We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
The Lakers drafted shooters who contribute little else. Are they drafting as if they know LeBron James is coming? — VJ Cruz, via Twitter
Let’s say they’re drafting as if they hope LeBron is coming. The Lakers took Michigan’s Moritz Wagner at No. 25, then got German point guard Isaac Bonga and Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in the second round. They are primarily shooters, as you say, but shooting is a premium skill in the NBA and they could develop into useful players with or without James as a teammate. Really, the draft will have little impact on how the Lakers’ roster looks next season. All those questions will be answered in free agency.
Which player(s) were you shocked to not see drafted? — Ted, via Twitter
The late part of the draft tends to be unpredictable, with some teams looking for players to stash overseas and others thinking about their G League rosters. Still, there were a few highly rated names that it was surprising to see passed over. Kansas’ Malik Newman and Arizona’s Rawle Alkins were both productive scorers in college and seem worthy of second-round picks. Purdue’s Isaac Haas and UNLV’s Brandon McCoy are a couple of big men with good scoring touches around the basket. There are others, such as Cincinnati’s Gary Clark and TCU’s Kenrich Williams, but they’ll all get a chance to prove themselves in summer league, so being drafted barely matters.
With the Jazz showing this year that they can be competitive in the loaded Western Conference and their financial flexibility, how likely is it that they sign a big name free agent like DeMarcus Cousins or Paul George? — Faiz Irshad
Utah has never been a popular free agent destination, which is more reflective on geography than the quality of the organization. Players like Cousins and George tend to gravitate to larger markets to enjoy the rewards that come with playing in a big city. The Jazz will likely use their cap room to pursue second-tier free agents, maybe someone like Tyreke Evans, who could provide scoring punch off the bench. Keeping Derrick Favors will also be a priority as he and Rudy Gobert developed into an effective frontcourt combination once Gobert returned from injury.
Really I cannot see DMC leaving NOLA for Utah, anyway they would have to trade Gobert then, so it doesn’t make any sense, but if DMC goes on the move I can realistically only see him gonna Dallas or Lakers.
Signing Cousins wouldn’t necessarily mean having to trade Gobert..Cousins showed that he can coexist with another big last year with AD..
It would just require the Jazz to alter their offense, and would create a very solid 3 man big rotation of Gobert, Cousins, and Favors. Utah would just have to install more pick n roll situations for all three, Cousins and/or Favors would have to play in more pick n pop situations, or they could use Cousins as a primary creator around the top of the key. All the offensive options that would become available with Mitchell, Cousins, Favors, and Burks would be quite scary, but it is really a moot point.
I think we all know Cousins isn’t going to Utah, so like the article suggested I think Utah is going to focus on more 2nd/3rd tier guys, or veteran players that would not mind taking an expensive 1 year deal, like Reddick did last year with Philly. They’ll continue to build around their growing core of Mitchell, Gobert, Burks, Favors, Exum, Ingles, and Rubio. By already adding a quality shooter in Grayson Allen, I think we saw a preview of their strategy they’ll implement in free agency.
They currently have some very solid role players, with guys like Rubio, Ingles, Exum, Crowder, Thabo, and possibly even O’Neale, and defensively, with Gobert as their anchor, they are very solid. As an overall unit, they are just a well-coached, fundamentally sound team.
With that being said, I believe they’ll continue to target guys that are quality shooters, but they will probably look to add more versatile, wing players that are capable of creating for themselves as well..As of now, a guy like Tyreke Evans is what they need…BUT
Moving forward, this will be a KEY free agency for the Jazz. As a team on the rise, and especially one that struggles to attract big-name free agents, you really don’t want to risk ruining your future!! Several teams end up reaching, and in the process, they end up overpaying for a guy they hope can get their team to the next level..
As a whole, besides just the drama queen that is LeBron James, this is going to be a really intriguing free agency period..It’s going to be a huge year for several young and talented teams on the rise (The Jazz, Lakers, T-Wolves, Nuggets, Suns, Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, Pelicans, and possibly even the Sacramento fighting Divac’s..lol)
BUT, sadly and quite unfortunately, my beloved Bulls are not really one of those teams…Well, they aren’t there yet; however, I will never stop loving this team. That is completely despite the Bulls having the most ignorant, cheap, and inept group of people running and making the decisions for this franchise!!
But this off-season they have gotten off to a fairly decent start by adding Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison to their young core of Markkanen, Dunn, LaVine, Portis, Valentine, and Nwaba..
I think the Bulls really need to try and find some diamonds in the rough this off-season..Whether it is taking some chances on undrafted free agents, maybe through the summer league, 2-way contracts, using their G-League team, or even some young and lesser known free agents, like Nwaba last year. ANYWAY this team can find talent, they really need to do their due diligence in these areas..
This will be another growing season for the Bulls, so they’ll have PLENTY of minutes available for unproven, yet talented players, that just might need a chance..
I’m not saying they’ll be able to find any all-stars, but if they cold just find one solid role player, moving forward, it’ll definitely help this young team..