Everything 2019 Offseason!

[DanH]

He really fits the Masai / Webster player profile.
Off the court he is low maintenance.
On the court he has length and even more length ....He can will take the three. .He plays up close and personal rentless D .... He has big motor.

The price will be steep. I don't think Ujiri wants to give up any more firsts than he already has....
Who and what would you package up ?
He makes 11 and we have no cap space to absorb anything so some one has to go....

Covington is a deal where Powell is the obvious swap. Not sure if the Wolves would be interested though - would require them to value him as a potential breakout piece. And I agree that Ujiri would likely not want to give up any more picks at all, if it could be avoided. Unless perhaps if Kawhi re-signed long term, that may make moving another first more palatable.

[Machine]

It has to be today right?

[Demographic Shift]

We enter Day 6 of Kawhi watch today on July 5.
The longer this goes the tighter sphincters are getting in what is becoming the dystopian world of the Los Angeles Lakers.
They have to execute the trade for Davis on the 6th as the Pellys and Wizards will expect or perhaps demand to be paid.
Problem is that the sequencing of the transactions demands that Leonard sign BEFORE the trades are executed as that is how they have the cap space to bring both he and Davis on board. The pressure will be immense to delay the trade calls with the league office as long as possible. .

So Kawhi could announce today.... for maximum press coverage he might do it this afternoon. That way he can hit both coast news cycles.
BUT if he doesn't make his intentions know today and it drags on to the morning of the 6th there will be a smell in Los Angles.... the smell of panic.

Take your time Kawhi.... really think about it.

[Apollo]

He really fits the Masai / Webster player profile.
Off the court he is low maintenance.
On the court he has length and even more length ....He can will take the three. .He plays up close and personal rentless D .... He has big motor.

The price will be steep. I don't think Ujiri wants to give up any more firsts than he already has....
Who and what would you package up ?
He makes 11 and we have no cap space to absorb anything so some one has to go....

Covington is a deal where Powell is the obvious swap. Not sure if the Wolves would be interested though - would require them to value him as a potential breakout piece. And I agree that Ujiri would likely not want to give up any more picks at all, if it could be avoided. Unless perhaps if Kawhi re-signed long term, that may make moving another first more palatable.

So Norm plus picks if Kawhi re-signs? Sign me up!

Kawhi, RoCo & OG would be devastating on the wing.

[Puffer]

While we are all waiting on the decision 2.0, what moves are available to improve this team if Kawhi does indeed return? I gotta admit that was a pretty gruelling playoffs for Kawhi with all of the double and triple teams he faced and the open player not making the other team pay nearly as much as they could have. Can we get Beal or a player of his level in a trade?

Is the culture around the Raptors, and the player lineup enough to withstand Demarcus Cousins? If he is healthy he can provide something Marc can't...an intimidating and tough to stop offensive presence inside. It looks like teams are shying away. He has already shown he is a ring chaser. Between Masai, Nurse, Kawhi, Kyle and Gasol is there enough of a steadying influence. I've read that his dirruptive reputation may be overstated. Just wondering.

[Machine]

Curious to know what peoples thoughts are about Cousins at the minimum? Personally I would lean towards no but he could be useful against a big team like the sixers.

[Puffer]

Curious to know what peoples thoughts are about Cousins at the minimum? Personally I would lean towards no but he could be useful against a big team like the sixers.

He could be useful against a lot of teams, regular season and playoffs.

[Machine]

He could be useful against a lot of teams, regular season and playoffs.

My concern is we have a lot of front court players. He will not get much playing time and he will be disruptive. He is looking to prove himself this year.

[LJ2]

Is the culture around the Raptors, and the player lineup enough to withstand Demarcus Cousins? If he is healthy he can provide something Marc can't...an intimidating and tough to stop offensive presence inside. It looks like teams are shying away. He has already shown he is a ring chaser. Between Masai, Nurse, Kawhi, Kyle and Gasol is there enough of a steadying influence. I've read that his dirruptive reputation may be overstated. Just wondering.

If Kawhi signs every move the Raptors make has to be with the goal of winning another 'chip. I don't think you take the chance on Cousins despite the potential upside.

[MixxAOR]

Curious to know what peoples thoughts are about Cousins at the minimum? Personally I would lean towards no but he could be useful against a big team like the sixers.

We have a better centre

[Apollo]

If Kawhi signs every move the Raptors make has to be with the goal of winning another 'chip. I don't think you take the chance on Cousins despite the potential upside.

If Kawhi re-signs the campaign begins to re-sign him again. So yeah, keep it rolling with players who compliment him. Guys who can hit shots and stay in front of their man.

[Kagemusha]

Curious to know what peoples thoughts are about Cousins at the minimum? Personally I would lean towards no but he could be useful against a big team like the sixers.

Grab him before Dolan signs him to a max

[inthepaint]

Does powell's contract work as the ballast? Might be more incentive for Washington if the two players we are sending are both young to fit the timeline of when they might be ready to compete again. I would do OG, Powell and the pick for Beal if it works.

Unfortunately no, Powell's salary is less than half of Beal's.

[Demographic Shift]

It pays off big time to have a front office that is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. While not alone Ujiri at the top of the mountain on execs (Morey and Presti and West and Oshey are really good as well) Masai has set up a set of paths he can follow for the next couple of years with some very good outcomes.

Lets say Leonard signs up with the Raps.... It means this year he tweaks at the edges if he can see a way to improve but has a team as currently constructed that will be again a contender for the NBA Finals in 2020. He then has the ability to move away from approx 75M in contracts for the following season. Thats a lot of folding money to build around what will be a Leonard/Siakam/OG frontcourt and a Freddy/Norm backcourt....

If Kawhi finds the allure of home to much to overcome then you might see him take a couple of paths.

1. He could begin to make some moves to build around the same Siakam/OG frontcourt and the Freddy/Norm backcourt by chasing Beal with expiring contracts that helps the Whiz get out from underneath cap hell. He will need to find the point guard of the future as well as its still murky if Freddy is the guy to be the lead guard on a champiionship team. He may well be. We shall see.

2. He could also just keep his powder dry till offseason where he could clear and carry enough space to chase the Alphabet in the summer of 2021. In the interim he can use the excess to take some bad money deals for draft picks to build up the asset base.


I want the Leonard stays scenario more of course. Winning has a way of doing that. But unlike other franchises the Raps have options that are solid strategies.

Tick Tock on when Leonard annonces his intention to pursue another title in Toronto this season. They are sweating bullets in Lakerland right now.

[Jclaw]

It pays off big time to have a front office that is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. While not alone Ujiri has set up the next couple of years with some very good outcomes.

Lets say Leonard signs up with the Raps.... It means this year he tweaks at the edges if he can see a way to improve but has a team as currently constructed that will be again a contender for the NBA Finals in 2020. He then has the ability to move away from approx 75M in contracts for the following season. Thats a lot of folding money to build around what will be a Leonard/Siakam/OG frontcourt and a Freddy/Norm backcourt....

If I’m not wrong, Freddy signed a 2year deal and is part of those expiring contracts and not a part of the for certain backcourt. Still like the planning overall