I think it's a good thing that they aren't building up toward next year...finally. There was never a true rebuild because they always kept several vets that were going to guarantee mediocrity. 3 years ago they should have dumped all the vets and really sucked for more than just the back half of a season, when it was too late.
The last several years they've been in limbo and it was frustrating af to be a fan. They prolonged the rebuild by not fully committing and it feels like fans have reached their threshold of patience (not that anyone has necessarily been patient the last few years).
It would be reassuring if they came out and said something along the lines of 'we like our core and it's time to let them learn how to win together to create that winning culture'.
Ayton makes us a better team in the short term, whether that means starting or coming off the bench. But, he's shouldn't be counted on to be a key piece in becoming legitimate contenders in a couple years. That's the message I get from seeing the moves they've made this offseason. The guys we want to go to battle with will be well rounded players (Holiday, not Ant) with the mental strength and makeup of a winner (not Ayton).
Had this all happened 3ish years ago, we would have had worse losing seasons but we'd be ahead of where we are currently and it would be easier to be optimistic about the direction of the team.
