Who Should We Sign? (2023 Off-Season)

[Ozymandias]

so one of the big draft rumors for months is that the Spurs are very high on the Thompson twins..

Where would that leave them with Romeo Langford? whos still just 23 years old, athletic and a strong defender.

an interesting RFA offer sheet possibility. As much as his offensive stats arent gonna blow anyone away, looking at footage from this season he's clearly improved and more comfortable passing the ball. I feel like he's a good match here.

I'm a believer, his story might be one where he's on sale cuz he's had some injuries, the price shouldnt be much, there's still upside.

 

[ESP47]

Torrey Craig is a UFA.

Older but could be a good bench/fill in guy.

 

[twslam07]

I’m starting to sour on Reid a bit as I continue to watch more film on him (as well as other FA PFs). He’s definitely a fluid athlete but I’m starting to have questions about him guarding on the perimeter full time. I don’t have those concerns watching some of these other options. I think I’m settling back in on ole faithful…PJ Washington. He’s got the size, he’s got the length, he’s got the rim protection, he’s go the shooting, he’s got the youth, he’s got a bit of scoring/ball handling, he’s got some passing skills. Just an all around skillful player that fills a lot of our needs.

Having said that, I’m coming around on Jerami Grant. I was worried how he’d fit in with the culture and locker room since he seemed to prioritize money/being the focal point over winning but I’ve done a bit more research and there’s a lot of reports that talk about him being a high character guy, being very coachable, being a hard worker/gym rat, etc. I think he could be an excellent fit next to Sabonis while at the same time giving us a talent upgrade from Barnes. Below are their per36 stats from last year:

Grant vs. Barnes
Height w/o Shoes: 6’6.5” vs. 6’7”
Standing Reach: 8’11” vs. 8’5.5”
Wingspan: 7’2.75” vs. 6’11.25”
USG%: .228 vs. .171
TS%: .606 vs. .632
FG%: .475 vs. .473
2P%: .523 vs. .553
3P%: .401 vs. .374
FT%: .813 vs. .847
FGA: 14.6 vs. 10.7
2PA: 8.9 vs. 5.9
3PA: 5.8 vs. 4.8
FTA: 5.5 vs. 5.6
PTS: 20.7 vs. 16.6
REB: 4.5 vs. 4.9
AST: 2.4 vs. 1.7
STL: 0.8 vs. 0.8
BLK: 0.8 vs. 0.1
TO: 1.9 vs. 1.2
PF: 2.4 vs. 1.4

Considering Grant averaged 20.7 PTS per36 on a .606 TS%, you can slot him as another go-to option/secondary scorer behind Fox (something that could have been useful during the playoffs). I also don’t think Sabonis would have any problem taking less of a scoring role and playing that 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is ideal for him).

The rebounding is obviously a concern, but as you can see, his REB numbers are not that much different than Barnes’ REB numbers so I don’t really expect us to fall off much in that department while I’d probably prefer Grant’s size and length in the playoffs (from a rebounding perspective).

Floor spacing wise, Grant should be able to maintain the spacing we had this year and might be a bit better than Barnes at stretching the floor (higher % on 1 more shot per36).

I think the biggest difference between the two will likely be defensively. Grant’s defensive ceiling is much higher than Barnes’ and defense was his calling card earlier in his career before his offensive game developed. His combination of length and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions while also allowing him to be a pretty good rim protector (he averaged 0.8 BLK per36 this past season but his career average is actually 1.4). Considering he has a reputation of being coachable, I’m sure Mike Brown could get the most out of him defensively.

Grant is going be 29 at the start of next season which is another reason why I wasn’t taking a serious look at him (in addition to thinking he might not be a good character/culture fit), but I’m sitting here watching a 38 year old LeBron, 38 year old Paul, 37 year old Lowry, 36 year old Horford, 35 year old Curry, 34 year old Durant, 33 year old Butler, 33 year old Harden, 33 year old K. Thompson, and 33 year old D. Green all play a key/big role on their teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs and wonder if I’ve been a bit too strict in my filter. At the very least, Barnes will be 31 at the start of next season so swapping him for Grant does make this team a bit younger.

In a nut shell, I feel like the biggest teams needs are:

• A PF who can help protect the rim
• A PF who is a great defender
• A PF with great length & athelticism
• A PF who is a great shooter
• Another secondary scorer/go-to option behind Fox (Sabonis is probably best in a 3rd option/facilitator role)
• Another good rebounder to help Sabonis a bit

Grant checks all of those boxes besides rebounding. That’s pretty darn good (and not particularly easy to find & address).

