http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10863760/next-moves-houston-rockets
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10858173/next-moves-chicago-bulls
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10854396/next-moves-charlotte-bobcats

thx.

Just sign 'Melo for a deal that starts at 12.5 million...

The Bulls really had no business winning 48 games, or winning the No. 4 seed in a playoff bracket. Three of the team's top four players entering the season -- in terms of salary -- were gone by the beginning of the campaign. Carlos Boozer was there in body, but not so much in production, while Derrick Rose watched Chicago's quick postseason exit in street clothes and Luol Deng, who was traded at midseason, could only sit at home planning his free-agent strategy. The lack of star power was apparent as Chicago fell swiftly to the Washington Wizards.


With Joakim Noah leading the charge, the Bulls went into postseason mode in early February and emerged as the team that no one supposedly wanted to play. But the Wizards were younger, faster and more energetic, underscoring that if Tom Thibodeau's band of overachievers is going to become more than a feel-good story, it has to up the ante in terms of talent. Chicago's two highest-paid players -- Rose and Boozer -- combined for $32.9 million in salary, and minus-1.4 WARP. That the team overcame that inversion of the production-to-payroll pyramid was amazing, but this is the summer Chicago can get itself re-aligned, and return to the title-contending status the Bulls held when Thibodeau took over the team in 2010.

2014-15 baseline (if all current players returned): 50.2 wins
(from Bradford Doolittle's ATH system)

I. Main assets
Elhassan: Any discussion about Chicago's core begins and ends with Rose: If you consider him to be a keystone, there are legitimate concerns about his ability to remain healthy and how he'll bounce back from a second knee injury. If you think the Bulls should move on from him, there's the question of the three years of more than $60 million guaranteed remaining on the books. Beyond Rose, the defensive duo Noah and Taj Gibson are on cap-friendly deals and are in the relative primes of their careers (you could argue Gibson still has room for growth as an offensive option), while Jimmy Butler is starting to blossom (although they'll have to come to a decision soon on whether to extend him this summer or risk letting him go to restricted free agency next year).

Taj Gibson
David Banks/USA TODAY Sports
Taj Gibson is in the prime of his career, with potential room for growth.
Doolittle: Assuming Rose gets back on the floor, which we learned this season is not something you can take for granted, the Bulls don't really have the option to remain status quo. Rose's return will in itself shake things up, and accounts for the 50-win baseline for a team with a 2013-14 point differential of a 47-win team, but a number of old players. The Bulls are one of the few teams that still have the amnesty option in their tool kit, and after this postseason, you have to figure they'll use it on Boozer, as has long been assumed. Doing so opens up several avenues for making over the roster this summer. They'll likely try to figure out how to bring prized European stash Nikola Mirotic over, but it's far from a no-brainer they'll be able to do so. Chicago also has two top-20 picks in the draft, and coveted young players on team-friendly contracts like Butler, Gibson and even Noah, if you want to get crazy. Chicago has no shortage of options as the offseason dawns.

II. Shake it up
Elhassan: With the salary cap expected to jump to $63 million (and the luxury tax to $77 million), the Bulls will have more flexibility to enhance their roster, provided they are willing to seek an amnesty of Boozer to erase his cap hit (a big assumption for the notoriously thrifty Bulls ownership). Going after Carmelo Anthony in free agency won't come cheap, despite his intimations that he'll accept a pay cut to go to a winning situation. Anthony answers the question of having a go-to scorer, something Chicago has lacked in Rose's absence. Of course, they'd also be opening themselves to the same type of isolation offense that has bedeviled the New York Knicks (albeit with a much better defense), not to mention the Knicks' chances of retaining Anthony with the charm of Phil Jackson's triangle.

Another possibility that has been discussed is the signing of 2011 draft pick Mirotic from Spain. Because it's been three years since he's been drafted, the Bulls would be able to sign him to a deal larger than the rookie scale prescribed to his draft slot. Mirotic is a skilled, scoring stretch big, and again gives Chicago some scoring punch, albeit not with the certainty that Anthony brings.

Carmelo Anthony
Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports
Could Carmelo Anthony be the answer to Chicago's need for a big time scorer?
Other free agent targets that would fit the Bulls' need for scoring punch include Eric Bledsoe, Lance Stephenson and Rudy Gay, all of whom would come at a less expensive price tag than Anthony, but pricier than Mirotic.

