Official 2016 Offseasont Thread (Free Agents/Trades/Front Office Moves)

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Throwing out another off-season plan that I hope to be realistic, though somewhat video game-esque. It'll be a tight squeeze monetarily, but depending on how the salaries are worked out, I do think it's all doable.

- 2016-17 salary cap is set to be at $92M. Minnesota is looking at $63.6M in contracts on the roster before any moves have been made.

- Assuming Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, and Jamal Murray are off the board by the time the Wolves pick at No. 5 overall, trade back to a PG-needy team, such as Sacramento (No. 8 overall) or Milwaukee (No. 10 overall) with the goal in mind of landing PF Domontas Sabonis and a future first-round pick (2018 from SAC; 2017 or 2018 from MIL).

- Allow PF Kevin Garnett, SF Tayshaun Prince and C Greg Smith to leave via retirement or free agency, respectively. Hopefully none of these players will be back next season.

- Decline SF/PF Damjan Rudez team option for $1.2M.

- Sign former All-Star Luol Deng (age 31) to a three-year, $39M deal to start at PF next to C Karl-Anthony Towns while also logging significant minutes at SF next to Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad. Back in December of 2015, Deng said, "I think I'm best at the 4." In today's NBA, and where he's at in his career, I totally agree with him. Not to mention he played 73% of his minutes at PF in 2015-16. He also posted 15.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG with a .561 TS% post-All Star break and a +/- of +7.1, and then had a fantastic post-season run. There's still juice left in the tank.

- Sign Matthew Dellavedova (age 25) to a three-year, $18M deal to be the primary backup PG behind Ricky Rubio. He's also capable of playing off-ball with Rubio at times. Back-to-back seasons shooting 40% or better from 3P-range. Solid AST/TO ratio over the last two years. Very pesky defender. Some stats would illustrate that the Cavs were actually better with Delly on the court rather than Irving. I wouldn't go that far from a basketball sense, but he knows his role and plays it as well as it can be played. Ironically, this would be Tom Thibodeau's new Kirk Hinrich chess piece, if you will.

- Sign veteran SF/PF James Johnson (age 29) to a two-year, $6M deal. Underutilized in his last two stints (Memphis; Toronto). His teams were better with him on the court, though his playing time was scant. Adds energy, toughness, solid defense, and the potential to score in bunches occasionally to a bench unit that sorely needs all of that.

PG: R. Rubio / M. Dellavedova / T. Jones
SG: Z. LaVine / (combination of players)
SF: A. Wiggins / S. Muhammad
PF: L. Deng / J. Johnson / D. Sabonis / N. Bjelica / A. Payne
C: K. Towns / G. Dieng / N. Pekovic

That would be pretty amazing Cam. Oddly I wonder of the most unrealistic thing (other than KG retiring) is Delly. That was weird to say. lol

I thought the same exact thing. He would be hard to bring here which feels weird to me and I could be totally wrong. Other than that it seems great.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Throwing out another off-season plan that I hope to be realistic, though somewhat video game-esque. It'll be a tight squeeze monetarily, but depending on how the salaries are worked out, I do think it's all doable.

- 2016-17 salary cap is set to be at $92M. Minnesota is looking at $63.6M in contracts on the roster before any moves have been made.

- Assuming Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, and Jamal Murray are off the board by the time the Wolves pick at No. 5 overall, trade back to a PG-needy team, such as Sacramento (No. 8 overall) or Milwaukee (No. 10 overall) with the goal in mind of landing PF Domontas Sabonis and a future first-round pick (2018 from SAC; 2017 or 2018 from MIL).

- Allow PF Kevin Garnett, SF Tayshaun Prince and C Greg Smith to leave via retirement or free agency, respectively. Hopefully none of these players will be back next season.

- Decline SF/PF Damjan Rudez team option for $1.2M.

- Sign former All-Star Luol Deng (age 31) to a three-year, $39M deal to start at PF next to C Karl-Anthony Towns while also logging significant minutes at SF next to Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad. Back in December of 2015, Deng said, "I think I'm best at the 4." In today's NBA, and where he's at in his career, I totally agree with him. Not to mention he played 73% of his minutes at PF in 2015-16. He also posted 15.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG with a .561 TS% post-All Star break and a +/- of +7.1, and then had a fantastic post-season run. There's still juice left in the tank.

