Potential Off-season Trade Partners
by Eric in Madison on Mar 21, 2010 12:53 PM CDT
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PrintThe season, mercifully, is almost over, and we head into the most vital of Kahn's "windows" to change the fortunes of this woebegone franchise. Kahn has stated that he expects to have roughly $12-14 million in cap space; my sense of things is that $11-12 million is more realistic. At any rate, there is some room. We know that quality free agents are going to have lots of options, and that Minnesota is not going to be at the top of the list, meaning that the most likely use of the cap space is through a trade in which the Wolves take on more in salary than they send out. This could take the form of taking on a talented but overpaid player, taking on a salary to also get a cheaper young talent, or taking on a salary to get a draft pick.
In order to get a better sense of the possibilities, after the jump I'll take a look at the teams that are most likely going to be looking to shed salary given their circumstances. A couple of notes:
1. This is pretty long, so get a snack
2. PoorDick: your objection is stipulated.
Atlanta Hawks: Committed to $47.6 million for 8 players and need to resign Joe Johnson. Doing so would put them close to the luxury tax line with roster spots to fill. Nothing much on their roster of particular interest to the Wolves, unless they consider trading Al Horford, which seems unlikely. If they cannot resign Joe Johnson, it will be interesting to see what they do.
Boston Celtics: Committed to $63 million for 6 players assuming Pierce exercises his option. That's not including Ray Allen. But there's really nothing of interest there. Expensive and aging is the price you sometimes pay for a title.
Charlotte Bobcats: Committed to $59.5 million for 9 players assuming Chandler exercises his PO. This doesn't include making a QO to Ty Thomas and resigning him, nor does it include Ray Felton, who they might or might not want to bring back. Either of these moves would put them over the LTL. We've expressed interest in Gerald Wallace, but it's unlikely they would give away their best player. He's terrific, though.
Dallas Mavericks Committed to $84 million assuming Dirk exercises his PO; at any rate he isn't going anywhere. This is before they resign Brendan Haywood. Cuban is obviously willing to spend, god bless him, but even he might like to move some salary. Unfortunately, there isn't much there. Would anyone take on Dampier's final year to get Beaubois?
Denver Nuggets: Committed to $73 million for 9 players, assuming K-Mart exercises his option. Couple of guys I wouldn't mind having, like JR Smith, Chris Andersen, Aaron Afflalo. Unfortunately, I don't see them moving any of those guys, as they have a window now. They could try to package Martin's $16 million with Afflalo to get near or under the LTL, but I think they view Martin as vital to their hopes. They could move JR Smith since Afflalo has emerged; that's something I would look at. He's only under contract for 1 more year at around $6 million.
Detroit Pistons: Commited to $51 million, $55 assuming the pick up options for Stuckey and Jerekbo. With Jerekbo's emergence, there's no doubt they wouldn't mind moving one of their bigger salaries; someone here has suggested moving Al for Prince and their pick, which is looking to be in the 5-7 range right now. I'm sure they would prefer to move Hamilton's brutal deal. There might be something here; Brewer and the Charlotte pick for Prince and their pick? Save them some money?
Golden State Warriors Committed to $53 million for 10 guys, might be looking to make changes after another terrible season. Have several intriguing players we've discussed; I wouldn't mind taking on Corey Magette's salary (he's better than you think he is) to get a hold of one of their young players or their pick. It seems that Nellie has tired of Biedrins, but that's a long deal. Lot's of injury problems for their guys as well. There might be something here, but I'm not sure what it is.
Houston Rockets: Committed to $58 million assuming Yao exercises his PO. This does not include Hayes' team option or resigning Luis Scola, which I assume they want to do. I'm sure they would love to get rid of Jared Jeffries PO, and try to stay under the LTL, but there's nothing I want that would encourage me to take that on. Anyone interested in a year of Shane Battier to help teach our guys to defend?
Indiana Pacers: Committed to $64.6 million. Assuming they aren't moving Granger, there isn't much I want there. I'm sure they would love to move salary, but what are you willing to take on to get their pick (5-7 range)? Most of their contracts will be expiring next year (Murphy, Dunleavy, Foster, TJ Ford), so the pain would be short lived. Because of that, who knows if they would be willing to do it, though that TJ Ford PO is pretty gruesome. Or maybe instead of their pick, they would want to move Hibbert. And they have no real PG. Flynn or Sessions for Hibbert and TJ Ford's contract? For their pick and Ford? Anyone?
