Are we looking at this wrong?

[nolaslim213]

Like, imagine the Celtics needing to dump Crowder for Hayward money. Give them a future 1st and no salary to take back

— Pelicans Podcaster (@SilverAndMac) June 22, 2017

This tweet makes me wonder. We dump QPon and Ajinca, and we stretch Asik, and we open up a good deal of cap space. While everyone is fighting over the superstars, why don't we take the good role players that are being dumped for cap space?

Guys like Crowder, Beverly, D. Green, etc... These are guys that could fill out our roster and make major impacts on good contracts. Obviously, our first play is to go after Paul George, but it's not a likely scenario that plays out in our favor. If we see that failing, we need to be able to switch gears quickly, and I think this is the play. Open up space, absorb the good role players on the cheap.

[Topdawg26]

Well we already have two superstars on the roster. We do need to build around those guys with good role players. That's has been our problem for years. We just can't seem to find good role players. I think more than half of the reason is because Dell doesn't believe in actually drafting players in the first round. He LOVES to go players in the second but history tells you that guys in the second round don't always make rotation in most good NBA teams. I would love flip the script and draft good role players in the first round (hopefully someday) as well as use our second round pick to trade for an adequate proven role players from teams that are desperate to get rid of salary.

[Mythrol]

I mean we need a backup center on the team. So dumping Ajinca seems kind of bad. But I'd have also said we need a backup PG so dumping Frazier is kind of bad.

Who knows what Dell is thinking right now. I feel the next few weeks are going to be pretty interesting.

[nolaslim213]

Well we already have two superstars on the roster. We do need to build around those guys with good role players. That's has been our problem for years. We just can't seem to find good role players. I think more than half of the reason is because Dell doesn't believe in actually drafting players in the first round. He LOVES to go players in the second but history tells you that guys in the second round don't always make rotation in most good NBA teams. I would love flip the script and draft good role players in the first round (hopefully someday) as well as use our second round pick to trade for an adequate proven role players from teams that are desperate to get rid of salary.

But would you take Crowder and Beverly over Paul George? Obviously, this is assuming we can get PG.

Personally, I'd go for PG and sacrifice our depth, then hope to fill out the roster with vet mins who are hoping to get a ring. All we'd really need to add are shooters and defenders.

[t-rex23]

We are not getting Paul George.


Everyone assuming this is even an option is making this site unreadable.

[bahmamamba]

We are not getting Paul George.


Everyone assuming this is even an option is making this site unreadable.

Pretty easy solution for that

[nolaslim213]

We are not getting Paul George.


Everyone assuming this is even an option is making this site unreadable.

I'm not sure what the issue is, especially since I stated that it's not a likely scenario in the OP. That said, he is being discussed as a long-shot option by the Pelicans talking heads, so I don't see why it shouldn't be at least considered on a Pels forum.

[Eman5805]

We are not getting Paul George.


Everyone assuming this is even an option is making this site unreadable.

Wouldn't want to get your hopes up. You might end up disappointed. Imagine how horrible that would be!

[nolaslim213]

Just to add some perspective, we would create approximately $11 million if we traded Ajinca, QPon, and stretched Asik.

Adding in Jrue's $16.9M cap hold to this scenario would give the #Pelicans ~$11M left to offer another free agent.https://t.co/cAuvT18hv4

— Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) June 22, 2017

[rlemieux]

Problem is, with the way the Cavs and Warriors are set up, two good players and role players aren't going to get you more than a trip to the playoffs and a quick exit. If fans are content with just making the playoffs, thats fine, but I thought the point was championships. I personally want to see my teams competing every year and actually having a shot at a title.

[Topdawg26]

Just to add some perspective, we would create approximately $11 million if we traded Ajinca, QPon, and stretched Asik.

Adding in Jrue's $16.9M cap hold to this scenario would give the #Pelicans ~$11M left to offer another free agent.https://t.co/cAuvT18hv4

— Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) June 22, 2017

Wouldn't Jrue's new deal (if we actually re-sign him) take up most of that 11 mil? I mean we are not getting him back at 17 mil a year. It will most likely be for 22 or more.

[luigi modelo]

Bird rights, so he would only count 16.9 mil against the cap.