To sign Grant, we’d undoubtedly have to burn an asset to clear Holmes salary off our books (creating more cap space). I’m a bit more inclined to try and attach Mitchell to Holmes (vs. attaching our 2023 1st to Holmes) since 1) we already have Monk who can take over backup PG minutes and 2) Mitchell will be up for a new contract soon and with giving Grant a big contract this off-season, resigning Sabonis & Monk to large contracts during the 2024 off-season, etc. I think it would be wise to keep the 1st instead since they’ll be on a rookie scale contract for the next 4 years. Then you keep Lyles’ hold in place (allowing us to go over the cap to resign him), use the room exception on Vezenkov, and use min deals to fill in the rest of the roster:

PG - Fox / Monk / Ellis
SG - Huerter / Edwards / Dozier
SF - Murray / Vezenkov
PF - Grant / Lyles
C - Sabonis / Len / Queta
Picks - #24 / #38 / #54

 

[The_Jamal]

I’m starting to sour on Reid a bit as I continue to watch more film on him (as well as other FA PFs). He’s definitely a fluid athlete but I’m starting to have questions about him guarding on the perimeter full time. I don’t have those concerns watching some of these other options. I think I’m settling back in on ole faithful…PJ Washington. He’s got the size, he’s got the length, he’s got the rim protection, he’s go the shooting, he’s got the youth, he’s got a bit of scoring/ball handling, he’s got some passing skills. Just an all around skillful player that fills a lot of our needs.

Having said that, I’m coming around on Jerami Grant. I was worried how he’d fit in with the culture and locker room since he seemed to prioritize money/being the focal point over winning but I’ve done a bit more research and there’s a lot of reports that talk about him being a high character guy, being very coachable, being a hard worker/gym rat, etc. I think he could be an excellent fit next to Sabonis while at the same time giving us a talent upgrade from Barnes. Below are their per36 stats from last year:

Grant vs. Barnes
Height w/o Shoes: 6’6.5” vs. 6’7”
Standing Reach: 8’11” vs. 8’5.5”
Wingspan: 7’2.75” vs. 6’11.25”
USG%: .228 vs. .171
TS%: .606 vs. .632
FG%: .475 vs. .473
2P%: .523 vs. .553
3P%: .401 vs. .374
FT%: .813 vs. .847
FGA: 14.6 vs. 10.7
2PA: 8.9 vs. 5.9
3PA: 5.8 vs. 4.8
FTA: 5.5 vs. 5.6
PTS: 20.7 vs. 16.6
REB: 4.5 vs. 4.9
AST: 2.4 vs. 1.7
STL: 0.8 vs. 0.8
BLK: 0.8 vs. 0.1
TO: 1.9 vs. 1.2
PF: 2.4 vs. 1.4

Considering Grant averaged 20.7 PTS per36 on a .606 TS%, you can slot him as another go-to option/secondary scorer behind Fox (something that could have been useful during the playoffs). I also don’t think Sabonis would have any problem taking less of a scoring role and playing that 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is ideal for him).

The rebounding is obviously a concern, but as you can see, his REB numbers are not that much different than Barnes’ REB numbers so I don’t really expect us to fall off much in that department while I’d probably prefer Grant’s size and length in the playoffs (from a rebounding perspective).

Floor spacing wise, Grant should be able to maintain the spacing we had this year and might be a bit better than Barnes at stretching the floor (higher % on 1 more shot per36).

I think the biggest difference between the two will likely be defensively. Grant’s defensive ceiling is much higher than Barnes’ and defense was his calling card earlier in his career before his offensive game developed. His combination of length and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions while also allowing him to be a pretty good rim protector (he averaged 0.8 BLK per36 this past season but his career average is actually 1.4). Considering he has a reputation of being coachable, I’m sure Mike Brown could get the most out of him defensively.

Grant is going be 29 at the start of next season which is another reason why I wasn’t taking a serious look at him (in addition to thinking he might not be a good character/culture fit), but I’m sitting here watching a 38 year old LeBron, 38 year old Paul, 37 year old Lowry, 36 year old Horford, 35 year old Curry, 34 year old Durant, 33 year old Butler, 33 year old Harden, 33 year old K. Thompson, and 33 year old D. Green all play a key/big role on their teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs and wonder if I’ve been a bit too strict in my filter. At the very least, Barnes will be 31 at the start of next season so swapping him for Grant does make this team a bit younger.

In a nut shell, I feel like the biggest teams needs are:

• A PF who can help protect the rim
• A PF who is a great defender
• A PF with great length & athelticism
• A PF who is a great shooter
• Another secondary scorer/go-to option behind Fox (Sabonis is probably best in a 3rd option/facilitator role)
• Another good rebounder to help Sabonis a bit

Grant checks all of those boxes besides rebounding. That’s pretty darn good (and not particularly easy to find & address).

To sign Grant, we’d undoubtedly have to burn an asset to clear Holmes salary off our books (creating more cap space). I’m a bit more inclined to try and attach Mitchell to Holmes (vs. attaching our 2023 1st to Holmes) since 1) we already have Monk who can take over backup PG minutes and 2) Mitchell will be up for a new contract soon and with giving Grant a big contract this off-season, resigning Sabonis & Monk to large contracts during the 2024 off-season, etc. I think it would be wise to keep the 1st instead since they’ll be on a rookie scale contract for the next 4 years. Then you keep Lyles’ hold in place (allowing us to go over the cap to resign him), use the room exception on Vezenkov, and use min deals to fill in the rest of the roster:

PG - Fox / Monk / Ellis
SG - Huerter / Edwards / Dozier
SF - Murray / Vezenkov
PF - Grant / Lyles
C - Sabonis / Len / Queta
Picks - #24 / #38 / #54

Who said he'd be guarding the perimeter full-time?

