05-16-2022, 01:10 PM
(05-16-2022, 11:59 AM)sterlingmallory Wrote: The way I see it, we have 6 guys right now that I really trust to play big minutes in the playoffs: Luka, Brunson, Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith, Bullock, and Maxi. That is our core and they allow us to play with the identity we have created for ourselves. Thus, we should not be moving any of those guys right now. We should only be looking to add to that core at this point.
Where we should be looking for upgrades is over guys like Powell, Bertans, Green and Ntilikina. Hopefully Green and Ntilikina can improve naturally and negate the need to upgrade them, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look around. I would like to find a regular season rotation big in the Steven Adams mold to upgrade Powell and I would really love another DFS/Bullock type wing to lessen the reliance on Bertans, Green, and Frank.
I completely agree with about 98% of this. Mostly in the distinction as to who is the core, and who might be expendable.
I would be glad to upgrade Powell to a better rim-protecting C if we could, but wouldn't target Adams or someone who is big and bulky. Powell is limited in his utility, of course, but alternatives are likely to be as well.
As for another 3-and-D guy, I think it will be hard to land one in free agency or trade given the limits of our usable assets, but I'm optimistic that either Green, Franky, or both have the potential to get there, and would probably be the best way to invest backup minutes.