Doolittle: Option No. 1, in my opinion, is a pursuit of Anthony through free agency. A starting five of Noah, Rose, Butler, Anthony and Gibson would be one of the most well-balanced and dynamic units in the league, and it would be ready to win now. The catch is that do so, the Bulls would probably have to forgo pursuit of Mirotic, as they'd need to clear his cap hold to create room for Anthony. Also, as colleague Larry Coon has outlined, most trade scenarios involving Anthony would disrupt Chicago's existing core. To land him, the Bulls would have to hope that Anthony indeed is willing to make major salary concessions in order to pursue a championship.

Option No. 2 is to bring over Mirotic. You might be able to do that by staying over the cap, which would allow them to use a full mid-level exception for the Croatian big man. Then you'd try to trade Boozer's expiring deal to bring back a wing scorer to play the 3. (Not an easy option.) You can also amnesty Boozer, create as much cap space as possible, sign Mirotic and use the remaining room to get that aforementioned wing scorer. Strangely enough, Deng could prove to be the best alternative in that scenario. For me, the ideal outcome is to dangle a ring chase in front of Anthony, give him an all allowable contract options, and hope he'll accept being massively underpaid.

III. Obstacles to success
Elhassan: As I mentioned earlier, the decision to amnesty Boozer sounds like a slam dunk on paper, but is not as straight forward for the Bulls. Paying almost $17 million for Boozer to play for someone else might be a tough sell to the owner, especially considering the Bulls would be expecting to spend more than that in replacement players (even though those players would make Chicago better). An alternate solution would be to try to package some of the picks owed to the Bulls (2014 first from Charlotte, protected future firsts from Cleveland and Sacramento) with Boozer's deal to entice an under-the-cap team to swallow his deal.

Doolittle: The Bulls have perhaps the widest range of possibilities of any team entering the summer because of the uncertainty surrounding Rose's long-term durability and productivity. Since he hasn't played effectively in the regular season in more than two years, the uncertainty could scare away a marquee free agent like Anthony. That would leave the Bulls hoping that Mirotic has a Nowitzki-like impact, or else Chicago would be at a deficit in terms of elite-level talent compared with the current super powers of the league.

...but I think the Bulls would regret not bringing Mirotic over.

And in reading Bulls forums, listening to podcasts and just gathering the overall feel from social media, it seems most people have given up on Rose. And I get that. I mean, in some of these fans minds he's let them down two years in a row. It's selfish for fans to think that, but I get it, I understand. My thing is, has his first 3 years taught us nothing? Dude reinvented himself every year until he got hurt. Was a top 5 player by his 3rd year and was getting stronger.

I believe by the 2015 All Star break, he can be a top 10 player again. That coupled with a front line of Noah/Gibson/Thibs? I'll roll with that.

Fran Fraschilla was on waddle and silvy a couple of months ago saying the Dirk comparison was a reach...he was still saying he was good, but he was seeing him more as a Hedo Turkoglu in his prime.

not sure Hedo's prime gets you a title with the current core (even with an optimistic take on Rose's come back)

Part of my push for Mirotic is...

A.) We drafted him at a time where if he had came out a year or two later, he'd be a top 5 pick.
B.) We don't have to mortgage our core and/or future to get him.
C.) The risk seems lower *shrug*.

but I feel we're still gonna need more scoring from somewhere

Borderline all star? I'm sure they'd take that.

Like you said, his game evolved every year before injury. He's one of the most driven guys in the league so this isn't a surprise.

And barring another injury (and this is a big if), he should retain his very good player form. The question is if he can be that top 10 guy.

only works if we have another go to scorer...

As is, this Bulls team needs a player that can actually command a double team...

And as much as I ride for Rose (that should be known on this board) I think management should take a wait and see approach instead of depending on the kid to lead us to the promise land...

