Not a FA but one guy that fits into that roco TPE that's also on the market is Reddish. That dude is just dying to get coached up.
As for the MLE, the only realistic player worth the full non tax one is Jalen Smith imo. Outside that, I dont really see anyone worth paying nearly 10M to.
Was just coming here to post that I didn't hate the idea of trying to get a young player on a cheap contract that'd fallen out of favor... Reddish was one who came to mind, Okoro in Cleveland another, Jalen Johnson in ATL who seems to constantly be adding 3s and 4s to their roster was another...
sounds like an olshey special. bargain hunting the dumpster for former lottery picks. this hasn't worked for us in the past. it's why i want to shift our mindset towards vets who have won before (tucker/porter/batum/etc)
Reddish is not a bargain. He's an RFA after this season, same as Little, and plays the same position.
funny... i thought neither was worth the ~MLE deals they got and were the main reasons why we lost in so many first rounds while dame got double/triple teamed.
and he couldn't even get on the floor for a team that was desperate for his contribution. Thibs' rotations be damned, but when you fail on two teams and the intel behind you isn't great, then no thanks.
. Both those guys would be better fit in Billups scheme where they're not just standing around watching Dame (and sometimes CJ) go hero mode. Like for example, Harkless' slashing ability was never really utilized.
To be clear -- and fair point because I didn't outrightly say it -- this was in a scenario where we couldn't get anything else for Bledsoe. Agreed that hopefully he can fetch us a veteran that can help move the needle, BUT, I also believe in Chauncey's development chops, so would prefer a reclamation project over just cutting EB...
It's crazy watching that video with Watford and Anthony Edwards and they were talking about how insanely good Reddish is.
It's uncanny how often he did this. Free agent signings: 2021- Zeller (#4 pick), McLemore (#7) 2019- Hezonja(#5) 2018- Stauskas (#8) 2016- Turner (#2) 2015- Harkless (#15), Aminu (#8) it was either dumpster diving for former lottery picks looking for reclamation projects, or completely washed up vets (Gasol/Ezeli/Kaman/etc). His only truly good signing was Robin Lopez. This is one are where I am very happy Olshey is not around.
Turner was really the only whiff considering the price of the others. I dont see any issue with taking a swing on a former lottery pick for minimal cost. Everyone does it.
would you give a full MLE to Bamba/Smith/Bagley? I really liked the idea of Smith earlier but question how much he would impact winning. Just watching the playoffs, you can see how much impact veterans provide. Someone like Tucker who I would usually stay far away from does so much on the floor that goes unnoticed. These yougins aren't doing anything from the intangible perspective. Just once, I'd like to do a 180 on our standard FA strategy.
If it's a short enough deal, why not? I don't expect it to be longer than 3 years max. Most likely a 2 year deal with some sort of option for the third year.
Jalen Smith? Yeah I would. I dont think the other two are worth the full MLE, but I would take Bamba for less.
