[Sean Deveney] Will Dwight Howard force a Lakers sign-and-trade?

A team like Atlanta (which wants to play Al at the 4) would most certainly trade at least a second round pick for Asik.

As far as Lin goes, I have no idea. There are a lot of good point guards out there, and I don't know how much other teams value their PG.

 

BimaThug discussed this on the last rockets cast - the point of a sign-and-trade is to potentially be able to ink another big contract (i.e. chris paul). But that aside, there is some merit to clearing some cap space via sign and trade to add a few role players, although those could also be added via the exceptions awarded to teams over the cap but under the apron.

 

Haha, you guys have your noses so far in Lin and Asik's jockstrap that you can't see things clearly. Look, I like Lin and Asik too but they are average to slightly above average NBA players. Although the Rockets will publicly say otherwise, if they have a chance to sign both Howard and Josh Smith, they would have no reservations whatsoever about dumping Lin and Asik. Honestly, they would just cut them if they could to make the space because neither really fit on a team featuring Harden and Howard. Asik is redundant and Lin is a poor 3 point shooter that crumbles in a playoff atmosphere when the defense get too intense. The Rockets are much better served by adding a Josh Smith and other playoff battle tested players to the core of Harden and Howard. And they couldn't care less which team gets Lin and Asik or how they get them. A team featuring Harden, Smith, and Howard would be the top team in the west and maybe even the league for years to come. Isn't that the goal? When he can probably secure that right now, why would Morey worry one bit about Lin and Asik? He wouldn't, unless he's targeting a trade for Love or Aldridge which is unlikely because Lin and Asik don't fit and are redundant in Minnesota and Portland. However, if we had Josh Smith, he could be packaged for either player.

 

Three team trade with the lakers and celtics. We net rondo and Howard. One and a million shot doc!

 

If the Lakers would take Lin's contract its a great deal! Even if Asik went with him

 

Lin does not have a bad contract. He may be a bad fit for our offensive system last year, but he's paid with his tier.

 

I dont know if portland would do it but i would sign howard and then offer asik and a filler to trailblazers for lamarcus aldridge.

c dwight howard
pf aldridge
sf parsons
sg harden
pg lin
that sounds pretty good to me

 

Sounds pretty good to you, but pretty bad for the Blazers. Why would they make that trade?

 

I understand your point of upgrading the team, but as we have discussed numerous times before on this forum:

Lin + Asik = Chris Paul
Asik + PF = Josh Smith

 

That's not the point. The point is that if they have Harden and Howard on max contracts and Josh Smith on a max/near max deal, there's minimal cap space left. Asik would definitely have to be gone and why would you want to keep Lin when you can get the same or better production for substantially less money. The saved cap space can be used to bring in right veterans to surround the big three. It doesn't matter whether we get Chris Paul or Josh Smith, both make enough money that you still have to clear the cap space by getting rid of Lin and Asik. The equal value thing above is really irrelevant. Just depends on what the Rockets and Chris Paul/Josh Smith want to do.

 

The only thing possible thing I can think of is that the Rockets and DHo would each gain "certainty" that the deal will happen and want to ink it before July 1. In other words, if they want to be sure to do a deal before July 1. For example, the Rockets could run out on July 1 and blow all their money on other free agents, or DHo could sign with another team. Really pretty remote unless both sides are afraid that they are going to get dumped for some reason and just want a deal done before July 1.

 

Deveney is a Lakers homer. Specifically, he's a Kobe Homer. The last thing he wants to see is Dwight walk from the Lakers and Kobe be stuck with a vastly-reduced team next year. This is how "stories" (come up with an idea, call a league source and then pretend you're reporting news) like this get made.

Now, in terms of trading Lin. Are we talking about the same Jeremy Lin that Les Alexander told Daryl Morey to get last summer? You know, this story:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=239069&page=4

If you think Patrick "I got served in Game 6 at home by back-up Reggie Jackson" Beverley has made Jeremy Lin expendable, you're nuts.

That doesn't mean Lin couldn't be moved in a sign-and-trade if the right offer came along. But first, it would have to be a whole lot better than just "Beverley becomes the starter," and you have to think long and hard about whether Les Alexander is willing to let Lin go again. I think it would take a huge fish for Alexander to think about letting Lin go again.

As others have said, I think Dwight walks. Lakers, and their fanboys in the media, don't want that to happen. I get that, but Dwight is controlling the action here.

 

I think you're spot on PhiSlammaJamma.

Lin will not be traded just "to create cap space".

The best scenario he gets traded is with Asik for Chris Paul but I really don't see Paul leaving the Clippers.

The front office is also really keen on keeping Asik too. I really don't think they are going to trade him in a package for J.Smith if Howard comes. They will keep Asik at C and play Howard at PF to form the twin towers.

"Spacing is overrated!"

They will certainly give it a shot at making the twin towers work before trading Asik.

 

If you want Smith then Asik and Trob are waaay to easy to trade. If you want CP3 then You can trade Asik and Trob to anyone for 2nd rounders and then S&T Lin to the Clips. Sterling is one of the greediest owners in the NBA and I'm sure that Millions of dollars from China is enough of an incentive for him. He cares less about the Clips' success than how much money he makes off of them. No oneed to give the Lakers anything at all.

 

Yeah. If you can get Chris Paul, then Lin's gone. And he should be. But if it is not a bigger name or a clear upgrade at point, I don't think Lin is going anywhere.