I think you utilize him being a 4/5 flex and he effectively becomes your back-up 5. A real key for me is for us to find a way to get Domas into the playoffs healthier and far more fresh. I don't want to see him being 6th in the NBA in minutes next season. Just way too much for a big, especially one with his offensive responsibility.

Keegan 32 || Kessler 8 || Vezenkov 8
Naz 12 || Vezenkov 21 || Lyles 15
Sabonis 33 || Naz 15

Domas-- 33 minutes
Keegan-- 32 minutes
Vezenkov-- 29 minutes
Naz-- 27 minutes
Lyles--15 minutes
Kessler-- 8 minutes

You can obviously cut the Kessler playing time for small-ball with the guards or just shortening the rotation. But something along these lines could easily work and take advantage of flexing guys around.

Going after retreads like Grant is just lost money to me at this point. I don't want any part of buying past production and guys who are very likely peaked or heading on the downward slope of their career. That's not how you take another leap as a team. You elevate by investing in younger guys who are ascending and perhaps still come at a slight discount for what they could turn into. Vandy was this guy 2 years ago. Hartenstein and Monk last year. I think Naz is very very clearly that guy this year.

 

[twslam07]

Who said he'd be guarding the perimeter full-time?

I think you utilize him being a 4/5 flex and he effectively becomes your back-up 5. A real key for me is for us to find a way to get Domas into the playoffs healthier and far more fresh. I don't want to see him being 6th in the NBA in minutes next season. Just way too much for a big, especially one with his offensive responsibility.

Keegan 32 || Kessler 8 || Vezenkov 8
Naz 12 || Vezenkov 21 || Lyles 15
Sabonis 33 || Naz 15

Domas-- 33 minutes
Keegan-- 32 minutes
Vezenkov-- 29 minutes
Naz-- 27 minutes
Lyles--15 minutes
Kessler-- 8 minutes

You can obviously cut the Kessler playing time for small-ball with the guards or just shortening the rotation. But something along these lines could easily work and take advantage of flexing guys around.

Going after retreads like Grant is just lost money to me at this point. I don't want any part of buying past production and guys who are very likely peaked or heading on the downward slope of their career. That's not how you take another leap as a team. You elevate by investing in younger guys who are ascending and perhaps still come at a slight discount for what they could turn into. Vandy was this guy 2 years ago. Hartenstein and Monk last year. I think Naz is very very clearly that guy this year.

I don’t think I agree with the bolded. If the peaked player you’re signing is an upgrade over a current player, you can certainly take another leap as a team.

 

[206Fan]

I’m starting to sour on Reid a bit as I continue to watch more film on him (as well as other FA PFs). He’s definitely a fluid athlete but I’m starting to have questions about him guarding on the perimeter full time. I don’t have those concerns watching some of these other options. I think I’m settling back in on ole faithful…PJ Washington. He’s got the size, he’s got the length, he’s got the rim protection, he’s go the shooting, he’s got the youth, he’s got a bit of scoring/ball handling, he’s got some passing skills. Just an all around skillful player that fills a lot of our needs.

Having said that, I’m coming around on Jerami Grant. I was worried how he’d fit in with the culture and locker room since he seemed to prioritize money/being the focal point over winning but I’ve done a bit more research and there’s a lot of reports that talk about him being a high character guy, being very coachable, being a hard worker/gym rat, etc. I think he could be an excellent fit next to Sabonis while at the same time giving us a talent upgrade from Barnes. Below are their per36 stats from last year:

Grant vs. Barnes
Height w/o Shoes: 6’6.5” vs. 6’7”
Standing Reach: 8’11” vs. 8’5.5”
Wingspan: 7’2.75” vs. 6’11.25”
USG%: .228 vs. .171
TS%: .606 vs. .632
FG%: .475 vs. .473
2P%: .523 vs. .553
3P%: .401 vs. .374
FT%: .813 vs. .847
FGA: 14.6 vs. 10.7
2PA: 8.9 vs. 5.9
3PA: 5.8 vs. 4.8
FTA: 5.5 vs. 5.6
PTS: 20.7 vs. 16.6
REB: 4.5 vs. 4.9
AST: 2.4 vs. 1.7
STL: 0.8 vs. 0.8
BLK: 0.8 vs. 0.1
TO: 1.9 vs. 1.2
PF: 2.4 vs. 1.4

Considering Grant averaged 20.7 PTS per36 on a .606 TS%, you can slot him as another go-to option/secondary scorer behind Fox (something that could have been useful during the playoffs). I also don’t think Sabonis would have any problem taking less of a scoring role and playing that 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is ideal for him).

The rebounding is obviously a concern, but as you can see, his REB numbers are not that much different than Barnes’ REB numbers so I don’t really expect us to fall off much in that department while I’d probably prefer Grant’s size and length in the playoffs (from a rebounding perspective).

Floor spacing wise, Grant should be able to maintain the spacing we had this year and might be a bit better than Barnes at stretching the floor (higher % on 1 more shot per36).

