3 of the guys we play most play the same position; Junior, Dot, Trier
Fantasy Trades:
1. If we can trade Tim to Miami for Waiters and Ellington we should.
2. Trade Kanter for Taj Gibson+filler and a 2nd round pick in 2020
That THJr trade is pretty terrible. I'm only moving him for cap space. Otherwise, he's a good (if overpaid) player, he's dedicated, he improves a little ever year. He's a good guy to have on the team, unless you want space. Why take those contracts on when rebuilding?
Similarly, the Kanter for Taj deal doesn't make sense for either Minny or NY. Why take on that salary?
We stretched Noah rather than buy him out. Had we bought him out, it would have meant we were hedging on 2019 FA with an eye to 2020 FA. Instead, we have nearly 7MM in dead cap money in both 2019 and 2020. That means the move only makes sense if we're spending money this summer.
Durant is a fair #1 target, but the odds are long, longer than Lebron to LA.
With Butler, Klay and Kyrie all presumably off the board, I think Kemba is the next priority. Chip believes there is no chance Kemba walks. I think he probably stays in Charlotte (not because of the adoration, he'll get that in NY, but because a small point guard has to take the fifth year if he can get it), but NY will offer him a better basketball and marketing situation than Charlotte, and some guys really want to come home. He'd be a fantastic fit even if we didn't add anyone else but our lottery pick (not a strong year for PGs, although the kid from Vandy looks interesting so far). If those first three guys aren't off the board, I think the Knicks end up on the short list for each.
If not Kemba, Rozier, if he isn't traded to the Magic or Suns, would be an interesting target. We'd have to overpay to ensure Boston doesn't match, and I worry that point guards do better under Stevens than under other systems. But he can ball.
I'm not interested in Boogie for this particular team, nor DeAndre. Middleton is great, but not the right team for him either (plus Milwaukee probably over pays). I think Bledsoe only leaves for one for one of the LA teams. Surely Mirotic and (NYer!) Tobias Harris won't actually be available. Maybe Rubio if we get desperate to spend money
Dark horse targets: Delon Wright, Julius Randle. Would be pretty pleased with adding those two and, say, Cam Reddish to this squad for next year, while keeping Vonleh and one of Mudiay or Hezonja if we aren't able to create a tonne of cap space, win the lottery, or sing an A-list free agent. That would be a fun squad.
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