I would love to keep Asik also, if we can. As you said, Twin Towers.

 

Chris Paul.

 

If we can acquire Howard outright.

And if we found out Twolves would be willing to send out Klove would you trade Asik, Parsons and rookies for him? You know Twolves would be trying to get Parsons if they had to give uo kLOVE. Just a question to think about.

I think I would personally if it meant having Howard, Harden and love.

 

1) Lin will be traded for cap space if the Rockets plan is to sign Howard plus any other major unrestricted free agent such as Josh Smith or Paul Millsap. They simply do not have the cap space for Lin and Asik if they choose to go in this direction. They will also need space to bring in supporting role players that fit the system. I'd have no problem rolling with Beverly, Brooks, or even Steve Blake at PG, especially if it frees up space to bring back both Garcia and Delfino, and/or other solid, inexpensive veteran role players.

2) I agree, Chris Paul isn't leaving the Clippers. Even if he did, the Clippers already have Eric Bledsoe and Deandre Jordan, so really don't need Lin or Asik.

3A) To think that you are anyone else on this board knows what the Rockets front office wants or plans to do is ridiculous. Of course their going to praise Lin and Asik and talk about how much they want to keep them. They will continue to do this all the way up until the day they trade them. That's General Management 101. Keep up the players confidence in case they decide to keep them, and keep negotiation leverage against other teams if they decide to deal them. If the Lakers do want to take on the contracts of both Lin and Asik, knowing Morey, we'll probably end up getting draft picks or other assets as well. But I kind of think the Lakers would be doing us a favor by taking on those contracts.

3B) If the Rockets sign Howard and know that Josh Smith wants to sign here, there is no way in hell they don't deal Lin and Asik to make it happen. I don't care what propaganda is being leaked from the front office or what speculation is being thrown around, there is not an owner or GM in the league that would not make that deal. Sure, the Rockets will posture and try to low ball Josh Smith (who's going to want to sign here after Howard commits) by saying if he doesn't take less than the max, they will have to keep Lin/Asik or maybe sign Millsap. But make no mistake, if the Rockets have a chance to get both Howard and J. Smith, they will do it no matter what it takes. The move would instantly put them in the top 2-3 teams in the league. If they keep Lin and Asik, their still a player away from contending. Plus if for some very unlikely reason that it doesn't work out with Josh Smith, he'd be much easier to trade next year for Love or Aldridge.

4) Spacing is not overrated. Howard and Asik cannot coexist for numerous reasons as already explained thoroughly in other threads.

 

Doesn't make sense for Dwight to sign with Dallas if he's trying to win now, why would you want to sign with a team that has an aging franchise player who's coming off a major injury?

Atlanta has a shot if Hartford and Howard can coexist.

Lakers really only have a shot if Dwight wants more security with money but is going to be heavily taxed while living in the great state of California.

Houston seems to be the only viable answer, you have a top 5 SG and a top 20 SF. Not to mention a GM that can always add more significantly contributing role players. And hey he doesn't have to pay more in taxes compared to California. So if he wants to save money, there you go.

 

I'm not sure you understand how this works. So, I'll try to help you out.

Les Alexander owns the team. Not Daryl Morey. Not anyone else. If Les Alexander wants Lin to stay, he's staying.

Remember the "basketball side wasn't high on Lin" stories we got at the start of this year? That was pretty much a full-out shout that the non-ownership side of the Rockets wasn't really thrilled to have Lin back in hand.

So what happened?

Lin started all 82 games.

If there is a power struggle here, or any disagreement, Alexander wins. And by all accounts, Alexander is a Lin fan.

Now, I'm sure Morey could tell Alexander "hey, if we want Howard we need to sign his friend Josh Smith." And I'm sure Alexander may be amenable to that. But perhaps not amenable enough to send away Jeremy Lin.

Whatever Les Alexander wants to do, he's going to do.

That is why I posted the link above, to Alexander essentially letting Morey know last summer "you better get Jeremy Lin back right now." And that directive led to this:

http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocke...er-alexander-hopes-for-one-more-marquee-move/

Houston cleared out their point guards just so they had a CHANCE to get Lin back. Now, we can all say it was a good chance based upon Jim Dolan's mindset, but it was still a chance.

So, you think Les Alexander is going to just ditch Lin now, after working that hard to get him last summer?

This isn't brain surgery. We don't have to read the front office's minds. The information and facts available are pretty clear.

Would Alexander part with Lin to get Chris Paul? I'm sure he would. Would he part with Lin to sign Smith to bring in Howard? Maybe. Or maybe he talks to Howard and says let's make this work another way.

What you think about this situation means nothing. Neither does what I think. What matters is what the owner, above everything else, thinks.

I don't think Les Alexander went after Lin as hard as he did last year to ditch him one year later. Certainly not for Patrick Beverley (at least not the current version of Patrick Beverley) or some ambiguous future plan that may or may not materialize.

Alexander heard what Adam Silver said about Lin at the All-Star Game. No owner likely understands the value of the Asian market better than Alexander.

Would D'Antoni and LA be happy to get Lin? Maybe. Would they like to get SOMETHING for Dwight Howard. Sure. But it doesn't matter, because they're not in charge of Dwight's decision-making process.

And what, exactly, does Les Alexander think of Lin's potential? From the same linked article:

Doesn't sound like a guy who Alexander is looking to unload at his first convenience.

Know what I'm saying?