You look at some of the surprise teams this year and last and a big reason they overachieved is because they took a gamble on a non sure thing. A guy the league thought was washed or not worth his contract or a guy who underperformed based on draft expectations, etc. CP3 was massively overpaid - that was the narrative in Houston, and since then he has helped 2 franchises vastly outperform expectations. Julius Randle and Derrick Rose are catalysts for the Knicks. Blake gave Brooklyn great minutes. Clarkson was thought of as a chucker and Utah leaned into that and made him a 6th man. Denver gambled on a kid in the draft who was a #1 HS prospect but had potential chronic injury concerns. On and on.
At some point, we will have to gamble on a guy who is undervalued relative to his ceiling, and hope he pays off. Looking at the landscape this offseason, who could be that guy for you? To give an example of how 'Buy Low' I am talking -- mine would be Kevin Love. I think the days of him being a major piece on a contender is over. And that is why I dont think contenders trade for him. His attitude will prevent rebuilding teams from bringing him in. But I truly believe that if he gets re-engaged and put in the right role, he could win 6th Man of the Year and average something absurd like 26/14 per 36. The key would be staying healthy and playing 65+ games a year. But what was the point of getting Aaron Nelson if he cant do what he did for Grant Hill in Phoenix? Love is my guy. Adams and Bledsoe for Love would be fine by me. Adams, Bledsoe, Iwundu, and multiple good 2nds for Love and Nance would be better.
Who would you gamble on?