True. Its a positive problem but they cant give out max entensions like candy as they got too many of those top picks.It's just so rare teams dont re-sign their RFA who they picked top 3 overall and has shown improvement.
True. Its a positive problem but they cant give out max entensions like candy as they got too many of those top picks.It's just so rare teams dont re-sign their RFA who they picked top 3 overall and has shown improvement.
Think they just signed Trey Jemison off waivers. Played 573 minutes with 14 starts for bad teams last year.Currently the Pelicans only have Theiss and Missi as centers. I would guess Theiss is the projected starter currently.
AgreedAll recent championship teams had good defense: Boston, Denver, Milwaukee. There is one good defender on the Jazz now, Kessler, and he is seriously discussed as part of the deal for Ingram. The team featuring Lauri, Ingram, Keyonte and Sexton is going nowhere and getting killed defensively in the first round of the playoffs (if they make it). Ainge is not stupid, the two Boston championship teams that he built were very good defensively. He will not go for expensive, defensively challenged core with poor playmaking.
All this is true. Good post.If no team wants to pay him that much money, then he won't get that much money.
If we acquire him in a trade then here are the scenarios:
A) He plays so well that he is worth the money and we have a great player locked up for the future (Best Case scenario)
B) He plays so well that he is worth the money and then chooses to sign somewhere else in free agency (would hurt pretty bad)
B) He doesn't play well enough to earn the money, and someone pays him anyway (not our problem),
C) He doesn't play well enough to earn the money and we sign him for what he's worth.
D) He doesn't play well enough to earn the money, but we pay him anyway (Worst Case Scenario, but also very unlikely imo)
If the acquisition cost is cheap enough, then it might be worth the risk.
If the acquisition cost is really just Collins and a first then what you are really balancing is the benefit of getting off of Collins contract and the possibility of adding a significant piece to our puzzle against a first round pick and the risk of losing our 2025 pick to OKC for a guy we end up not wanting long term.
I love the 2025 draft, and so that is a tough decision for me, but I'm starting to like the 2026 draft even better and so if it doesn't work and we had to pivot to going all in for 2026 then that might not be so bad. If it works, and we don't have to endure all of the losing, that is very tempting.
In this case we would have to resort to a littleHow many players in this draft will be top 20 players at any point in their career and how long will it take them to become that?
The reality might be that Lauri takes another step, Sexton takes another step, Walker takes a big step, and the the rest of the players also progress. The fact might be the Jazz are too good to tank.

Tanking with Lauri is potentially problematic because I don't think you can just flip a switch and we're going to be good in 2026.
I think Kessler has to be in the deal for NO. Collins and Kessler for Ingram we roll with Eubanks at center and Flip. I am definitely a no on Ingram but it’s not a hell no. I need to see the whole picture first.