Minnesota Sports Forum

I was just thinking today what if Peyton Watson is just an ok player and Denver avoided overpaying him and got a decent return for him? They still need some more talent on that roster including someone that can play defense. I'm not suggesting Denver is low key geniuses they simply couldn't afford to pay him.

Meanwhile that Christian Braun is even more expensive and could bounce back and get back to being a reasonably good player. We could end up with one of those players but so far Connelly has avoided signing guys to bad unmovable deals that clog up the roster. Resigning Randle didn't go well for the Wolves overall but he was able to dump his salary for moving back a couple spots in the draft which also ended up being something that saved them money anyway and they got a guy they wanted. The Conley contract was ok they had to trade back a little to get off it but that wasn't exactly a terrible deal either I thought Conely could have asked for more and then it would have been much more problematic. Naz Reid's deal? Yeah Charlotte really wanted him. Ayo currently is the next contract that I suppose could turn out poorly but Connelly has said multiple times he turned down more money to come back and I don't think Connelly would BS about something like that. McDaniels contract is a great value. Even before the current CBA a bad contract was tough although there were ways to get out of them. Now it's maybe even tougher although with the Lottery changes I think if the player can at least still play some teams are gonna be more willing to take a guy on similar to Randle although I think Randle is a good but flawed player and paid in the neighborhood of what he is worth.

Anyway, just some things to think about and a reminder that even though we want to know now whether something is good or bad or whatever sometimes it really does take time to see how it all plays out.

Klay Thompson is bought out by the Mavs and will be signing a 2 year deal with Miami for more than the vet min.

Denver signs Derozan. Pretty nice move for them but doesn't help their defense.

That's a few dominos to fall and does that mean now some other players will sign or make a decision?

Cam Wittmore will be waived by the Cavs. I'd guess there is some concern about his health after his issues last season but I'd guess there will be teams interested. He is also 2-way eligible.

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Just in: Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson has agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale contract extension with the franchise, sources tell ESPN. The new deal includes a 10% trade kicker

I've wondered if Jaden might sign a 2 year extension this summer which could be as high as 2 year 87 million which would be a similar AAV for the two years. If he waits a year, I believe he can sign a 4 year bigger extension at that point. We still have Jaden locked in on a good deal for 3 more years, but he's going to get expensive.

Ben Simmons signs with the Kings. I wish him well but I'm not sure if that was the best landing spot for him. If he can stay healthy I think he can be more than a worthwhile player even with his flaws.

I know he has his flaws too but I'm kinda surprised Markelle Fultz is out of the league. It looks like he will be playing overseas this year.

Monster wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2026 10:08 am Ben Simmons signs with the Kings. I wish him well but I'm not sure if that was the best landing spot for him. If he can stay healthy I think he can be more than a worthwhile player even with his flaws.

I know he has his flaws too but I'm kinda surprised Markelle Fultz is out of the league. It looks like he will be playing overseas this year.

I saw this will be Simmons 10th year. That is a big deal as it gets him an NBA family benefits pension. I remember reading a few years back that Tony Snell was looking to play with anyone to get that 10th year.

Phenom wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2026 11:44 am

Monster wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2026 10:08 am Ben Simmons signs with the Kings. I wish him well but I'm not sure if that was the best landing spot for him. If he can stay healthy I think he can be more than a worthwhile player even with his flaws.

I know he has his flaws too but I'm kinda surprised Markelle Fultz is out of the league. It looks like he will be playing overseas this year.

I saw this will be Simmons 10th year. That is a big deal as it gets him an NBA family benefits pension. I remember reading a few years back that Tony Snell was looking to play with anyone to get that 10th year.

Yeah that is a big deal. I was thinking he had already crossed that threshold. At 10 years it maxes out the money he gets too. It's definitely worth playing another year. There are some real benefits to getting in as many NBA seasons as you can and even signing a 2-way gets you started.