- Sign Matthew Dellavedova (age 25) to a three-year, $18M deal to be the primary backup PG behind Ricky Rubio. He's also capable of playing off-ball with Rubio at times. Back-to-back seasons shooting 40% or better from 3P-range. Solid AST/TO ratio over the last two years. Very pesky defender. Some stats would illustrate that the Cavs were actually better with Delly on the court rather than Irving. I wouldn't go that far from a basketball sense, but he knows his role and plays it as well as it can be played. Ironically, this would be Tom Thibodeau's new Kirk Hinrich chess piece, if you will.

- Sign veteran SF/PF James Johnson (age 29) to a two-year, $6M deal. Underutilized in his last two stints (Memphis; Toronto). His teams were better with him on the court, though his playing time was scant. Adds energy, toughness, solid defense, and the potential to score in bunches occasionally to a bench unit that sorely needs all of that.

PG: R. Rubio / M. Dellavedova / T. Jones
SG: Z. LaVine / (combination of players)
SF: A. Wiggins / S. Muhammad
PF: L. Deng / J. Johnson / D. Sabonis / N. Bjelica / A. Payne
C: K. Towns / G. Dieng / N. Pekovic

That would be pretty amazing Cam. Oddly I wonder of the most unrealistic thing (other than KG retiring) is Delly. That was weird to say. lol

I thought the same exact thing. He would be hard to bring here which feels weird to me and I could be totally wrong. Other than that it seems great.

I like Cam's blueprint a lot, although I think (and actually hope) that KG will come back. I know that Deng has had some success defending PF's, but I had no idea his stats were so effective there and that it was his preferred position...thanks for that, Cam.

I am a Delly fan. His athleticism on defense is maligned, but how many more times to we have to watch the Cavs' defensive intensity kick way up when he replaces Irving before he starts getting some credit. James also seems to be more comfortable letting Delly actually run the point (unlike Irving) and the Cavs seem to get a lot of good looks when he is in the game. The problem is his price tag. Cam says 3/18, but Brian Windhorst thinks he will get closer to $9 million a year. I think that might be more than Thibs is willing to allocate to a backup PG.

[60WinTim]

My complaint would be the lack of depth at SG. We have seen in the past how "combination of players" just doesn't cut it. I would scratch the Sabonis deal, take Hield at #5, and either keep KG or replace him with a cheap big if he decides to retire.

We already know Deng will be here. But I do like the Delly idea!

[Monster]

My complaint would be the lack of depth at SG. We have seen in the past how "combination of players" just doesn't cut it. I would scratch the Sabonis deal, take Hield at #5, and either keep KG or replace him with a cheap big if he decides to retire.

We already know Deng will be here. But I do like the Delly idea!

You make a good point but I will say that Delly would be worthwhile option at SG and with Deng on board Wiggins could play more SG if needed also. The team still could use another volume 3 point shooter though.

What's terrific is how Delly has turned himself into such a legit player. He was undrafted because he was too slow unathletic so he wouldn't be able to defend or score etc. he has worked hard and willed his way to where he is now. Is been fun to watch.

[TeamRicky [enjin:6648771]]

My Blue Print:
Sign Cole Aldrich, Luol Deng and Mario Chalmers
Trade #5 with Celtics for three picks and draft Luwawu, McCaw and Thon Maker
Trade Bazz for McLemore
Buyout Pek
Cut Smith, Payne, Rudez
Incoming: Deng, Aldrich, Chalmers, McLemore, Luwawu, McCaw and Maker
Outgoing: Payne, Smith, Rudez, Pek, Prince, Bazz & OpenSpot

PG: Rubio, Chalmers, Jones
SG: LaVine, McLemore, McCaw
SF: Wiggins, (Deng/Bjelica) Luwawu
PF Deng, Dieng, Bjelica, KG
C: KAT, (Dieng) Aldrich, Maker

That gives us good positional versatility and lots of two way players who can defend, pass and shoot 3s. Plus the rookies all are hardworking high upside guys who could payoff big down the road.

[TheFuture]

Throwing out another off-season plan that I hope to be realistic, though somewhat video game-esque. It'll be a tight squeeze monetarily, but depending on how the salaries are worked out, I do think it's all doable.

- 2016-17 salary cap is set to be at $92M. Minnesota is looking at $63.6M in contracts on the roster before any moves have been made.