I think the biggest difference between the two will likely be defensively. Grant’s defensive ceiling is much higher than Barnes’ and defense was his calling card earlier in his career before his offensive game developed. His combination of length and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions while also allowing him to be a pretty good rim protector (he averaged 0.8 BLK per36 this past season but his career average is actually 1.4). Considering he has a reputation of being coachable, I’m sure Mike Brown could get the most out of him defensively.

Grant is going be 29 at the start of next season which is another reason why I wasn’t taking a serious look at him (in addition to thinking he might not be a good character/culture fit), but I’m sitting here watching a 38 year old LeBron, 38 year old Paul, 37 year old Lowry, 36 year old Horford, 35 year old Curry, 34 year old Durant, 33 year old Butler, 33 year old Harden, 33 year old K. Thompson, and 33 year old D. Green all play a key/big role on their teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs and wonder if I’ve been a bit too strict in my filter. At the very least, Barnes will be 31 at the start of next season so swapping him for Grant does make this team a bit younger.

In a nut shell, I feel like the biggest teams needs are:

• A PF who can help protect the rim
• A PF who is a great defender
• A PF with great length & athelticism
• A PF who is a great shooter
• Another secondary scorer/go-to option behind Fox (Sabonis is probably best in a 3rd option/facilitator role)
• Another good rebounder to help Sabonis a bit

Grant checks all of those boxes besides rebounding. That’s pretty darn good (and not particularly easy to find & address).

To sign Grant, we’d undoubtedly have to burn an asset to clear Holmes salary off our books (creating more cap space). I’m a bit more inclined to try and attach Mitchell to Holmes (vs. attaching our 2023 1st to Holmes) since 1) we already have Monk who can take over backup PG minutes and 2) Mitchell will be up for a new contract soon and with giving Grant a big contract this off-season, resigning Sabonis & Monk to large contracts during the 2024 off-season, etc. I think it would be wise to keep the 1st instead since they’ll be on a rookie scale contract for the next 4 years. Then you keep Lyles’ hold in place (allowing us to go over the cap to resign him), use the room exception on Vezenkov, and use min deals to fill in the rest of the roster:

PG - Fox / Monk / Ellis
SG - Huerter / Edwards / Dozier
SF - Murray / Vezenkov
PF - Grant / Lyles
C - Sabonis / Len / Queta
Picks - #24 / #38 / #54

I'd be open to Grant, but I'm not sure how much it takes... remember, he turned down 4 yrs $114million (28.5mpy) by the Blazers. The highest max an NBA team could offer Grant in FA is 4 yrs $174 million (43.5mpy). The highest the Blazers can offer him is 5 yrs $233milion (46.6mpy).

Also worth it to note that his agent is Rich Paul. Seems like his original agency was bought out by Klutch and he's now a Rich Paul client.

 

[miltonap]

I just watched this whole thing

And I had no idea where this guy was projected at before I started the video.

Watching I thought he might be a mid first rounder or maybe 20s.

I was super surprised to see him mocked outside of the whole draft

Watching him he reminds me of some kind of mix between Big Baby Davis and Demarcus Cousins on offense.

Seems to have a nose for the ball and also seems like a really tough player with attitude

I like that he can shoot the ball as well (or at least be passable it seems) which should open up a lot of opportunities for him

I know there's a draft thread but I'm picturing this kind of lineup with the Kings

Fox
Huerter
Murray
Vezenkov
Sabonis

Davion
Monk
Kessler Edwards
Oscar Tshiebwe 4/5
Mystery 4/5

You got a little bit of soft but super high octane offense with the first unit with a bad bad (in a good/dawg kind of way) 2nd unit.

Perfect to mix and match the two, I just don't know who that mystery 4/5 would be.

If Davion could improve his shot more that could be a tough tough team

And you would no longer have the need of an enforcer type in the frontcourt, Tshiebwe would be that guy

Exciting to think about the possibilities that could get this team over the hump !!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

And I had no idea where this guy was projected at before I started the video.

Watching I thought he might be a mid first rounder or maybe 20s.

I was super surprised to see him mocked outside of the whole draft

Tshiebwe is a rebounding beast. He's lacking some of the natural basketball skills that teams are looking for, but as a role player he's going to have a really nice career and is very obviously being under mocked. He also seems to fit the mold of the type of player that Monte appears to like - the older player who is seasoned and ready to contribute. It would not remotely shock me if we drafted him - even at #24.

 

[Ozymandias]

I feel like were goin a lil too far with the smallball so I'ma keep posting Jaxson Hayes highlights here HAhah

especially check out the quality of the blocks in this one, I think that'd look nice here..


I know people are throwing around big $$$$ names around as solutions but the Kings are in a position to bring in reclamation projects if their cheap enough, this is an interesting one, there's simply not athletes at this players size on the market.

2 year deal on the low. He gets 12mpg or less. The risk is very very very low, considering the reward potential imo (the reward would be some high energy 7footer flying around n countering certain lineups/providing rim protection.

 

[Ozymandias]

I wonder what the market, and the expectations of Dennis Smith Jr are gonna be this summer? Can he find a legit backup spot?

He had a bit of a resurgence this year for the Hornets and he's proven to be a beast of an on-ball defender. Could we get him here as the 3rd string PG? He was over 3:1 ast:to and while he's not much of a 3pt shooter he's still got good burst to his first step.

