07-04-2023, 05:11 AM
I am trying to determine who would be the best restricted free agent fit for the Mavericks but I have concerns with all of our apparent priorities:
Grant Williams seems to fit positionally but is an average defensive player and doesn't rebound well. He is clearly an upgrade over Bullock and he's young and could perhaps improve defensively with experience. I think he would be a solid free agent acquisition. Honestly though, I don't think he's an upgrade over Christian Wood. Wood is a much better rebounder and provides rim protection. They both shoot well. Christian Wood is a better finisher at the rim. Grant Williams is also one of the NBA's whiniest players on the court. He complains constantly to the officials and seems very dramatic. I think that could be an issue for the Mavericks as Luka is also among the league's biggest complainers. I think the officiating might be even more biased against us. I can imagine Kidd also having a problem with Grant Williams constant complaining and body language. If our big splash in free agency is Grant Williams, I think that would be an OK signing. I am not sure it would be a talent upgrade for us though. We would have to hope that Jason Kidd won't hate him the way he seemed to despise Christian Wood.
Matisse Thybulle is another rumored target. He is one of the best defensive wings in the league. Most contenders have an elite defensive player and he would check that box for us. He provides nothing on offense other than some flashes of average 3-point shooting. On this roster, just being able to hit open threes would probably be enough on offense. Thybulle definitely can't defend bigs though and that's our biggest need. He doesn't rebound well for a wing. He would be a small forward here- we already THJ and Josh Green there. We could then trade Tim Hardaway Jr but that creates another complicated step in solving our PF problem.
PJ Washington is another rumored target. He seems like an especially great fit here. He rebounds, blocks shots and hits 3-pointers. Much more productive than Thybulle and Williams. I think he's worth more than the MLE though and would just expect Charlotte to match a MLE offer.
The best fit for the Mavericks among the restricted free agents is Paul Reed. I haven't seen him discussed much here. He is somewhat small for a center at 6'9, 210 lbs but has a 7'2 wingspan. He is a very athletic and active big. He thrived in limited minutes last season as Embiid's backup. He is an outstanding defensive player and a strong rebounder. He blocks shots and can defend in space. He would be an immediate and significant defensive upgrade for our team. His advanced stats are excellent. Raptor had him as the third best defender among all power forwards last year (not sure why they have him listed as a PF- he mostly played center last year).
He is limited offensively and does not shoot 3-pointers. He can finish at the rim but would be an downgrade compared to Christian Wood offensively. He just turned 24 though and so there is still some potential to develop some range offensively with time.
Overall though, I think he's clearly the best fit for the Mavericks. He would be our starting center and would fit well in lineups where Luka is playing the PF position on defense. Reed would also fit well with Maxi as they both are pretty versatile on defense and Maxi provides spacing on offense.
I've looked at the 76ers reddit and their fans suggest it's a foregone conclusion that the 76ers would match any offer made to him. Based on their current behavior though, the 76ers don't seem to be preoccupied with keeping that roster together. Jalen McDaniels went to the Raptors on a very reasonable contract. Niang left for Cleveland and Shake Milton went to the Timberwolves. They appear to be sleeping through free agency. They have signed no one. The appear to be preoccupied with cleaning up the James Harden mess.
If Harden returns, they will be near the luxury tax line. Matching a Paul Reed full MLE offer would put them well into the luxury tax. I think it's questionable whether they would pay that price for Embiid's backup. Embiid played almost 35 minutes a game and there aren't a lot of minutes for his backup. Montrezl Harrell gave them good minutes as well last year and they could probably re-sign him for the minimum.
I think there is a reasonable chance that we could acquire Paul Reed with the full MLE on a 3-year offer.
We have a lot of centers already but I think we should consider Javale McGee and Richaun Holmes as just bad contracts we're stuck with for a couple of years. I think they are both losing players and they shouldn't prohibit us from upgrading our defense and rebounding. They can fill in as the third center if Lively isn't ready to contribute this season.