Memphis Grizzlies Committed to $47.3 million but that's before resigning Gay and Ronnie Brewer. (It;s also including Jaric's $7 million, but I'm not sure what's happening with that since he signed in Europe. Anyone?) Sign and trade for one of those guys? We've discussed Gay a lot, Heisley recently said he plans to bring him back.
Milwaukee Bucks Committed to $55 million for 9 guys, assuming Redd exercises his (brutal) PO. Not including resigning Luke Ridnour. Good young team, really playing well. I'm sure they would love to move the last season of Dan Gadzuric's deal ($7+ million), but yikes. Would you take on a couple of years of Charlie Bell's deal to get Ilyasova?
New Orleans Hornets: Committed to $73 million for 10 players. Yikes. Would you take on James Posey (2 years left) to get their late lottery pick (around #11)? I don't think I would, but maybe Posey brings some professionalism and defense that helps.
Oklahoma City: Not a potential trade partner, probably, (Al for Jeff Green?), just wanted to point out that Sam Presti is good at his job. 5th seed this year, everyone important coming back next year for $40 million, and you know how much they are committed to for 2011-12? At this moment, $3 million dollars.
Orlando Magic: $79 million committed to 10 guys. Man that Lewis contract...anyway, they seem to be willing to pay the tax to win, and there really isn't much in terms of what they would give up that I would want. Would they give away Mikael Pietrus to save some money? Eh.
Philadelphia 76ers: Committed to $66 million for 10 guys. Seems like there are salaries they would be wanting to move, but they hesitated at the deadline. Final season of Dalembert's deal? Seem to want to keep Iggy. What else? This is a bad team with a Luxury Tax payroll and a lottery pick (5-7 range). What can be done?
Portland Trailblazers: Committed to roughly $55 million for 9 guys, assuming Pryz exercises his PO. That's before resigning Camby, which I"m sure they would like to do given the health problems of their centers. Paul Allen doesn't mind spending money, though the Vulcans can get prickly. I'm sure they would love to move Pryz's PO, since it seems unlikely he'll be able to play next year with the repeated ruptures of the achilles. In order to get Fernandez? I might take it. Webster? Probably not.
San Antonio: Not really a trade partner, just wanted to point out that they are committed to $54 million for 6 players next year, not including Manu who is an FA. I'd love to get him, though I assume he'll prioritize winning. Nothing on that roster is interesting.
Toronto Raptors: Committed to roughly $47 million for 8 guys assuming Bosh opts out. If they resign him, they will be forced over the LTL, if they don't...they still lack cap space and are even worse. Not much here of interest to me.
Utah Jazz: Committed to $56 million for 6 guys, and news coming out of SLC is that they actually would like to resign Boozer. To do that, they have to move salary. The obvious one is AK 47's last season at almost $18 million. Hollins and Flynn/Sessions and their pick for AK and the Knicks pick?
Any and all trade ideas welcome in the comments thread. I hope this is useful.
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Childress via Atlanta
Does Atlanta still hold Josh Childress’s rights? We could possible to a sign and trade with them and not have salaries match. Yes? No?
I believe so
We’d have to give them something, though, otherwise, why would they do it?
by Eric in Madison on Mar 21, 2010 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't know what's going on with his contract
but I bet if we can figure that out we might be able to figure out what’s going on with Jaric as well. Is he just an RFA the second he comes back or what?
I'm not convinced they would match an offer sheet for him
They might need to front-load it or overpay him, but they might not even do that.
by pagingstanleyroberts on Mar 21, 2010 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Correct - there's no need to salary match rights to a player
Keep in mind also that we will be under the salary cap this summer, so we won’t have to match anyway.
I think Childress is an interesting idea. He may be happy in MIN, compared to a season in a foreign country away from
NBA competition. He may not be that expensive a trade either.
It’s difficult to predict what ATL will do. They have financial and ownership problems, and if they are able to bring back Joe Johnson, they may be struggling with the lux as well. However, they are a legitimate Top 4 team in the Eastern Conference too, so they will struggle balancing their needs for financial stability with trying to add talent.
"2. PoorDick: your objection is stipulated."
Thank you—I haven’t had the old objection stipulated in quite some time.
No Chicago?
If they are losers in FA they definitely wold be interested in Big Al.
I agree the Bulls would be interested in Jefferson
A clear low-post scorer is exactly what the team needs. It would be difficult for them to make a trade for him now though, with several PF’s on the market.
