thecampster

Bobby Portis is a dark horse cheaper replacement.

Not saying I know anything but I know Brooklyn would love to pair KD with Capela. KD might be the most natural fit opposite Capela in the league. This is a poorly kept secret around the league.

The Deal from the Hawks perspective has always been Capela + Bogi + 16 for Gobert. Or Capela + Huerter + (unspecified pick) for Gobert. The Deal from the Utah perspective has been Capela + Hunter + filler for Gobert. I have no idea where he got Collins name from. Conversations involving Collins have been for Collins + unspecified for other PF + unspecified. or Collins + unspecified for SG. So much BS out there but those are the only conversations surrounding Capela and Utah and the only conversations surrounding JC and anyone. FYI, the Collins for SG could be a draft pick but I'm not sure how that makes us better now.

On that note, I know I'm in the minority but I'm not the believer in OO that others are. The kid has heart and you can't teach that. You either have it or you don't. But his offensive talent is so mechanical he makes JC look like he can dribble. On the other hand, Just take a second and watch this Jalen Johnson video and remember, that when finished, he's going to play the 4 but be capable to slide down to the 3. Specifically watch how easy he makes offense look in this highlight video. Compare his handles, passing to JC. This kid is about 10 lbs lighter than JC....in 2 years 15 lbs of muscle he is going to be impossible to stop. I'm not sure I want OO at the 4 getting "vet minutes" to impede this progress. JJ is your future combo forward and if Hunter is going to be at the 3, JJ's only spot is the 4. Both JC and JJ have good footwork around the rim offensively. They are equally good rebounders and finishers. JC is a better outside shooter, but his shot is slow to get off and he misses opportunities due to the windup. JJ is an adequate outside shooter, developing midrange game. If this was the only criteria, JC would have the edge. But Jalen's ball on the floor, floor vision game is 2 guard worthy. I've been trying to come up with a comparison for him and IMHO its James Worthy. Their size, ability, strengths are extremely similar. Watch both videos and tell me you don't see a very similar player.

@NBASupes is more vested and is following that. If there's any news, he would have it.

Traditional 4, I get it. OO would be a load offensively in the paint for a typical 4 to guard. He is so strong. He's incredibly active, so I get it. He's going to have to get at least a 12 feet out face up game to be effective and that's why he needs time I'd gather.

Yup and "go into the tax" is very different than "we aren't scared of the LT and will pay what we need to in order to compete". His words are carefully chosen.

Paying "the tax" is extremely vague. Team 4 million over the tax threshold pay on non-repeater status pay $6 million in tax. (Total cost for that salary, 10 million). Team 6 million over the tax threshold with repeater status pay $15.25 million in tax. (Total cost for that 6 million in salary, 21.25 million) Now mull that over. Repeat offender, 2 million more in salary = $9.25 million in tax. Same team $15 million of the tax threshold with repeater status pays $43.5 million in tax. (Total cost for that 15 million more in salary, $58.5 million). We have limits. Are we willing to pay a tax? Sure! But how much we are willing to be taxed and in future years is the mystery.

Within this year's window, yes. But 22-23, no. There is one more year on that, so there is that consideration.

Out 32 million in salary, in 57 million. Wondering why this rumor feels not quite right.

The draft is weak. If this draft was merged when Trae's year happened. Only 2 would go top 10. Possibly no one top 5.

So yah...before that trade they were $21 million short of the league minimum salary. They'd have to pay that money anyway. They're currently okay for next year with their trade today.

Okay, outside the box thinking here. Whether or not OKC spends the money on Gallo or not, for the purposes of financial calculation to end the season, they're short of the 90% required by the league. For background, to keep teams from not paying players, being cheap, the NBA requires teams to spend 90% of the salary cap. " Teams with a team salary below the minimum are surcharged for their shortfall, with the money distributed among the players on that team. Amounts paid as buyouts to international teams (see question number 77) do not count toward the minimum team payroll." http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap11.htm So with 23.4 million remaining, Cap of 112.4, that leaves OKC with a $12.16 million shortfall that they will have to pay. Stay with me here. The calculations are based on players remaining on your roster at the end of the season and not the total amount you paid in salaries. So theoretically since they would have to pay a $12.16 million regardless, OKC could trade for $12.16 million in Salary (absorb Gallo and send back waste) and save themselves from having to pay the difference under 90%. I'm trusting the tweet and haven't run the exact math but yah, there you are. Taking on Gallo's salary for next year and then flipping him as soon as he's eligible could save them real money this year plus gain them another draft asset. I need to ruminate on this.

I got dental implants this year and my tinnitus has been gone ever since. Lost 9 lbs since. Getting the last booster later this month. So probably don't want to draw a straight line correlation.

What happened to him? He used to be serviceable?

I'd play him next to Gobert to start the season without pause. I would not play him next to Ayton, Capela to start the season unless we were rebuilding. His defensive shortcomings are in PnR, PnP, switching situations. I'd wager he's better 1v1 defensively than Collins right now. Its the team aspect of defense where he is woefully behind. Gobert can help cover for that. Capela is not good enough, Ayton is too lazy to cover for teammates like that. He's more volatile. Gobert is more dedicated to his craft, longer and could cover those deficiencies. My guess is over 40 games JJ would improve dramatically. Its a matter of time with him, not ability. He's proven he has the BBIQ to develop in other areas. This one is just stuff he's never encountered in amateur play. He's already much better than he was when he came in. Most of it is now timing and recognition with can only be learned through repetition.

