler Dorsey (2-way), Mouamadou Gueye (Ex 10), McKinley Wright (Ex 10), DJ Stewart, Marcus Bingham, Tyler Hall (Ex 10)
Hey, Hardy spent some time in the top 10 of last year's mocks, so to slip to #37 (and then for the Mavs to sneak him away from the Kings), could be kinda big. Is he the Brunson replacement? I dunno, but the Mavs sure could use a crazy scorer off the bench.
Wood was a classic case of a guy that had lottery talent but fell in the draft and then shuttled from team to team for many Summer Leagues (where he continually impressed). This is the best team, best opportunity, he's ever had. I have no idea whether he'll max it or blow it.
I like McGee as much as the next guy (I still say he should've won that dunk contest where everyone fawned over Blake Griffin back in the day), but what does he do for this team? A little shot blocking, a little garbage man points around the rim, but does he get up to 10mins/game? (I doubt it)
Not sure what they other guys are bringing to the table.
Re-signed
Theo Pinson (1yr/$2m), Maxi Kleber (3yr/$33m)
I like Kleber more than most. He's got a real economical game, hustles, a better playmaker than he's given credit for and Luka obviously likes him. So $11m/season is a bargain.
Pinson is still hanging on as a practice player.
Rest of roster
SF Luke Doncic, PG Spencer Dinwiddie, SG Tim Hardaway, F Davis Bertans, F Dorain Finney-Smith, C Dwight Powell, SG Reggie Bullock, SG Josh Green, PG Frank Ntilikina
Luka was an my 1st team all pro last year, I expect he'll be there again.
Dinwiddie is a 6th Man candidate.
Hardaway is a Comeback candidate.
Finney-Smith, Powell and Bullock make for a nice supporting cast. Be nice if Bertans can get his FG% back up. Not sure about Green or Ntilikina.
Next summer's free agents
Wood, Powell, Kleber, Ntilikina, Pinson, Wright
Kleber re-upped. Powell might, too.
We'll see about Wood, Ntikilina and Pinson.
Over/Under
55
I think they'll be reliably (boringly) good. One of the better teams in the West all year long. They've got no depth but Luka is such a monster that wins will follow. There will be many chances to add random talent, so I expect their supporting cast to rotate and (hopefully) be maximized by playoff time.
Rockets
Out
John Wall, Christian Wood, Anthony Lamb, Dennis Shroder, Travelin Queen, David Nwaba
Well, I mean the Rockets never even tried to get anything out of these guys.
In
Boban Marjanovic, Jabari Smith (#3 pick), Tari Eason (#17 pick), Trevor Hudgins (2-way), TyTy Washington (#29 pick), Derrick Favors, Willie Cauley-Stein
Smith, Eason and TyTy are now added to the youth movement. Looking forward to seeing all three.
Boban and Favors and WCS are nice vets (all big guys), that will have fun playing with the kids.
Re-signed
Jae'Sean Tate (3yr/$22m), Bruno Fernando (4yr/$?)
I like Tate. Not out on Fernando, might fit nicely on this team.
Rest of roster
SG Eric Gordon, PG Jalen Green, PF Alperen Sengun, G Kevin Porter Jr, PF Usman Garuba, SG Josh Christopher, F Garrison Matthews, F Kenyon Martin Jr, PG Daishen Nix
Gordon will be traded as soon as the right deal meets the right time.
Green can be awesome. Sengun is a baller. Porter (re-upped today) is problematic but his upside can be great. I like Garuba md Chrostpher and Matthews and Martin and I'm curious to see Nix at work, too. I love a good youth movement and this is a good one.
Next summer's free agents
Favors, Boban
I doubt either of these guys come back next year--both could gone by the deadline.
Over/Under
22
I don't think the Rockets are tanking. I think they're eager to get the youngsters into a pattern of winning. That said...I don't think they'll win much. See? They don't have to tank because they're not gonna be that good anyway. But then again, outside of Gordon, I don't see the team making moves to decrease wins or pump up draft position. I think they're gonna let the kids win and live with the #9 pick. I think there's a lot of talent here, a lot of gumption, but they'll struggle all season long.
Spurs
Out
DJ Stewart, Devontae Cacok, Lonnie Walker, Robert Woodard, Dejounte Murray, Jock Londale
Murray got to all-pro level last year but after making it clear he was NOT going to re-sign with the Spurs, they pulled the trigger and opted for tank mode. Tanking is not how this team got to where it is (oh wait....yeah it is), but when your future star rules out the future, well, you gotta go find a new future star.
Walker is worth another look but at the price point the Spurs would've had to pay, I understand why they cut him loose.
The other guys are Spurs, man. Probably will be again some day.
In
Blake Wesley (#25 pick), Isaiah Roby, Jeremy Sochan (#9 pick), Malaki Branham (#20 pick), Dominck Barlow (2-way), Gorgui Dieng, Jordan Hall (2-way), Alize Johnson (Ex 10), Tommy Kuhse (Ex 10)
Sochan seems like a Spurs kinda player and I expect him to play because he won't produce W's.
Branham and Wesley are two new prospects to build around.
I always liked Dieng and I think Roby is good defender.
Re-signed
Keldon Johnson (4yr/$80m), Joe Wieskamp (2yr/$4.4m)
I like Johnson. Won't win games but will play hard, good cornerstone of the new Spurs.
Rest of roster
SF Doug McDermott, F Josh Richardson, C Jakob Poetl, C Zach Collins, SG Romeo Langford, PF Devin Vassell, PG Josh Primo, SF Keita Bates-Diop, Tre Jones
Wow, their highest paid player is Doug McDermott. Oh, and Josh Richardson is next. Man....
I like Poetl, another Spur cornerstone, I'm guessing.
I think Vassell can still be a solid player.
Curious to see where Primo goes.
I like Collins.
If Langford can play, we'll see it this year. Ditto for Bates-Diop, a guy that has had moments but has yet to solidify in a rotation.
Next summer's free agents
Richardson, Poetl, Langford, Roby, Bates-Diop, Dieng, Jones
Poetl is a keeper. Langford, Roby, Bates-Diop, step on up.
I can't imagine Richardson, Dieng or Jones last past next summer.
Over/Under
12
Yeah, this team will suck bad. Even if Keldon Johnson or Primo just go nuts this year, they still won't win games. Even at their bestest possible best, they still don't win games. So, they're definitely in the Wembamyama/Scoot sweepstakes.
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