While Al would be a terrific fit for the Bulls, they would struggle to make a competitive offer. Deng is over-priced in today’s market .. or at a minimum, his deal is overly long and too risky for a skill-set that can be found in many players in the market at a cheaper price. They swapped picks with MIL this season, so their 2010 pick looks more and more like it will only be #18. The Bulls have continually refused to go over the lux, so cap space is tough. Perhaps come sort of three-way, sending the Lakers Hinrich and Noah (tough for them to deal), and the Lakers sending us Bynum?
Marko is still on the books
They bought him out like the Wolves did to T-Hud, so his cap number doesn’t change.
by pagingstanleyroberts on Mar 21, 2010 5:22 PM CDT reply actions
If Darko comes back
I wonder if they might not make a move for Chris Paul, knowing they could be very good next season. I don’t think NOLA would trade Paul, but Collison playing so well may have them thinking. The Wolves could also take Peja to give NOLA major payroll relief. Perhaps something along the line of Rubio and Jefferson for Paul and Peja??
Your big trade ideas
while still unlikely, are usually the best opportunity we would have for getting a max player. Kudos for that.
I liked the Bosh idea and I like this as well. Doesn’t seem extremely unlikely, even though most of these max player trade ideas are unlikely before they are even suggested (assets are usually there, just not the possibility of a player actually wanting to come here). I think Bosh is the best chance we would have (low of course and we would have to do some major convincing, but more likely than Wade or Bron) for an FA and Paul is probably the best shot we have for a guy we actually want in trades.
Agreed
I’ve said before I think if NOLA was going to trade Paul it would have been early this season to max their salary savings, but as well as Collison has played you gotta wonder if they would be tempted. Trading Paul and Peja could save them massive money, especially if they got back cheap young players in return.
Detroit and Indianna seem like the best match
Flynn or Sessions + Al Jeff + something to Indiana for their pick and something. The dream scenarios is to get grainger and something (Hibbert?).
Al + something for Prince/Hamilton and their pick
3 teams
I’ll first off thank you for a great post. It is clear that you put a ton of work into this post. I see three guys that I really like on this list and do not think would cost us that much. These are in no particular order. First, Ronnie Brewer from Memphis, second, AK47 from Utah, and finally Mikael Pietrus from Orlando. I really believe in Jerry Sloan coached players. You have to know that they are going to give max effort and do things right. Brewer seems to be cheaper than Gay. I kind of think we would have to overpay for Gay, and don’t feel like Brewer is that much of a step down. AK47 seems to be a forgotten man in Jazz land, and I think would be a great fit with our undersized centers because he could give us shot blocking that we sorely need. It may not be with the Wolves, but mark my words AK47 will have a huge bounceback year once he gets a change of scenery. Finally, Pietrus is a player that always seems to “fit” wherever he has been. A team guy who doesn’t seem to need that many minutes to be productive. I acknowledge that none of these guys are stars, rather I see them as cheap pieces that can be added without doing much damage to the pieces we need going forward.
I really like the Utah trade idea...
Picking up another high draft pick would be nice, and there could be many worse things than a year of AK47 even though he’s overpaid. Having the inside track to sign him when his contract expires would also be a bonus. If we trade Big Al and re-sign Darko, AK would look really good guarding the athletic PFs when we need him to, and playing SF otherwise. Having Darko and him would really make it easy to hide Love defensively when we have to. I’m also imagining how much chaos Brewer and AK47 could cause defensively if they played together. Really like this idea.
I agree
I like that one too. The problem is, AK makes so much that you have to send them some salary in exchange, because the Wolves cannot absorb all $18 million under the cap. It would have to be something like Hollins/Brewer/Flynn (or Sessions) for him. That, or trade Al for cap space then get AK, which is something I wouldn’t do.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 22, 2010 7:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Golden State Warriors: I wouldn't mind taking on Corey Magette's salary (he's better than you think he is) to get a hold of one of their young players or their pick.
Warriors fans here and not to be rude, but no matter how many TERRIBLE decisions our FO has made the past few years, there is NO WAY we would trade Maggette AND our top pick to Minny just to get out of his contract. Only way he comes your way is for Jefferson, Love or one of your other first round picks (not the top one)
We might not be in great shape, but it’s silly to think that we are going to send off one of our most productive players AND another good young player or top 6 draft pick just to get out of a contract that isn’t THAT bad considering the level of play he brings to the table.
