2026 Off-season Thread

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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Both of those guys had moments when they were good and moments when they were ass. Neither could be counted on to consistently contribute vs vets through a whole series. That was my point. If we are somehow going to be better and get farther in the playoffs next year, the chances of those 3 getting us there are slim. If we are losing vets to be replaced by these 3, we are almost certainly falling further behind. These dudes aren’t Castle & Harper or even McCain (who was in contention for ROY before his injury). They are, or may be, nice players next year. But that’s about all they will be. The likelihood of them standing up over 7 games vs the likes is the Knicks, Pistons or Celtics is slim.
 
The Pelicans, and even Mavs deals, for JA have been beaten to death but the one that makes the absolute most sense this offseason: JA for Dillon Brooks.

Yes, Ishbia and Gilbert hate each other almost as much as Brooks and Mitchell do but it is the type of move that makes sense for all parties in a lot of the ways Garland for Harden did..

The Suns were extremely small last year, probably somewhat by design, but did not have any true big presence and it resulted in playing wings galore.. The Suns did draft Maluach in the lottery but Mark Williams is a FA and JA would automatically walk in as the best big on the roster while still allowing a role for Maluach as he develops..

Allen also better aligns with the Green and Booker timeline than Brooks does... Brooks is 31, had a career year and is in the last year of his deal... The Suns would be smart to sell high on Brooks, rather than paying him, and being able to swap out Brooks for Allen would be a homerun for the Suns..

The ultra sneaky connection that makes it even more intriguing: Ott was with JA in Brooklyn when he was first drafted and then again Cleveland...

For the Cavs: This is the exact type of deal that need to make if they want to take the next step and compete with Harden + Mitchell.

Brooks is not an ideal player and has holes in his game but we know the Cavs have held interest in the past and for good reason: he's a two-way wing that brings size, toughness, an emotional edge and can defend up and down the lineup... He also has had a bit of an offensive renaissance while in Phoenix and while the efficiency is not ideal he does bring a skillset they don't have defensively and offensively...

The contract extension may be a question for the Suns but it provides some flexibility for the Cavs... If things go south this year, it provides another avenue to further reset their books very similar to one of the reasons they made the move for Harden..

The other interesting part about this is the Suns own swap rights to the Cavs 2027 1st Round pick... What if that was included in the deal which unlocks the Cavs pick flexiblity?

Think if you could convince the Suns to throw in Ighodaro in the trade, to balance the youth swap and the lack of need for Ighodaro in acquiring Allen, it really is the type of thread-the-needle move the Cavs need to consider this offseason... Maybe that then means bringing back Wade and going big with the 29th pick, and hoping you can find a starting level 4 for some combination of Merrill, Strus, Schroder and the 29th pick...

There's also the potential Royce O'Neale inclusion I won't even get into for @PIP's sake...
 
Smooth said:
The Pelicans, and even Mavs deals, for JA have been beaten to death but the one that makes the absolute most sense this offseason: JA for Dillon Brooks.

Yes, Ishbia and Gilbert hate each other almost as much as Brooks and Mitchell do but it is the type of move that makes sense for all parties in a lot of the ways Garland for Harden did..

The Suns were extremely small last year, probably somewhat by design, but did not have any true big presence and it resulted in playing wings galore.. The Suns did draft Maluach in the lottery but Mark Williams is a FA and JA would automatically walk in as the best big on the roster while still allowing a role for Maluach as he develops..

Allen also better aligns with the Green and Booker timeline than Brooks does... Brooks is 31, had a career year and is in the last year of his deal... The Suns would be smart to sell high on Brooks, rather than paying him, and being able to swap out Brooks for Allen would be a homerun for the Suns..

The ultra sneaky connection that makes it even more intriguing: Ott was with JA in Brooklyn when he was first drafted and then again Cleveland...

For the Cavs: This is the exact type of deal that need to make if they want to take the next step and compete with Harden + Mitchell.

Brooks is not an ideal player and has holes in his game but we know the Cavs have held interest in the past and for good reason: he's a two-way wing that brings size, toughness, an emotional edge and can defend up and down the lineup... He also has had a bit of an offensive renaissance while in Phoenix and while the efficiency is not ideal he does bring a skillset they don't have defensively and offensively...

