I'll be frank: I don't want to pay Julius Randle max money. He only has one year left on his contract and I'd prefer to get assets back for him ASAP rather than run the risk of finding out his past season was a fluke and be stuck with an albatross of a contract. That doesn't mean I'd dump him for any and everything because what he did do was impressive, especially under the bright lights of New York. I think netting the no.3 pick (at a loss of cap space) is the kind of return I think makes sense for us and where we are in our building process.
I'm not sure if it makes as much sense for the Cavs though. Cap space is meaningless to them, unless they are using it to acquire draft picks attached to bad contracts. But Randle is a pretty good player and young enough to build a competitive core with Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro. And with how deep this draft is, they'd have an opportunity to add 2-3 rotation players with picks 19, 21 and 32. I think they'd at least have to consider that offer considering the talent it adds and flexibility it provides financially although I don't think I'd do it if I were them.
With that no.3 pick, I'd want Evan Mobley but would be more than happy with Jalen Green if the Rockets took Mobley at 2. That'd be a nice trio with Barrett and Quickley already in the mix. Time will tell what Toppin provides; maybe we could add him to that core.
7/24/2021 8:01 PM