Would you trade Donatas Motiejunas for Goran Dragic?

Not for a half season potential rental of Dragic. No way.

If Dragic was locked in long term then I would consider it.

 

Rockets would have his bird rights.

 

No. D-Mo is our best big man scorer by far. Just about everything goes in when that guy's near the basket. I want Dragic feeding him as much as possible. Trade whatever's necessary, but keep D-Mo.

 

Teams are scared of nerve injuries because there is no 100% guarantee it won't reappear. Honestly Jones is probably worth a late first atm, considering his contract situation on top of the nerve.

(nothing against Jones - i like him but I'm talking about his market value right now,if he had more time to come back be productive and stay healthy for an extensive period of time , say one year+ then he would have much more value)

 

That just isn't true. When a broken bone is healed, it's healed. Your chance of breaking it again is no greater than anyone else's.

Same thing with nerves. Once it's healed, it's 100% and your chance of injuring it again is no different than anyone else's.

 

I think people are overvaluing Motiejunas anyway. I mean, the guy has the potential to be great. His footwork on the block and his skills on the break are really impressive. That said, there's a reason the team still wants Howard to be their primary post threat, and that is that Howard is dominant on the low block. If you don't double him, your defenders end up in foul trouble, and if you do double him, it leaves open shooters on the perimeter because of how easily he's able to get deep post position. While he might not be as effective shooting jump hooks or spinning baseline like Motiejunas, he's able to open up the offense more for his teammates. I've seen Motiejunas get doubled, but its almost unnecessary because he isn't able to get the same deep post position that opens up shooters on the perimeter. That makes him redundant in the same way Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik were redundant last year. Jones, on the other hand, is a playmaker. Somebody posted a few days back about how Parsons would pump fake at the three point line and end up getting wide open drives for easy twos and assists. Jones does the same thing, and he runs the floor. He has a better base than Motiejunas, rebounds better, and I think he can improve his shooting and defense (he's already added upper body strength this year that I think will help). This is why I think the FO will make the decision to stick with Jones, and may see Motiejunas as expendable at the right price.

This isn't to say I don't like Motiejunas, or I don't think he has a high ceiling, but that he may help the team improve tremendously by bringing in a playmaking scoring point guard to take pressure off Harden, and by giving Jones the opportunity to continue his rapid development.

 

Although it's close, I would probably pull the trigger if Dragic's camp said they'd re-sign.

 

any links? I might have missed something.
I also wouldnt' take 100% what a Rockets doctor would say to the press because usually they are far too optimistic. Esp since saying anything else will severely hurt ones trade value. But if there's a more neutral source by all means.

Anyway this is off topic anyway. Just for sure Jones value is much lower than Dmos.

 

Yes, because he will pout like a baby if he is asked to play to his strengths and help the team and will wilt on defense if he does not get his way.

Dwight needs a boot in his ass coach...not an enabler - he is NOT dominant on the low post, a guy that is less than 40% on post up opportunities is NOT dominant.

DD

 

Nope. Not even with a healthy Dwight. I love Dragic and really hope we get him, but I think DMo is going to be something special. I think we'd be better off with DMo and a serviceable pg, than without DMo and with Dragic.

 

I'd trade Howard for Dragician.

 

Yes. Forgoing the center position is a great way to win in the playoffs. Well said.

 

Not good enough IMO, because of Howard's unreliable health. We would need a replacement for D-Mo, before trading him for Goran.

Goran can still get a good deal on the free market.

 

I voted "no" on a value for value basis, in a vaccuum, but it's not that simple:

- If dwight is healthy for a playoff run, then yes. Our focus is this season. We overpay a little to load up for a deep run. Josh Smith is the one we need to defend at the PF spot anyway. Dragic covers the loss of offense from moving Dmo, and then some. (I'd make Phx throw in a pick of some kind if they want Dmo for Dragic.)

- If we assume Morey assumes Dwight won't be a healthy Dwight for the playoffs, then no, he won't deal Dmo for Dragic. For this season, Dmo for Dragic is a wash (b/c Dwight is unhealthy), and for future years, it's a negative.

 

Would be far too upset if we lost our Lithuanian Lycan

 

I'll do Donuts + throw in for Dragic.

Jones + Pelicans + throw in for Dragic.

 

If you look at it solely in terms of shooting percentage, no, but you're not looking at the big picture. Motiejunas doesn't get deep post position as easily as Dwight. He wants to operate on the low block, but he's always forced out to the mid or high post, which doesn't create the space and shooting opportunities for the rest of the offense. Motiejunas also doesn't draw fouls at the same rate on the low block. That's because Howard, even though he doesn't score well out of the post, is a load. You either need a hulking center to guard him, or you have to double him when he has the ball, or shade another defender when he doesn't -- just because he's there. That's what's being missed. If Motiejunas had the same effect on the defense that Howard does, Howard would be the redundant one.

 

I dont want to lose DMo but I voted 'yes' with a couple of caveats though:


1) Josh Smith re-signs with Houston on a 2 year very friendly team deal (he still has the Pistons money)
2) Jones is 100% back


I think with the addition of Smith we have 3 very talented and versatile PFs and we do not have as many options at PG - for that matter in the backcourt in general after Harden so having a guy like Dragic would be huge.


But this too depends on Dragic re-signing.


A lot of 'ifs' of course but I can't see DMo being a deal breaker if it means getting Dragic. If Capela isnt traded I can see Capela developing into a serviceable NBA player (given his production in d-league) in a couple of years while Smith/Jones hold down the fort till then.

 

If there was a guarantee that Dragic would re-sign and we still got to
Keep the New Orleans pick then yup, Id do it

 

straight up? no.

but, Plumleee + Dragic for D-Mo + Picks/non-core players?

i'd think very hard about it.

and Jones makes much less sense for Phoenix than D-Mo, so i really don't see TJ as part of this trade. IMO, Capella, Pelicans pick (or two 2nds) + random player makes much more sense for both teams.

Phoenix opens up a logjam at PG, gets a tremendous prospect, and high-value picks.

and rockets get their PG.