2026 Off-season Thread

rastamon87 said:
Just a trend that I am starting to see… imho, the nba landscape has changed, you can have a young team that fits together, good athleticism/motor/lenght, two-way players and well coached… then you can win… gone are the days of the veteran top heavy big 3 and super teams….

Not optimistic for next year teams if they stay small/unathletic/old/suspect defense at the guard and wings positions….
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Which is why I'm pushing for the Cavs to accelerate the develpment of Tyson, Proctor and Tomlin to augment Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, Allen, and Merrill.
 
Wham with the Right Hand said:
Which is why I'm pushing for the Cavs to accelerate the develpment of Tyson, Proctor and Tomlin to augment Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, Allen, and Merrill.
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That's fine as a one-year plan as the Cavs duck below the 2nd apron, pay off another year on their pick debt, and (hopefully) turn Harden into an expiring contract next summer. It's a bit of a Hail Mary though and if the Cavs find themselves in a similar position next season, more drastic changes might be necessary.

I think things are going to unravel pretty soon in Lakerland. The reality is that they're not going to punt another season of Luka's prime by failing to build the team around him. A couple of their F.A. center targets are RFAs and you have to have the cap space to present an offer sheet. That means that either LBJ agrees to take less, or they release his cap hold, and if they release his cap hold, his Bird Rights go with it.
 
CavsKermit said:
Harden isn't taking 6th man money, which makes that plan kind of problematic.
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in all likelihood the entire league believes that james hardens value is 6th man money after his recent playoff numbers....what is problematic is that this koby altman characrer is going to pay him starter money.....a 37-year-old point guard with a million miles on him getting 60mm....guaranteed.

i told you three years ago this guy was going to fuk your shit up....and here is now....going to fuk your shit up even more giving harden 60 and mitchell 300...

oh my....just horrible....

guy has no business running any professional franchise
 
Dr No said:
He was the #9 pick and was still -24 over the last 3 games we played. Once Allen figured him out he was pretty much useless. What makes you think Procter or Tomlin are in his league much less able to out perform him?
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The reality is that the Cavs current choices aren't great. I suspect the primary goal is to get Mitchell to extend this summer, pay off another year of our pick debt, and drop below the 2nd apron. We really need the Lakers to piss off LBJ and release his cap hold for there to be any type of trade that allows us to get better next season.
 
CavsKermit said:
The reality is that the Cavs current choices aren't great. I suspect the primary goal is to get Mitchell to extend this summer, pay off another year of our pick debt, and drop below the 2nd apron. We really need the Lakers to piss off LBJ and release his cap hold for there to be any type of trade that allows us to get better next season.
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That doesn't make the Cavs any better. Still plenty of internal decisions and players getting better, can help alot. Capping Mitchell's regular season minutes at 2000. Harden being more comfortable. Mobley and Tyson still have room for growth. Altman getting better shooters......

LeBron is washed as a player that can elevate a team.
 
Futuredome said:
That doesn't make the Cavs any better. Still plenty of internal decisions and players getting better, can help alot. Capping Mitchell's regular season minutes at 2000. Harden being more comfortable. Mobley and Tyson still have room for growth. Altman getting better shooters......

LeBron is washed as a player that can elevate a team.
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LeBron didn't looked washed a few weeks ago. He carried that team. He can't carry a team at a championship level like he used to, but he played a damn sight better than did Harden. If we're talking about a contract in the $25-30M range, I'd rather have LBJ than Harden.
 
The Human Q-Tip said:
LeBron didn't looked washed a few weeks ago. He carried that team. He can't carry a team at a championship level like he used to, but he played a damn sight better than did Harden. If we're talking about a contract in the $25-30M range, I'd rather have LBJ than Harden.
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He didn't carry anything. The Rockets were train wreck bad. Then reality came, against a injured, not peak efficiency Thunder team.
 
Futuredome said:
He didn't carry anything. The Rockets were train wreck bad. Then reality came, against an injured, not peak efficiency Thunder team.
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The dude averaged 23-6-6 on 50% shooting with the entire Thunder defense focused on him as the primary option. They have elite defenders even if Jalen Williams was injured
 
It's starting to sound like LBJ doesn't want to leave the Lakers. He may not have a choice if he wants more than the MLE, but I suspect the threats to go elsewhere are a leverage play. The question is how much the Lakers care if he leaves for nothing.