The contract extension may be a question for the Suns but it provides some flexibility for the Cavs... If things go south this year, it provides another avenue to further reset their books very similar to one of the reasons they made the move for Harden..

The other interesting part about this is the Suns own swap rights to the Cavs 2027 1st Round pick... What if that was included in the deal which unlocks the Cavs pick flexiblity?

Think if you could convince the Suns to throw in Ighodaro in the trade, to balance the youth swap and the lack of need for Ighodaro in acquiring Allen, it really is the type of thread-the-needle move the Cavs need to consider this offseason... Maybe that then means bringing back Wade and going big with the 29th pick, and hoping you can find a starting level 4 for some combination of Merrill, Strus, Schroder and the 29th pick...

There's also the potential Royce O'Neale inclusion I won't even get into for @PIP's sake...
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Numbers & knowing the legality of all things NBA Smooth is Michael Jordan level...

Scouting and talent evaluation Smooth is Royce O'neale level...
 
Smooth said:
The Pelicans, and even Mavs deals, for JA have been beaten to death but the one that makes the absolute most sense this offseason: JA for Dillon Brooks.

Yes, Ishbia and Gilbert hate each other almost as much as Brooks and Mitchell do but it is the type of move that makes sense for all parties in a lot of the ways Garland for Harden did..

The Suns were extremely small last year, probably somewhat by design, but did not have any true big presence and it resulted in playing wings galore.. The Suns did draft Maluach in the lottery but Mark Williams is a FA and JA would automatically walk in as the best big on the roster while still allowing a role for Maluach as he develops..

Allen also better aligns with the Green and Booker timeline than Brooks does... Brooks is 31, had a career year and is in the last year of his deal... The Suns would be smart to sell high on Brooks, rather than paying him, and being able to swap out Brooks for Allen would be a homerun for the Suns..

The ultra sneaky connection that makes it even more intriguing: Ott was with JA in Brooklyn when he was first drafted and then again Cleveland...

For the Cavs: This is the exact type of deal that need to make if they want to take the next step and compete with Harden + Mitchell.

Brooks is not an ideal player and has holes in his game but we know the Cavs have held interest in the past and for good reason: he's a two-way wing that brings size, toughness, an emotional edge and can defend up and down the lineup... He also has had a bit of an offensive renaissance while in Phoenix and while the efficiency is not ideal he does bring a skillset they don't have defensively and offensively...

The contract extension may be a question for the Suns but it provides some flexibility for the Cavs... If things go south this year, it provides another avenue to further reset their books very similar to one of the reasons they made the move for Harden..

The other interesting part about this is the Suns own swap rights to the Cavs 2027 1st Round pick... What if that was included in the deal which unlocks the Cavs pick flexiblity?

Think if you could convince the Suns to throw in Ighodaro in the trade, to balance the youth swap and the lack of need for Ighodaro in acquiring Allen, it really is the type of thread-the-needle move the Cavs need to consider this offseason... Maybe that then means bringing back Wade and going big with the 29th pick, and hoping you can find a starting level 4 for some combination of Merrill, Strus, Schroder and the 29th pick...

There's also the potential Royce O'Neale inclusion I won't even get into for @PIP's sake...
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Let's cook now with Koby's "Circle Back to guys I originally dreamed of acquiring as RFA's on MLE offers before their market's blew up and spoiled my plans" list.

4 Team Role Pllayer-Palooza Blockbuster

A: You did the work on JA - Brooks
B: Someone yesterday talked Strus for Beef Stew
C: My contribution: Schroeder, Tyson,and Wade (S&T) are going to MIN for Nazr Reid & Shannon Jr.

Harden
Mitchell
Brooks
Reid
Mobley

Proctor
Merrill
Royce
Stew
Shannon
Pick 29

You're adding all CHAP-ASS DIckheads and it's necessary!

Sucks to lose Tyson but Reid himself is only turning 27. All three bigs Mobley, Reid, and Beef Stew can bang inside and banf 3's
You still have Merrill in the cutting/curling 3P Sniper Role

This 4 team trade will probably happen June 30th!
Book it.
 
