Rockets Renew Bid for Butler, offering FOUR first-round picks

It’s what he do

 

What if the "four firsts" is just a way of forcing activity in the market and the target isn't Jimmy at all? Pretty sure Daryl is 9 steps ahead of everyone on this board and at least 2 ahead of 95% of the leagues GMs.

Even if his target doesn't become available when Jimmy gets moved, doesn't mean a helpful piece won't.

 

The Rockets offensive success in previous seasons speaks for itself, and the offensive strategy makes sense. Still, I'm not a fan of too strict of a 3's or paint rule for efficient star level players, it is a bit cringy to see a guy like Paul who knows how to take good shots and be very efficient (so, not a guy like Melo) sometimes be hesitant to just play and go get a basket and instead force 3PT shots because this is what the offense is "supposed to do".

Role players and complimentary guys, yes, but if my star is efficient, he can shoot whatever shots he wants. One concern with adding Butler is how he fits into that. Yes, he already gets to the basket and to the line, but he is in no way a volume 3PT shooter, and he uses the mid-range to set up some of his other scoring. Butler's career TS% is .572. His last 5 seasons it is .581. Similar to Paul, whom when he came to Houston, he was a .589 TS% guy in his time with the Clippers. His final season with the Clippers it was .614, if you're efficient, keep doing your thing, don't change it up.

 

I hope we can do a swap of 1sts for seconds...recoup some great value that way. This will allow morey to do what he does best...find extremely low-cost viable NBA players, while using FA/trade to land for proven super stars

 

Gordon knows he’s outta here. You can tell by the way he’s playing.

Just rip the band aid off.

 

This. Whenever we get 2nds I know we have a decent shot at finding a role player on a cheap deal for a few years.

 

2 first round picks + free meal for life at Tilman's restaurant.



Thibs will bite.

 

So basically for Tilman it was about money?! Cheap b*stard cost us

 

acceptable situation for both sides, EG + 1 pick for Butler.

 

If you were tillman what would you do? Wouldn't you try to save whatever you can
but atleast he is forcing the trade for butler. he is try to make the team better

 

lol..Are you trying to say he is fat..lol

 

Looks like 2 yard line

 

I think this is happening this week. Just a gut feeling.

 

If it is gordon and picks then it can happen sooner. but if BK, chriss and picks then have to wait till 31st

 

Gordon and Chriss would still be 31st. I don’t think Gordon is enough salary alone

 

Woj: Houston has put 4 first round picks in their most recent deal. That'll be fluid based on what players are in the deal. Houston to me is the one team in this entire process, the only team, who can believe 'If we trade for Butler, he helps us win a championship this year.' One team that could be heard from again is Philly. They're like Houston right now, they're evaluating themselves and saying "Not sure we improved over last year and not sure we're even the same team." They're younger & will see growth from their younger players but Philly may be heard from again. Miami hasn't given up on the idea. Houston is the one team who says 'This is our window and right now, we're probably not good enough.'

BW: Spent time with the Rockets in LA. They're missing their mojo. They are banged up right now. Harden will be out a few games. It's hard to evaluate them as a team but they don't seem to have the same edge. There is a history. It seems like four firsts is the magical number teams they think they can offer to get anything but that seems to fail. We remember the Celtics offering four firsts to move up to draft Justise Winslow. Hornets took Frank Kaminsky. I remember the Hawks, when Paul George was available, the Hawks offered four firsts. Now we have Houston offering four firsts. That in & of itself is jaw dropping. I go to the Herschel Walker or Ricky Williams trade. It is amazing. All of those offers, including this one, there's no assurance they'll be good picks. Houston's picks you'd figure...Houston hasn't picked in the lottery in a long time.

Woj: Let's say 2019 & 2021 that they could still be good. By the time you got out beyond that, chances are the team may look very different. Brooklyn had a swap. It felt like they lost it every year because they swapped picks. That made the KG/Pierce trade feel worse. Those two players were far more at the end of their career. You can make the case Jimmy is in his prime. If turned out to be 3 or 4 picks, you'll make your run with Harden/Paul/Butler but then if they re-sign Butler, if they feel like the window is closed or run is over, you're always in a position with Butler with 2 or 3 years left on his deal, you're trading him somewhere and getting a pick or two back. That's how Houston operates. Even if you did trade picks, he's young enough to get something back for him.

BW: The Wolves, if they don't have a good year this year, good chance Tom will lose his job. Getting cap relief or future draft picks has limited value to him. He's the president & coach. If the owner wanted it, I suppose that's what would happen but I don't think Tom will be moved by picks. He needs players who can help him now. When he talks to Houston, he'll want to know who's my 2-guard after I trade Butler, not worried about a 2023 draft pick.

