Point Guard Options

[Q-is-here]

Grouped by archetype and then from high to low in terms of contract value with annual salary starting this season.

Lead Guards
Anthony Edwards - On Team
Trae Young - $46M, $49M (Player Option)
Ja Morant - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
Darius Garland - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
James Harden - $39.2M, $42.3M (Player Option)
LaMelo Ball - $37.9M, $40.7M, $43.5M, $46.4M
Kyrie Irving - $36.6M, $39.5M, $42.4M (Player Option)
DeJounte Murray - $30.8M, $32.8M, $30.8M (Player Option)

Two-Way Starters
Jrue Holiday - $32.4M, $34.8M, $37.2M (Player Option)
Immanuel Quickley - $32.5, $32.5, $32.5, $32.5
Derrick White - $28M, $30.4M, $32.5M, $34.9M (Player Option)
Jalen Suggs - $35M, $32.4M, $29.6M, $26.8M, $26.7M (Team Option)

Shooter/Scorers
Collin Sexton - $18.9M
Coby White - $12.9M
Payton Pritchard - $7.2M, $7.8M, $8.3M
Bones Hyland - On Team

Vet Game Managers
Dennis Schroder - $14.1M, $14.8M, $15.5M
T.J. McConnell - $10.2M, $11M, $11.8M, $11.8M (Team Option)
Mike Conley - On Team
Tre Jones - $8M, $8M, $8M (Team Option)
Tyus Jones - $7M

POA Defenders
Jevon Carter - $6.9M
Kris Dunn - $5.4M, $5.7M
Jose Alvarado - $4.5M, $4.5M (Player Option)
Scotty Pippen, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M, $2.8M
Vince Williams, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M (Team Option)

[Q-is-here]

I added Vince Williams Jr. to the Point Guard list as a point of attack defender. Dane Moore brought him up in one of his podcasts last week.

I could see him being an upgrade over Jaylen Clark because he has the size to guard wings AND he can handle and distribute the ball. Jaylen is so one-dimensional that it's hard for him to add value unless there is an elite scorer for him to focus on. Otherwise he's just sort of floating around out there.

It's interesting that Memphis has Pippen, Jr. and Vince Williams Jr., two guys on cheap contracts that have that bulldog mentality on defense, but can also handle the rock and distribute on offense. Pippen Jr. even has an outside shot. Wouldn't they be OK with trading one of them???

I am convinced Connelly is going to do something, but really don't know which route he'll go.

[rapsuperstar31]

Grouped by archetype and then from high to low in terms of contract value with annual salary starting this season.

Lead Guards
Anthony Edwards - On Team
Trae Young - $46M, $49M (Player Option)
Ja Morant - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
Darius Garland - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
James Harden - $39.2M, $42.3M (Player Option)
LaMelo Ball - $37.9M, $40.7M, $43.5M, $46.4M
Kyrie Irving - $36.6M, $39.5M, $42.4M (Player Option)
DeJounte Murray - $30.8M, $32.8M, $30.8M (Player Option)

Two-Way Starters
Jrue Holiday - $32.4M, $34.8M, $37.2M (Player Option)
Immanuel Quickley - $32.5, $32.5, $32.5, $32.5
Derrick White - $28M, $30.4M, $32.5M, $34.9M (Player Option)
Jalen Suggs - $35M, $32.4M, $29.6M, $26.8M, $26.7M (Team Option)

Shooter/Scorers
Collin Sexton - $18.9M
Coby White - $12.9M
Payton Pritchard - $7.2M, $7.8M, $8.3M
Bones Hyland - On Team

Vet Game Managers
Dennis Schroder - $14.1M, $14.8M, $15.5M
T.J. McConnell - $10.2M, $11M, $11.8M, $11.8M (Team Option)
Mike Conley - On Team
Tre Jones - $8M, $8M, $8M (Team Option)
Tyus Jones - $7M

POA Defenders
Jevon Carter - $6.9M
Kris Dunn - $5.4M, $5.7M
Jose Alvarado - $4.5M, $4.5M (Player Option)
Scotty Pippen, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M, $2.8M
Vince Williams, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M (Team Option)

Derrick White would be a dream for this team, perfect fit for the next 3-5 years. Suggs would be a dream if he could stay healthy, and fits into Ant's age timeline for the next decade. I really like that Suggs contract it descends, and the emergence of Anthony Black may make Suggs expendable. But at his salary, you would have to trade either Donte or Naz in it. I could be happy with Tre Jones, Coby White (if we can re-sign him), Ayo, Alvarado, Pippen, Keon Ellis for the team. I could see value in adding Mathurn for TSJ and Rob, to see if he can work as a 7th man on the team, and if he does you pay him. I think you could get Nembhard if you dangled Joan, as Indiana wants a center of the future, and they should get a top 5 pick which has a lot of great guards that can replace Nembhard. Of course, I have no desire to trade Joan at this time, as he looks like he could be a legitimate player in a few years. While I dislike Lamelo Ball but I could be talked into him, if Finch and Tim think they can mold him and get the best out of him if his trade value is as low as Trae Young's was. If Miami does trade for Morant, I could see either Herro or Davion Mitchell being included, in which case you might want to kick the tires on getting in as a third team in the trade.

