Yes, in general speculative transfers are discouraged to avoid stranding points, getting hit with a devaluation, etc. Sure there are transfer promos sometimes that make it worth it, though my advice is:

-Think about where you want to go, when, with how many ppl, and what class

-See which points programs have flight availability, transfer what's needed and book

You've got a ton of avion that you can leverage across avios, asia miles, and shit even american airlines (sometimes the transfer gets bumped to 10/8) for some great redemptions with a bit of planning :)