Just wanted to throw that out there.
However, if you guys were willing to talk about an Maggette for Jefferson or Ellis for Jefferson+your second or third 1st round pick I think many GSW fans would be all ears.
That might seem like blasphemy here, problem is all fans overvalue their own players when it comes to trades.
Sure
I wasn’t suggesting that these guys would be free. Thanks for the input.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 22, 2010 7:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Interesting
However, if you guys were willing to talk about an Maggette for Jefferson or Ellis for Jefferson+your second or third 1st round pick I think many GSW fans would be all ears.
I’d trade Al and the Charlotte pick for Maggette and the GS pick. I don’t know what to think about Monta, he’s a better player, but has the longer contract and I don’t think he’d fit well here. I can’t believe GS said no to Mayo/Thabeet for him earlier (if that rumor is true).
Apparently Al was discussed by name in the Oakland paper as a possible trade target. Many have suggested he doesn’t fit in that offense because he dominates the ball, but I think they’re kinda looking for a low post option to utilize in the half court when their run/gun bogs down. Nellie loves offense and Al can do that. Turiaf, Biedrins (if he gets out of the doghouse), and potentially Wright (if healthy) all seem like good complementary guys to Al’s offense.
I’d love to get Azuibuike as well and would be willing to add Brewer on our end. Brewer would seem to fit in Nellie’s wide open offense?
Al, Brewer and Charlotte’s pick for Maggette, GS’s pick and Azuibuike?
by Blond Ricky on Mar 22, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
I doubt you can find a stat that backs up Monta being better than Al, if both are healthy.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
Not better than Al. Better than Maggette.
by Blond Ricky on Mar 22, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
If both are healthy....
Al is better but not by much, Ellis is a good combo guard that is athletic, can create his own shot, and he actually plays solid defense.
Al is a more valuable piece yes...
But not one that you guys need. You have two starting quality PF’s who want to start. We have a glut of wingmen who all deserve run. Swapping players makes sense for both sides though.
You guys need an athletic, scoring 2 who can be your number one option. We need a low post presence who can actually score the ball. While Ellis does turn the ball over too much and can be a bit ball hog ish, he has actually shown at times that if not given complete reins over an offense he can be very efficient. Jefferson has shown he can be a monster on any given night on the boards and in the paint and that’s something we haven’t had since….I don’t want to talk about when. We would need to figure out our PF problem by having three quality guys if we did acquire Al Jeff, but that’s a better problem to have than the swing man problem we’ve had for the last 10 years.
Maybe neither team is interested and no trade will really work out evenly.
Point is, no team picking in the lottery is going to trade their pick away just so a team can eat up some money without getting any big talent in return. I don’t think that’s ever happened. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I honestly don't know.......
What the hell Kahn is doing, but I hope we don’t get taken by anyone, Ellis for all his flaws is still a damn good guard and would be huge a upgrade over Flynn or Brewer so I wouldn’t mind trading for him, but I don’t know if Taylor will Pull the trigger. A healthy Al/Love+Randolph Front Court with Ellis and Turner on the wings sounds promising, don’t know what it would take to get Randolph and Ellis though.
Funny that you should mention how our teams stack up
in terms of trade fit. I noticed that earlier this year and went over to GSoM to see who they were hoping to get rid of to further my own fantasy trades. Funniest thing was everybody over there thought they were the actual GM and by making up a trade it was going to happen. But they basically said our teams don’t match at all unless we want to give up Love, Rubio, or Jefferson. Some of the trades they proposed were beyond ridiculous for any outsider and they honestly thought it was rational (along the lines of Love for Belinelli).
The irrational love for Randolph should hopefully have died down by next year when he proves to be nothing more or less than what he has shown.
And I’d say it definitely depends where your pick and where Charlotte’s pick ends up with how likely a trade is. Obviously if GS moves up and Charlotte stays around 15, nothing will happen. But sitting around 5ish and I think you can get equal value at 5 and 10. So unless you are specifically targeting someone, a trade isn’t that outlandish. Personally, I’m not sold on the whole moving up thing because I don’t know who we would even target outside of the top 4 and possibly Wes Johnson (not sold on him). Otherwise it’s a pretty deep draft and I would rather have (talent only, not fit or having too many rookies) 13-15 and 24ish than 6-10… unless people really starting setting themselves apart during workouts.
