It took me a while, but the best rationale for the Blazers is that they are trying to replicate what Houston did when they signed FVV
Both had a lot of D-wings and young athletes - adding a vet ball handler who is D-minded can fast-track the development and trajectory of a core
This is why “rookie max deals” are lowkey steals if the players good
Everyone talks about how you need to capitalize on rookie contract years but their 2nd contract is almost as valuable
OKC won a championship because Shai’s max extension this year was his 2nd deal
If I was bored enough I would look thru all the veteran extensions that have happened and see how many of those have worked out. I bet this is something the owners wish they could take back in the CBA after it was implemented
PHX has to accept this
Beal - Booker - Royce - Wing - Gobert has an actual chance to be a competitive team
Donte, Grayson, Rob #17 & their 3 attachable picks give them a chance to upgrade that 5th starter/wing
You can build in a similar way to the Mitchell-Gobert UTA teams
The Timberwolves current trade proposal for Kevin Durant, per @Gambo987
- Rudy Gobert
- Donte Divenchenzo
- Rob Dillingham and/or Terrance Shannon Jr
- 17th pick
From the Magic perspective the Bane trade is a bit too aggressive IMO
Bane’s great & he is a near dream fit to upgrade the clear shooting void you need, but the full rookie max is a lot - I think he’s good enough (top-45ish) where it isn’t outrageous or bad - pt1
watched some Hansen Yang this morning & became pretty intrigued with him, made a video on my thoughts on him & how crazy (or not) the comparisons between him & Jokic are + how he fits with Portland
youtu.be/50OUJZNiYAk