Woj: I don't know if he cares about 4 picks in the 2019 draft, let alone 4 over the next 7 years. Of course they'll ask for Gordon & Tucker. I don't think there's any scenario where they get the two of them, especially with that combo of picks. If you want the better players, then that changes so that's called a negotiation. Glen Taylor has talked about selling the team. How long will he be invested in the team? I think it'll be beyond this year but he's at a point in his life where he's waited a long time to have a good team there. I don't think he's looking to make a long play here. While Towns & Wiggins are young, he wants to be good too.

BW: Agree. Fan base appetite is the same. Thibs is getting booed louder than Butler. The concept of losing him for guys you don't see their faces is tough. What is the appetite in Houston for going deep in the tax? I thought it was limited. Tilman gave an interview where he basically said he never wanted to go into the repeater tax but if you trade 4 first round picks, the thought is you're going to re-sign him. The fact this offer is being made leads me to believe that there is...what is your read on the situation?

Woj: Their payroll would be tied up in those three and Clint Capela. If Phoenix doesn't get the number one pick, they may put a max offer sheet out. Dallas if they didn't get DeAndre Jordan. All the teams who had space & might have needed a center dried up on him. He had to negotiate or risk taking the QO. Houston dodged a bullet on that. It would be a tremendous tax burden. Daryl Morey is always, always, always going to be big game hunting. He can't help himself. He can't stay out of these pursuits.

BW: I remember joking with him 4 years ago, they opened up a new locker room. He gave me a tour of it. I remember above each player locker is a LED screen. It has their name, face, rattled through stats. I joked with Daryl, back when he was making 11 trades a year to move the ball 5 yards, I said this will make it easier when you make trades. They don't have to change nameplates out. He has that reputation. Not saying they would have matched Ariza's 1 year, $15M but they could have done a deal over 2 years that would have gotten him in a good place. They didn't get into a bidding war with Mbah a Moute and not saying Mbah a Moute is the difference between a championship and not but when those 2 guys leave, Daryl has to make other moves. They were clearly tightening the belt a little bit (after paying Paul/Capela) but interesting they're switching gears now and all the sudden going after big money guys again when they let key pieces go over a few million dollars.

Woj: Tilman will be tested. His willingness to compete, chase Golden State and like we've talked about, it's really expensive to beat the Warriors. The way OKC has had to spend, Houston will have to spend, Golden State will have to spend to keep it together. There's an arm's race that's going on and Daryl feels like it's built around star players and he'll get a third one.

BW: It was reported last week but Tilman has made a bid to merge his casino operations. From what I understand, while this would give him potentially a position in the new Caesars, he potentially would squeeze a bunch of money out of it as well. ... I don't know whether that deal...maybe that deal changes his situation and maybe that means I can go after Jimmy Butler. In general, there's a big casino consolidation stuff going out there involving a bunch of NBA owners. One is Dan Gilbert, who is selling his casino. These guys out there are doing business together but interesting to note that. Here on the left hand, he's making a deal that could get a bunch of money & next thing you know, he's not so worried about the luxury tax. I don't know.

...

Woj: I'm confident Philly will be heard from again. What are you willing to give up? It's great to have the max slot available. You have to be realistic how attractive it is. Who can we legitimately get? It may be no one worth a max and we need to go out and make a trade. A player like Khris Middleton, I'm pretty confident Milwaukee will do everything to re-sign him and I don't know that he has any intention of not re-upping there. If you're Philly, whoever it is, I don't think you're getting Durant, Thompson or Leonard. No reason to think you're a front-runner for any of those guys. They didn't gain any ground this offseason. Maybe they lost a little bit. They miss Ilyasova & Belinelli. They're still trying to figure out who Fultz is.

BW: They have the assets. They have the ingredients necessary to make a big deal. It's a matter of picking the big deal they want to make.

 

Yep, it has to be Gordon or Knight with Chriss or Nene.

 

Houston gets: Butler, One or Two 2nd round picks

Minnesota gets: Gordon, Nene, Four 1st round picks

I doubt Thibs wants Marquese Chriss. *Young, labeled, and not an ex-Bull. And the Rockets should not trade him. He is the emergency Capela replacement which means he can replicate Capela's playing style the best out of our current bigs.

Minnesota saves money. Morey gets future 2nd round pick(s). Thibs gets Gordon. Taylor gets four 1st round picks. Gordon will get to start. Nene is a cheap 2 year contract as a veteran emergency center *or could be bought out then go play for another team. Or retire.

 

Gordon/Knight/Chriss and 3 firsts for Butler and Taj.