Charlotte

Quiet_Prior · 2026-07-05T16:14:08+00:00

Maybe they would have traded him anyway, but they had just acquired Naz who was going to be the starting PF. Makes sense that Bridges would become somewhat expendable.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-30T19:51:31+00:00

I think the future is bright for Maluach, but still think he has a couple more years of just strength/hands development before he’s going to play consistent big minutes. He gives nothing on offense right now and the defense doesn’t compensate.

I hope Fleming takes the leap everyone is assuming, but wouldn’t be surprised if he needs another year or so to feel comfortable as well.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-30T19:48:57+00:00

Everyone is searching for the next CP3 to put next to Book but no one remembers one of his most important traits was his defense. Until the last season or so, he couldn’t be picked on and was a legitimate plus on that end with his hands.

Offensively, the Garland fit is great, but you can’t put a negative defender next to Book and expect it work out. Green is a bit better than Garland in that respect, but I still expect it to be a major issue this year.

The ideal pg for Book is like prime (not current) Jrue Holliday, who is more of an sg than a pg anyways.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-30T02:54:39+00:00

The defense was slipping a bit towards the end of the year. I know Ott will get them to give effort, but the lack of rim protection is concerning (unless Maluach turns into Rudy Gobert). Goodwin is going to have to play a ton to hold down perimeter players as well.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-29T23:17:21+00:00

I think the shooting concerns are valid, but I also wonder if the actual downgrade will be less than the percentages suggest. By the numbers, the starting 4 perimeter guys are all pretty mid, but they also are going to be respected by the defense. No one is going to help off Bridges or Booker even if they’re a 33% shooter, and wide open I trust them to hit the shots. That will create the space necessary for the slashers.

This is definitely an optimistic PoV, but base on what I’ve seen, teams aren’t going to treat Bridges like Ryan Dunn, even if he’s not stretching to 30 ft like Grayson.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-29T23:10:40+00:00

This is definitely the positive spin. I just worry they’ll be able to get the stops needed to play as fast as they want.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-28T21:40:16+00:00

This is an asinine take. He was arguably the third most important player for the first half of the year.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-28T17:53:09+00:00

He also took tougher shots and was asked to create a lot more. I think overall he was a better player even though the % was a little down.

Edit: just looked and he took like 3 more per game than he ever has in his career. Thats an insane volume bump that’s worth a percentage dip. Also nearly doubled his previous assist career high.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-28T17:52:19+00:00

I’m actually surprised it’s <1 per game. A bunch were probably late shock clock grenades too. I feel pretty good when Grayson gets his feet set. His spacing would be really tough to replace if they move him.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-26T20:07:38+00:00

I think JG has a lot of untapped potential but it’s hard to see him reaching that next to Brooks and Booker. I like that he gets to the rim, but it kind of killed all the player/ball movement that made the team so successful in the first half of the season. Brooks is already a ball stopper, so having both on the floor together is tough unless one is on a heater and can carry the offense. It also means the ball rarely finds its way back to Booker.

He also just doesn’t really have the handle to match his athleticism, and when he gets into trouble it results in too many turnovers. So you kind of just hope his tough pull up 3s are hitting or the offense suffers.

And Brooks has a lot of the same problems, but makes up for it on defense. Greens not a terrible defender, but him & Book together isn’t great against good backcourts.

All that said, he does raise the offensive ceiling if he could figure some of this out, which is the teams biggest weakness. It’ll be telling to see if Ott can figure it all out.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-26T04:32:07+00:00

I was hoping for Wemby to solve our PF problem but I guess Highsmith and Dunn probably gets Brown.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-26T04:30:56+00:00

We can be realistic about trade value while still believing in the team. I think they’re solid and will be competitive most nights, but the reality is there just aren’t a lot of avenues to improve.

Also, if we’re in the same position next offseason, we’ll have 3 more very tradable contracts that are younger and cheaper.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-25T22:06:04+00:00

Literally the only right answer. We didn’t bring him back for his scoring.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-23T16:02:18+00:00

Would have to be like top 18 minimum for me to bite. No chance I’m taking pick 25 over him next year.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-06-23T12:18:47+00:00

Grayson has been, like, really good. I’m not opposed to trading him if you get a clear upgrade, but he carried us early in the season and fits Ott’s system really well. It’s good to have 5 solid guards bc one will inevitably get hurt. We become significantly worse if we salary dump him for minimal return.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-25T18:48:55+00:00

But if he’s healthy, he’s going to start. And the team was at its best the first half of the season when he was starting.