Smooth said:
The Pelicans, and even Mavs deals, for JA have been beaten to death but the one that makes the absolute most sense this offseason: JA for Dillon Brooks.

Yes, Ishbia and Gilbert hate each other almost as much as Brooks and Mitchell do but it is the type of move that makes sense for all parties in a lot of the ways Garland for Harden did..

The Suns were extremely small last year, probably somewhat by design, but did not have any true big presence and it resulted in playing wings galore.. The Suns did draft Maluach in the lottery but Mark Williams is a FA and JA would automatically walk in as the best big on the roster while still allowing a role for Maluach as he develops..

Allen also better aligns with the Green and Booker timeline than Brooks does... Brooks is 31, had a career year and is in the last year of his deal... The Suns would be smart to sell high on Brooks, rather than paying him, and being able to swap out Brooks for Allen would be a homerun for the Suns..

The ultra sneaky connection that makes it even more intriguing: Ott was with JA in Brooklyn when he was first drafted and then again Cleveland...

For the Cavs: This is the exact type of deal that need to make if they want to take the next step and compete with Harden + Mitchell.

Brooks is not an ideal player and has holes in his game but we know the Cavs have held interest in the past and for good reason: he's a two-way wing that brings size, toughness, an emotional edge and can defend up and down the lineup... He also has had a bit of an offensive renaissance while in Phoenix and while the efficiency is not ideal he does bring a skillset they don't have defensively and offensively...

The contract extension may be a question for the Suns but it provides some flexibility for the Cavs... If things go south this year, it provides another avenue to further reset their books very similar to one of the reasons they made the move for Harden..

The other interesting part about this is the Suns own swap rights to the Cavs 2027 1st Round pick... What if that was included in the deal which unlocks the Cavs pick flexiblity?

Think if you could convince the Suns to throw in Ighodaro in the trade, to balance the youth swap and the lack of need for Ighodaro in acquiring Allen, it really is the type of thread-the-needle move the Cavs need to consider this offseason... Maybe that then means bringing back Wade and going big with the 29th pick, and hoping you can find a starting level 4 for some combination of Merrill, Strus, Schroder and the 29th pick...

There's also the potential Royce O'Neale inclusion I won't even get into for @PIP's sake...
Click to expand...
The problem is that the Suns only do this if Brook's wants close to the max , in which case, the Cavs shouldn't do it. Brooks didn't get much more efficient, he just shot a whole lot more last season. I don't know that there would be 17 regular season FGAs for him, let alone the 20+ per game he took in the playoffs.
 
Doesn’t Donovan Mitchell HATE Dillon Brooks? Like they got in a fight years ago and Mitchell said
"That's just who he is. We've seen it a bunch in this league with him," Mitchell said. "He and I have had our personal battles for years. Quite frankly, I've been busting his ass for years ... There's no place for that in the game. You have to protect yourself at the end of the day."
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polishph said:
View attachment 40105
These 2 were teammates the following season
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It sounds like Brooks is open to extending off of his current contract which limits his max salary to 180% of the $20M he's making right now. Brooks would have to be willing to play out his current deal so he'd be eligible for the full max next summer to give the Suns pause, and he's not. The Suns are going to keep him at that number.
 
I’m a Cavs fan and really love LeBron because he’s from here and got A ring, so it would make a great story to come back and compete for ship. But why would lakers want him back? They have Luka and it seems he’s just in their way of moving forward
 
CavsKermit said:
The problem is that the Suns only do this if Brook's wants close to the max , in which case, the Cavs shouldn't do it. Brooks didn't get much more efficient, he just shot a whole lot more last season. I don't know that there would be 17 regular season FGAs for him, let alone the 20+ per game he took in the playoffs.
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...or they do it because JA would automatically be their best big man on a team that was really small last year and would be converting on a sell high price on Brooks before they extend and it becomes a contract you question down the road..

Phoenix very well may elect to keep Brooks for the "culture" and is one of those players that may feel means more to them than another team which would effectively nuke this deal... But if Cavs are trying to find ways to improve on the wing/forward spot, and use JA to do so, it's hard to find a viable trade package that does that while also backfilling the spot left by Allen..

It's why the most viable path may be committing to Tyson as a starter and allocating assets to rightfully addressing the third big spot..
 
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