Tell me whose bad salary we need to take
to swap Jefferson for Turiaf and Azubuike? Does it also take a pick? Flynn for Watson as well? Corey for Wright?
I’ll go to war with this lineup:
Sessions/Watson (Rubio in a year)
Turner/Ellington/Azubuike
Azubuike/Turner/draft pick #2
Love/Wright
Darko/Turiaf
I’m sure the Warriors would do that deal of Turiaf and Azubuike for Jefferson without anyone else having to be included. However, someone would have to be. In order for money to work you would have to take back Radmanovic once he accepts his player option. It would be his last year and a nice expiring contract, but still an ugly one for the time being.
Dalls is out
Dampier’s contract is not guaranteed so there is no reason for them to give away Beaubois, Just wanted to clear that one up.
Ah..I did not know that about Dampier
Thank you for that piece of information.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 22, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Not necessarily
The only way they can take on another contract in the 10 million range without giving up a core piece is by trading Dampier. I can see a Dampier/Beaubois package being one of the most talked about packages this summer.
Sorry, I should have clarified
Dallas is out when it pertains to the Wolves as a trade partner. I agree that Dampier’s contract has great value. I think Gomes non-guaranteed contract is valuable and Dampier’s is 2.5 times larger. I just don’t see Dallas wanting anything the Wolves have to offer. I fully expect Dallas to go after every big name FA by offering Dampier’s contract with Caron Butler in a sign and trade.
Article on Dampier's contract
I wrote something back in November that people interested in this contract may want to read.
http://www.canishoopus.com/2009/11/12/1142451/the-dallas-dust-chip
Dampier’s $13 mil contract is completely unguaranteed, and he can be waived after free agency has opened in July (unlike Gomes). A team could trade, or sign-and-trade, a big money player and send him to DAL for Dampier + “stuff.” When they get Dampier, they can simply waive him and get the big cap savings. Its a far better move than letting a guy walk for nothing, and a free agent who wants to win may be interested in joining DAL, a team who’s payroll isn’t constrained by the salary cap.
he's the best asset in basketball
and i think cuban will not hesitate to use it
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Scary to think...
of Bosh, Wade, Johnson or any of the big FAs going there.
Any scenario where we trade Al +/- something (extra picks, Pekovic, etc.) for a lotto pick high enough for Favors would be fine with me. Something like the GS deal discussed above. Or dealing with Indy or Detroit and trading up from those picks.
Love, Favors and Darko is something that really interests me for next year if coupled with getting Turner or Wall with our own pick.
Don't think
Al and Pekovic will be paired together in any trade. Two players too similar in ability and size.
Growing my own "Darko-stache" since last Monday.
by biggity2bit on Mar 22, 2010 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
Maybe in a three team trade
Pek goes to one team for a mid-1st rounder, the pick and Jefferson go to another team and bring something the Wolves need.
Trade target
Right now I’d offer Al and start with the Utah pick for their pick and Prince.
Growing my own "Darko-stache" since last Monday.
That would be good.
Tay Prince is an older version of exactly what we’d want in a SF next to Turner. Long, defensive minded, and can hit the 3. Would Detroit do this?
Right now the Detroit pick is #5. Would Pekovic be enough to move up a couple spots from there for Favors? Or, the Charlotte pick?
Perhaps the question should be…would you deal Al for Rip Hamilton and their pick? Tough contract, but we get the pick. Can Hamilton be rehabilitated a little, or is he done?
by Blond Ricky on Mar 22, 2010 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Al-to-DET
This is a trade that Detroit posters over at RealGM have not been opposed to. Last season, they were afraid that after shearing their team for cap space, that they were going to miss out and return to fans with nothing, and so they probably overpaid Ben Gordon. Their attendance has dropped dramatically this year, so they may be up for making a big deal to bring in talent.
For us, its something I’d consider as well. Prince is playing better lately, and perhaps in his year here, he could mentor Corey Brewer. The pick seems to have legitimate value – we’ll have to wait and see how the work-outs go. Are wolves fans willing to toss away our cap space and a better player and wait another year? That’s the toughie.
I would do that deal for sure.
I’d definitely do this deal. I’d go further if need be adding Brewer/filler as need be if Detroit wanted. I continue to be unimpressed with Corey, especially considering Ellington’s play.
Here’s a scenario I threw out over on TWolvescentral:
-Assume the Wolves stay at #2. A big assumption, but we can hope right?
