Starting 5(Included for response diversification purposes): Damian Lillard Wesley Matthews Nicolas Batum LaMarcus Aldridge Robin Lopez Bench: Mo Williams Earl Watson CJ McCollum Allen Crabbe Will Barton Dorell Wright Victor Claver Thomas Robinson Joel Freeland Meyers Leonard
I do not think the starting 5 will be touched. All players are under contract for next season, and they performed at an elite level. I think this team is 3 or maybe 4 quality roster changes away from being a championship team. There is no doubt this team will look different next season, and these are the players I think are most likely to go. Included are just some of the available unrestricted free agents whom I believe are comparable, upgrades who are realistic opportunities. 1. Earl Watson - Was brought on to be a veteran and help pass his knowledge to the young guys. Not much productivity on court, can easily upgrade with some one who has been around the block, but can still give you solid minutes. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Beno Udrih 2. Victor Claver - Was rumored to be unhappy at one point during the regular season. Would probably be happier playing in Spain. Claver plays a position that could easily be upgraded. When I think of Claver's usage I think of a tall, lengthy body who can stretch the floor. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Spencer Hawes. 3. Dorell Wright - I love D.Wright, he will go down in history as one of my biggest fantasy sleeper pick ups ever after his crazy 3 pt shooting year in GS. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to produce at the same level at any time during his career. There is a plethora of skilled wing players who would be astounding bench producers. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Luol Deng 4. Allen Crabbe - The unseen. No slight against Crabbe as a player, however this is not the situation for him to develop, or break out in. He could thrive on a young, rebuilding team where he would have the time to strengthen his game, and learn the flow of the NBA. This is our spot to improve our front court. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Chris Kaman **This team WILL go after Greg Monroe, and it will depend on what he Pistons are willing to do. For the sake of the topic I only considered unrestricted free agents** Centers are becoming rare breed in the NBA and while many fans are done with Leonard, I don't get the feeling the organization is ready to give up on him. With CJ you have the opportunity to have an inactive player who swings between the D-League and NBA without recycling a lottery pick 1 year later. I don't think he will go this quickly unless packaged in a sign and trade. Mo Williams will be here if he wants to. Mo gets a lot of shit from Blazer fans, but you can't judge him based off of his on court performance alone. If you need proof of his importance look no further than the fact he had the entire squad of young guys dressing together. You may think something like that is trivial, but it is truly a great showing of his mentorship. The remaining bench players - Robinson, Barton, Freeland. All gave significant minutes this season, and I don't expect any of them to be moved unless part of a sign and trade. This is how I rank the players on importance/likelihood of being moved. 15. Watson 14. Crabbe 13. Claver 12. Wright 11. Leonard 10. Freeland 9. McCollum 8. Barton 7. Williams 6. Robinson 5. Matthews 4. Batum 3. Lopez 2. Aldridge 1. Lillard Let me know if you want my breakdown on any of the players, and where I ranked them. I held back because I know we all have our own opinion, however there was very much a method behind why each player is ranked where they are.
The only guys on the bench that are worth a damn are Barton, Robinson, and Freeland. I would keep CJ because he deserves a full summer and training camp. I don't have much faith in Crabbe, Claver, or Leonard. Wright, Mo, and Watson all need to go.
Tbh, none of them are untouchable for y'all. Honestly, I'd see what you guys could get for Matthews too; he's coming off a career year which will make his trade value skyrocket. The only ones deserving of some thought are Robinson, McCollum, and Barton.
I'm with Nate: Why keep Claver, Crabbe, Leonard, Wright and Watson on the bench if they never get played. Mo will probably anyway.
I would try to package Batum and Wes for a legit 3rd star. If we can't get that then keep the starting 5 in tact. I think everyone on the bench is fair game. I wouldn't mind keeping TRob, Barton and Mo. The rest of the bench I wouldn't miss. We need a better backup C. So Joel and Meyers are my picks to go.
Trading Batum would be a terrible move. SF and PG are the premier positions in the NBA right now, and you guys actually have premier players in those positions. Keep that infact. Move Matthews for a defensive swingman who can hit the three ala Green/Brewer. Not sure if there's any way you could pry Tony Allen from Memphis, but he'd be a tremendous fit as well. With Allen and Batum on the perimeter and Lopez in the paint, I could see Portland rising to be an elite defense; combined with y'alls offense it'd catapult the team to contender.
It's ridiculous how undervalued Mo is. Same thing happened to Jamal Crawford. He has an average Crawford season, and got run out of town by the fans. CJ McCollum is terrible. Try to dupe some team into taking him for a later pick in the first round.
I would want to keep all our current starters on the team, of course. As for the bench, I would only want to keep McCollum, Barton, Crabbe, and Robinson.
Moving Matthews wouldn't shock me. Love his heart and his professionalism, but I think Rz4k might be on the right track.
Mo Williams is a perennial playoff choker; take it from a fan whose team has faced him several times over the years. If Portland truly has title aspirations he's definitely a movable piece.
Mo as a starting PG stinks. He's one of the best offensive backup PGs in the NBA, though, and other than Ratball Barton, the only player who can create offense for himself and others.
Thought he finally found his niche when he joined the Clippers back in 2012, but he was terrible in that role too. Honestly there are plenty of backup PGs that'll be on the market this offseason you guys should look at; I think Jameer Nelson is on that list iirc, whom would be absolutely perfect for Portland.
Actually we need some starters and then we have a good bench. Mathews coming of the bench sounds real good to me. Batum coming in to play point forward and and several roles seems good. But for the bench we have, meh! the only one I would like to keep and see if he can develop is Leonard. We need to make a Tiago Splitter type out of him. The rest can be swapped in the process.
Bench: Mo Williams = GO! Earl Watson = GO! (good luck coaching) CJ McCollum = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Allen Crabbe = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Will Barton = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Dorell Wright = GO! Victor Claver = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Thomas Robinson = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Joel Freeland = PRACTICE LIKE HELL! Meyers Leonard = GO!
