Ok, I know this is going to come off a bit crazy, but I could envision a scenario in which we might have to consider trading Tyreke.
If at the 7th pick our best option is either Knight or Walker, or if we somehow trade into the 2nd pick, and Cleveland takes Williams and we get Irving, don't you think that we'd have too many scoring guards?
Thornton was doing some really, really nice things towards the end of the year last year. Any of the 3 point guards (Irving, Knight or Walker) would probably be an improvement over Tyreke in terms of being more of a "legit" point guard. I just think if we get one of those 3 guys, and we re-sign Thornton, then somebody is the odd man out. You can't put any of those 3 guys on the bench for an extended period of time. It just doesn't make any sense. Thornton is the only one that doesn't seem to need to always have the ball in his hands, unlike Tyreke or any of the 3 PG's in the top 10.
So, it seems like Thornton should be the guy that we definitely keep, assuming we can sign him to a "reasonable" deal. Then obviously, if we take any of those 3 point guards, the thought process must be that they are going to be our future at that position, so they need to get major playing time. The problem is, Tyreke's early success and Rookie of the Year award, require that he get's major minutes. Which means that Knight or Walker would come off the bench. Irving would likely start alongside Tyreke, which would be the wrong pairing. (Obviously, I know I'm wishing on a star but if Kahn accepted Casspi and the 7th overall pick....) Thornton would be the better pairing, but I just can't see Tyreke coming off the bench. It would be too huge a blow to his ego, and it would probably cause considerable tension.
So, that brings us back to the original point. Could we even fathom trading Tyreke? Who could we get in return? Obviously, all of this is pretty much a moot point if Kawhi Leonard is on the board at No.7. I think it's a no brainer the Kings take him at that spot, but if Leonard is gone, and Kemba is there....
If at the 7th pick our best option is either Knight or Walker, or if we somehow trade into the 2nd pick, and Cleveland takes Williams and we get Irving, don't you think that we'd have too many scoring guards?
Thornton was doing some really, really nice things towards the end of the year last year. Any of the 3 point guards (Irving, Knight or Walker) would probably be an improvement over Tyreke in terms of being more of a "legit" point guard. I just think if we get one of those 3 guys, and we re-sign Thornton, then somebody is the odd man out. You can't put any of those 3 guys on the bench for an extended period of time. It just doesn't make any sense. Thornton is the only one that doesn't seem to need to always have the ball in his hands, unlike Tyreke or any of the 3 PG's in the top 10.
So, it seems like Thornton should be the guy that we definitely keep, assuming we can sign him to a "reasonable" deal. Then obviously, if we take any of those 3 point guards, the thought process must be that they are going to be our future at that position, so they need to get major playing time. The problem is, Tyreke's early success and Rookie of the Year award, require that he get's major minutes. Which means that Knight or Walker would come off the bench. Irving would likely start alongside Tyreke, which would be the wrong pairing. (Obviously, I know I'm wishing on a star but if Kahn accepted Casspi and the 7th overall pick....) Thornton would be the better pairing, but I just can't see Tyreke coming off the bench. It would be too huge a blow to his ego, and it would probably cause considerable tension.
So, that brings us back to the original point. Could we even fathom trading Tyreke? Who could we get in return? Obviously, all of this is pretty much a moot point if Kawhi Leonard is on the board at No.7. I think it's a no brainer the Kings take him at that spot, but if Leonard is gone, and Kemba is there....