Maybe we can get our hands on Kevin Love (I know he's a bit of a loser, but maybe Thibs can make him playoff dog) if Melo falls through and trade Taj for a true scorer at the 2 or 3...All I know is the Bulls need to get serious about getting players that can fill it up on the offensive end...

the bulls should seriously consider pursuing rudy gay.

i know rudy's got a bad rep around the league, but chicago desparately needs scoring. their offense is horrendous, and beggars can't be choosy. rudy obv isn't melo but as a plan B, he would be a pretty nice fit. he's going to give you 20 pts every night, he's still only 27, and he was actually really good in sacramento this season (20.1 ppg, .567 TS%, 19.6 PER)

one possible scenario would involve a straight up swap of boozer and gay (both contracts expire after next season) with the bulls adding a 1st rounder as a sweetener, either one of their 2 picks in this year's draft or even sending back the future #1 that sacramento already owes them (via cleveland) from the luol deng trade. the bulls would remain over the cap, allowing them access to the full midlevel exception, which they could then offer to mirotic. they'd also have the biannual exception which could be used to resign augustin, and they'd still have one of their first round picks left to draft a scoring wing.

and gay's contract expiring in '15 allows you to roll your capspace over 1 yr and pursue love next summer.

you go into next season with a rotation of rose, noah, gibson, gay, augustin, butler, mirotic, dunleavy, greg smith, tony snell and stauskas/young/warren/hood. not as sexy as adding carmelo but not too shabby.

not sure if I wanna keep believing GarPax is going to pry Love away from the Lakers, though...almost seems like a foregone conclusion.

Beggers can't be chose chosers, you're right. And I'm assuming Gay would relax a bit with the excessive gunning under Thibs.

I know some people like Lance but Lance doesn't provide that consistent source of scoring. We'll still be that grind it out, 20th in ppg team.

We absolutely need a Melo or Gay if we're serious about a championship.

The final season of the Charlotte Bobcats was perhaps their best ever, though stating that might well be damning with faint praise. The Bobcats won 43 games, one short of the franchise record, and made the playoffs for the second time.


With first-year coach Steve Clifford orchestrating the league's fifth-best defense, Charlotte landed the East's 7-seed despite being outscored on the season. With the roster populated by a mix of veterans and up-and-comers, this final edition of the Bobcats appears to be on more firm footing than its playoff predecessor.

Now, the Charlotte Hornets are reborn, and the question is, Where does the organization go from here? Recent lottery picks Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo stand as contributors but aren't yet foundation pieces. How can Clifford, Michael Jordan and GM Rich Cho hunt down Charlotte's first playoff series win, moving to the next level? Let's take a look using four categories featuring both scouting and advanced-metrics perspectives, as well as an early guess at what the Bobcats' 2014-15 roster could look like.

2014-15 baseline (if all current players returned): 39.0 wins
(from Bradford Doolittle's ATH system)

I. Main assets: Players in prime, up and down, coach, ownership?

Elhassan: At this point in time, the Bobcats must look at their core building blocks as Al Jefferson, Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker, with the rest of the roster forming concentric circles around those three. Jefferson enjoyed a career season, and it's easy to envision him being able to keep up this level of offensive production for seasons to come, as his game does not require any athletic or quickness advantage.

Kidd-Gilchrist took great strides at becoming a savvier defensive player and has the potential to be a perennial All-Defensive team selection with his impressive combination of strength, quickness, size and length. The real question is whether his offensive game can catch up to his defensive prowess, and that largely depends on developing a perimeter jumper that now looks worse than it did at Kentucky. Still, he has gotten better at the type of "ghost cuts" that renowned nonshooter Dwyane Wade has mastered, and as he gets better at that, his offense will grow.

LeBron James, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Kidd-Gilchrist made great strides as a defensive player. Now to get that shot fixed...
Walker needs to continue to refine his shot selection and to transition into a facilitator from a player forced to shoulder the offensive burden for a team that struggles to score. Beyond those three, Gerald Henderson (who continues to show promise as another high-level wing defender) and Jeff Taylor (who missed most of the season to injury) are bright spots for the future, while Josh McRoberts was the perfect complement to Jefferson.

Doolittle: The Bobcats were 21st in weighted-minutes team age, but their best player, Jefferson, is midway through his prime. This was a career season for Jefferson, who should maintain his current level for another season or two. Major contributor McRoberts (6.2 WARP) had a career-best .541 winning percentage, just shy of his .540 mark for Indiana in 2011-12. The next season, he was at .396. Meanwhile, Walker is on the upswing and holds Charlotte's most optimistic five-year projection. Charlotte's overall baseline is modest, as you'd expect of a club that was outscored. Also, Kidd-Gilchrist and Zeller combined for just 0.4 WARP, which doesn't give them much projectability at this juncture. Charlotte's greatest hope for a leap forward is for that duo to move beyond the statistical tracks it has laid so far in the NBA.