The reporting is that Duren could fetch between $40-45M per as a RFA, which sounds crazy to me. Kessler's more of an injury risk, but I have to imagine he doesn't sign an offer sheet for less than $25M if Duren gets $40M. Eason is a RFA. So is Peyton Watson. The Lakers need to cap space to present an offer sheet to any of these guys, which means releasing LBJ's cap hold or LBJ signing at a much lower number.
 
CavsKermit said:
It's starting to sound like LBJ doesn't want to leave the Lakers. He may not have a choice if he wants more than the MLE, but I suspect the threats to go elsewhere are a leverage play. The question is how much the Lakers care if he leaves for nothing.

The reporting is that Duren could fetch between $40-45M per as a RFA, which sounds crazy to me. Kessler's more of an injury risk, but I have to imagine he doesn't sign an offer sheet for less than $25M if Duren gets $40M. Eason is a RFA. So is Peyton Watson. The Lakers need to cap space to present an offer sheet to any of these guys, which means releasing LBJ's cap hold or LBJ signing at a much lower number.
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40 million for Duren is a whooof
 
Dr No said:
He was the #9 pick and was still -24 over the last 3 games we played. Once Allen figured him out he was pretty much useless. What makes you think Procter or Tomlin are in his league much less able to out perform him?
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I never said those guys can out perform Murray-Boyles. I was responding to you saying this:

Tyson, Proctor & Tomlin are not going to be playoff ready for a number of years. Unless a player is supremely talented, they aren’t usually playoff positives until mid career.

I thought CMB was a "playoff positive" for the Raptors as a rookie. None of the three Cavs I mentioned will be rookies next year. If Kenny gives them each 1,600-2,000 minutes of playing time next season I think all of them could be "playoff positives."

CMB averaged 14.4 ppg in 27 minutes against the Cavs, shooting 66% from the field. He added 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. In the three Raptors wins he was 22/8, 15/10, and 17/7 in points/rebounds. To me that's a positive for a non-starter, especially a rookie.

The fact that they had him on the floor for an average of 27 minutes per game shows they thought he was a positive contributor. It was Poeltl that struggled to contribute and had his minutes reduced. In the Game 6 do-or-die win CMB played 40 minutes and was a +2.

I'm obviously higher on Tyson, Proctor, and Tomlin than you. I don't think it will take "a number of years" before they can become "positive" contributors in the playoffs. Tyson is almost there already and Proctor played 106 games at Duke. Tomlin is the one who might be further away. I'm influenced by what Kenny and Donovan have said about these guys. They know better than me.

CMB was just the first name that came to mind when you said players aren't usually positive contributors in the playoffs until mid-career.

Daniss Jenkins went undrafted in 2024, was a two-way player with the Pistons in '24-'25, and started for them against the Cavs in the playoffs in his second season, scoring 12, 14, and 15 points in their three wins.
 
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Wham with the Right Hand said:
I never said those guys can out perform Murray-Boyles. I was responding to you saying this:

Tyson, Proctor & Tomlin are not going to be playoff ready for a number of years. Unless a player is supremely talented, they aren’t usually playoff positives until mid career.

I thought CMB was a "playoff positive" for the Raptors as a rookie. None of the three Cavs I mentioned will be rookies next year. If Kenny gives them each 1,600-2,000 minutes of playing time next season I think all of them could be "playoff positives."

CMB averaged 14.4 ppg in 27 minutes against the Cavs, shooting 66% from the field. He added 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. In the three Raptors wins he was 22/8, 15/10, and 17/7 in points/rebounds. To me that's a positive for a non-starter, especially a rookie.

The fact that they had him on the floor for an average of 27 minutes per game shows they thought he was a positive contributor. It was Poeltl that struggled to contribute and had his minutes reduced. In the Game 6 do-or-die win CMB played 40 minutes and was a +2.

I'm obviously higher on Tyson, Proctor, and Tomlin than you. I don't think it will take "a number of years" before they can become "positive" contributors in the playoffs. Tyson is almost there already and Proctor played 106 games at Duke. Tomlin is the one who might be further away. I'm influenced by what Kenny and Donovan have said about these guys. They know better than me.

CMB was just the first name that came to mind when you said players aren't usually positive contributors in the playoffs until mid-career.

Daniss Jenkins went undrafted in 2024, was a two-way player with the Pistons in '24-'25, and started for them against the Cavs in the playoffs in his second season, scoring 12, 14, and 15 points in their three wins.
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The reality is that any of those guys could be ready next year, or never, but once you've taken a coaching change off the table, your options are quite limited. Give them run and hope for the best.
 
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