in a draft like this it's always worth to trade for for a pick lets say in the 8-14 range because some talent will be overlooked due to the really high degree of talent at the top.
Amen is probably the only player on the rockets I wouldn’t trade for anything less than an established young star. I’d trade anyone else for a chance at a franchise talent. I would have a hard time giving up Sengun though. I still believe in Amen and Sengun…but probably not together.
I would certainly consider it, as much as I like Ben Simmons 2.0, the complete inability to shoot really hurts the offense.
Amen's ceiling is higher than Sengun...we've seen the growth of Amen with his improved free throw percentage. We asked Amen to play point guard for a championship-level team and he's doing well (he's best at playing forward). I think the 3pt shot will come. Amen impacts the game more than Sengun. If Sengun doesn't have the ball in his hands, he has no impact on offense and is a mediocre defensive player. However, there aren't many Centers in the NBA better than Sengun so the question is do you settle for mediocrity???
Amen was a much worse shooter than Sengun coming into the league and is already at 80%. Sengun can't even get past 70% consistently. Fun Fact: this is Alperen Sengun's worst FT shooting season at .691.
His ceiling is higher but his floor is lower. To reach his ceiling he has to learn how to shoot a basketball at an nba level, something he's nowhere near at this point AND he has to learn how to be a point guard at an nba level.... something he's also nowhere near. Honestly in calling him Ben Simmons 2.0 it's disrespectful to Simmons given he was WAY better at running the point. Amen being pathetic at shooting absolutely wrecks the offense... so how long do you put up with that while hoping he miracles his way into being a better player?
Not as bad as New Orleans trading their unprotected pick for Derik Queen but Ruhfell really traded out of this draft.
Spurs are set, OKC has the uncanny ability with their Young Man Next Up mentality, that any day someone like Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and possibly if Philon Jr falls to them......they step up. Plus Jay Dub is barely 24 so he did not fit in that list, his 40 pts in the Finals unforgotten.
As long as it takes to realize if he is or isnt. Same with Reed. Ben was a career 60% free throw shooter and wouldn't attempt any shots at all. They aren't comparable. He was a better distributor sure. One of the best in the NBA. But he wouldn't and couldn't shoot anything. Ever. Made it impossible to play him over time. Amen is at 80% from the line. A good indicator that he works at it. You have to ride it with Amen and Reed. They are your best bets. I'd rather Amen brick a 3 or Reed get roasted on D right now than watch another getoffmydickerson turnover.
Why would you trade your best player for another young player? Hiwever, the obvious trade would be Sengun. Amen can guard one through for and despite the fact that he can not shoot outside of 15ft, same as Sengun....HE'S AVG 17 PPG AND NOT BEING FEATURED. AND AMEN IS A BETTER FT SHOOTER THAN SENGUN. Sengun is only averaging 3 more ppg and he is being featured....THINK ABOUT IT! Look at what the Clippers got for Zubac. If we can get that for Sengun....HE GONE!
I would but the title is not quite right, I also did not start that. I would very well trade Sheppard for someone like Flemings but that is 99% not on the table......
I wonder if Indiana, Milwaukee or possibly even Utah, would be open to give up their pick this year for Durant?
The progress at the FT line is encouraging, and I'm not saying we should give up on him, but i think if offers for him are good enough, we should consider them. The Ben Simmons becoming unplayable outcome is very possible for Amen as well. Amen is only 23, so the star player outcome is still possible, but the potential fatal flaw is what is holding him back. The same goes for Reed. If he hasn't shown significant progress suggesting he doesn't have a fatal flaw in his game by the time he's 23, we'd have to consider trade options too.
I think Utah will if they don't get a Top 2 pick. The only thing they don't have is a center. I would offer Sengun for Markkanan and 2 #1s, 2026 and 2028 or Ace Bailey, filers and 2 #1s. Similar to the Zubac trade with Indy. Then trade KD to the Clippers for Mathurin, pieces and 2 #1s. I would go after Avent from Tennessee. 6'10 player who can put it on the floor Center - Adams, Capela PF - Markkanan, Tari SF - Jabari, Avent PG - Amen, FVV SG - Mathurin, Reed OR Center - Adams, Capela PF - Jabari, Tari SF - Ace, Avent PG - Amen, FVV, SG - Mathurin, Reed I think Ace and Avent are going to be future stars.
Yeah, I don't think Reed would garner much. However, if Stone would have drafted Castle, like most KNOWLEDGEABLE FANS, wanted, trading into the Top 5 would have been a No Brainer.
That's fair. If there's one positive to the KD Twitter drama, it's that the young guys can finally feel that they need to grow up and stop falling back on the whole "I'm still the new guy" thing. I basically am kinda there with Sengun now. He still can't shoot a lick in his 5th year and it's time to explore trading him. He's just not good enough to justify the usage he gets (neither is Amen right now admittedly). If Amen still hasn't significantly improved his offensive bag next year then I'm fine with either relegating him to whatever small ball center connector role people think he's best suited for or moving on.
I disagree on Amen wrecking the offense. Its more on the coaching on not maximizing each player's skillset. Amen was at his best last year playing off-ball and now the organization is asking him to run point. What's crazy he's averaging almost the same assists as FVV last season. Actually, Amen would probably average more assists if we had a more fluid offense and better perimeter shooters. Regarding Ben Simmons, he had a prime Joel Embiid who was neck-to-neck with Jokic as best Center in the NBA so his job was much easier than Amen in getting assists or buckets. Sengun is good, but he's not dominating the game like a prime Embiid.
If Fred can't come back this year, I predict a really rough playoffs for Amen. When you combine that with him being extension eligible, I don't think he'll get you a top 10 pick in this year's draft.