They're worth way more than Gallo as a $10 million overpay and 1 pick though. He can want to move them all he wants but there are places more eager for them than we are.

@h4wkfan lets play a little salary connect 4. Besides Trae and assuming Gallo is waived, the top 3 salaries on the team are: JC-$23.5 mil, Clint-$19.7 mil (cap purposes), BB-$18 mil. When you include Gallo's salary - $1.67 million (stretched cap impact), that's another $19.78 mil in a team currently at $152.7 million in salary. Those salaries add up to $80.98 million or Gobert + 1x $35 million salary + $7 million. So go find me a top 5 2-guard at $35 million, slip JJ into the 4 or backup 4 and fill in some slots with the other $7 million in add on pieces. That's how I see it. I see a big pot of money absorbed by 4 players, 1 of which won't be on the team next year and those salaries take up the starting/backup 4 spots, the starting center spot, backup 2 guard spot. I see Trae, Hunter in the starting lineup and say what can put around them. JJ = no salary impact to the $80.98 mil. He's already on the roster. So now I say...can I get another C, PF, SG for $80.98 mil and would they be a better fit around Trae? Of all the salaries above, JC's contributes the most, Gallo the second most and we have a good player waiting to take one of those slots. You got 16/8 from Collins last year. JJ gave you 22.5/11.1/4.6 in the g-league last year. I have to believe his drop off from Collins in the NBA won't be too far. Especially at 13% the salary.

I never said "defensive 4", I said improve defensively. Defense at the 2/5 is the defense I'm talking about. Much of what JC brings to the table can be replaced by JJ right now (we'd be missing a few things but actually be better in a couple....like JJ's ball on the floor, passing game). I'm willing to take steps down at the starting/backup 4 if it upgrades our starting 5, starting/backup 2.

Minor props to the board by the way. I would never even consider posting the above on RealGM. The majority of the board wouldn't be able to process it, compartmentalize it or not abuse it. The above is some deep level GM type of discussion and is not the conversation topic for mere mortals to grasp. I don't expect all on this board to get every nuance of what we're saying, but I do love how the collective intelligence of this board is capable of seeing 3D chess level nuance and can talk cap issues/player values at higher than a 6th grade reading level. The discussions here really have improved over the last 10ish years. and by post I mean most of what everyone here posts and not just myself, Jaybird or a select few. There is a large basket of quality posters on this board and that's not common.

I'm trying to advance (or quash) a discussion. Every year I make a post that I inevitably get flamed for (usually pre-draft through Moratorium) where I give examples of the types of posts people should avoid if they don't want to incur the wrath of the board. This whole discussion is quickly derailing into silly. Jaybird's post was about bringing the discussion back to "reasonably could" instead of "theoretically possible". Its theoretically possible the whole world will lay down their nuclear arms tomorrow, disband their militaries and through logic and reason enter into a 1 world government run through community level policing democracy". Theoretically possible...oh sure.....Reasonably could...lol no. The nonsense has all centered on Gallo. No team in the league sees Gallo as worth spending more than (estimated) $12 million ish next year. $10 million 1 year rental is probably more reasonable. So when I told Jaybird I could get behind her 4 players for Gallo suggestion. I wasn't saying (oh yah lets make that happen). I was saying, I'd accept that because it fits our cap needs. What I wasn't saying is, "yep, OKC would do that." I've never had a good feel for "taking back bad salary X is worth draft pick Y" but if I had to guess, 1 year of taking away Gallo's entire 2022 salary is worth a future 1st top 20 protected (because its only 1 year). When you start throwing players in, you aren't going to get much in return positive without adding more compensation. To get the haul Jaybird was suggesting would probably take the future 1st and #16 just for starters. But when people start going into hypotheticals where multiple teams are thinking for trading for Gallo as if he's a positive at that salary, I have to protest. Her post was closer to my thinking on this. So let me say this with clarity. Any post where we are sending out Gallo, getting back usable assets in return for any salary swap level is going to cost 2 x 1sts (IMHO) and I don't think Travis is going to do that when he can keep the assets and just waive/stretch that $5 million. Why stretch, financial? $1.66 million /year for 3 years. If the team believe it won't go too far into the LT, that $1.66 will cost less LT penalty in total if stretch vs loading up the LT amount this year. Although it could push us into the LT in the next 3 years each year, it may not and stretched dead money in the LT is better than loaded up dead money in the LT.

Player 2022-23 With Waived Trae Young $36,600,000 John Collins $23,500,000 Danilo Gallinari $21,450,000 $5,000,000 Clint Capela $19,706,897 Bogdanovic $18,000,000 Kevin Huerter $14,508,929 De'Andre Hunter $9,835,881 Onyeka Okongwu $6,395,160 Jalen Johnson $2,792,520 Total $152,789,387 Cap Projected $122,000,000 LT Projected $149,000,000 Without Danilo - $136,339,387

He is the 2nd highest paid player on a team that needs to make salary room for defense. There are about 8 teams in the league that could use a bonified 4 with scoring. Draw your own conclusions.

Danilo is on the final year of his deal. No one with the cap room is taking on Gallo. Only a team with a poor multi year contract and a chance of contending would take him to keep him, unless we're selling him. But then we're giving up 16 just to save $5 million for 1 year. If we took back a bad contract instead, that puts us in the LT. We aren't taking back a multi year unless it's useful.