The bad part about trading for Johnson (or another rookie from last year ) is that you already have 4 guys with first round country from that draft ... all same decision timeline . I would not give up a pick in this years draft for a player in last years unless we were also shipping out one of our 1sts this year . In that case we are giving up a lot .
Here would be my offseason... Renounce all free agents To Spurs: #17, Christian Wood To Rockets: #9 Zach Collins (NG, Cut) To Blazers: Danny Green, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang To Sixers: Eric Gordon To Rockets: Eric Bledsoe, 2nd round pick from Sixers Cut Eric Bledsoe (3.9 guaranteed) Draft Jabari Smith, Jeremy Sochan That puts the Rockets about 18 million under the cap.... Sign Jalen Brunson to a 4 year 75 million deal. Use MLE to sign Mo Bamba to 4 years 40 million. PG Jalen Brunson SG Jalen Green SF Jeremy Sochan PF Jabari Smith C Alperen Sengun 6th man: Kevin Porter Jr Bench Mo Bamba JeaSean Tate Kenyon Martin Garrison Mathews Josh Christopher David Nwaba Usman Garuna I think that's a good enough level of talent to let grow a bit...
I wonder how open the Pels would be to trading the #8 pick. They're a win-now team that is really coming together and would value a Wood, Gordon, or Tate. Pair one of them with the BKN pick and next year's Milwaukee pick and see if they part with the #8? If we're able to get Chet/Smith + a player like AJ Griffin, that's much more valuable than adding someone at 17 and a late pick next year.
It's not practical... they are WAY over the cap. They would have to part with Ingram, McCollum, Zion, or Valanciunas... those 4 alone are going to be over the cap... I don't want long term money back like Graham...
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -2.7 ppg, -3.9 rpg, and +0.1 apg. Incoming Players Kelly Oubre, Jr. 26 year old, 6-6, 205 lb SF from Kansas 15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 apg in 26.3 minutes in 2021-2022 P.J. Washington 23 year old, 6-7, 230 lb PF from Kentucky 10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 apg in 27.2 minutes in 2021-2022 Outgoing Players Christian Wood 26 year old, 6-10, 223 lb PF from UNLV 17.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 apg in 30.8 minutes in 2021-2022 Garrison Mathews 25 year old, 6-5, 215 lb SG from Lipscomb 10.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 apg in 26.3 minutes in 2021-2022
Well, I think Tate is the easiest to trade and you can move him for an expiring, so that 1:1 match happens pretty easily. If they want Wood, then you're looking at Kira Lewis, Temple, and maybe one other minimum salary player, and they're all expirings so you either buy them out or hold onto them and try to move as part of another deal (or maybe it becomes a three-team trade). Either way, I think if there's interest, there's a way to do it.
Another possible Pels deal would be Wood for Nance Jr. and then the pick trades I mentioned. Wood is 3 years younger than Nance, 3 inches taller, much better 3 point shooter and offensive player, and gives you a nice insurance policy with Zion. McCollum, Ingram, Wood, Zion, and Jonas would make for an interesting "bigs" lineup, but the Cavs had a lot of success with it before Allen went down, and everyone in that lineup can knockdown three pointers. Only issue I see with these proposals for the Pels is that I think their priority is going to be guard play and getting another dynamic high scoring guard which is a much bigger weakness for them than bigs in their current roster (after CJ and BI, they are thin).
I'll admit it, I was wrong about Kuzma. He was living the full Lakers experience and that probably made me hate him more than I should have. He's grown a lot in Washington.
I think the point i was trying to make is if you're the Pelicans and you're paying your entire cap space to 4 players (zion, mccollum, ingram, valanciunas) it's hard to rationalize spending more money on Wood or Gordon. They already have Graham in long term money too. Maybe if you're taking back an expiring just to make it work but you're asking them to give up a top 10 pick with 5 years of cheap salary for a likely one year rental. That only makes sense if they are a player away... I think the Spurs at 9 make more sense...
[QUOTE="HorryForThree, post: 14056943, Only issue I see with these proposals for the Pels is that I think their priority is going to be guard play and getting another dynamic high scoring guard which is a much bigger weakness for them than bigs in their current roster (after CJ and BI, they are thin).[/QUOTE] Graham, Mccollum, Ingram, Zion, and Valanciunas are going to be roughly 130 million cap figure. I think they are looking for cheap role players... if it's their #8 for say a #12 and #18 it could make sense... they are going to blast out hayes, nance, temple, etc. to save tax money...
If we could squeeze a pick swap out of CHA I think this is a pretty solid deal. Get bigger at the wing with a starting quality vet SF in Oubre. Sure, he can't shoot, and isn't a great defender, but he is an expiring! I think we need to start trying to wi next season without compromising 2023 cap space, and a long wing defender is an important piece. PJ Washington is a fantastic backup piece, pure 3pt shot at the PF spot. Everything we wish KJ Martin would become, and in a bigger longer frame. Flip the BKN pick for the NOP pick (or just have them throw in their own pick next year and we keep BKN and send them KJ?) Still leaves us EGO to a contender to generate another trade asset, and both the new expiring guys are decent matching salary should the occasion arise to cash in picks and salaries for a star.
If you assume Chet or Jabari takes Wood's place (and shots!!) then we get quite a bit bigger overall in the forward positions with that move Oubre mentoring one of the myriad 6'8-6'10 SF available at the BKN pick would be nice
This is very similar to one @BimaThug and I were hashing out in texts. Knicks get: Kelly Oubre, Jae'Sean Tate, #17 Hornets get: Christian Wood Rockets get: Kemba Walker, Miles McBride, Nick Richards, #11, #13
3 players out and 5 players in. Kemba probably gets bought out, so I'd really like to see #11 and #13 packaged for number #8. I hate to lose Tate or KJ, but I'd like the Rockets to send out more players than they bring in because I think the rotation is too deep. We have too many guys that deserve a few minutes, including Queen now.
Would Porter, Tate & #17 get us a upper middle lottery pick this year? (5-7) The other team could easily take on Porter’s & Tate’s salaries. We would be left with Wall as our starting point guard &/or a bigger role for Christopher PLUS 2 top 7ish picks.
Oubre is not a mentor type. He hasn't produced consistently season to season himself. And if you keep Wood, then Rockets get even bigger and 3P is better. In any event, not seeing Wood going anywhere until trade deadline at earliest. If Rockets draft Chet and Mark Williams then Rockets can field a big lineup featuring two 7 footers and 6'10 guy with wingspan 7'4+. That should solve the rim protection issues.