II. Shake it up: Changes that need to happen

Elhassan: With a projected 2014-15 payroll of about $45 million, Charlotte can expect to have almost $18 million in cap space, based on a cap projection of about $63.2 million for next season. First and foremost, McRoberts will likely opt out of his $2.8 million to capitalize on the strong season he had, so the Bobcats will either need to re-sign him or look for alternative options. Beyond McRoberts, the biggest needs center around the Bobcats' desperate need for shooting. The midseason acquisition of Luke Ridnour and Gary Neal were meant to alleviate some of those problems, but Ridnour struggled in a Bobcats uniform and is a free agent. Ideally, they can add a cheap option with the ability to space and defend, such as Brandon Rush. Doing that would allow them to spend more to acquire another playmaking guard who could conceivably play alongside Walker, allowing him to concentrate on scoring.

Cody Zeller
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Zeller could slide into McRoberts' spot if the veteran big man leaves via free agency.
Doolittle: With Ben Gordon's onerous salary dropping off the books, along with that of Ridnour, the Bobcats/Hornets will have some room with which to work. Neal and Jefferson are locked into team-friendly deals, while Walker, Kidd-Gilchrist, Biyombo and Zeller are still working on the rookie scale. While I wouldn't yet call Charlotte a free-agent destination, there are a lot worse landing spots in the league right now. If McRoberts opts out, Charlotte could look to Zeller to slide into his position. That changes the spacing of the offense but might be the team's best bet for progress. Charlotte needs wings that better complement each other. On a lot of teams, Henderson would be the energy wing and presumed stopper, but he's lesser in those areas than Kidd-Gilchrist, and the gap will only grow. MKG is an intangibles guy, so you'd like Henderson's measurables to stand out. They don't, though; he's projected for a minus-0.9 WARP for 2014-15. So with that possible cap space, the Bobcats/Hornets need to target the perfect fit to go with Walker and MKG. Problem is, the best free-agent 2-guard is Lance Stephenson, and I'm not sure he fits. University of Washington's C.J. Wilcox might make sense as a draft target.

III. Obstacles to success

Elhassan: Charlotte continues to struggle due to the notion that it is an unattractive destination, and that affects its ability to attract top-flight free agents. Instead, the team will have to continue to dig into the bargain bin of undervalued free agents (like they did with McRoberts) or take chances trading for players with bloated deals in the hope that they can capitalize on the change of scenery.

They have an outside chance at netting two first-round picks this June -- they have the Portland Trail Blazers' and a top eight-protected pick from the Detroit Pistons -- but with the youth on this roster, they might be better served packaging for a proven talent via trade. Finally, the existing talent must improve: Zeller, Taylor, Kidd-Gilchrist and Biyombo all need to take serious steps forward in developing. Otherwise, the Bobcats will likely be stuck in the status quo.

Doolittle: New coaches can, and often do, have a profound impact on defensive efficiency, and Clifford certainly accomplished that with Charlotte. But a 25-place improvement on D screams for regression. Clifford also needs to design a more versatile offense that isn't so heavily dependent on the high-volume ways of Jefferson and Walker. That's where MKG's lack of offensive upside hurts the franchise. He might be the next Andre Iguodala, but Charlotte needs the next James Harden.

As for the organization, now that Gordon is gone and the long-owed pick to the Chicago Bulls will finally manifest, the Hornets will be in better shape than the Bobcats ever were. Jordan has surrounded himself with capable professionals such as Clifford and Cho, and the cap situation going forward is pretty crisp. With luck and wisdom, Charlotte is well positioned to become an annual playoff entrant.

IV. The "Ideal" Roster: A hypothetical scenario

Doolittle: Charlotte has plenty of wiggle room to make a splash. I plugged Stephenson in as a free-agent acquisition, but I'm skeptical both of his fit and Charlotte's ability to sign him. Nevertheless, the name serves as a placeholder to illustrate what the Bobcats/Hornets will look like with a more dynamic third option in the lineup to go with Jefferson and Walker. McRoberts is a wild card in all this. Can Charlotte sign him if he opts out? If so, will doing so impinge other options? Or, worst of all, would his departure mitigate other upgrades?

