Would be shocked if Fred went anywhere. I think there's zero chance that happens. He's Lowry's successor as the emotional heart of the team, and is already a better player than he was at the same age.
I think the tank that needed to happen for this team already happened last year, to come out of that miserable season in Tampa with Barnes (who I think is a future franchise player, but I might be overrating him) was an absolute win. If they finish at the bottom this season I have no problem with that and another lottery pick would be amazing, but I don't get the sense that management is even expecting this. They want to see development and signs that the key pieces on this team can play together and be competitive.
This team isn't a playoff contender right now, but I like the upside of all of our starters and see them as building blocks for a contender. It's the bench scoring and undersized bigs that have been responsible for most of our losses this season and I fully trust Masai's ability to fill those holes without the need of another lottery pick - whether it's a mid-1st rounder, FA, or trade.
Flynn has had plenty of opportunities for a late 1st-rounder, but he's been very disappointing every time I've watched him. I have my doubts that he is NBA-caliber, but the same could be said about Fred at points in his first three years so who knows. On the other hand I really like the tools Banton has, the Raptors probably favour him over Flynn right now.
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