 

[Ozymandias]

This is the realistic target im really hopeful for though tbh. This highlight package is only a week old would highly recommend.

Really like the risk/reward potential. would want him on a 2 or 3 year deal

Lots of discussion will be had about forwards leading up to the draft, I'm quite sure 27 year old Bates-Diop is a much safer bet to contribute efficiently right away and immediately help the playoff push than most of the potential rookies we'll be discussing.

 

[Ozymandias]

I just watched this whole thing

And I had no idea where this guy was projected at before I started the video.

Watching I thought he might be a mid first rounder or maybe 20s.

I was super surprised to see him mocked outside of the whole draft

Watching him he reminds me of some kind of mix between Big Baby Davis and Demarcus Cousins on offense.

Seems to have a nose for the ball and also seems like a really tough player with attitude

I like that he can shoot the ball as well (or at least be passable it seems) which should open up a lot of opportunities for him

I know there's a draft thread but I'm picturing this kind of lineup with the Kings

Fox
Huerter
Murray
Vezenkov
Sabonis

Davion
Monk
Kessler Edwards
Oscar Tshiebwe 4/5
Mystery 4/5

You got a little bit of soft but super high octane offense with the first unit with a bad bad (in a good/dawg kind of way) 2nd unit.

Perfect to mix and match the two, I just don't know who that mystery 4/5 would be.

If Davion could improve his shot more that could be a tough tough team

And you would no longer have the need of an enforcer type in the frontcourt, Tshiebwe would be that guy

Exciting to think about the possibilities that could get this team over the hump !!

Tshiebwe is the type of player who can really punish certain matchups in college, it stands to reason theres far fewer of those matchups to be found in the NBA. Unfortunately I dont think he's much of a 4 at this point, don't mistake him for Bam Adebayo, he's not nearly that kind of athlete. Oscar is tough as nails and maybe he can carve out a backup spot, but it seems he's destined to have to prove himself in the g-league before the NBA level. Adema Sanogo who's similarly tough and built and won the player of the tournament and national championship with UConn this year is also projected outside of the draft by many, and Sanogo can shoot. The NBA just doesnt seem to be in a rush to grab players like this

Figures the draft only having 58 picks this year due to forfeitures really hurt guys like this chances of being selected, though i'd argue him landing in the right spot is more important than if he gets drafted or not.

 

[twslam07]

I'd be open to Grant, but I'm not sure how much it takes... remember, he turned down 4 yrs $114million (28.5mpy) by the Blazers. The highest max an NBA team could offer Grant in FA is 4 yrs $174 million (43.5mpy). The highest the Blazers can offer him is 5 yrs $233milion (46.6mpy).

Also worth it to note that his agent is Rich Paul. Seems like his original agency was bought out by Klutch and he's now a Rich Paul client.

Not saying he’s worth this much but if you…

• Trade Holmes/Mitchell for cap space
• Waive Dozier
• Keep Lyles cap hold

…you’d have $33.6 mil in cap space. Factoring in 5% raises each year, we can offer a max of $144.9 mil/4 years (average salary of $36.2 mil).

 

[Hoovtrain]

Not saying he’s worth this much but if you…

• Trade Holmes/Mitchell for cap space
• Waive Dozier
• Keep Lyles cap hold

…you’d have $33.6 mil in cap space. Factoring in 5% raises each year, we can offer a max of $144.9 mil/4 years (average salary of $36.2 mil).

Personally i wouldn’t trade Mitchell for cap space just to get grant. Not a bad player, just don’t think he’s worth it.

 

[Stan.Helsing]

Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant is a very good player but I think paying him $36M is a criminal waste of money, especially with the new CBA restrictions kicking in, and when the team still has to extend Sabonis.

By the way, I am not sure where the potential culture issues comes from. He did not want to be the 4th option on offense at Denver, which he would have been after Jokic, Murray and MPJ. That is fair, since he is good enough to be a good 3rd option. He then decided on Detroit to help build that franchise, because other black NBA players talk a lot about BLM, etc... but then none of them want to live in primarily black cities. So he decided to walk the walk, not just talk the talk and be a hypocrite. It is what he gave as one of the reasons for joining and staying at the Pistons, even when they were not doing good. Then he helped them by being a leader to their young recruits. Very admirable and commendable of Jerami overall, IMO.

You are right about him possibly wanting too much money as a 3rd option though.

Anyway, I think he stays with the Blazers, since he is from Portland. He will likely prefer to build up his hometown team, especially if they are keeping Lillard and not going for a full rebuild.

You could have better spent the time you took to write all of that trying to help me figure out how to get Herb (and Cam Johnson).

 

[BigVirg]

I’m starting to sour on Reid a bit as I continue to watch more film on him (as well as other FA PFs). He’s definitely a fluid athlete but I’m starting to have questions about him guarding on the perimeter full time. I don’t have those concerns watching some of these other options. I think I’m settling back in on ole faithful…PJ Washington. He’s got the size, he’s got the length, he’s got the rim protection, he’s go the shooting, he’s got the youth, he’s got a bit of scoring/ball handling, he’s got some passing skills. Just an all around skillful player that fills a lot of our needs.

