For some reason, Nik Stauskas is in the midst of a contract year yet isn’t playing very well. His future in the NBA depends on him playing well right now but he’s not doing it. We all know that he knows that this is a contract year; how could he not? Fat NBA checks will only be coming his way if he shows that he can contribute meaningfully to NBA teams. It does not count as a “meaningful contribution” to shoot 22% on two-point field goals during your tenure with a new team.
If the Cavaliers want to get the most out of Stauskas, they have to relocate the team to Vancouver, hold their games outside only during rainstorms, and have generic bearded white dudes passing Stuaskas the ball. This carefully controlled environment is the only place where Stauskas has shown himself to be an elite shooter. Inside NBA arenas? Forget about it. People passing it to him aren’t white and aren’t bearded? Nuh-uh. Clear skies above? No way. Stauskas needs that exact set of circumstances to be a serviceable NBA player.
You know, I bet teams in China would be willing to meet those conditions since they know that Stauskas is like Jimmer 2.0 and will make them millions of dollars. Team relocation costs can’t be that high, can they?