Final_quest

The main thrust is our focus should be acquiring the right pieces to have a solid core that fits. Using Collins TPE and an MLE to put us on par with the top 8 payrolls would mean we have the worst roster of all the biggest spenders. We can do that, but for what purpose? But no I don’t think we are close to a rebuild. Soonest that would happen is 2025-2026, and only then if San Antonio is having an abysmal year.

After reading that I think the disconnect is I'm not focused on who owns the decision. I'm more interested in the narrative of how a decision was made, what were all the factors involved. Like right now with Landry Fields I'm wondering if he really is a shadow GM that basically does what Ressler wants, or at least wondering if he's got a very short leash. To the public they are making it look like Landry owns the decisions, but how much power does he actually have? You can have a powerful person who acts mostly independently that makes decisions and owns decisions. You can have a powerful person who leans on a lot of talented people to make good decisions, but technically they alone own the final decision. Have you ever experienced a no backbone "leader" who makes decisions but only after talking to a lot of people to try and figure out what will be the most popular decision? Understanding who owns the decision is a small part of the how a decision is made. When it came out that Nick Ressler had a bigger voice than anyone realized, even if Tony or Landry owns the decisions, it's still quite shocking that this kid even has significant influence. So you are focused on what you wrote in bold, and I'm more interested in the story leading up to the bolded part. Here's a question for you. Take your example below. In that scenario what actually happens in a public facing story? Landry is STILL the public face of the decision, and in your world owns the decision. The only way that changes is if the behind the scenes story gets leaked, which can happen years later. The true story may never come out. They can meet with Trae, come to their own decision, and then be overridden by ownership who tells the front office that their own judgment be damned they will do what Trae wants. Ressler and Trae own the decision by virtue of Ressler stripping the FO of their authority and then giving it to Trae.

Exactly. If you can only imagine a scenario where Trae overrides or he doesn't, there isn't a conversation to be had. That's what I've been trying to say. It's only a conversation if you see this outside of a binary.

It's exactly this, and no it doesn't mean Trae overrides the GM. This isn't a binary where they allow Trae to draw up the contract terms if they take his input into consideration. Also, I'm not talking about just the JC contract, so for me this is not exclusively or primarily about Collins. Trae is the main revenue driver and makes the most impact on the court. Biggest star since Nique. They want to keep him content. If you have to say that means nothing or means something on occasions, I think it has been a factor. We don't know the details on what his impact has been on the front office. There's a lot of speculation, but also good reasons why people think he's been vocal and that ownership has made some efforts to listen. Repeating the GM makes the final decision or a dozen analogies demonstrating that concept isn't very impactful. That is easy to understand. A binary where either GM or Trae decides is not the dynamic, so we're talking past each other it seems.

One of my BIG questions with Wemby and Chet Holmgren. No history of their build type holding up. In my mind it may take 5 or 6 years, but it will happen.

We know. Try mentioning the name Ingram. There is an auto reply.

If your star player walked at the end of his contract with no warning, you might feel betrayed. You might ask them why they didn’t bring up concerns earlier…before it was too late. That you, the organization, might have done things differently if they provided more feedback. Repeating that it’s the GM’s responsibility final call over and over doesn’t really reflect how decisions are made. That’s where the nuance comes in.

Every business wants to retain their best employee. You actually want input from them, and at times you want them to challenge and push you. They make mistakes too.

I don't believe anyone thinks Trae was our shadow GM who called all the shots. I do think there is a potential for a nuanced conversation on Trae's influence. Something more than zero impact on several of our moves. To label him as a teenager who drinks mountain dew and is like an annoying kid to ignore in the back of the car doesn't respect his actual position. He is the box office draw. He is also the engine of the team. If someone is acquired or cut, it impacts what Trae has to do on the court to make it work. There are a lot of reasons to include him in conversations if you want to have success. However, if all you have to say is Trae should have zero influence and has had zero influence, there really isn't a conversation. Point taken and that's your perspective. Many others see it differently.

Jalen is on target to meet basic requirements, but not on a trajectory where anyone thinks of him as a shooter.

