re: 2023 Pels NBA Draft Discussion

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That's not an endorsement.

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Russell is a solid player and you would be happy if a 14th pick turned out as good as him. We picked Kira fricking Lewis 13th. I’d sure as hell be happy with D’Angelo Russell at 14

I like Bilal Coulibaly's highlights, but there is nowhere for him to play.

You need a shot blocker and 3 point shooting to space the floor.

Right now, minutes that seem obtainable:
2nd PF/C backup (1st or 2nd off the bench)
3rd SF (2nd off the bench)
4th guard (2nd off the bench)

Think about this... there is a very good chance that next year Wemby is in you Conference/ division. Imo that raises the value of a guy like Lively (also he is projected right around 14 in all the mocks). Lively is an elite shot blocker and a can move his feet really well for a guy 7'-1". He is pretty much just a lob guy on offense....but he shot a lot of 3's in hs. That is a big reason he was such a highly rated recruit. Something in his release got jacked up at Duke. He started catapulting the ball.

Anyway his player comp is Capela and he is way cheaper.

You take him and hope he becomes that early on 15-20MPG backup center.

At deadline, you either live and die with JV or you trade him for something else

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You take him and hope he becomes that early on 15-20MPG backup center. At deadline, you either live and die with JV or you trade him for something else

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Yeah I’d rather do that than trade JV + 14 for someone like capela. Capela is decent but damn if that’s what it costs to get a center like him then I’m out. He’s not a difference maker, he’s a slightly better JV at best. If I’m giving up assets like that I better be getting back someone who can shoot 3s like turner. What makes capela all that different than Adams when we acquired him?

Yea would be much better to use a future protected pick (2024 NOP 1st or 2027 MIL 1st) to upgrade at C. But like it or not, Capela is still one of the better rim-protecting / lob-threat Centers and much more mobile than Adams or JV in switching onto perimeter players.

I'd like to see trading for a cheaper option at Center like Hartenstein, then have extra lux tax room to add in a vet shooter like Bojan or Hield. But sure seems like a new starting, veteran Center will be prioritized this offseason, and it will likely cost some pick assets to acquire.

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Yea would be much better to use a future protected pick (2024 NOP 1st or 2027 MIL 1st) to upgrade at C. But like it or not, Capela is still one of the better rim-protecting / lob-threat Centers and much more mobile than Adams or JV in switching onto perimeter players.

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I’m not sure when this Capela news started, but I am not sure how he happens with his salary. (This applies to Turner too since they make similar amounts).

First, to get him we could get to matching salary with JV and a smaller contract like Billy or Naji, but with how close we are to the tax line, we would most likely have to include Kira/GT. That also means most likely having to renounce Jax and Richardson, which isn’t a huge issue but it would prevent us from getting any value from Jax in a sign and trade (if any exists).

We would then still be extremely limited in what we can do to round out the roster as we are still pushing up close to the tax. If we keep our 1st this year (which I hope we do) then we essentially have less than the full MLE to try and get at least one back up big and more shooting.

Then we run into a bigger problem next year because Capela is still owed $21 and $22 mill the next two years, where as JV is an expiring this year. With our current salary on the books plus Capela’s $22 mill, we are basically capped out and we still need to resign Herb that year, then Trey and Jose the following year. We would have their Bird rights, but again we are extremely limited in what we can do. That probably means either letting Capela walk or hoping he takes a discounted extension.

To me, if we are dead set on Capela, this is probably the best case, realistic scenario for us:
-Trade JV, Kira, future protected first for Capela
-Renounce Jax
-Cut GT
-sign Liddell to roster
-Draft Lively
-Sign cheap stretch big with part of MLE (Niang/Miles Leonard/Lyles).
-Sign cheap shooting with part of MLE (Watanabe).

If we are convinced that we have to make the move for a new C, I’d rather just bite the bullet and go get Turner rather than Capela.

If we go cheap on a new big and keep JV, I’d like to try and pull a defensive first big like Paul Reed from the 76ers. They are already a tax team and will probably prioritize resigning Shake Milton over Reed.

Long post short: if we get Capela, this is basically the team you are rolling with.

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I’m not sure when this Capela news started, but I am not sure how he happens with his salary. (This applies to Turner too since they make similar amounts).

First, to get him we could get to matching salary with JV and a smaller contract like Billy or Naji, but with how close we are to the tax line, we would most likely have to include Kira/GT. That also means most likely having to renounce Jax and Richardson, which isn’t a huge issue but it would prevent us from getting any value from Jax in a sign and trade (if any exists).

We would then still be extremely limited in what we can do to round out the roster as we are still pushing up close to the tax. If we keep our 1st this year (which I hope we do) then we essentially have less than the full MLE to try and get at least one back up big and more shooting.

Then we run into a bigger problem next year because Capela is still owed $21 and $22 mill the next two years, where as JV is an expiring this year. With our current salary on the books plus Capela’s $22 mill, we are basically capped out and we still need to resign Herb that year, then Trey and Jose the following year. We would have their Bird rights, but again we are extremely limited in what we can do. That probably means either letting Capela walk or hoping he takes a discounted extension.

To me, if we are dead set on Capela, this is probably the best case, realistic scenario for us:
-Trade JV, Kira, future protected first for Capela
-Renounce Jax
-Cut GT
-sign Liddell to roster
-Draft Lively
-Sign cheap stretch big with part of MLE (Niang/Miles Leonard/Lyles).
-Sign cheap shooting with part of MLE (Watanabe).

If we are convinced that we have to make the move for a new C, I’d rather just bite the bullet and go get Turner rather than Capela.

If we go cheap on a new big and keep JV, I’d like to try and pull a defensive first big like Paul Reed from the 76ers. They are already a tax team and will probably prioritize resigning Shake Milton over Reed.

Long post short: if we get Capela, this is basically the team you are rolling with.

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Its wild the amount of assets that Griff has blown on the center position. 8th pick(jax), 2 2nds (favors), Kenny hustle + a 1st + 2nds (adams) + whatever we spent on JV. Now its year 5 of griff and he's probably going to blow even more assets on the position.

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Cheapest and most viable way to get rim protection is by drafting Lively. You get to keep JV for another year and slowly phase him out while working Lively into the rotation the same way Utah did with Kessler. When the transition is completed, you trade JV at the deadline or let him walk after the season. Shooting can be had for cheap. We don't need a regular rotation shooter. We just need a vet who can absolutely shoot it and use him strategically when we need to insert him into the lineup for spacing. At the end of the day, the top 8 guys are pretty much set in the rotation. And the path to playing time is probably at center where JV's minutes are continually reduced as the season progresses

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Exactly, JV is an expiring contract... you will need his slot to extend Trey and Herb. Capela or any longterm expensive pieces at center is going to cost you Herb or Trey. You can't pay them all.