Wretch

I don't agree. From the very beginning of this, there were two very polarized camps on Siakam. I could be wrong, but it feels like the disinterested party was louder. The energy you're referring to is there, but it's more or less the "pass on Siakam" group breathing a sigh of relief that we didn't overpay. I'm one of those who isn't interested in Pascal. It's an easy pass for me. Though, if we were to get him, and it works, I'd be the first to say I was wrong. There's more rational posters than me who don't want him and they'd do no less than the same. Regarding the narratives, I think there is a solid consensus about his talent level. There's no questioning that and he's actually been a favorite of mine for many years. He and Trae would be amazing. But I haven't thought about him since we landed Murray and he has been even more of an afterthought in light of our 3pt shooting woes. As it pertains to him re-signing, I think we all know this is just agent posturing in the silly season and is a nothing sandwich. He's going to re-sign unless the season is a total disaster and we present him with some insulting numbers. The latter being the most influential in his decision making... If I'm being honest, the only thing that intrigues me is inserting Pascal (without giving up much) into a better Hawks offense that emphasizes spacing and ball movement. Though I would much rather we go after a pure shooter in the starting lineup...even if they aren't all-star caliber.

I have a severe distaste for how this generation glosses over player roles and oversells the concept of "position-less basketball." There's no point in talking about positions. These lists are all just basically "Top <x> players in the NBA." In which case, you can make a valid case for the order of these top six "point guards." If we're talking real basketball and role, PG skills, impact, statistics...etc. Then Trae is no lower than 3rd and is arguably the best pure PG on this list.

I voted Josh Smith... Strangely enough, he's both overrated and underrated. The casual audience overrates him because of his above the rim play and his detractors underrate him because they can't get past the very valid flaws - shooting, dribbling, BBIQ, and attitude. Josh was a knucklehead for sure, but had some criminally underdeveloped and underutilized talents.

I've never been so happy to see my two least favorite colors again! Hooray for the return of Ketchup and Mustard!

My receipt for the record. I have almost zero interest in adding another starter with a some-timey 3pt shot, going into his 30s, on a rental that requires a max extension. Cap and Hunter are too rich for my tastes on it. I want KAT and/or a cold blooded sniper in the starting lineup. I would only trade AJ in a blockbuster star package and to a lesser extent JJ...but we have to give to get. So to me, everything is negotiable. Anybody can get it for the right price. Of all the young talent, OO is the bait I'd dangle. I'd be interested in seeing noteworthy offers out there for him.

These are very comforting numbers. I know that people want to boil this down to "will he/won't he", but player development is an inexact science. You have to look at a players numbers along with how they play and when they score. I have no idea if AJ is going to be the next great star. Nobody knows these things. He looks as promising as a rookie can and as far as 3pt shooting...he's an eye opener. That said, AJ is not a player that I would just "include" in any deal. I would trade AJ only in a package for a player with many years ahead of him, that we hope AJ's impact would mirror and preferably after a coach like Quin has had a good look at him.

Indeed. This is a point that routinely gets missed. Too often, people take statistics at face value and ignore a lot of qualitative context. There's a reason why our 4th quarter execution fails and it's the same reason why we struggle in the post season. Scoring is one thing. Scoring when it counts is a whole other animal. A team that can't shoot is easy to plan for - just force them to shoot it. I'm not thrilled about KAT's defense but I am equally concerned about bringing in another mediocre distance shooter. Ball movement and 3's has been our Achilles heel for quite some time now. Quin's offense will likely help, but I would feel better going into the season if we address the shooting with talent in the starting lineup.

I'm 100% team KAT. Shoot first, ask questions (about defense) later

I'll take him.

*fixed for "DE-fanse"

Wishing you well homie. I don't think Diesel was kicking you tho. Same as me, we're just posting waiting gifs in anticipation. The usual suspects are doing what they do however.

Yeah, this is what has me intrigued as well. Not only is he giving up money, but also locking himself in with us. Loyalty is cool and all, but this is a business and every player knows it. I don't believe for a second that he agreed to that deal without knowledge of something else.

This is a fantastic post. Honestly, I just scroll over certain people when they post. There's no point in reading it. Even if we win, it's going to be Quinn that got things under control or DJM who is carrying Trae or some other nonsense. It's just pure contrarian grandstanding and nothing more IMO.

Apt... In regards to the convo about Trae and our future... I don't think anyone is more excited to FINALLY have a talent like Trae, but I don't doubt for a second the authenticity of the information @thecampster brought to light. The day we brought in Quinn, we all understood how things would be changing. Now consider that DJ is giving up money (which is just wild) and we're going after a Tier 1 big man with a MASSIVE contract. There is a crazy amount of talent, money, and our future talent pool tied up in getting a team around our guy. If this goes down, and I'm pretty sure it will, then it's time to do something. That being said, Trae has ATL on his back. There's no way you can trade him without things being really ugly on the court and without things getting really ugly off the court too. The stars would have to align (in a bad way), but I would assume nothing less than a MASSIVE haul coming back to calm the riots.

...and FYI, Soth and I are not the same person even though we literally just posted the exact same thing. lol Though I'm more taking an educated guess without sources.

I can't remember if it was the post game or an article afterwards, but I recall the comments being made that they were 100% focused on Edwards and getting talent around him. So I think it's KAT's contract and starting over with Ant as the focus. It is and it's the point where I raise my hand and say, "I know this man personally and he's the antithesis of a person who does things for attention." Get well dude.

I'm not against a Siakam trade, but I'm not trying to mortgage coveted assets for him. I wouldn't swap him straight up for DJ either, regardless of contract situations - at least DJ has expressed his desire to be here. I also would be hesitant to roll out a big three of Siakam, DJ, and Trae...all three of these guys operate in the same space and 2/3's of the trio are lukewarm from distance. He is an interesting post option, which Trae could use...but I'm still more interested in long range shooting in the starting lineup and younger guys that can produce long term. I'm not especially excited about how much mileage we'll get out of him at 29yo. It's not a pass for me, but I'd consider Pascal only as a lease with a lower payment and an option to buy if it works out.

Lordt....my heart fell out of my chest reading the last couple of pages.

I;N - incomplete, needs improvement I've never been a fan of exceptions, cap space, and cash considerations. Outside of the super-rare splash, we seem to always be holding our breath when it comes to making things happen. Ironically, this is the one consistent holdover post-Babcock - playing it safe and soft resets. I don't think we're going to do anything to follow up the JC "trade." In regards to the trade itself, I'm not happy about it...but I'm more put off by how the whole saga played out than I am by the trade or the return we got on it. I was quietly hoping that we'd make a move for Porzingis knowing that the offseason would be "same as it ever was." We have a franchise stud after all these years and we're wasting away in WLOC land. Having tasted the ECF's, I have zero interest in regressing and I can't get excited about the new guys when we already have too much talent (really good talent) that needs development. Which is one of the silver linings in all of this - hoping to see OO, JJ, and AJ rise. I wanted to see us get some shooters, hoping for at least one elite shooter in the starting lineup and a de-clustering of our front court. The later is partially resolved, but we can't start OO and Cap together and we shouldn't be benching one over the other. On the shooting, that's the other silver lining... Maybe with Snyder revamping the offense, guys will be in better position to knock it down and we'll have native improvement? Just have to wait and see I guess.