Ideal 2014-15 roster
Pos Player 2015 Age 2015 Salary 2015 WARP
C Al Jefferson 30 $13.5M 8.9
PG Kemba Walker 25 $3.3M 9.3
SG Lance Stephenson 24 $9.5M 1.4
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 22 $5.2M -0.1
PF Cody Zeller 22 $4.0M 1.3
bC Bismack Biyombo 21 $3.9M 0.6
bPG Gary Neal 31 $3.3M 0.3
bSG Gerald Henderson Jr. 27 $6.0M -0.9
bSF Jeffrey Taylor 26 $0.9M -2.0
bPF Anthony Tolliver 29 $1.6M 0.6
RES1 Chris Douglas Roberts 28 $0.9M 0.0
RES2 C.J. Wilcox 24 $1.0M 0.0
Estimated Payroll: $54.9 million; Updated Win Range: 37 to 40

Notes: Estimated Payroll includes built-in minimum salary slots beyond top 12 on roster; Updated Win Range includes a coaching adjustment.

And should go after Lowry (who they just dealt) or Bledsoe. And kudos to their "finesse defense" for not fouling. At least Doolittle admits his equation for predicting wins overlooks a little thing called defense.


Interpreting the Houston Rockets' season is defined by the type of person you are: If you're an optimist, you'll point to a 54-win campaign, an improved defense that was in the top half of the league, and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs; if you're a pessimist, you point out that the perimeter defense was less than desirable, the team underachieved in wins and got its lunch handed to it in a first round matchup against a team it owned in the regular season -- even if, as GM Daryl Morey tweeted after their Game 4 loss, they were on the wrong end of coin flips.


The Rockets enter the offseason with some potential cap flexibility and a talented roster needing minor tweaks, but also a dark cloud of questions about the viability of their superstar combo of James Harden and Dwight Howard, and whether head coach Kevin McHale is the right man for the job.

2014-15 STATUS QUO BASELINE: 61.4 wins
(from Bradford Doolittle's ATH system)

I. Main assets (personnel)
Elhassan: It would be hard to find someone who could find fault in the Howard acquisition, as he's been everything Houston has hoped and dreamed: an elite defensive anchor, high level rebounder, and reliable offensive option, particularly as a roll man. The discourse about his post play has been overblown. Playoff struggles aside, it was another banner year for Harden as the arguable best shooting guard in the game (at the very least, the most efficient). At the tender age of 24, it's conceivable that we haven't seen the best that Harden has to offer, as he searches for that equilibrium between leading scorer and facilitating for others. Defensively, he's been a train wreck, and that's something that needs to be addressed, especially as the Blazers made it a point to exploit this weakness with Wesley Matthews (hardly an offensive force). Chandler Parsons is the perfect third banana as a good shooter who can also put the ball on the floor and make a play, and has room for improvement as his role grows, while Patrick Beverley showed that the defensive boost he brought in last year's postseason was no fluke.

James Harden
Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images
Have we seen the best James Harden has to offer?
Doolittle: Your eyes may well be popping out at the Rockets' baseline projection, and they probably should. These projections are early and rough, but they do speak to the potential of the roster Morey has put together. This basic set of projections doesn't cop to the defensive problems that Houston must solve. The Rockets allowed more than 114 points per 100 possessions during their first four games against Portland, easily the worst mark among playoff teams. However, consider this: During the regular season, Houston posted a point differential of a 53-win team in an usually tough conference, and yet ranked just 24th with a minutes-weighted team age of 25.7. Given the likely improvements of nearly every rotation player and a healthy status quo from Omer Asik, an improvement into the upper-50s is a definite possibility for Houston, especially if it can enhance a finesse defense that posted the lowest foul rate in the league.

II. Shake it up
Elhassan: Houston has two valuable contributing backups who NEED to be off the roster as soon as possible: Jeremy Lin and Asik. The nature of their contracts calls for the cash-out payment of about $15 million apiece. As a result, they become overly expensive backups and a luxury Houston neither needs nor can afford. On the bright side, they still hold value as players with the potential to start on a playoff team (Asik moreso than Lin), and that should assist the Rockets in their pursuit of help. One such target could be Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who would fit the Rockets' desire for a power forward who can space the floor and be versatile defensively. Millsap is entering the final year of his deal, which calls for him to make $9.5 million, and a Millsap-for-Asik deal makes sense for Atlanta as a defensive anchor they so desperately need.

