Not sure who else is out there as far as free agents. Trendon Watford would be amazing, but I think he’s restricted so don’t see the Nets letting him walk, at least not for what the Clips can offer. I might take a flier on Gordon Hayward if he’s willing to come for cheap. I’m surprised he didn’t get more time with OKC, but feels like he can still play a little if healthy. I’d welcome RoCo back, but not sure he’d want to come back to a team that never really gave him a shot. Davis Bertans can probably still shoot the ball, but feels like no one likes him.

Feels like a PF is still going to have to come via trade, given what the Clips can offer and who is out there.

In reality, I’ve always felt like the “lack of spacing” with DeRozan is overemphasized. It’s not like he can’t shoot, he just doesn’t shoot the 3. With nearly like 70% of his shots coming from outside of 10 feet, it’s not like he’s clogging the lane for big men or cutters. There might be some concern I guess with his shots coming from similar places as Kawhi, but that’s basically anyone new you bring onto your roster.

DeRozan is a premier playmaker (especially for forward). Assists more, turns the ball over less than PG. Could actually be the secondary playmaker they “wanted” PG to be. Maybe not the perfect fit, but I’d argue might be an even better fit than the PG/Kawhi pairing.

Can’t even get Dunn out of Utah after “agreeing” on a deal like a week ago?

In any case, with regards to Kai, I think it all is up to him and his mentality. Seems like he wants to be an all-around baller, shooting 3’s, running the break. Not to be a grumpy old head, but just feels like a guy that needs to realize that what gets big men a spot in the league is learning to box out, set screens, and impact the game without touching the ball. Feels like he has all the physical traits to be a great NBA player, but he needs to know that he can be great by just defending, rebounding, and setting screens, especially if he gets an opportunity to play with a guy like Harden.

Funny enough, Kai’s teammate and much lower prospect in Jericho Sims (who I loved in that draft) feels closer to making that leap, and might get called on to play significant role this year with the Knicks.

Not being able to sign and trade PG13 has been a grievous mistake. A modern NBA franchise cannot make such a massive trade for a star player and allow that player to walk without getting anything in return (see KD, Harden, and Kyrie on the Nets).

This is not a criticism of the trade for Kawhi and PG13, but it’s a damning indictment of the front office’s inability to pivot to a viable rebuild once the gamble for a championship has failed and the window has closed. The team is now caught in no man’s land of having 2 aging hall of fame players with a roster bereft of elite young talent and no draft picks. It’s sad to say, but KPJ, Bones, and Kai are the most promising young players we have on the current roster. If we compare our young players potential to every other team in the league, we’re sitting at the very bottom. That’s the cold hard facts.