-Draft day trade of Al and Brewer for Tayshaun Prince and the #6. I don’t know how likely this is, but Detroit would seem like a team that might be willing to “win now” given how much money they spent last year and their committed salaries. They lack a true big. Brewer fills Prince’s space for a year. We land the a very good complementary 3 with defense, length and 3 point shooting. Prince is too old for our long term plans, but has a handy expiring contract.
-Trade up from 6 using the Charlotte pick for a top 4 pick to select D. Favors (or D. Cousins). In this fantasy we draft an uber athletic 4 with good defense and huge potential. This is really more of 3 team trade as the finances for the Detroit deal would require the pick to be sign/traded.
-Paul George falls to the Utah pick. 2nd rounders…sold to pay for….
-Waive/buyout Gomes. Renounce all other FA’s. Darko does what he says he’s going to and returns to Europe.
-Trade Pekovic’s rights to San Antonio for Tiago Splitters after arranging a deal where we frontload a contract using our cap room. This could give Splitter enough upfront to cover him for when the lockout hits.
-Sign Josh Childress with a portion of our remaining FA money. Additionally, look at a FA big and bringing back Wilkins for the minimum.
Flynn, Sessions, Turner
Turner, Ellington, George
Prince, Childress
Love, Favors
Splitter, Favors, Hollins
nice
but I have to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about Splitter. Anyone got a link to a nice breakdown?
A Darko Fan since 2010!
by TheEvilProfessor on Mar 23, 2010 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think two of your moves are realistic.
1) Trading up from 6 using the Charlotte pick. By all accounts there are 4 potential franchise players in this draft, what team would want to give up one of them to add the Charlotte pick. This could be possible but I just don’t see it as likely, and it is a major part of this plan.
2) Signing Pekovic, Splitter or Rubio (not facotring in buyout) or any Euro this summer is going to be difficult with the possibility of a lockout. Not only do you have to pay them more than they make in Europe, you almost would have to double that in year 1, otherwise these players risk coming over for 1 year, then sitting out a year with no basketball income because of the lockout versus two guaranteed years in Europe. I don’t see Splitter coming over here even if he has not buyout after this season.
lot of factors
I am not trying to shoot down your ideas whatsoever. It does seem though that there are an awful lot of factors to make it happen. If they all come to fruitition, that’s be great.
by scottysnowski on Mar 23, 2010 10:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I think this deal is also a possibility
it depends greatly on where Detroit ends up picking, of course, but I think it fits Kahn’s MO somewhat in maintaining/accumulating value.
Compared to trading for Deng, Prince’s main value lies in preserving cap space (shorter contract). Furthermore he fits a need on the team and could help us on our pursuit of making the playoffs (per Wright’s interview). Acquiring a top 6-7 pick along with cap space (only one year in the future) and a useful player (e.g. not Blount) for Al (and maybe one of our other first rounders) is a good deal, if it’s been determined that Al simply isn’t going to work on this team. At the surface it may look like we’re giving up too much, but I would offer two strong mitigating factors that could motivate the FO to make this deal happen: 1) there’s a player they’ve identified and want (Vesely, for example) at around the Detroit pick that they feel is too good to pass up, and 2) (the biggie) Prince’s salary coming off the books when it does offers huge flexibility in trying to sign Rubio and perhaps another FA or Josh Childress type.
So in essence you’d be trading away Al for the opportunity of a young player you really like and greater flexibility to sign a young player you already have the rights to and add/absorb another piece at the same time (Rudy Fernandez?) a year from now while still preserving some room to retain Corey if he continues to improve.
Growing my own "Darko-stache" since last Monday.
by biggity2bit on Mar 24, 2010 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions
When did Brewer improve? Kidding. Honestly, I don’t see much of what his supporters do. If we could capitalize on any of the positive buzz he’s received, I think we should move him. We won’t though so nevermind.
As far as the Detroit pick, it’s currently #5 and on draft.net Wes Johnson moved up to #3. If we got Cousins or Favors with that pick, I’d love it.
Brewer probably won't ever be a star
but next to a couple of All-Stars he’d be awesome (which is hopefully what we will have after this draft/FA period – maybe not next year, but within the next few years). Imagine Brewer with Deron Williams or CP3, or next Nash, or on the Celtics. Huh?
Alright, so he is what he is, but I’d still rather have him long term than Prince.
Growing my own "Darko-stache" since last Monday.