Having said that, I’m coming around on Jerami Grant. I was worried how he’d fit in with the culture and locker room since he seemed to prioritize money/being the focal point over winning but I’ve done a bit more research and there’s a lot of reports that talk about him being a high character guy, being very coachable, being a hard worker/gym rat, etc. I think he could be an excellent fit next to Sabonis while at the same time giving us a talent upgrade from Barnes. Below are their per36 stats from last year:

Grant vs. Barnes
Height w/o Shoes: 6’6.5” vs. 6’7”
Standing Reach: 8’11” vs. 8’5.5”
Wingspan: 7’2.75” vs. 6’11.25”
USG%: .228 vs. .171
TS%: .606 vs. .632
FG%: .475 vs. .473
2P%: .523 vs. .553
3P%: .401 vs. .374
FT%: .813 vs. .847
FGA: 14.6 vs. 10.7
2PA: 8.9 vs. 5.9
3PA: 5.8 vs. 4.8
FTA: 5.5 vs. 5.6
PTS: 20.7 vs. 16.6
REB: 4.5 vs. 4.9
AST: 2.4 vs. 1.7
STL: 0.8 vs. 0.8
BLK: 0.8 vs. 0.1
TO: 1.9 vs. 1.2
PF: 2.4 vs. 1.4

Considering Grant averaged 20.7 PTS per36 on a .606 TS%, you can slot him as another go-to option/secondary scorer behind Fox (something that could have been useful during the playoffs). I also don’t think Sabonis would have any problem taking less of a scoring role and playing that 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is ideal for him).

The rebounding is obviously a concern, but as you can see, his REB numbers are not that much different than Barnes’ REB numbers so I don’t really expect us to fall off much in that department while I’d probably prefer Grant’s size and length in the playoffs (from a rebounding perspective).

Floor spacing wise, Grant should be able to maintain the spacing we had this year and might be a bit better than Barnes at stretching the floor (higher % on 1 more shot per36).

I think the biggest difference between the two will likely be defensively. Grant’s defensive ceiling is much higher than Barnes’ and defense was his calling card earlier in his career before his offensive game developed. His combination of length and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions while also allowing him to be a pretty good rim protector (he averaged 0.8 BLK per36 this past season but his career average is actually 1.4). Considering he has a reputation of being coachable, I’m sure Mike Brown could get the most out of him defensively.

Grant is going be 29 at the start of next season which is another reason why I wasn’t taking a serious look at him (in addition to thinking he might not be a good character/culture fit), but I’m sitting here watching a 38 year old LeBron, 38 year old Paul, 37 year old Lowry, 36 year old Horford, 35 year old Curry, 34 year old Durant, 33 year old Butler, 33 year old Harden, 33 year old K. Thompson, and 33 year old D. Green all play a key/big role on their teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs and wonder if I’ve been a bit too strict in my filter. At the very least, Barnes will be 31 at the start of next season so swapping him for Grant does make this team a bit younger.

In a nut shell, I feel like the biggest teams needs are:

• A PF who can help protect the rim
• A PF who is a great defender
• A PF with great length & athelticism
• A PF who is a great shooter
• Another secondary scorer/go-to option behind Fox (Sabonis is probably best in a 3rd option/facilitator role)
• Another good rebounder to help Sabonis a bit

Grant checks all of those boxes besides rebounding. That’s pretty darn good (and not particularly easy to find & address).

To sign Grant, we’d undoubtedly have to burn an asset to clear Holmes salary off our books (creating more cap space). I’m a bit more inclined to try and attach Mitchell to Holmes (vs. attaching our 2023 1st to Holmes) since 1) we already have Monk who can take over backup PG minutes and 2) Mitchell will be up for a new contract soon and with giving Grant a big contract this off-season, resigning Sabonis & Monk to large contracts during the 2024 off-season, etc. I think it would be wise to keep the 1st instead since they’ll be on a rookie scale contract for the next 4 years. Then you keep Lyles’ hold in place (allowing us to go over the cap to resign him), use the room exception on Vezenkov, and use min deals to fill in the rest of the roster:

PG - Fox / Monk / Ellis
SG - Huerter / Edwards / Dozier
SF - Murray / Vezenkov
PF - Grant / Lyles
C - Sabonis / Len / Queta
Picks - #24 / #38 / #54

Key Question..... Is a guy like that worth 25-30 mill a year? If so, is he good enough to make you a title contender? If the answer isn't yes to both then you can't commit that kind of contract to that guy.

 

[twslam07]

Jerami Grant is a very good player but I think paying him $36M is a criminal waste of money, especially with the new CBA restrictions kicking in, and when the team still has to extend Sabonis.

By the way, I am not sure where the potential culture issues comes from. He did not want to be the 4th option on offense at Denver, which he would have been after Jokic, Murray and MPJ. That is fair, since he is good enough to be a good 3rd option. He then decided on Detroit to help build that franchise, because other black NBA players talk a lot about BLM, etc... but then none of them want to live in primarily black cities. So he decided to walk the walk, not just talk the talk and be a hypocrite. It is what he gave as one of the reasons for joining and staying at the Pistons, even when they were not doing good. Then he helped them by being a leader to their young recruits. Very admirable and commendable of Jerami overall, IMO.

