re: So AD and Jrue had 78 of our 113 points tonight...

ha. i did the same thing when i read it. was like "wait a minute...."

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Jrue's availability came out of left field

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Now we know why though.

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there will be some team that wants to hit the reset button and will have a nice starter that they need to move but isn't quite good enough to start a bidding war over

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No team is going to trade an all-star potential player locked up on a contract unless there is serious health concerns. Teams will trade Tobias Harris level talent which doesn't get us anywhere. We need to hit on a draft pick and we cannot miss on our big free agent this year or next.

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It actually happens semi-regularly.

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That was before the cap increases and new contracts. Unless a player forces his way out or has serious baggage, I don't see it happening.

Who can you see being moved that is locked up and has all-star potential for two mid-firsts?

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Tobias Harris level talent is easily an upgrade on all 3 of those.

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I meant that while a Tobias level talent makes us better in general it does not have the upside to propel us to contention or close. I fear Tobias level talents get us back to the first round, but provide a more rigid ceiling with little flexibility.

I am also just uncomfortable with this GM making any moves especially burning more picks to acquire flawed players. I feel we desperately need to keep draft picks. Missing on a draft pick is not as bad as missing on a $15M/yr guy. Hitting on a draft pick is also better than hitting on a $15M/yr guy. We are a small market and essentially we need to draft and develop players on cost controlled contracts to provide us with talent and trade assets.

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I meant that while a Tobias level talent makes us better in general it does not have the upside to propel us to contention.

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I disagree. Several days ago people were going back and forth in some thread over whether Draymond Green is a star level offensive player or not and I don't think the answer is yes or no. That system, both the scheme and the roster itself, is making everyone better than they are except maybe Steph who's just unbelievable. Jrue and AD almost scored 80 by themselves last night, you don't need stars next to them, you just need consistently competent.

I certainly have my sights set higher than AD/Jrue/Competence but we aren't going to attract anyone until it looks like we're headed in the right direction. Without some lottery luck and assuming we keep Gentry, the quickest path to getting back on track is probably smart team ball like what Atlanta has built. They're on the brink of implosion mostly because their core is too old. If Horford and Millsap were both a contract cycle younger there wouldn't be whispers about blowing it up.

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Harris vs Bazemore? They get you close to the same place, but one does not cost assets.

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Your overall point about not wanting to burn assets is fair enough, but I think you're missing one very important difference here. Bazemore does cost an asset that Harris doesn't, under the cap cap space. Remember in this scenario you're hoping to sign a guy like Hayward with cap space and then use the trade exception to add another starting caliber player that you otherwise couldn't afford. Now could you do a S&T of Bazemore rather than Harris for a lesser asset? Sure, I wouldn't be against that, the main point of this tangent I got us off on is did the team not trade Ryno in the hopes of creating enough cap space to add 2 starters when they technically would only have the cap space for 1. They probably didn't but the opportunity will still be there and I think it'd be worth giving Sacramento a few hundred thousand to make Ryno a S&T.

Also, this could be essential to you landing a guy like Hayward. Remember the CP3 Lakers Trade that never was? Houston was willing to overpay for Gasol because they had Nene in the bag as a FA if they landed Gasol. If you can promise a FA we have another starting caliber player in the bag, that might make a difference in their consideration of you.

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Teams will trade Tobias Harris level talent which doesn't get us anywhere.

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I'm actually curious how serious the Pels were about Harris.

Detroit got him for an expiring backup pg and a backup 4 w/ only $400K guaranteed next year. That is nothing. I'd happily have given up Anderson + whatever to get Harris. He is on a good deal for the next 3 years and is a good player, albeit with some flaws.

Teams aren't easily giving up guys locked into contracts as the cap explodes. Middleton is highway robbery at $13m in a $90+m cap. Harris is not as good and more expensive, but still a good deal at 3/$48. That Orlando moved him for an apparent salary dump is sort of crazy

If the Pels could have come into next season with Davis/Holiday/Harris, a 1st, and some depth signings, that's a reasonable foundation for the next few years.