- Assuming Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, and Jamal Murray are off the board by the time the Wolves pick at No. 5 overall, trade back to a PG-needy team, such as Sacramento (No. 8 overall) or Milwaukee (No. 10 overall) with the goal in mind of landing PF Domontas Sabonis and a future first-round pick (2018 from SAC; 2017 or 2018 from MIL).

- Allow PF Kevin Garnett, SF Tayshaun Prince and C Greg Smith to leave via retirement or free agency, respectively. Hopefully none of these players will be back next season.

- Decline SF/PF Damjan Rudez team option for $1.2M.

- Sign former All-Star Luol Deng (age 31) to a three-year, $39M deal to start at PF next to C Karl-Anthony Towns while also logging significant minutes at SF next to Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad. Back in December of 2015, Deng said, "I think I'm best at the 4." In today's NBA, and where he's at in his career, I totally agree with him. Not to mention he played 73% of his minutes at PF in 2015-16. He also posted 15.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG with a .561 TS% post-All Star break and a +/- of +7.1, and then had a fantastic post-season run. There's still juice left in the tank.

- Sign Matthew Dellavedova (age 25) to a three-year, $18M deal to be the primary backup PG behind Ricky Rubio. He's also capable of playing off-ball with Rubio at times. Back-to-back seasons shooting 40% or better from 3P-range. Solid AST/TO ratio over the last two years. Very pesky defender. Some stats would illustrate that the Cavs were actually better with Delly on the court rather than Irving. I wouldn't go that far from a basketball sense, but he knows his role and plays it as well as it can be played. Ironically, this would be Tom Thibodeau's new Kirk Hinrich chess piece, if you will.

- Sign veteran SF/PF James Johnson (age 29) to a two-year, $6M deal. Underutilized in his last two stints (Memphis; Toronto). His teams were better with him on the court, though his playing time was scant. Adds energy, toughness, solid defense, and the potential to score in bunches occasionally to a bench unit that sorely needs all of that.

PG: R. Rubio / M. Dellavedova / T. Jones
SG: Z. LaVine / (combination of players)
SF: A. Wiggins / S. Muhammad
PF: L. Deng / J. Johnson / D. Sabonis / N. Bjelica / A. Payne
C: K. Towns / G. Dieng / N. Pekovic

So if Jamal Murray is there at #5, you're taking him?

I agree on KG, Prince, and Smith. KG, loved you here/what you did for this franchise, but you gotta hang em up. We need to end this whole being held hostage by players. Is KG coming back? What can he provide? Is Pek coming back healthy? Can he return to what he was? I believed the Pek signing was terrible the moment it happened, and it has slowed our rebuilding process. Did the Warriors sign 34+ vets to mentor their young players, no they went after players in their 2nd/3rd contracts. Did the Thunder, no they kept accumulating young talent and eventually traded young talent for other young talent that fit better. Do the spurs, no they draft late/sign bargains and produce talent. The cavs? I don't see the potential positive outweighing the negative with what we are doing with way old vets.

Deng is on the cusp of being an old vet, but he is very durable, and doesn't rely on athletic ability alone. The difference between him and kg/prince/miller is that he is a savvy vet who can still produce at a high level.

Delladova and Johnson are two players I mentioned we should look to target. Both are in prime years with defined skills, and will have a defined $ value because of that. They'd both fit great here. I'd target Johnson right away and be confident that we could sign him. Delladova i'd love to have, but I doubt he'd love to come here. With what i'd pay him to be a backup he'd likely get from Cleveland to stay a backup. That's an easy choice for a player.

As for the draft pick, I do like Sabonis a lot. I just wonder if he's the best fit/if his game will translate well. He's not exactly tall, or long, so I wonder if he'll have trouble operating in the low post against lengthier, more athletic players. He has a great all around game, and a nice shooting stroke. If Thibs wants a player who can produce something right away and is confident he can move his game all the way out to the 3 point line then I would take him. Otherwise I am taking Deyonta Davis or Marquese Chriss at #8 or #10 as they provide the biggest home run threats at that point.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I draft Dunn at 5 and sign Pau to a 2/34 million dollar deal. Then if I have the cap space due to a KG retirement I sign Bazemore to a 3/36 deal.

