Anyone think Luol might be a good candidate for a 1 + 1 deal before ultimately trying to sign long-term next year? I think he'd definitely consider it, and he'd be a great small-ball 4 option for us, especially if we sign one of Horford or Howard, but not both. He was deadly in Miami at the 4 last year.
What's the limit on a lineup of the following:
PG: IT, Rozier
SG: Bradley, Smart
SF: Crowder, Brown
PF: Deng, Mickey, Guerschon?
C: Horford, Zizic
ECF? That's actually a good matchup against Cleveland. The ability to switch nearly everyone on James or Irving and every individual is a threat from the outside.
I think Deng is someone who'd like a deal of at least three years. He just turned 31, so hitting the market in 1-2 years will not be great for him. He also played 74 and 72 games, so the injury risk is overstated by some.
If we got only one of Horford and Howard, and no KD, we could release Jerebko, keep Amir, and have about $15 million in cap space. I would have no problem offer Deng a 3 or even 4-year deal starting at $15 million. Such a deal would not get in the way of free agency options next year.