It doesn't really have anything to do with the 2010 FA class. All three of those guys have topped out on their potential and they're bench players. We don't really need to be spending $18 million a year for three backup players. Especially if we're not good enough to make the playoffs. Yes maybe their hustle is good for the team, but losing those contracts (3 years for Nocioni, 4 years for Garcia and Udrih) would help the team more. I don't think all three of them need to be traded, one or two would be fine, but I would make all three of them available and take the best offer.
I just don't feel that we need to be tossing away useful players (sure, they're not stars, but they're useful) for ending contracts at this point -- especially Beno. I've been thinking that the best case draft scenario for us, given that we don't make any trades, is the following:
#4 Rubio
#23 Lawal/Hansbrough
#31 Claver/Dasic
Now I know that people are going to hate the idea of Hansbrough, but he measured out better than expected in Chicago and he's a known quantity. Nobody expects him to be a star, but as the #3 big man in a frontcourt rotation? He should be solid. At #23 I don't see a T-Will falling to us, and at #31 I don't see a Casspi around. At #23 I'd really like to go big to get that #3 guy in the rotation. At #31 we could try to grab the #12 PG in the class or we could just try to find a Euro whose stock is a bit lower because they're not coming over immediately. Either way I don't think we can get an immediate contributor there.
Then I'd project out rotation minutes as follows:
Post (96 min): Thompson (32), Hawes (30), #23 (20), Nocioni (14)
Wing (96 min): Martin (30), Garcia (25), Nocioni (16), Greene (25)
PG (48 min): Beno (24), #4-Rubio (24)
Obviously I'd expect to give Martin (and maybe Hawes) more time on a per-game basis, but with their injury history he (they) will probably miss time and I'm accounting for that. I'm already giving Greene way more minutes than he has thus far earned, I'm stretching the #23, and Nocioni/Garcia still see 30/25 mpg.
I actually think we're going to need to USE these guys next year. And I'd much rather it be them than an expiring like Harpring/Korver who is less likely to help us. We're going to want to start on the upswing next year, shoot for 35 wins, and Nocioni/Garcia will be an important part of that. Beno? We need him as the PG anchor as we groom the rookie we draft at #4.
Once our new PG is ready to take over the reins, once Donte or some other SF is ready to start, then we can think about shipping off one or more of these guys. And hey, maybe there will be a trade that comes up that makes a more sensible use of them. I mean, I'd ship any combo of them off to Washington for the #5 and whatever trash they want to give us. But like it or not, these guys are probably going to be integral parts of the rotation for the next two years and I don't want to trade them for nothing
right now. They'll be tradeable enough when the time comes.