As usual at night, I was scrolling through Twitter, wandering between the countless performances of the day. And right there, among Cade Cunningham’s 31 missed shots, Victor Wembanyama’s out-of-this-world
game, and Andrew Wiggins’ surprising game-winner, one tweet caught my eye:
Well, I’m lying a bit. I first scrolled past it without reading it fully, without really paying attention, without realizing the weight this tweet could carry for the franchise in a few months.
Then I saw it again in a fan group. This time I stopped, read it, checked the author’s account, thought for about ten seconds, and told myself, “No way, that’s not happening. They’re staying, especially after everything they’ve given here.”
Then I went full pessimist, arguing against the idea in that same group. I mean, why would you trade them? One just dropped his career-high and a franchise record, while the other might be the soul, the heartbeat of our team. They’re both glue guys. Team-first players who’ll fight no matter their role, usage, or position. For a transition phase, they’re perfect, aren’t they?
But then I took a second, longer, more rational look. And I realized that maybe, for the good of the franchise, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Royce O’Neale is that kind of player who doesn’t make noise but holds a team together. He’s a respected, do-it-all veteran wing, a reliable connector who’s played on some of the league’s most exciting and competitive teams (the Jazz of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, or the Nets with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden).
Grayson Allen, on the other hand, has learned to channel his fire and become much more than just a shooter. He got to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, but it’s really here that he’s grown, rebuilt his reputation. He can handle the ball, dribble, pass, drive, and defend across.
Both players also have very appealing contracts: around $30 million over three years for Royce O’Neale, and about $55 million over three years for Grayson Allen, with a player option in the final season. I only see two potential roadblocks: their age (both over 30) and the risk of a performance dip later in the season, which could lower their trade value.
But beyond that, they’re really good players, guys who could fit perfectly on any team with real ambitions. They still hold a lot of value, and since we need picks, assets to rebuild our bag, shouldn’t we take advantage of it?
We get attached to players like this. The quiet ones, the ones who don’t steal the spotlight but give meaning to everything around them. They don’t make the headlines, but without them, victories wouldn’t taste the same. O’Neale and Allen belong to that rare category: players of duty, connection, and cohesion.
And if that departure ever happens, we shouldn’t see it as a breakup, but as the natural continuation of a story bigger than any name. Because in the end, every team is just a passage, every player an imprint. And some, like theirs, never truly fade away.
So what about you? How do you see it?