I’m not a big Brewer fan. I know defensive stats aren’t perfect, but he’s been completely underwhelming as a defender IMO. He’s come down quite a bit from his hot Jan/Feb. I like Ellington a lot better in terms of long term potential give his naturally better shooting and surprising defense. I’m really hoping a we bring in a long/athletic SF that could provide that aspect of Corey’s game. I like this site for the statistical bent which flies in the face of the seemingly strong support for guys like Brewer and more recently Darko.
Overall, I don’t really think Brewer’s game translates well to a 15 mpg bench guy, which is what he should be on a potentially good team IMO.
Ideally I see us drafting Turner to play SG/SF with Ellington as the bench SG who provides shooting. We draft a wing like Anderson at 15ish or preferrably Paul George with the Utah pick (I hope he drops). Couple that with Prince for a year and a move to bring in a long term guy (Josh Childress?) and there’s not much left for Brewer.
Indiana seems like a good match
Indiana has three things MIN would want: Granger, lottery pick, and maybe Hibbert.
MIN has three things IND would want:
1. Flynn. After Wall, there are no really good PG prospects in this draft like last year. A look at IND’s team shows that in 2011, they only have Granger plus lots of youth .. though no PG. There’s no reason for the Pacers to not start the rebuild this year, and give minutes to Flynn rather than TJ Ford.
2. Cap space. While the books look good for IND in 2011, in 2010 they seem to be headed over the luxury threshold. The Pacers are losing a lot of money, and aren’t that good, and I can’t imagine them not fixing this problem.
3. Later picks. Its a lot easier to tell your fans that you’re trading your lottery pick down rather than tell them you’re just trading it away.
I could see both teams being interested in something like Flynn + $3 mil in cap space + UTA for #6 + Foster. Adding Jefferson and Granger would make it even more interesting.
Al to the Thunder?
I’m not quick to dismiss the Thunder as a potential trade partner.
Al isn’t a perfect fit defensively, but he would be terrific in OKC on the offensive end. Who knows how good Durant and Westbrook could be with a legitimate low post presence drawing defenses? Jeff Green would no longer be asked to play out of position. Moreover, Jefferson is young enough to grow with this team.
OKC needs to do something this summer. OKc is never going to be a big market team financially, and Durant and Green are going to need to get paid next year. This summer is really their last chance to add a big piece. They have a good deal of cap space, but the team is young and plays in the middle of Oklahoma .. not really a draw for elite free agents.
Could they make an offer for Jefferson though that would appeal to our front office? I think they’d need to hope we were looking for young, rebuilding pieces, and then maybe they could meet the requirements. Let’s take Durant and Westbrook off the table to start. Jeff Green is promising, but I’m not impressed, and he’s going to have to get paid in 2011 .. I’d try to avoid him. Harden might be a nice start, and after that you’re talking about adding a prospect or two. OKC has a couple picks in the early 20’s, they could offer a future pick, Ibaka or even Mullens could be added, and they could finish a package with millions of raw cap space. With some OKC cap space, we could try to attract a free agent, or more likely, sell it ourselves later for more talent.
I’d love Harden and Ibaka for Al, but it’s unlikely. You mentioned Al’s defense, which is huge for them. Don’t discount their cap space. Sure it’s OKC, but wouldn’t David Lee look pretty good there if NY gets lucky with LeBron and another star? If you’re Lee and the Knicks aren’t an option, where else do you go assuming he wants to win?
If they didn’t land a FA, I doubt they’d include Ibaka and Harden. I think it would be Harden and Mullens and I want nothing to do with Mullens as a primary piece of trade like that.
Pistons trade
I would love this trade, but I don’t think it will happen. I don’t think they would take on Al’s contract if they still had Charlie V. and his contract on the roster.
Assuming we get Turner, I think Kahn will look to trade Love or Jefferson for a 5 through 8 pick and pick up an athletic 4. I think anyone picking higher will decide that they would rather have Cousins or Favors over Love or Jefferson. I think Jefferson’s contract will be the issue, and it will end up Love being traded and we will pick Davis, Monroe or this Czech kid.
Assuming we don’t get Turner (or Wall), we probably get Cousins or Favors, and then trade Love and Al for two 5-10 picks. We draft the best two wings or long forwards we can. I think Cousins should be viewed as pretty much on par with Blake Griffin last year and if we get him we trade the other power forwards we have.
Wildcard? Pistons trade their pick for Al, but we take Gordon instead of Prince. This is assuming we don’t get Evan Turner.
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