Q12543 wrote:He carried a 30% usage rate and averaged 20 PPG. Even if he reduces that somewhat to 16PPG, that simply doesn't work with KAT, Edwards, and DLO. Someone's skill-set isn't getting maximized in that lineup.
I'm not saying we don't take him if we get incredibly lucky, but then I'd be inclined to do what you mention and either move DLO or move Cunningham himself for a veteran big that can help us defensively.
I'm also leery about having to go through another on-boarding of a high lottery pick. We end up having to force-feed them minutes and its typically to the detriment of the team (Edwards contributed more to losing than almost any other player on the team through the first half of the season).
Don't we have enough ball handlers, play makers, and scorers? We need to be in "get kick-ass role players" mode, unless again, the plan is to move on from DLO.
I'm all for getting a defensive big next to KAT, believe me. But if we get lucky in this draft, I just don't think you trade Cade for that guy. That's the kind of decision that I think would haunt a GM and a fan base for years.
From what I can tell, Cade had a 30% usage rate and averaged 20 PPG partly because the rest of his team sucked balls and needed him to bail them out. I think he'd be fine in a versatile role. I get that rookies are generally not huge contributors early on, and that top prospects are often better on the offensive end, but Cade really does look like a good defender and shooter with range. Cade isn't going to be another Edwards, who had a reputation coming in as an inefficient chucker with bad shot selection, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that's how he started out. But for his part, Cade's got the building blocks right now of a good role player right there with the chance to be even better. Just because a guy has upside doesn't mean he's not going to be able to fit. I feel like we're looking at a very good Joe Ingles or Kyle Anderson type here very early in his career with much higher upside and the concerns about the 30% usage and 20 PPG seems to be assuming he's going to be a Dion Waiters, Rashad McCants, Zach LaVine type.
Regarding your second point in bold, if you really don't think Cade is going to be a relatively solid, efficient contributor early on (which I and most analysts think he will be), and if you think a foundation of DLO, Edwards, and KAT is strong enough to start building around with role players, you could argue it would make sense to trade Cade for a defensive big if we got that pick. KAT's window is closing soon and we really need to win or it'll be time to trade him or lose him for nothing. But even setting aside that I'm pretty sure Cade is ready to contribute right now, do you actually believe DLO, Edwards, and KAT is a legit foundation? I absolutely don't, especially with DLO at that salary. Cade would make transitioning away from DLO easier. I think we're much more likely to have long-term success if we got him, and planned on Ant, Cade, and (hopefully) KAT to move forward. If we actually got the #1 pick in this loaded draft, then picked a two-way point forward who can stretch the floor, and traded him for a role player, especially with this core, I'm guessing we'd lose KAT anyway, and the inevitable rebuild would be tougher. In the (honestly) likely scenario that KAT will leave, regardless of whether we'd keep Cade or not, the future would just be much brighter with Ant and Cade on a similar timeline, than with Ant and an old role player.
To me, this second point is the key one. I get your logic, guys, if you think the DLO, Ant, and KAT core is ready to break out and compete. But I just really don't see it that way. And on top of that, I just find it a bit head-scratching that guys here are saying they don't want Cade, they want a "wing defender who can hit 3s," when Cade can do that.
