Keon + Winslow for Rui works. Gives us a legit 10-15 ppg bench scorer. Hell, we could even start him at PF, move JG down to SF and put Hart on the bench where he might thrive.
Maybe not. But I feel like they've all but given up on Wiseman, so he's salary filler for them. So mainly Kuminga for Hart, Winslow and a 2nd ultimately.
I actually don't see Orlando doing it either. They already have no time for all of their bigs. I think they'll send one out and I know the rumor is that they want it to be Bamba but I think they'd want a wing in return or draft considerations. I would love that trade for us.
I get the "floundering at the break" standard. It's definitely valid gauge to use (you'd get more bonus points for using 'flounder' in a Duck sports forum though...Animal House is a gift that keeps on giving) and using the flounder-gauge doesn't mean you have to dive head first into the deep end of the pool. Just means you need to be testing the waters if for no other reason than due diligence I would hope by now the Blazers have a good idea of what grant wants in his next deal. I haven't looked at the off-season's league wide cap-space landscape, but I would hope that the Blazers don't bid against themselves any more. That was a major problem for Olshey, and I remain unconvinced that Cronin didn't engage in that, a little, with the Ant-Nurk-GP2 deals. Grant is by far the best forward Dame has had since Aldridge; and his acquisition cost was rather significant generically (less so practically). And obviously, he's finally a player added with actual NBA length. So I would think all that would push the cap for what Portland should pay him a little higher but yeah, if Grant is shooting real high on his next deal Portland should explore his trade value same with Hart even though I really like what he has done for Portland this season. His hustle and rebounding has been incredible. Problem with both of those guys are their expiring contracts. IMO, that degrades their trade value the other two guys, obviously, that might have substantial value are Ant and Nurkic. I think both have to be on the market. Not the 'must-be-traded' market that CJ, Powell, and RoCo were in last year. But the 'try-and-find-a-better-fit' market. Ant might be the best hope to add length and better fit to the roster Nurkic is firmly in the 'why-can't-he-be-more-consistent-grass-might-be-greener' niche. I don't think Nurkic has high value around the league. His flaws are likely well known. His 3 point shooting might bump his value a little, but all those things he does poorly, comparatively, some of which you noted, depresses his value IMO. And he's a traditional C in an age when traditional C's have diminishing value. He sure didn't appear to have a lot of value going against Jokic last night. And preforming well against a C like Jokic is the main reason to give him 70M
Wizards should trade Beal, Porzingis and Kuzma. Have a fire sale and start over! There drafting sucks too!!
Here is what some scouts say about Hachimura: The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward can score. That is his clear-cut strength. Although his 11.3 points per game last season were a career low, that output stemmed from his relatively limited playing time. Per 36 minutes, he averaged 18.1 points, the highest per-36 mark of his career. “To me,” Scout B said, “the one-word description of him is ‘scorer.’” Hachimura piles up points in a variety of ways. He scored 1.26 points per possession completed in transition, ranking in the 77th percentile among all NBA players regardless of position, according to Synergy Sports. He scored 1.035 points per possession finished in the half court, also placing him in the 77th percentile, per Synergy. That high level of effectiveness relative to the rest of the league speaks well of his versatility on that end. https://theathletic.com/3588660/2022/09/13/rui-hachimura-nba-scouts-evaluation/
Here is why he probably won't be coming to Portland: The scouts did not suggest that the ability to score points is inconsequential. But in Hachimura’s case, the problem is that the rest of his game needs work — and, in some areas, significant work. Scout B and Scout C rated Hachimura’s defense as average, at best. Indeed, Hachimura’s defensive performance can be glaringly ineffective at times. He is perceived as a player who is not all that interested in, or focused on, defending. “That’s fair, unfortunately,” Scout A said. “That was the area that you kind of thought maybe he had the most upside in in college, and it’s turned out to be almost the opposite, where the majority of his value is derived on the offensive end as opposed to the defensive end.”
I’d love Rui on this team. He has the potential to be an All Star. I’m just not sure we have what the Wizards would want for him now that he’s coming into his own.
I don't see ANY way where he has All-Star potential. He's a fringe-starter quality player. On a good/contender level team, he's coming off the bench. I see his potential comparable to a Larry Nance type player (not in terms of style, but more in terms of impact).
Wizards have a minutes crunch. They have Kuzma who is balling out this year so far, and Avdija (#9 pick in 2020) and Kispert (#15 pick in 2021) all essentially playing the same position and role. Rui is the odd man out it seems since he is up for extension this summer. Seems like a good buy low candidate. I suggested Keon + Winslow above. Keon gives them a chance to kick the can down the road on an extension for a recent rookie and plays a position where they are not as deep. .... which is what this team is lacking.
Anyone have ESPN+? https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...-deadline-western-conference-deal-predictions
