It’s no surprise that many of your questions pertained to Quentin Grimes contract negotiations and the trade rumors involving Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond. Let’s dive right in!
Lots to unpack here. These are loosely related so I’m lumping them together.
To put it simply, I would understand attaching an asset to Drummond in order to get off his salary. You’d get his $5 million off the books, giving you more breathing room below the second apron. If you wanted to sign a vet big to a minimum deal,
you’d still get some savings — and potentially a younger and better-fitting player. I like Drummond and I understood why the team signed him. But the reality is he’s 32, is coming off an injury-riddled year and doesn’t fit with the current team’s vision.
The idea of trading Oubre is much more complicated. For me, if I’m moving him, I would need to get something of value. Despite his poor three-point shooting and occasional tunnel vision, he’s a rotation-caliber wing who can go get his own bucket, plays strong defense, adds athleticism and is a strong rebounder for his position. His salary is quite reasonable. Would I look to move Oubre if things go south as the deadline approaches? Absolutely. But trading him for cost-cutting purposes is a tough look. Not a KJ Martin-level bad trade, but certainly a mishandling of assets.
As for Beasley and Leonard, both of those situations are awfully messy. It sounds like Beasley is not completely out of the woods from a legal standpoint. Even without that, I don’t think he’s a fit on this guard-heavy roster. Would the Sixers love to get Kawhi on the TMLE? Of course! Again, I think that situation has a ways to go before it’s sorted out and we know what happens. My gut tells me Leonard’s contract will not be voided, but we’ll see. My guess would also be that trading Drummond and Oubre would really only happen if it’s necessary after Grimes comes to terms. If Grimes takes the qualifying offer, those guys might simply stay put (and be trade chips at the deadline if things go horribly).
I’ll start this off by saying the mechanics of it are nearly impossible because of base-year compensation rules. It would require a third team with some funky configurations or both players signing the same exact contract and being moved when they’re both trade eligible. It seems highly unlikely.
For shit and giggles, though, it’s an interesting thought. Grimes would be a dynamite fit as the Warriors’ starting 2 next to Steph Curry. His shooting and defense are great complements between Curry and Jimmy Butler. Grimes’ ability to scale up like he did last year with the Sixers would be ideal for when the 37-year-old Curry and 36-year-old Jimmy Butler need a night off. He’s unquestionably a better fit and a more win-now player for Golden State.
Based on where they are currently, Grimes is the better NBA player, but Kuminga fits the Sixers better from a positional and age standpoint. It’s no secret the Sixers have a glut of guards and a dearth of 4s. Swapping these two players for each other would resolve that. Kuminga is also roughly 2.5 years younger than Grimes, better aligning with the Sixers’ desire to get younger and more dynamic.
Again, it’s unrealistic, but it’s interesting.
I’m as curious as anyone to see what Bona’s role will look like this season. Obviously, the health of Embiid and the status of Drummond will dictate much of it. He aligns with the youth movement quite well. He was solid for Turkey this summer, but he was also backing up the best player in the tournament, so it wasn’t a great gauge of where he is right now. I’m curious to see what he most worked on this summer.
What we know about Bona is that he’s an outstanding rim protector who seems to be just scratching the surface of what he can be defensively when you consider his length and lateral quickness. He was really just an OK rebounder and did struggle with fouls early in the season. Those are areas he’ll have to improve if he wants a bigger role.
I think there’s some untapped stuff there offensively as well. The shot isn’t broken. I would not be surprised to see him take a corner or trail three or two this season. That aforementioned quickness also makes him interesting as a downhill driver. He’s going to have an athletic advantage on most bigs. If he can use that ability to get downhill and develop a couple counters, he might offer a little more on the offensive end.
At a minimum, I think he can give this team solid backup big minutes. He did that at the end of last season, even as the roster was decimated, so that’s a reasonable expectation. Maybe I’m higher on him than others, but I think he could play a big role in certain lineups and matchups.
That lineup mentioned with Bona is one I’d like to see a whole bunch. Even more so, I’d love to see how it looks with Tyrese Maxey in there and Edgecombe sliding to the 3 with either Justin Edwards or Trendon Watford at the 4. I’m so curious to see what Watford looks like surrounded by better offensive players and how his passing could open up things for the young guards. Remember, Watford and Maxey are close friends. Sometimes those things do translate to the court.
As far as Edgecombe, if you’re a Sixers fan and you’re not excited about Edgecombe … I don’t know what to tell you. He looks like he has a chance to be a special player. Plus, he seems to have the perfect demeanor to thrive in Philly and endear himself to the fans in a hurry. I’m curious how big his role will be, but I think he’s going to force Nick Nurse’s hand.
