So my first option for this summer would be to try and grab a pair of free agents, preferably Love and DJ, in order for us to both take advantage of the rising cap and get back to contention as early as possible. However, since things don't always work out the way we want them to, here's a decent plan B for this summer that would have us go the full young route.
Step 1) Trade Bradley to Utah for #12 and whatever else needed to make it work
Step 2) 3-team trade between Sacramento, Denver, and Boston
Denver: Collison, Turner, Stauskas, #6 pick, #16
Sacramento: Lawson, Olynyk
Boston: Thompson, #7
Why for Denver: They unload Lawson while picking up a cheaper pg for the next couple of years, an expiring contract in Turner, a good-shooting prospect in Stauskas, an extra pick this year, and they move up a spot in the draft.
Why for Sacramento: Karl gets his old point guard back in Lawson and they get the stretch-4 in Olynyk that they've been wanting. A Lawson, Mcelmore, Gay, Olynyk, Cousins lineup has a ton of potential, and it's probably the best they could get this summer. Also, it's perfect for Olynyk, because he'll be the fifth option on offense and not have to carry a huge load for points and rebounding.
Why for Boston: We pick up another good pick in a good draft, while only having to lose a redundant Olynyk and taking on Thompson's medium-sized contract for the next two years.
Step 3) Select WCS at #7 and either Booker, Turner, Johnson, or Oubre at #12.
The case for Booker: I see a lot of Klay Thompson and Danny Green in him, and he could be a very good two-way player to stick long-term next to Smart.
The case for Turner: Turner could be a very good two-way stretch-4 to play next to an offensively limited big like WCS. LMA is a very good player comparison for him.
The case for Johnson: Could be the next great perimeter defender alongside Smart, and he has offensive upside to go along with it.
The case for Oubre: Very intriguing upside for both a lefty shooter and a lanky defender. Could form a terrifying shooting duo with James Young if they both hit their potential.
What I would do: Since we have Sully and WCS in this scenario already, I tend to think that Turner is the least desirable of the four here at 12, though he probably won't last that long anyways. I think he projects long-term as a stretch-5 rather than stretch-4, because I worry about him guarding quicker power forwards in smaller lineups. Johnson probably won't be available at 12 either, though I'd love a balanced perimeter of Smart, Young, and Johnson. This leaves Booker and Oubre, and I'd probably go with Oubre over Booker at this point due to Oubre's versatility and higher upside. I see Young as a big 2-guard more than a 3, and Oubre could fill that spot at the 3 while Booker probably could not. I just love the potential that a Smart, Young, and Oubre threesome has, and it provides us with great length and size at those positions. We'd then have a lineup next year of:
PG: Smart, IT
SG: Young, Wallace
SF: Oubre, Crowder
PF: Sullinger, Thompson
C: WCS, Zeller
Again, I would much prefer (and I think this is the route we'll head in) to chase some free agents this year, because the weak East is ripe for the taking outside of Cleveland and Atlanta. However, this is a good plan B if we decided to go young, and I think that core would be one of the strongest young cores in the entire league.
Topic: A Go-Young Proposal for the Summer (Read 2650 times)