Potential "Win Now" players that may become available this season

[LazyTitanSmash]

Potential "Win Now" players that may become available this season
(I finished writing this article and another one at 1 am last night but wanted to edit them before I posted them. Today after work, I checked PBSL, and 2 of these free agents had already moved! Walker Kessler and Fabian Hub have found new homes. I obviously wrote this article Pre-Training Camp, so things might change once TC does its thing.)

Here is a list of “Win Now” Potential Free Agents that are or should be available, and you should keep an eye on them because they might hit the free agency market sooner than later. Here are some Upsides/Downsides for each of them.

Let's start with the teams with the premium players:

The Bucks (This combination of players just doesn’t work together. There are only a few teams with as much talent as these guys, but they don’t play well together, my guess is too much redundancy.)

Kel'el Ware Upside - Probably my favorite player that needs to be moved. He’s been a killer for the past four seasons, but he is in the middle of his prime. He still has 4 years on his contract. Someone, please save this guy from the Bucks and send a real deal legit blue prospect or two for him. (Maybe, Alex Fudge, Remey Martin, and prospects) Downside - The only thing he’s lacking is speed and athleticism. He’s so good (and playing center), that his lack of speed and athleticism don’t really matter.

Victor Wembanyama Upside - Victor is the old version of Kel’el Ware. His salary is actually lower somehow. He also lacks speed and jumps, but he’s a center and his production haven’t changed. In fact, in TC last year, he only took a 4 point hit in stamina. If you don’t have the goods for Kel'el Ware (He’s got to be cheaper) and you want to contend for a championship, bring your blue pot rookie prospects and pick up Victor. He’s sick of not getting a title.

Eddie Cruce - 3 and D guy fairly quick for his size 6-9. His salary is cheap for what you get and he’ll be under contract for 3 of his prime years. Downside - He lacks rebounding and he can only defend in the post making him kinda weird. He’s supposed to be a small forward, but he’s not a scoring machine and he can’t really be turned into a Power Forward. If the team he goes up against in the playoff has their Small forward shooting 3 and playing at the perimeter, I’m not sure how he stacks up.

Ebbe Clauer - Purple potential SG. I kinda don’t think he’s going to get there. This TC will probably tell us. He’s the least impressive of the three purple on the Bucks. But he is younger than Victor. Downside - He is on the last year of his deal and he will have to be resigned and for a supermax deal which will make him 33 at the end of that contract. Will he still be good then?

Hawks - (Like the Bucks they need to completely retool and also like the Bucks they have top-tier talent)

Phil Smith - The Hawks have to move Phil Smith. After losing both Amos and Harper and not getting much help in Free Agency, it's time for the Hawks to move on. Good news for the rest of the league; one of if not the best center in the league is about to become available.

Spurs - Fabian Hub - The Spurs are looking to move him. Not 100% sure why. Maybe they have too many good big men and he's taking up a lot of cap space. If you got a blue pot rookie and want an efficient big man who has a diversity of skills and can defend, go after Fabian Hub.

Timberwolves - If Xue Huo and Lenz Durrenberger get moved I guarantee Darrell Hackney and Saul King will be available. Darrell Hackney is overpaid but not by much. He has inside scoring, defense, can block shots, and rebound. His scoring is serviceable but it is more of a side note. If you don’t need the scoring, you might be able to find cheap options out there. Saul King is the same player as Darrell Hackney except a better rebounder and a worse defender.

Jazz - E.J. Liddell - I’m not sure why I ever let this guy go. Other than being short and not great at free throws, he’s an excellent player. He scores, he rebounds, he defends, he's efficient and he doesn’t turn the ball over. If your high contract player dies in TC, send a middle-level rookie and that contract to the Jazz for E.J. Liddell. He’s a pure PF.

Raptors - Brandon Ingram - Upside 100 inside scoring, athletic SF that can also rebound. I personally like a 1-year deal on the older player, so for me, this is a plus. Often those players are cheaper to acquire and you don’t have the risk of getting whacked in TC on a multi-year deal. Downside - He’s a rental, and not the best defender.

Warriors - Ron Harper Jr. Upside - Athleticism off the chart and can score. Downside - Too old to put points into his attributes to get more out of that athleticism.

Owen Blakeslee - Definitely not a true point guard, but he is a point guard in a pinch or a very solid backup point guard. Your point guard went down and you want a cheaper option to tie you over; go get Owen Blakeslee.

Heat - Frank Chavez - a serviceable big who can rebound. Also one of the few serviceable big players on the list that is at a 36 million plus contract. My guess is he is available for points. Downside - He’s probably just a backup on a legit team.

Suns - Darius Garland (Pre-Free Agency I thought he’d be available, with the pick of Ross Finch, they might be able to rebuild and win now, in our weak-ass division.) Upside - He’s aged well. So far his stats haven’t fallen off much. His assist and assist to turnover ratio are still in the top 10 and he can still score. Downside - He’s max deal at the end of his career. He’s slowly slipping and he has 2 TC drops to make it through.

Grizzlies - Jalen Warley Upside - a serviceable big like many on the list he does what a big man should do, defends rebounds etc, Downside - again like many other bigs on the list, his salary is hefty. Although, you are not committed to him long term. Markus Ridenhour Upside he can score, pass, handle, defend basically everything, you can probably get him for cheap and he might make for an interesting SF. Downside - 100,000,000 plus contracts for another year.

Magic - (The Magic is my favorite team to trade with and my favorite team to watch make moves. They like to keep everything in motion.)

Walker Kessler - The Magic really wants to move Walker Kessler. Upside - He is a young solid big man, with defense and scoring. He’s young and he's ready to play this year. Downside - His contract is ending and he’s not a max contract player so resigning is dicey. If you're a team that constantly makes the playoffs and are going to be over the cap next year, picking him up this year could give your team a young big man.

Ned Lomax - (assuming he doesn’t take a big hit in TC) He was very efficient last year; 100 blocking; 100 ORB: 94 DRB. I’m sure the Magic will be down to move him. Downside - High salary; Rental; Quickness is slowing down for a PF.

Pelicans - Nicholas Zike Upside - Leads the league in assists. Now that the cap money is spent there isn’t really any downside to Zike if you have the cap space. Downside - He won’t be scoring. The real problem is who is going to be in playoff contention and have 85 million in cap space? The Wizards? Maybe if your Point Guard gets a season-ending Injury go look up Zike.

[digiskunk]

Damn, another great article, you're on a roll!

Also!

Jazz - E.J. Liddell - I’m not sure why I ever let this guy go. Other than being short and not great at free throws, he’s an excellent player. He scores, he rebounds, he defends, he's efficient and he doesn’t turn the ball over. If your high contract player dies in TC, send a middle-level rookie and that contract to the Jazz for E.J. Liddell. He’s a pure PF.

THIS IS THE WAY

[greepleairport]

~1380 words, +5pts

I agree, nice article. I think you might have a seasonal article series on your hands here, sir. Excellent.