2024 Offseason Thread - NBA Draft June 27/8

[Son of Skeletor]

People missed the absurd contracts they gave Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins also

Right here.

4/48 for Joe and 5/57 for Wiggins. Both are absolutely putrid. Hamstrung them for next off season. 30 mil per year on 2 guys who should not even be in the rotation

5/47 for Wiggins. Those two were really good for them last season. Played nearly 2700 minutes combined. They'll well and truly be in the rotation. Giddey's gone. Caruso is not a heavy minutes kind of guy.

I'm kinda surprised they got contracts that long, but not surprised at all that they brought them back.

Add Haartenstein 29 mill a year as well. 50 mill on a middling bench at worse is dumb

I think you're missing the point on Hartenstein.

They're paying now, before Holmgren and Jalen Williams get paid in two years time. Now is when they have the money, so they may as well address a weakness. And size and rebounding was their weakness last season. It's an overpay, but they're in a position to do that at the moment. And he's one of the few free agents who really made sense for them.

Maybe they can trade for a Markkanen somewhere down the line. On the other hand they may just back themselves to keep topping up with cheap talent in the draft.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Right here.



5/47 for Wiggins. Those two were really good for them last season. Played nearly 2700 minutes combined. They'll well and truly be in the rotation. Giddey's gone. Caruso is not a heavy minutes kind of guy.

I'm kinda surprised they got contracts that long, but not surprised at all that they brought them back.



I think you're missing the point on Hartenstein.

They're paying now, before Holmgren and Jalen Williams get paid in two years time. Now is when they have the money, so they may as well address a weakness. And size and rebounding was their weakness last season. It's an overpay, but they're in a position to do that at the moment. And he's one of the few free agents who really made sense for them.

Maybe they can trade for a Markkanen somewhere down the line. On the other hand they may just back themselves to keep topping up with cheap talent in the draft.

Joe/Wiggins playing those heavy minutes was a hinderance and a problem they needed to solve, not dive head first into. Both are very average players who should have been given 3/20 mill deals at max

 

[fidstar]

You're all ****ed now!

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

LeBron got that dawg in him. Banging the mom of one of his teammates and openly bragging about it in the press like that is just a trashy behaviour from a leader. It will be interesting to see if the team can put it all aside and move on

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

You're all ****ed now!

Hield/Anderson/Melton + saving 100 million dollars in luxury tax vs Klay/CP3 seems a good move to me to be honest

Interesting to see that PG3 first choice was to go to Warriors but Clippers refused any sign and trade which is why he opted out. Id say Clippers did the right thing on that one. Wiggins + Payton II are 2 contracts id want no part of, even if you gave me draft picks back

 

[Son of Skeletor]

Joe/Wiggins playing those heavy minutes was a hinderance and a problem they needed to solve, not dive head first into. Both are very average players who should have been given 3/20 mill deals at max

What are you basing this on?

 

[peternorth]

Knecht 4. imagine derwayne russell calling a knecht 3 ball.


4 and 9, well recycled numbers in LAL

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

What are you basing this on?

The complete and utter lack of talent each player has.

 

[stewie griffen]

You're all ****ed now!

 

[Son of Skeletor]

The complete and utter lack of talent each player has.

Sigh.

Look, two years ago, had anyone other than Pels fans heard of Naji Marshall? This off-season he's getting a similar deal, and nobody's batting an eyelid. Derrick Jones was a min contract guy 12 months ago, now he's a MLE guy.

The Thunder won 57 games last year. Those two guys contributed heavy minutes. They were +8.7 pp100 when Joe was on court, and +7.5 pp100 when Wiggins was on court.

Joe knocked down 147 treys at 42% - he's actually their most prolific volume shooter. Wiggins shot 49% from three as a developmental 3 & D guy. None of these numbers speaks to a lack of talent. The Thunder's bench was pretty good.

I don't know whether locking these guys down for 4-5 years will prove to good management in the long term, but when you find guys late in the draft or via developmental paths, it's often a good idea to get them tied down so you don't lose them for nothing later down the line. Right now, the Thunder can easily afford to do that - they don't have a single un-moveable contract on their cap.

To give you the most direct comparison I can think of, the Pels were in a similar rebuilding situation. But because Zion's rookie contract years were essentially a washout, and because we traded for the likes of McCollum, we're not in a position to do what the Thunder have done with our equivalents, Marshall and Jose Alvarado. We've prioritised Herb and Trey Murphy (presumably), which is fair enough, but it means we've lost Marshall and may well lose Alvarado, for nothing.

It might be that neither Joe nor Wiggins is on OKC's roster three years from now, but I reckon there's a pretty good chance they will at least be able to find a neutral trade value for each if and when the time comes. Wiggins' contract maxes out at $10.6 mil in 2028/29 - by that point the cap could be $165, $175 mil.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

I don’t think these moves are worth the risk they bring. Contracts are too long for 2 guys who you gonna give 15-20 mins too at best and apart from the last 6 months have shown absolutely zero.

I mean people are talking down Kyle Anderson on 3/27. Do you really think Aaron Wiggins is a better player then Kyle Anderson ? Do you think KCP at 22 is worse value than Joe/Wiggins combined? Do you not think they can get what Joes output was for less than 50 mill over 4 years . I don’t think it will be too tough to get someone to give them 6 points 2 boards for less then that

OKC have a 65million dollar bench in Haartenstein, Joe, Wiggins, Williams, Dieng. That’s a lot of money for a mediocre bench… and alot of money that stops them from making better moves down the line

 

[Son of Skeletor]

I don’t think these moves are worth the risk they bring. Contracts are too long for 2 guys who you gonna give 15-20 mins too at best and apart from the last 6 months have shown absolutely zero.