You are right about him possibly wanting too much money as a 3rd option though.

Anyway, I think he stays with the Blazers, since he is from Portland. He will likely prefer to build up his hometown team, especially if they are keeping Lillard and not going for a full rebuild.

You could have better spent the time you took to write all of that trying to help me figure out how to get Herb (and Cam Johnson).

Yeah I don’t think he’s worth $36 mil a year either. I was just sharing how much cap space we’d have after making those moves. I think he’s right around that $25-$30 mil range. However, he also turned down a $28.5 mil/year extension from the Blazers. Is he expecting another team to offer him considerably more? Was he just not wanting to commit to a team that didn’t make the playoffs? I’m not sure.

I know it’s his home town team but if the money offered is comparable from POR and SAC, would he really choose the 13th seed Blazers (& Lillard will be 33 next year) over the 3rd seed Kings (all of our core guys are younger than Grant)? Maybe. Winning is not the only motivation but it usually is a pretty important one.

 

[twslam07]

Key Question..... Is a guy like that worth 25-30 mill a year? If so, is he good enough to make you a title contender? If the answer isn't yes to both then you can't commit that kind of contract to that guy.

I mean he gives you another legitimate, efficient go-to scoring option which pushes Sabonis into a 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is perfect for him). I think we all saw how valuable it would have been to have another legitimate scoring threat to rely on (outside of Fox) in the playoffs.

He also is about as ideal of a running mate you can put next to Sabonis considering he is a great shooter (allowing the paint to remain open for Sabonis) while covering for him defensively considering he has excellent length & athleticism, is a good rim protector, and can guard multiple positions at a high level.

Now is a core of Fox-Huerter-Murray-Grant-Sabonis with Monk as our 6th man a title contender? I can’t say for certain. A lot of that is going to ride on how much Fox improves (can he reach superstar status?), if Sabonis can figure out how to be effective in the playoffs (can he figure out how to punish defenses, how Murray develops, & how well we draft with our future 1sts.

However, this could be a team with one Top 10 superstar (Fox), a 2nd star (Sabonis), two fringe stars (Grant & Murray), a solid starting SG (Huerter), and a 6MOY candidate (Monk). From a talent perspective, they could be up there with anyone. But then you also consider that it’s not just talented but complementary. Huerter, Murray, and Grant are great shooters to space the floor for the stars. Huerter and Murray have proven to be effective off-ball players and move without the ball well. A Fox-Sabonis PnR has great chemistry. We have some decent rim protection with Grant (and Murray to a lesser degree). Depending on how Murray develops, you could have 3 good/great defenders in Fox, Murray, & Grant.

On top of that roster/core, the Kings would still have all of their future 1sts (after the one from the Huerter trade likely conveys in 2024) which still gives them many paths to adjust, pivot, or improve the team further.

 

[The_Jamal]

I don’t think I agree with the bolded. If the peaked player you’re signing is an upgrade over a current player, you can certainly take another leap as a team.

Depends on the situation, but it mostly is the case imo.

Grant at 30 mil/season replacing Barnes doesn't move the needle at all. He's probably better than Barnes? But certainly nothing that would vault us into a title team

Likewise Naz at 12-15 mil leaves you upside on the bone in terms of player upside and salary flexibility.

 

[The_Jamal]

I mean he gives you another legitimate, efficient go-to scoring option which pushes Sabonis into a 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think is perfect for him). I think we all saw how valuable it would have been to have another legitimate scoring threat to rely on (outside of Fox) in the playoffs.

He also is about as ideal of a running mate you can put next to Sabonis considering he is a great shooter (allowing the paint to remain open for Sabonis) while covering for him defensively considering he has excellent length & athleticism, is a good rim protector, and can guard multiple positions at a high level.

Now is a core of Fox-Huerter-Murray-Grant-Sabonis with Monk as our 6th man a title contender? I can’t say for certain. A lot of that is going to ride on how much Fox improves (can he reach superstar status?), if Sabonis can figure out how to be effective in the playoffs (can he figure out how to punish defenses, how Murray develops, & how well we draft with our future 1sts.

However, this could be a team with one Top 10 superstar (Fox), a 2nd star (Sabonis), two fringe stars (Grant & Murray), a solid starting SG (Huerter), and a 6MOY candidate (Monk). From a talent perspective, they could be up there with anyone. But then you also consider that it’s not just talented but complementary. Huerter, Murray, and Grant are great shooters to space the floor for the stars. Huerter and Murray have proven to be effective off-ball players and move without the ball well. A Fox-Sabonis PnR has great chemistry. We have some decent rim protection with Grant (and Murray to a lesser degree). Depending on how Murray develops, you could have 3 good/great defenders in Fox, Murray, & Grant.

On top of that roster/core, the Kings would still have all of their future 1sts (after the one from the Huerter trade likely conveys in 2024) which still gives them many paths to adjust, pivot, or improve the team further.

I mean Grant has been a lead option for 3 years now and he was only successful last year in POR. We just throwing those DET years out? Because he wasn't good.

 

[twslam07]

Depends on the situation, but it mostly is the case imo.

