So Payne, Beal, Booker, Durant, and Ayton as the starting 5? That’s a very good starting lineup, but that bench looks painfully thin. Not to mention Ayton might still want out.
Wizards look like they’re finally starting a rebuild on the other hand instead of treading water. Wonder if Porzingis is up next on the trading block.
Starting a rebuild by getting no first round pick or young player lol.
I know they basically had no choice, but still.
Pretty sure the strategy at this point is to just tear down and really worry about the actual rebuilding process when they get his anchor of a contract off of their necks. Maybe they could get more for Porzingis or Kuzma through sign-and-trades, but right now, with fuck-all leverage and a terrible contract, the best that can be done is to just make space.
Moving Beal saves them a lot of contract space since they can waive Chris Paul before the 28th. Kuzma and Porzingis both have player options, but after next season the biggest contracts they have are Gafford and Shamet. It looks like the Wizards owe the Knicks a first round pick, but they have a good chance at landing high picks in the next few seasons otherwise.
If Ayton wants out I’m sure there is enough value there to trade for two solid pieces. Give me a solid role player and a slightly above average Center and the Suns are looking much better.
He has to be (and I still want him traded to the Spurs so I can see the stupidest front court ever assembled). However, now I’m kind of worried about even an old CP3 pulling the same thing he did in OKC and raising the ceiling of a team that has no right to be even close to the playoffs
