Free Agency, Trade Ideas, Rumors V.7

[C-Dub]

^where you seen that at?

[buckalis]

That they ask for Anderson + Melton + a pick from Houston is here: https://houseofhouston.com/2018/08/1...-deal-wrinkle/ ...

Atlanta asking Brown from the Bucks is the inevitable conclusion/equivalent out of the Hawks scouting at this summer league...

EDIT: I also saw an article that the Rockets are stepping back from the Bazemore deal https://www.hoopsrumors.com/ryan-anderson as they can deal Anderson elsewhere and keep Melton, it therefore makes it easier for the Bucks to refuse Brown and counter offer D.J. Wilson instead.

[buckalis]

Shabazz Muhammad re-signs with the Bucks... It looks like the space for a Bazemore deal to happen with the Hawks, narrows significantly... Bucks still with Henson/Delly on their roster...

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...act-with-bucks

[buckalis]

Some conclusions assuming the current roster is near its final shape, after the Bucks re-signed Shabazz and filled the 15th roster spot:

1. Bucks should use: Middleton /Snell /Muhammad for SF.
2. For PF it should be: Giannis / Ilyasova / D.J. Wilson
3. For Center it should be: Lopez / Maker / Henson
4. For SG it should be: Brogdon / Brown / Connaughton
5. For PG it should be: Bledsoe/ Dellavedova / DDV....

Clearly a roster that can't compete with the Celtics, or the 76ers, or the Raptors... This roster would be totally depended on Giannis...

EDIT: Biggest issues with this roster:

1. It lucks a capable PF/SF to use on internal rotation like Jabari was, who would keep the team going when either Giannis or Middleton takes breaths, so that one of Giannis or Middleton would always be on the floor.

2. It lucks the depth in guards that JET was providing...

[MILLERHIGHLIFE]

Looking at your depth chart. Center position looks blah for back ups as well. I think Ersan may play some small ball center depending who were playing. Yeah Zeller is unguaranteed. Henson will regress being benched then pout.

Also like ya said guard depth looks meh if our young guys don't step up as in Brown and DDV. Pat should show some spark as well. But were gonna be leaning on Bledsoe and Brogdon yet again once Middleton or Giannis goes to sit a minute.

Our roster looks a bit thin for depth as well talking quality. Plenty of average quantity but no legit quality until somebody steps it up.

[buckalis]

Looking at your depth chart. Center position looks blah for back ups as well. I think Ersan may play some small ball center depending who were playing. Yeah Zeller is unguaranteed. Henson will regress being benched then pout.

It was my opinion too that Giannis & Ilyasova should both be starters with the team playing without "classic" center and then Lopez used to (internally) rotate them... But without Jabari (or a similar type of player) who will give breaths to Giannis & then Middleton, yet keeping the team going?

WE URGENTLY NEED TO LAND MIROTIC!

Also like ya said guard depth looks meh if our young guys don't step up as in Brown and DDV. Pat should show some spark as well. But were gonna be leaning on Bledsoe and Brogdon yet again once Middleton or Giannis goes to sit a minute.

Our roster looks a bit thin for depth as well talking quality. Plenty of average quantity but no legit quality until somebody steps it up.

We are full on shooting guards (to the extend that two of them on Snell & Muhammad must be moved to play SF) and thin on PGs (which is far more important with Giannis on the floor as to play "pick and roll")!

Also... starting Bledsoe and Brogdon makes rotating on PG particularly problematic... IF WE HAD MIROTIC (or Jabari), we could move Snell back to SG and then Brogdon to PG... Much better than it is, but we would still miss JET for when something (an injury, a player being loaded with fouls) goes "not like planned"...

EDIT: On top, we still need to replace Bledsoe with a less selfish and more reliable shooting PG that can support the "bigs" much better by passing them assists... CALL ME TEODOSIC!

EDIT-2: Clearly a worst roster than last season! We only added Ilyasova as to replace Telletovic (practically the same player) who's missing didn't seem to affect the team's performance at all in the playoffs, as if it was "first priority" to do so and we didn't replace Jabari at all, who's contribution during the playoffs was more than obvious... I wonder what they are thinking in the FO...

[buckalis]

Here is an interesting interview of Shabazz (Buzz) Muhammad https://hoopshype.com/2018/07/18/sha...umors-updates/ title is "I'm in the best shape of my career"...

[buckalis]

After the Bucks have lost Jabari, there is no one that can play his role in their current roster...

Jabari was used as to internally rotate with both Giannis and Middleton, so that at least two out of the three were always on the floor... Therefore trading one out of our plenty PG/SFs with Mirotic, would be an extremely wise move to do.

[buckalis]

Snell + D.J. Wilson for Mirotic on a Pelicans deal...

We know that they need an alternative to Bazemore after they were rejected by the Hawks... right? We are full on SGs to the extend that we can't rotate them all and thin on (real) forwards that can play SF & PF after Jabari left!