[Big Fan]

Problem is, with the way the Cavs and Warriors are set up, two good players and role players aren't going to get you more than a trip to the playoffs and a quick exit. If fans are content with just making the playoffs, thats fine, but I thought the point was championships. I personally want to see my teams competing every year and actually having a shot at a title.

I don't think you can get enough stars on board with coming here base on missing playoffs last 2 years and lack of cap space. I'd rather win 50 games, get knocked out of playoffs in round one or two and still have some semblance of cap maneuverability than swing for the home run now. That 50 win season will put Pels on map for superteam seekers next Summer.

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk

[daybreaker]

youre not winning in this league with only 2 stars. You need 3 players who are Top 5 at their positions.

We have to look at PG/SG/SF as a whole. Jrue is borderline Top 10, but if we need to drop him to get a legit Top 5 at SG or SF, then we should probably do it, even if it means giving up a future 1st or two.

We're not a team built for developing long term talent now. 2-3 years ago we were, but we loaded up on expensive role players to surround AD. Now? We need to win if we want to keep AD.

[Jabberwalker]

If we got Crowder I would feel so good about this offseason almost regardless of anything else. If Gentry really can slow us down (sounds so weird to say about a team in 2017) with defenders like Hill, AD, Boogie (when he cares), Moore, and Crowder (maybe Cunningham and Holiday), I would think we could really have one of the top 5 defenses in the league, and might be decent at offense too. I'd feel like we would make the playoffs with that team. Might even win a game.

[da ThRONe]

Given what's at stake next off season you want to acquire as many "keepers" on this team as we can. Crowder's a strong player on a team friendly contract. If we could trade for him in a simple salary dump you don't even breathe before saying yes and getting that deal finalized.

[PELICANSFAN]

Bird rights, so he would only count 16.9 mil against the cap.

His full contract would still count against the cap. However, until he signs, his cap hold counts for the $16.9 million. With his rights, we are allowed to exceed the cap to re-sign him. So, if we re-sign him, it is about the timing of the signing as to how it restricts or doesn't restrict the cap.

[Jabberwalker]

His full contract would still count against the cap. However, until he signs, his cap hold counts for the $16.9 million. With his rights, we are allowed to exceed the cap to re-sign him. So, if we re-sign him, it is about the timing of the signing as to how it restricts or doesn't restrict the cap.

At one point I probably understood the cap pretty well. Anymore I haven't kept up on it at all, after the crazy re-working magic that Dell had done in the past to make moves that I thought were impossible I felt discouraged that I'd understand it. I really appreciate knowledgeable people like yourself who understand it helping the likes of us who fail to fully grasp it at times.

[luckyman]

youre not winning in this league with only 2 stars. You need 3 players who are Top 5 at their positions.

Not true. Not true at all. You can win 50 games without this mega star loaded roster. The only top 5 player Houston has is Harden. After that, their next best players include 2 players that were also the core of the Pelicans for a while.

Dell took a MAJOR step forward landing Cousins. They really aren't that far off from WCF type success.

You can argue you need that extremely top heavy roster to win a championship. But you sure as hell don't need it just to get a top 4 seed.

[endlessHIMdark]

This is absolutely the route we should be taking. That's where all the value is. Take advantage of other people's desperation. 2 things matter in this league: talent and value. The talent is what you build the team around, and the value is how you maneuver everything to form the team you want. Get good players on good contracts and you'll be able to move them easily for good assets that fit what you are looking to do as a team. All of us want PG to come here but the fact is that we don't have much to offer, and even if we did, we would completely be gutting our team to get him and He and Boogie would probably bolt in the offseason.

[PelsFan2313]

Like, imagine the Celtics needing to dump Crowder for Hayward money. Give them a future 1st and no salary to take back

— Pelicans Podcaster (@SilverAndMac) June 22, 2017

This tweet makes me wonder. We dump QPon and Ajinca, and we stretch Asik, and we open up a good deal of cap space. While everyone is fighting over the superstars, why don't we take the good role players that are being dumped for cap space?

Guys like Crowder, Beverly, D. Green, etc... These are guys that could fill out our roster and make major impacts on good contracts. Obviously, our first play is to go after Paul George, but it's not a likely scenario that plays out in our favor. If we see that failing, we need to be able to switch gears quickly, and I think this is the play. Open up space, absorb the good role players on the cheap.

I love it.

This is how we land role players at good to great value.

Are those players superstars? No. But are they impact players? Absolutely.