I think assuming JJ, Sarr, and OO will meet the shooting requirements of a modern NBA front court is a concept built on hope. None of them have demonstrated they are reliable volume shooters. They can make open set shots. Could one of them develop to be a shooter? Yes, but none are even on that trajectory path.

I think we’re so focused on improving defense that people are not being realistic about the poor fit on offense. It could work at times, but we need an option where a better shooter is on the front court.

If there is a world we can get Mitchell without giving up Sarr or JJ, we need to make that effort.

OK. You claimed people are saying Trae forced the front office to pay JC against their wishes. You said people think it’s a good idea to give a 22 year old whatever they want. If it’s not a straw man show me where people are making those statements. That you are fairly and accurately framing what people on here are saying with regards to Trae’s influence. No one ever said Trae should get whatever he wants or that he forced them to overpay for JC. They are saying Trae put pressure on the front office and it was one of many factors that went into a decision. You are distorting that view and attacking your misstated version of what no one actually thinks which is a definition of a straw man.

I like any option where we keep Trae, JJ, and Sarr. I think on defense this lineup makes a lot of sense with OO at center. Can they generate enough offense, enough spacing? Trae, Bogi, Ingram, JJ, Sarr/OO as a lineup might be more successful at times. The big rotation with JJ, Sarr, and OO definitely sounds nice.

Another person demonstrating you can be a huge Trae fan, and still see that Trae has flaws. I get it. We don’t know the degree to which he leverages his power as the main gate draw for our franchise. And let’s be clear, without Trae fan interest pretty much returns to die hard fans only. If you assert that he has misused or even that he appropriately uses his status to influence the roster, you are labeled a Trae hater and a bunch of other nonsense. Yes, he uses his power, and I actually think he should at times, but it’s not always a good outcome either. That’s reality, but it also doesn’t mean he is the shadow GM.

This is way too melodramatic. No room for nuance.

This is a straw man and not what anyone thinks.

Trae having influence in our roster moves turns out to a huge trigger for some people. No one is saying he called all the shots and is the only guy responsible for every move we've made. He's had influence. It's completely obvious, and he wants to push his influence more so now it seems. It doesn't mean they did everything he wanted.

If we trade for Giannis with the #1 pick, would that trade need to go down after the pick is made? Would Sarr's salary count as part of the salary needed to match Giannis?

We'll easily know by follow up moves. Don't see how he convinces Trae to stay and Giannis to come without this being understood. From a business stand point it actually makes sense to go all in with these guys, that has never been the case before. With Giannis and Trae you would be on national TV all the time, deep playoff runs, tons of jersey sales, and the value of the franchise goes way up. Keeping Kevin Huerter as a guy who's nice to have around, but completely redundant, doesn't have the same gravity as bringing a two time MVP on board.

San Antonio doesn't have Trae Young to feed Giannis lobs all day. Giannis has a say in this, too. Also, Milwaukee might prefer getting Sarr and Jalen over anything San Antonio has to offer. We have an expiring contract in Capela as well. All parties have to want to do the deal. You have to think from Giannis perspective.

My understanding of the rumor was trade the pick for a star or trade me to San Antonio. In Trae's public interview he said "I want to win." Behind closed doors he seems to be saying something more aggressive.

Yes, and giving up on Trae is not something I’m ready to do. Our defense was in shambles, and he was the fall guy. We’ve never paired him with another star either.

Amazing to have this intel. I put most of the clues together already, and made my case for Giannis. Especially if we get a pick from New Orleans. Our draft capital is replenished for the most part after the 2027 draft plus we’d still have Trae and Giannis. Any gaps on the roster are covered by ring chasers until then. It would be the first time I can remember where we would consistently be in contender status. Although I get the fear that we risk becoming Phoenix if chemistry is totally off. A valid attempt at a ring is the whole point, let’s take the shot. I like the other two options as well as I’ve kind of bought into Sarr. Just hope Ressler isn’t the devil everyone thinks he is and makes a mess of whichever direction we go.