[60WinTim]

I don't blame you for not adding Monk . But I really think you should include Ayo Dosunmu somewhere on your list. Chicago has a bunch of guards and they will move on from one or more of them, with the expiring guys likely topping the list since they could lose them for nothing after the season. I find Ayo more intriguing than Coby...

[Q-is-here]

I don't blame you for not adding Monk . But I really think you should include Ayo Dosunmu somewhere on your list. Chicago has a bunch of guards and they will move on from one or more of them, with the expiring guys likely topping the list since they could lose them for nothing after the season. I find Ayo more intriguing than Coby...

Ayo is exclusively a shooting guard whereas Coby is more of a combo guard. I guess I could do a separate post on wings, but there is no evidence that might be a position the Wolves pursue, although I wouldn't rule anything out.

[60WinTim]

I don't blame you for not adding Monk . But I really think you should include Ayo Dosunmu somewhere on your list. Chicago has a bunch of guards and they will move on from one or more of them, with the expiring guys likely topping the list since they could lose them for nothing after the season. I find Ayo more intriguing than Coby...

Ayo is exclusively a shooting guard whereas Coby is more of a combo guard. I guess I could do a separate post on wings, but there is no evidence that might be a position the Wolves pursue, although I wouldn't rule anything out.

Ahh... I see your point. I guess I was looking at Ayo in the same vein as Donte...

[Lipoli390]

Grouped by archetype and then from high to low in terms of contract value with annual salary starting this season.

Lead Guards
Anthony Edwards - On Team
Trae Young - $46M, $49M (Player Option)
Ja Morant - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
Darius Garland - $39.5M, $42.2M, $44.9M
James Harden - $39.2M, $42.3M (Player Option)
LaMelo Ball - $37.9M, $40.7M, $43.5M, $46.4M
Kyrie Irving - $36.6M, $39.5M, $42.4M (Player Option)
DeJounte Murray - $30.8M, $32.8M, $30.8M (Player Option)

Two-Way Starters
Jrue Holiday - $32.4M, $34.8M, $37.2M (Player Option)
Immanuel Quickley - $32.5, $32.5, $32.5, $32.5
Derrick White - $28M, $30.4M, $32.5M, $34.9M (Player Option)
Jalen Suggs - $35M, $32.4M, $29.6M, $26.8M, $26.7M (Team Option)

Shooter/Scorers
Collin Sexton - $18.9M
Coby White - $12.9M
Payton Pritchard - $7.2M, $7.8M, $8.3M
Bones Hyland - On Team

Vet Game Managers
Dennis Schroder - $14.1M, $14.8M, $15.5M
T.J. McConnell - $10.2M, $11M, $11.8M, $11.8M (Team Option)
Mike Conley - On Team
Tre Jones - $8M, $8M, $8M (Team Option)
Tyus Jones - $7M

POA Defenders
Jevon Carter - $6.9M
Kris Dunn - $5.4M, $5.7M
Jose Alvarado - $4.5M, $4.5M (Player Option)
Scotty Pippen, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M, $2.8M
Vince Williams, Jr. - $2.3M, $2.5M (Team Option)

Great breakdown of PG option, Q! If I could simply choose any player on your list with their current contract and add him to the Wolves I’d choose Derrick White. But unfortunately, the Wolves don’t have that choice. The other team has to be willing to trade the player and the Wolves will have to give up value to get him. Factoring in likely availability, salary match, trade restrictions as a 1st apron team, our delicate financial situation (close to the 2nd apron), who we’d likely have to give up for each of these players, and who I’d be willing to give up, the list gets very short.

I don’t see any of the lead-guards on your list as viable or sensible options based on age, salary, contract, personality, and/or fit, etc. i like all the other guys on your list as potential targets except for the one-year rentals, which excludes Coby and Sexton. We’d obviously have to give up a high-quality contributing player to match salaries for either of those two. That’s bad enough, but it’s worse when considering the fact that they’d only be under contract with us for the balance of this year. I’d also exclude Holiday because of his age and recent injury propensity. If healthy he’d be great for this team for the balance of this season, but his contract is a bad one considering his age and injury history. And we’d have to give up a valuable player to match salaries. I’d probably also exclude Schroeder and Quickly because of their salaries and who’d we’d likely have to give up for salary match purposes. I don’t think TJ Mac is worth his contract. I don’t see the Celtics trading Pritchard. I don’t think Carter or Dunn would add enough to this team unless we could get them solely in exchange for Miller. And I’d want some two-way ability in any player we acquire.

So that leaves me with the following viable list of trade targets that would make sense to me for the right price:

1. Derrick White
2. Jalen Suggs
3. Tre Jones
4. Tyus Jones
5. Scottie Pippen Jr.
6. Alvarado

The players I would absolutely not trade for any of these options are Ant, Jaden and Naz since I see them as our long-term core of the same vintage and still with remaining upside as they head into their prime. I wouldn’t include Donte or Randle for anyone other than Derrick White or Jalen Suggs.