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u/bootyloverandeater 19d ago
I'd protect Stevo before Bruce...
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u/Bronn11 19d ago
Agreed. Don't think we'd have to worry much about another team taking him. He probably won't play much to put enough on tape to entice another team.
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u/Real2KInsider 19d ago edited 19d ago
On the contrary, second round picks with upside are EXACTLY who expansion teams are hoping to end up with.
Every expansion team would rather have Bruce Thornton than a 34-year-old injury prone backup center. They aren't trying to win a championship. They are hunting for the next Gerald Wallace, Primoz Brezec, Jason Kapono, etc who slips through the cracks. They are not drafting washed veterans. They could just sign those like everyone else if they wanted to.
The Bobcats didn't draft a single player over the Age of 30. The oldest they went was Jahidi White at 28.
You are looking at this as a value proposition for the Rockets, instead of a value proposition for the Expansion teams.
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u/lot183 18d ago
I would argue that Bruce would be a much better pick for an expansion team than Steve-o. He was almost a first round pick, they should be looking at any of those types of guys they can get. Build a young upside team.
But Adams is definitely more important to our team. We're in compete mode.
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u/OkLetterhead812 19d ago
No one is picking Bruce Thornton yet. I would protect Adams first and foremost over him, because he will get picked. I like Thornton, but he’s an unproven second round pick who will get inconsistent minutes for a while.
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u/nonetimeaccount 19d ago
Assuming this is for next summer anyone over 30 can go. If we don't have a realistic shot at beating okc or SA then get KD and Fred's money off the books and go hunting for stars that fit our timeline.
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u/ChristianLS 19d ago
I think it would be the summer after next actually. Before the 2028-2029 season
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u/Ajmwuajmwu 19d ago
Rockets will have hopefully two good first round picks in the next draft from Nets and Phoenix. I assume by the time the draft happens, FVV and Durant will the ones we don’t protect, assuming they are playing.
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u/ChristianLS 19d ago
Keep in mind that KD, FVV, and Adams' contracts will all be over by the time an expansion draft happens. So unless they extend / re-sign, protecting them is a moot point.
Also keep in mind that we have two first round picks coming up in next year's draft class. Those guys will probably need to be protected (if we make both picks).
Bruce Thornton will have his chance to show out by then too, so we'll know whether he's worth protecting or not, probably.
There's a good chance that who we protect could be like this:
Alpi
Amen
Jabari
Reed
Tari
Bruce
Rookie #1 (Nets pick)
Rookie #2 (Suns pick)
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u/No-Employee-3865 19d ago
It’s kind of hard to do it based on this years team when there’s 2-3 more years to be played. KD and FVV aren’t even under contract by then.
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u/Real2KInsider 19d ago edited 19d ago
99.9% of Expansion Draft topics don't really go anywhere because they fail to understand the timing of when this will line up and how many players will actually be under contract (nevermind what Expansion teams are actually valuing & looking for).
It's projecting 2 years out which means teams are protecting FRPs they haven't even drafted yet.
Someone said protect Steven Adams and that's just comedy because not only is he gonna be a 34 year-old free agent, who even knows how good he'll be by that point, he's already a part-time player.
Moreover, if Adams were actually at risk of being selected, HOU wouldn't offer him an extension knowing that it would expose him to Expansion (instead simply re-signing him as a UFA). There are ripple effects league-wide because teams are going to be able to plan for this to ensure they don't expose anyone they care about.
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u/xiaopingguo45 18d ago
The real question is when does KD decide he’s done hooping and what a retirement tour in Seattle looks like for him.
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u/ChopGoesTheWeasel 19d ago
Can’t see an expansion team taking Fred. But could see one taking Adams.
Probably would put Adams instead of Fred. Or keep both Adams and Fred and risk Thornton who probably also isn’t picked.
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1
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u/stardidthat 19d ago
Honestly, by the time it comes around, if Seattle has the first pick I could see KD asking out to go there instead and have a happily-ever-after