[MILLERHIGHLIFE]

Bucks officially sign Wood.

[MILLERHIGHLIFE]

After the Bucks have lost Jabari, there is no one that can play his role in their current roster...

Jabari was used as to internally rotate with both Giannis and Middleton, so that at least two out of the three were always on the floor... Therefore trading one out of our plenty PG/SFs with Mirotic, would be an extremely wise move to do.

Parker wanted to be a starter. Also with Middleton not able to play SG any more. So one wasn't gonna start.

[buckalis]

It's a good move... It may mean that the F.O has arranged to move Henson... Wood can play PF/C and can move like a wing (just what is needed to a team that has a player like Giannis). We still miss a big SF/PF though as to replace Jabari's loss and that's crucial.

If we had signed M. Beasley for instance before the Lakers did, we could have had a team to challenge the Celtics, now the only one available via a trade is (even better than Beasley) Mirotic...

If we can replace one of our PLENTY SGs with him, we could end up with a starting roster of Brogdon / Middleton / Mirotic / Giannis and Ilyasova and then internally rotate Middleton by sharing his minutes on SG and SF positions, do the same with Brogdon on PG / SG and with Wood on PF/C...

Small rotations on a core of eight players, has the advantage that everybody else is trying super hard to get a place in the rotation... Best coach in the world (Zelicko Obradovic) does this for years... (Obradovic is the one coach that has first beaten the "dream team" back in the world cap of Atlanta '96)...

[buckalis]

Parker wanted to be a starter. Also with Middleton not able to play SG any more. So one wasn't gonna start.

Middleton can play SG just fine... The thing is that if Middleton would start on SG last season, Brogdon would be benched as to rotate with Bledsoe and then there would be a problem, because all the substitutions on all Khris, Giannis & Jabari would cause a far inferior roster for most of the time...

It was a (right) decision of the coaching team to use Jabari as to rotate both Middleton and Giannis and then JET/Brown for the guards, because it ended up on team that could keep going when the prime players were not on the floor.

[buckalis]

I suggested this (1000% chances to work) trade on the other thread: https://forums.prosportsdaily.com/sh...-clock-ticking, which would result on the Bucks getting rid of both Delly & Henson contracts for the next (19/20) season and land Mirotic in the team with the same salaries as we now have for this season:

BUCKS give: J.Henson, M.Dellavedova & T.Maker to Atlanta Hawks.
BUCKS receive: N.Mirotic from the N.Orleans Pelicans and Jeremy Lin (!!!) from Atlanta

Bucks then waive (but NOT stretch) the contract of Jeremy Lin. It practically means for the Bucks that they pay the contract of one out of Delly or Henson and then sign Mirotic with the other salary. The result is that the salaries of both Henson & Delly go off the books for the next (19/20) season.

HAWKS give: Jeremy Lin to Bucks and Kent Bazemore to the Pelicans
HAWKS receive: J. Henson, M. Dellavedova & T.Maker from the Bucks and S.Hill + a 1st from the Pelicans.

Hawks then waive Henson, Delly & Hill and only keep Maker and the 1st round pick.
This is huge for the Hawks because they need to write in their books 45M for the 19/20 season so that they will avoid huge taxation... With this deal, they load 18M more than Bazemore's salary (Lin is on an expiring this season contract) on their books for the 19/20 season, plus get an asset and a 1st pick.

PELICANS give: Solomon Hill & a 1st to the Hawks, N.Mirotic to Bucks
PELICANS receive: Kent Bazemore from the Hawks

This is great for the Pelicans too... Because Mirotic is on an expiring contract which they can't extend because they have to give a (generous) rise and extend Randle and Diallo, they also have to fill 9 (!!!) roster spots for next season, additionally they get rid of Hill's (bad) contract (which they are desperately trying to shop) and they get Kent Bazemore for who they are after but couldn't reach a deal for!

Bucks resign JET and end up with a win now roster on:

PG: Brogdon, Bledsoe, JET, (DDV),
SG: Middleton, (Brogdon), (Snell), Brown, Connaughton, (JET), DDV, (Buzz)
SF: Mirotic, (Middleton), Snell, Buzz, (Connaughton), (Brown)
PF: Giannis, Ilyasova, (Mirotic), (Wood), D.J. Wilson
Ctr: Lopez, (Giannis), Wood, (Ilyasova), (Mirotic)

Still too many (shooting) guards, but so much better than before Mirotic... Teodosic for main PG should be the next step to target on trades to follow... Please discuss.

[C-Dub]

there is ZERO TALK or rumors about MIROTIC. you've actually made me hate him with how much you talk about him. I wanted him when there was talk of him being traded and now I hope he goes back to Europe never to be seen again. so tired of hearing about him. Youre like a lakers kobe fan when he was in his prime but with mirotic. hows that for discussion?