Ricky/Dunn
Lavine/Bazemore
Wiggins/Bazemore
Towns/Belly
Pau/Dieng

[Monster]

My Blue Print:
Sign Cole Aldrich, Luol Deng and Mario Chalmers
Trade #5 with Celtics for three picks and draft Luwawu, McCaw and Thon Maker
Trade Bazz for McLemore
Buyout Pek
Cut Smith, Payne, Rudez
Incoming: Deng, Aldrich, Chalmers, McLemore, Luwawu, McCaw and Maker
Outgoing: Payne, Smith, Rudez, Pek, Prince, Bazz & OpenSpot

PG: Rubio, Chalmers, Jones
SG: LaVine, McLemore, McCaw
SF: Wiggins, (Deng/Bjelica) Luwawu
PF Deng, Dieng, Bjelica, KG
C: KAT, (Dieng) Aldrich, Maker

That gives us good positional versatility and lots of two way players who can defend, pass and shoot 3s. Plus the rookies all are hardworking high upside guys who could payoff big down the road.

I'm all in on Aldrich as a backup big.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

Throwing out another off-season plan that I hope to be realistic, though somewhat video game-esque. It'll be a tight squeeze monetarily, but depending on how the salaries are worked out, I do think it's all doable.

- 2016-17 salary cap is set to be at $92M. Minnesota is looking at $63.6M in contracts on the roster before any moves have been made.

- Assuming Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, and Jamal Murray are off the board by the time the Wolves pick at No. 5 overall, trade back to a PG-needy team, such as Sacramento (No. 8 overall) or Milwaukee (No. 10 overall) with the goal in mind of landing PF Domontas Sabonis and a future first-round pick (2018 from SAC; 2017 or 2018 from MIL).

- Allow PF Kevin Garnett, SF Tayshaun Prince and C Greg Smith to leave via retirement or free agency, respectively. Hopefully none of these players will be back next season.

- Decline SF/PF Damjan Rudez team option for $1.2M.

- Sign former All-Star Luol Deng (age 31) to a three-year, $39M deal to start at PF next to C Karl-Anthony Towns while also logging significant minutes at SF next to Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad. Back in December of 2015, Deng said, "I think I'm best at the 4." In today's NBA, and where he's at in his career, I totally agree with him. Not to mention he played 73% of his minutes at PF in 2015-16. He also posted 15.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG with a .561 TS% post-All Star break and a +/- of +7.1, and then had a fantastic post-season run. There's still juice left in the tank.

- Sign Matthew Dellavedova (age 25) to a three-year, $18M deal to be the primary backup PG behind Ricky Rubio. He's also capable of playing off-ball with Rubio at times. Back-to-back seasons shooting 40% or better from 3P-range. Solid AST/TO ratio over the last two years. Very pesky defender. Some stats would illustrate that the Cavs were actually better with Delly on the court rather than Irving. I wouldn't go that far from a basketball sense, but he knows his role and plays it as well as it can be played. Ironically, this would be Tom Thibodeau's new Kirk Hinrich chess piece, if you will.

- Sign veteran SF/PF James Johnson (age 29) to a two-year, $6M deal. Underutilized in his last two stints (Memphis; Toronto). His teams were better with him on the court, though his playing time was scant. Adds energy, toughness, solid defense, and the potential to score in bunches occasionally to a bench unit that sorely needs all of that.

PG: R. Rubio / M. Dellavedova / T. Jones
SG: Z. LaVine / (combination of players)
SF: A. Wiggins / S. Muhammad
PF: L. Deng / J. Johnson / D. Sabonis / N. Bjelica / A. Payne
C: K. Towns / G. Dieng / N. Pekovic

Ok, where to start.
1. THE WOLVES are a "PG-needy" team. BlondeRicky was a +1 PER split, so average. Lavine and Jones were ugh.

2. Garnett is good in limited minutes, and he's not leaving, so might as well use him, and his best position is the 4. Speaking of.....

3. Deng had a sneaky-good season at the 4 for MIA. Problem is, he's still not better than Dieng at playing the 4.

4. When I was in high school, The Mets had a pitcher named David West. Wasn't that great, but because the Mets were always on TV, and announcers would talk him up, everybody thought he was good. One team even traded the defending Cy-Young award winner to get him. That went poorly. When I think of Dellavedova, I think of David West.

5. Johnson had a bad year, and you can't have FIVE GUYS who play the same position. 15 roster spots, 5 positions. Pretty easy stuff.

[bleedspeed]

Would anyone trade the 5th pick for Jabari Parker? I know Cam likely would, but I don't think I would. He was pretty undewhelming this year and really has no position in the NBA.