I like Paul Reed as the best remaining free agent for the Mavericks. I hope Nico Harrison and Dennis Lindsay agree.
Grant Williams seems to fit positionally but is an average defensive player and doesn't rebound well. He is clearly an upgrade over Bullock and he's young and could perhaps improve defensively with experience. I think he would be a solid free agent acquisition. Honestly though, I don't think he's an upgrade over Christian Wood. Wood is a much better rebounder and provides rim protection. They both shoot well. Christian Wood is a better finisher at the rim. Grant Williams is also one of the NBA's whiniest players on the court. He complains constantly to the officials and seems very dramatic. I think that could be an issue for the Mavericks as Luka is also among the league's biggest complainers. I think the officiating might be even more biased against us. I can imagine Kidd also having a problem with Grant Williams constant complaining and body language. If our big splash in free agency is Grant Williams, I think that would be an OK signing. I am not sure it would be a talent upgrade for us though. We would have to hope that Jason Kidd won't hate him the way he seemed to despise Christian Wood.
Matisse Thybulle is another rumored target. He is one of the best defensive wings in the league. Most contenders have an elite defensive player and he would check that box for us. He provides nothing on offense other than some flashes of average 3-point shooting. On this roster, just being able to hit open threes would probably be enough on offense. Thybulle definitely can't defend bigs though and that's our biggest need. He doesn't rebound well for a wing. He would be a small forward here- we already THJ and Josh Green there. We could then trade Tim Hardaway Jr but that creates another complicated step in solving our PF problem.
PJ Washington is another rumored target. He seems like an especially great fit here. He rebounds, blocks shots and hits 3-pointers. Much more productive than Thybulle and Williams. I think he's worth more than the MLE though and would just expect Charlotte to match a MLE offer.
The best fit for the Mavericks among the restricted free agents is Paul Reed. I haven't seen him discussed much here. He is somewhat small for a center at 6'9, 210 lbs but has a 7'2 wingspan. He is a very athletic and active big. He thrived in limited minutes last season as Embiid's backup. He is an outstanding defensive player and a strong rebounder. He blocks shots and can defend in space. He would be an immediate and significant defensive upgrade for our team. His advanced stats are excellent. Raptor had him as the third best defender among all power forwards last year (not sure why they have him listed as a PF- he mostly played center last year).
He is limited offensively and does not shoot 3-pointers. He can finish at the rim but would be an downgrade compared to Christian Wood offensively. He just turned 24 though and so there is still some potential to develop some range offensively with time.
Overall though, I think he's clearly the best fit for the Mavericks. He would be our starting center and would fit well in lineups where Luka is playing the PF position on defense. Reed would also fit well with Maxi as they both are pretty versatile on defense and Maxi provides spacing on offense.
I've looked at the 76ers reddit and their fans suggest it's a foregone conclusion that the 76ers would match any offer made to him. Based on their current behavior though, the 76ers don't seem to be preoccupied with keeping that roster together. Jalen McDaniels went to the Raptors on a very reasonable contract. Niang left for Cleveland and Shake Milton went to the Timberwolves. They appear to be sleeping through free agency. They have signed no one. The appear to be preoccupied with cleaning up the James Harden mess.
If Harden returns, they will be near the luxury tax line. Matching a Paul Reed full MLE offer would put them well into the luxury tax. I think it's questionable whether they would pay that price for Embiid's backup. Embiid played almost 35 minutes a game and there aren't a lot of minutes for his backup. Montrezl Harrell gave them good minutes as well last year and they could probably re-sign him for the minimum.
I think there is a reasonable chance that we could acquire Paul Reed with the full MLE on a 3-year offer.
We have a lot of centers already but I think we should consider Javale McGee and Richaun Holmes as just bad contracts we're stuck with for a couple of years. I think they are both losing players and they shouldn't prohibit us from upgrading our defense and rebounding. They can fill in as the third center if Lively isn't ready to contribute this season.
I like Paul Reed as the best remaining free agent for the Mavericks. I hope Nico Harrison and Dennis Lindsay agree.
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