Here's their splits from the 22/23 season, when OKC were a .500 team. Doesn't look like zero to me. They gave the Thunder a combined 2700 minutes that season too. That's two full seasons of consistent results - actually three full seasons in Wiggins's case. Given the Thunder have progressed from 24 wins to 57 wins in that timeframe, it's probably safe to assume that they and Sam Presti have some idea what they're doing.

I mean people are talking down Kyle Anderson on 3/27. Do you really think Aaron Wiggins is a better player then Kyle Anderson ? Do you think KCP at 22 is worse value than Joe/Wiggins combined? Do you not think they can get what Joes output was for less than 50 mill over 4 years . I don’t think it will be too tough to get someone to give them 6 points 2 boards for less then that

OKC just added a guy who is the poster child for not letting your discovered talent get away - Alex Caruso. Ask Lakers fans how they feel about how LA handled that one. Caruso averaged single digit points per game too.

I don't think KCP at $22 mil is worse value than Joe/Wiggins at a combined $19 mil. But they get two players instead of one, two players who they've developed. And if it's a direct either/or, I don't think they could have signed both Hartenstein and KCP as free agents outright, at least not without cutting some salary. Whereas they can re-sign their own guys and go over the cap, no problem.

As for Kyle Anderson, he's almost 31, has clearly hit his ceiling, and isn't a three point threat. I don't think Wiggins is 'better' at this point, but he's six years younger, part of the 'program', and a better shooter. As far as I can tell they'll be making about the same salary, so I don't think OKC are saying he's 'better' either.

As for Joe's output - well, let's see what Buddy Hield gets. There's mail that the Dubs are trying to work out a sign and trade deal for him. I suspect he'll receive in the $9-12 mil range, which would make him comparable with Joe's $10.7 mil for this season. And before you say Buddy is clearly better - compare last year's numbers, and ask yourself whether perception matches reality?

OKC have a 65million dollar bench in Haartenstein, Joe, Wiggins, Williams, Dieng. That’s a lot of money for a mediocre bench… and alot of money that stops them from making better moves down the line

Their bench was good last season. Hartenstein is clearly envisioned as more than a 10-15 mins strict reserve role, so it's a tad disingenuous to call him a 'bench player' - he played 1900 mins for the Knicks this season, plus heavy playoff mins.

Kenrich Williams - I presume that's who you mean by Williams? - is actually underrated too. Really good defensively. If the Thunder put him up for trade, which is eminently possible, you'd be surprised by how many takers there would be.

As for Dieng - well, he's a lottery pick, same as Cason Wallace, and same as Topic when he eventually plays. Having lottery picks filling out your lower bench positions isn't a problem, it's a luxury.

Finally, none of this prevents them making other moves down the line. It just means they won't be able to be part of the free agency periods for the next couple of seasons, but really who cares? It's Oklahoma. In a lot of cases, your Hartensteins are about as good as you're going to do in Oklahoma. It certainly doesn't preclude them from making future trades though. In many cases selling teams are looking for young pieces with room for growth on cost controlled contracts to take back, and the Thunder now have an abundance of such pieces. Plus a billion excess future draft picks.

 

[Memphis]

Hield/Anderson/Melton + saving 100 million dollars in luxury tax vs Klay/CP3 seems a good move to me to be honest

Interesting to see that PG3 first choice was to go to Warriors but Clippers refused any sign and trade which is why he opted out. Id say Clippers did the right thing on that one. Wiggins + Payton II are 2 contracts id want no part of, even if you gave me draft picks back

Yeah moves them from 10th to 8th.

 

[Callums_Guns]

 

[peternorth]

Providing veteran leadership and experience.

Follows in the footsteps of famous Aussie alum luc with no k longley and Shane heal

 

[peternorth]

As the lakers deadly three point threat taurean prince follows coach Ham to Milwaukee.

 

[Magnum27]

No real surprise, good that they are just not gifting him a game.

 

[peternorth]

As the lakers deadly three point threat taurean prince follows coach Ham to Milwaukee.

 

[tigs2010]

No real surprise, good that they are just not gifting him a game.


View attachment 2037989

Should they have signed LeBron first.

 

[Magnum27]

Should they have signed LeBron first.

Le Bron has re signed, a 2 yr deal.

 

[tigs2010]

Le Bron has re signed, a 2 yr deal.

Oops missed that. Smart business by the Lakers then.

 

[tigs2010]

In even bigger news Alec Burks signs with the Heat.

Why is this huge news? I believe he's the first Klutch player to sign with the Heat since LeBron left. (If I'm wrong on this fact then it's not even news at all )

 

[burge13]

Le Bron has re signed, a 2 yr deal.

Thought he was taking a pay cut to round out the roster?

$52m a year...

 

[Slysh]

Thought he was taking a pay cut to round out the roster?

$52m a year...

He was if they could attract someone who would make it worthwhile for him to take a pay cut, they couldn’t so he took the money.

 

[burge13]

He was if they could attract someone who would make it worthwhile for him to take a pay cut, they couldn’t so he took the money.

Derozan still available? Assume he's not coming then

Lakers play in at absolute best. Such a shame LBJ is prioritizing $ over trying to win at the end. Wish he'd get another ring but that's zero chance now