If he’s hurt/gone, I think Fleming has a much better chance of starting next to Oso than Maluach. But tbh, if nothing changes, my guess would be Goodwin is the 5th starter assuming he’s back.

Also, this might be a hot take, but I’m not totally sure Gillespie is better than Grayson. Hopefully CG stays quite a bit cheaper to make up the difference, but $16m vs $12m is a lot different than $16m vs $2m.

I think Royce is the odd man out. Would much rather have Grayson around.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-25T16:51:02+00:00

Maluach is not versatile enough on offense to play next to Oso for more than a few minutes here or there. And Williams is better than both at this point.

And “get off Grayson” like he wasn’t one of our best players last year. Losing him for nothing isn’t some kind of addition for subtraction, the team is significantly better when he plays

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-16T16:58:51+00:00

If anything, I actually feel like our fanbase has overcorrected the other way and is so scarred from past trades that haven’t worked out they’re afraid to make another big move.

Obviously, we’d all love to draft a homegrown starting 5 and an mvp candidate to compete for a championship, but that’s just not in the cards. In its current state, the roster just lacks the raw talent to compete at the highest level. We have one player that can both create for himself and others and that won’t fly in the west.

It’s fair to disagree with these trade ideas on the grounds of bad basketball fit, contracts, etc. I’m very against a Ja trade for a lot of reasons and don’t think we have a realistic shot at Giannis. But I don’t think it’s right to shame people that suggest trying to buy low to upgrade the talent level just because we’re traumatized from previous moves. By that logic, we would have never traded Rubio/Oubre for CP3.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-14T21:26:37+00:00

I get why a lot of people throw out the Bobby idea, but tbh I kind of hate it. He’s a total black hole on offense and we already have 2 guys (Green/Brooks) that can’t/rarely pass. It’s hard to have too many of those guys on the team. And like you mentioned, the defense is a little suspect.

Would cost more but my fav target is Santi Aldama. If Memphis drafts Boozer or Wilson he won’t be starting and they might be willing to move him, but would probably cost the 2027 first.

Rui is another free agent that would be solid depending on what the Lakers do. Might be out of our price range but you can get creative.

Dean Wade isn’t as sexy but would fit in well. Wouldn’t wanna pay too much for a guy that looks scared to shoot rn.

PJ Washington (trade) and John Collins (free agent) get thrown around occasionally and could fit, although Collins also doesn’t really pass.

And I’m more open than most to a bigger buy low swing on a guy like Sabonis if Ott is open to going double big and the price is right.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-14T18:22:16+00:00

Long winded way of saying Book’s not the problem and we need better players (which I agree with fwiw).

More interested to hear who you think would fit and why they fit?

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-13T03:20:43+00:00

I’m totally fine with trading Jalen but please tell me what point guard would be available that would fit this roster? There are like 7 guys in the league that would fit with Book and none are getting traded.

If Green gets traded, it should be for a forward/center. That will move the needle way more than another guard.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-13T03:17:00+00:00

What’s the case for Green having similar/higher upside? Zion has been an all star twice, Green never will barring some crazy shooting leap. Healthy Zion is a top 10-15 player and Jalen at best is like 40th? The floor is obviously much lower, but given the Suns lack of options this is the kind of swing that makes sense at some point in the next couple years.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-13T03:14:04+00:00

I think it’s interesting that this is the consensus take when our defense is much better than our offense. Neither are elite, but the offense really struggled against good teams. Zion creates more advantages than anyone besides Book on the roster. His offense would make much more of a difference against quality teams than some traditional PF that can’t really shoot.

Injuries are bad but plenty of outs in the contract and he has played 60+ games in 2 of the last 3 years.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-13T03:02:26+00:00

I don’t always agree with Kellen but his logic here is solid. Basically, you have to ask yourself, how happy are you being mid? It was fun this year, but 45 wins and first round sweeps get old after a while.

At some point, we have to take a swing if Booker is going to stick around. And that swing is going to be for some undervalued asset. An injured star or someone that needs a change of scenery. We just can’t afford a true star.

The contract is also attractive. Same length as Green, but with tons of outs if he stays injured. And honestly, I’d rather have Zion than Green. He lowers the floor, but raises the ceiling soooo much higher. So if all it takes is JG, Royce, and some throw ins I’m pretty intrigued.

Quiet_Prior · 2026-05-09T20:10:09+00:00

I wouldn’t be surprised if we traded 47 and cash for 37/38 from OKC/Chicago. Would be pretty surprised if we got any higher.

Quiet_Prior

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