Grant at 30 mil/season replacing Barnes doesn't move the needle at all. He's probably better than Barnes? But certainly nothing that would vault us into a title team

Likewise Naz at 12-15 mil leaves you upside on the bone in terms of player upside and salary flexibility.

I have Grant as a level above Barnes. He’s a better option than him on both sides of the floor. On top of that, I think he complements the core better as well potentially giving us a synergistic effect.

 

[twslam07]

I mean Grant has been a lead option for 3 years now and he was only successful last year in POR. We just throwing those DET years out? Because he wasn't good.

How are you defining “success” here?

 

[SacTownKid]

I just watched this whole thing

And I had no idea where this guy was projected at before I started the video.

Watching I thought he might be a mid first rounder or maybe 20s.

I was super surprised to see him mocked outside of the whole draft

Watching him he reminds me of some kind of mix between Big Baby Davis and Demarcus Cousins on offense.

Seems to have a nose for the ball and also seems like a really tough player with attitude

I like that he can shoot the ball as well (or at least be passable it seems) which should open up a lot of opportunities for him

I know there's a draft thread but I'm picturing this kind of lineup with the Kings

Fox
Huerter
Murray
Vezenkov
Sabonis

Davion
Monk
Kessler Edwards
Oscar Tshiebwe 4/5
Mystery 4/5

You got a little bit of soft but super high octane offense with the first unit with a bad bad (in a good/dawg kind of way) 2nd unit.

Perfect to mix and match the two, I just don't know who that mystery 4/5 would be.

If Davion could improve his shot more that could be a tough tough team

And you would no longer have the need of an enforcer type in the frontcourt, Tshiebwe would be that guy

Exciting to think about the possibilities that could get this team over the hump !!

He's one of the reasons I think those 2nd rounders might be just fine and 24? Meh, let other GM's allow the 2nds to work for you. Felt the same way about Naz a few years back, if teams let players like this or a Drew Timme slip all the way out, I question a lot of GM's ability to judge talent.

 

[SacTownKid]

Not saying he’s worth this much but if you…

• Trade Holmes/Mitchell for cap space
• Waive Dozier
• Keep Lyles cap hold

…you’d have $33.6 mil in cap space. Factoring in 5% raises each year, we can offer a max of $144.9 mil/4 years (average salary of $36.2 mil).

Grant as a sign and trade person is probably the best bet. No way do you trade Mitchell for cap space unless Grant is a lock to sign, if 24 can't get it done then either Monte needs to try and slice a portion off of Holmes' deal another way, Brown needs to solidify Richaun as THE backup C (DO NOT SPEND ON ANOTHER BACKUP C THIS SUMMER), or Holmes needs to be salary filler in a big, big deal that involves a bunch of assets.

 

[SacTownKid]

I mean Grant has been a lead option for 3 years now and he was only successful last year in POR. We just throwing those DET years out? Because he wasn't good.

Then again, people were saying the same things about Fox. Grant as a first option is a heck no, but as a 3rd he'd honestly fill the role of someone that can actually put up those points. He's proven that. The scary thing in looking at the numbers is the contract years are far more efficient but the truth is, it's like a 1 shot difference between makes and misses so it's probably fine.

 

[SacTownKid]

I have Grant as a level above Barnes. He’s a better option than him on both sides of the floor. On top of that, I think he complements the core better as well potentially giving us a synergistic effect.

I think he's a slight step forward from Barnes at this point simply because Barnes is too content to fit in. That said, with where the Kings are at, any steps forward is mandatory.

 

[twslam07]

Grant as a sign and trade person is probably the best bet. No way do you trade Mitchell for cap space unless Grant is a lock to sign, if 24 can't get it done then either Monte needs to try and slice a portion off of Holmes' deal another way, Brown needs to solidify Richaun as THE backup C (DO NOT SPEND ON ANOTHER BACKUP C THIS SUMMER), or Holmes needs to be salary filler in a big, big deal that involves a bunch of assets.

Totally agree that you don’t make the trade until you have an agreement in place with Grant.

 

[The_Jamal]

How are you defining “success” here?

As being good at basketball lol.

I think we can agree his DEN role playing days are a thing of the past. That's not who he's going to be if we go sign him. But he was not good in DET and was very close to full blown chucker status. 55.6% TS on 28.5 and 25.7% USG is atrocious.

I'll concede he looked much better in a 2nd/3rd option role with POR and a much more palatable 22.8% USG. But what are we really paying for here? Is a slightly better on-ball scorer than Barnes worth a 4/100 type contract? And he's fine on defense, but he's nowhere close to the same defender he was as a younger player that got him into a larger role. He's nowhere close to a stopper anymore.

To add on to that, played 54, 47 and 63 games the last 3 years. If I'm making a $100 mil bet on someone, there should be no question he'd step in right away and help get this team into a WCF. I don't see that with Grant.

 

[The_Jamal]

Or I guess another way to look at this is:

Who's been better the last 3 years. Barnes or Grant?

 

[twslam07]

I think he's a slight step forward from Barnes at this point simply because Barnes is too content to fit in. That said, with where the Kings are at, any steps forward is mandatory.

What is Barnes better at than Grant? I find myself asking this question and I struggle to come up with much of a list.