Josh Smith
Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
The addition of Josh Smith could help with some of Houston's perimeter issues.
Another option would be to pursue Josh Smith of the Detroit Pistons. He fits the bill as a lockdown defender who can shore up some of Houston's perimeter issues, and has a prior relationship with Howard. Obtaining him from Detroit might be easier in terms of assets given up, but will be costlier in terms of dollars and cents (more than $40 million owed over the next three seasons). Finally, they'd need a solid backup point guard for relatively cheap, preferably one who can create for others (a role Beverley struggles at); Luke Ridnour could fit that role well.

Doolittle: Unlike the last couple of years when Morey was transitioning his roster, Houston has a little more certainty this time around in terms of returning players. He's got seven players already under contract, with only Howard having more than four years of experience. This doesn't include likely returnees Beverley, Parsons and Troy Daniels, who have non-guaranteed deals or team options. The Houston roster is not yet a finished product by any stretch, and the organization's investment in the D-League means that it should keep uncovering cheap, effective role players for its system such as Daniels.

That will leave Morey to improve the core incrementally when he can. Howard and Harden are constants, so the best chance to add an impact high salary would be to deal the expiring deals of Lin and Asik in a package. They're good players, but they had a combined cap hit of $16.4 million to produce 3.16 WARP, which is worth around $7 million. Carmelo Anthony makes some sense in a sign-and-trade, though if you combine Anthony and Harden's usage rate (around 60 percent), you have to worry about Howard's touches.

III. Obstacles to success
Elhassan: The underlying tension between Harden and Howard about how the offense flows (outside-in or inside-out) needs to be addressed ASAP, as a one-two punch isn't very effective when it's self-inflicted. For many, the responsibility of making these two players realize they need each other falls on the head coach, and McHale has seemed overwhelmed at times by the dynamic. He's entering the final year of his deal, so one has to wonder whether the pressure of being a lame-duck coach will allow him to coach freely.

Beyond that, Houston's "issues" are mostly cap-related: Can they dump the Lin and Asik deals easily; can they acquire a defensively versatile forward for a good price; and can they budget enough money leftover to pay Parsons and Beverley in the near future (both are scheduled to become free agents in 2015)?

Doolittle: Hopefully it was just a learning season, but there were a couple of aspects of the Portland loss that are concerning. Harden's inefficiency was the standout failing -- a usage rate north of 30, with a true shooting percentage nearly 150 points of his regular-season mark. This suggests the Rockets need another shot creator, or at least Harden needs to show an increased willingness to back off during key possessions. Also, there were too many instances in which Howard's diminished explosiveness was apparent. His regular-season ATH ratings the last four years: 31.0, 30.7, 26.0 and 25.1. It's a bad trend for a player coming off the first season of a big contract. Still, the Rockets have cast their die with this foundation, so they have to proceed accordingly. Nevertheless, the sooner Houston finds its third wheel -- whether it's from player development or an acquisition -- the better.

IV. The Perfect Roster
Ideal 20140-15 roster
Pos Player 2015 Age 2015 Salary 2015 WARP
C Dwight Howard 28 $21.4m 11.0
PG Patrick Beverley 25 $0.9m 4.6
SG James Harden 24 $14.7m 14.5
SF Chandler Parsons 25 $1.0m 5.6
PF Paul Millsap 28 $9.5m 7.5
bC Mitch McGary 22 $0.5m 0.0
bPG Jeremy Lin 25 $8.4m 2.5
bSG Troy Daniels 22 $0.8m 3.2
bSF Francisco Garcia 32 $1.3m 0.5
bPF Terrence Jones 22 $1.6m 3.1
RES1 Omri Casspi 25 $1.1m 0.8
RES2 KJ McDaniels 21 $1.1m 0.0
Est. Payroll: $62.4 million; Updated Win Range: 59 to 64
Notes: Est. Payroll includes built-in minimum salary slots beyond top 12 on roster; Updated Win Baseline includes a coaching adjustment. Bold = new player.
Elhassan: I went a conservative route for the projected roster, assuming that trading Lin is easier said than done. Obviously moving him would create much more cap space, allowing Houston to have more ambitious targets in free agency, like Kyle Lowry or Eric Bledsoe. As is, making a move for Millsap gives Houston the most financially flexible upgrade to its roster, while drafting K.J. McDaniels from Clemson at 25 gives it a defensive stopper to groom in the D-League, along with second round sleeper Mitch McGary.