Just trust me here... if Mike leaves we are not replacing him with players of his caliber. It will be non-brand guys. And it could be fairly ugly.
Our cap situation and asset situation mean we will have VERY limited options... doesn't mean something can't spring loose. Think less along the lines of Lowry, Derozan and more along the lines of Rozier, Wright, Payne, Rubio, Bledsoe (told you it gets ugly). We would likely shift Don to pg move Joe to starting lineup... and add a depth piece behind them.
As long as Don and Rudy are on the team, the floor is still Western Conference playoff team, so it can’t get THAT ugly. But we have no chance of replacing Conley with anything close to Conley.
I do hope Conley comes back on a team friendly deal. I’m okay with an overpay if we are only committed to a year of Conley with the second year partially or unguaranteed.
If the plan is to pivot hard or rebuild next year if we don’t go deep, I could see a short term overpay type deal be what ends up happening.
I think the biggest possible shake-up we see this offseason (assuming Mike wants to come back) is a trade of Bogey, Clarkson, Ingles, or a combination of those guys.
A trade of Fav, to me, seems close to a certainty. The question is if we can get off his contract without attaching picks. If Portland will do a DJJ for Fav deal (which they might, cause they need post help), I think you gotta do it. DJJ is at least young, potentially rotation quality, his deal is a year shorter, and plays a position of need. It’s a shuffling of chairs, but I think it’s a step towards putting the chairs where they need to be.
What I hope to see next year is the Don, Rudy, Conley core supported by a much different supporting cast of players (hopefully younger, longer, and more athletic). If that doesn’t work, it’s time to press the reset button next offseason.
