Our default starters in the 2022-23 campaign before the trade deadline were:
Our current starters:
So over the 1.5 seasons we have shaved off 16 years from our starting lineup and 5 years off our key bench prospects without turning into a significantly worse team, while also increasing the overall talent and upside of the roster. We have also removed all the crutches in the process (Conley and KO mainly, but also JC carrying us on offense/in the clutch). And we did that while maintaining cap and asset flexibility (where the only really bad move was the Collins trade, which still has potential to turn into a decent move if Collins continues to improve or if we get something out of him).
- Conley, who turned 35 during that season, and was doing A LOT OF stuff for the team, including acting as a crutch for Hardy
- Clarkson, 30 years old who carried the team a lot with his own scoring
- Olynyk, 31 year old who handled a lot of the secondary playmaking duties for us
- Lauri, 25 year old budding star, who we decided to prioritize
- Vando, 23 year old hustle guy, who we traded because he didnt fit at all with Kessler
Our current starters:
- Dunn, 29 who is looking like a successful reclamation project
- Sexton, who just turned 25 and has evolved as a passer and added versatility as a scorer
- Collins, 26 who has looked rought but has also improvede as the season has progressed
- Lauri, now 26 and still improving
- Kessler, 22 who is already very good defensively, and should at least become a reliable starter level drop big
So over the 1.5 seasons we have shaved off 16 years from our starting lineup and 5 years off our key bench prospects without turning into a significantly worse team, while also increasing the overall talent and upside of the roster. We have also removed all the crutches in the process (Conley and KO mainly, but also JC carrying us on offense/in the clutch). And we did that while maintaining cap and asset flexibility (where the only really bad move was the Collins trade, which still has potential to turn into a decent move if Collins continues to improve or if we get something out of him).