It's interesting the strategy DM and company are using. Not that teams thought we wouldn't be trading Asik, but there was at least the possibility that if Asik kept his mouth shut, tried his hardest, wasn't "injured", there'd be the option of not trading him, and any trade of him wouldn't be so public. But Asik didn't do that. So DM has said, ok, let's make this an auction. Everyone knows what we want to do, when we want to do it, come with your best offers. Will that salvage the most value here? If you get at least 2 very interested bidders, hopefully it will. If you only have people who are lukewarm in their interest, or only one serious team, I'm not so sure. They know we have to move by the 19th "deadline". Asik/Jones for Ibaka isn't happening. It'd be awesome if it did, but Ibaka is still playing great. The only way the Thunder might do it, and this is an increasing real reason, is the SF as PF trend. And Durant definitely can play PF offensively. Interestingly, his +/- this year is definitely highest as a PF. but even if that's what they want to do, why not just use Ibaka as the center there? A past lotto pick underperforming? The Bobcats come to mind. Asik+Jefferson as a frontcourt actually works. One is good offensively. One is good defensively. But not sure what they could get back. Cody Zeller? MKG - but broken hand. Future pick? Their own 2014 first round pick, unprotected... betting they'll slip out of the playoffs (and them betting they'll stay in with Asik)?
The one advantage to being, well, if not old, certainly not technically "young" anymore (me), is that I don't say "let's trade for Boozer (or) Bargnani (or) Some Other Cap-Killer because HE HAD ONE GOOD GAME!"
Asik for Shumpert let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Asik/Brooks for Lee/Bass let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I think Morey is shooting for the stars right now. Literally. I think he wants to get that pick (part of bigger deal). Package T Jones, Lin, Pick for Melo. You all might think it's stupid or blah blah blah, but you can't deny a potential line-up of... Starters PG Bev SG Harden SF Parsons PF Melo C Howard Bench Garcia Casspi Brooks Greg Smith D MO If we got Melo, then a championship is within reach. I might also add that Wade is hurting bad and it might influence something even better to happen. Let's just hypothetically say we got Melo and he left after not winning a ring (or for money reasons. We would have max cap space to sign anyone and their mother. Lebron James has always been a player to chase the ring. If he stayed at Miami knowing Wade is falling apart, then he is asking for failure. The Pacers are rising and without a healthy Wade.. the Heat are in trouble. I can see a scenario where Morey is in a win/win to have a third star with Howard/Harden. Anything is possible. Whether it be Lebron/Melo/etc. The roster you see now will not be the team you remember when we win a championship ring.
You don't need 2 very interested bidders. You need 1 interested bidder that thinks there are more interested bidders. That is all. Also, on the Dec 15th to 19th front, lots are speculating this must be for someone like Millsap who signed a deal this summer but remember that even throw in players fall under this category, so you can't move someone like Ronnie Brewer till the 15th to make salaries work, or anyone that signed this summer with another team. Also, maybe the window makes a team think that Houston has an offer for someone like Millsap and, therefore, raises there offer a little.
They still have to match salaries for the actual trade. December 15th gives teams more flexibility in assembling the packages for trading. You'll get more value by giving trading partners the most flexibility in making salaries match through filler or even players we can use like a back up Center, small forward, etc.
Which might be the holdup in why a deal like that hasn't already happened. He might be a part of the deal the Rockets would look to try and steal (although not likely... doubt the Celtics want to move him already). Remember, rookies, and newly signed free agents CANNOT be traded until Dec 15th Kris Humphries is important in the deal though because of his 12 million in expiring salary. Very important IF they truly are looking to flip a deal for a bigger February. Reason being - the 150% rule. If in February the Rockets had only the Asik salary & picks to trade, they could only take back 12.6 million in salary. If the Rockets had the Humphries salary & the sweeteners (picks/young talent) to trade, they could take back 18 million in salary (which is very close to if not a MAX salary). Add in some more filler from young players, and vets like Brewer and your in max salary range fairly easily. So factor in that the Rockets would be able to - A. Move a max salary off of someones books B. Give them anywhere from 2 to 5 first round picks (2 of which could be Brooklyn picks with high value) C. and throw in young talent as well (Jones, D-Mo, Canaan, etc.) In February, they would be in a very, very good position to make a much, much better trade for a true impact player rather than just waiting till the deadline with Asik, & maybe... take back a role player working within the 12 million dollar range. If its about flipping for a truly impactful February deal... Sending Asik to the Celtics is about as good as you can get.
Didn't post in the Random Trade Ideas Thread because this thread is talking about trading a specific player. The following trade works if we can't move him before the 19th. Rondo is a few weeks away from returning: New York Gets Harden Lin Boston Gets Asik DMo Houston Gets Melo Rondo We roll out Rondo/Beverly Brooks/Garcia Parsons/Brewer Melo/TJones D12/TJones
The 150% rule is likely only useful for one trade iteration. If we traded Asik for Hump's or Bynum's contract that is going to add close to $5 million to our cap. Will make it very difficult to do a second mega deal using the $5 million or 150% rule. Much more complicated and will likely require a player being waived and picked up by someone else. Most likely 125% rule at that point or smaller deal. Also don't discount the possibility of turning Asik/Lin into a trade exception or actual cap space to use this season. Morey may have a Euro targeted that he can get over here with cap space to help buy out his euro deal. Not saying it's going to happen. But I'm saying it's an option.
In a public process, which this has quickly become, it's much more difficult to 'pretend' there's interest when there's not. GM's talk anyway, but with the known imposed deadline, it will just be harder to pretend there's more interest if there really isn't. Dec. 15th is fine, and everyone knows they're waiting on that. It's the imposed Dec. 19th deadline that creates the auction. It's one thing to say I'm open to selling my house, if the price is right, at some point after this day... It's another to say I'm going to sell my house at this time. It appears to me as DM's basically saying let's own it, Asik's trade value isn't getting any higher, and frankly the more he plays uninspired, the more it doesn't work, etc. the lower his value probably gets, so let's own it, let's create the auction, and hope it works.
lets say we get Melo for asik + fillers... if Melo doesnt work out.. we could trade him before trade deadline right?
It's good to have a deadline. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Morey opt to give up the flexibility this would give him to gamble on a better offer at the trade deadline. At least, I can see how having a Dec 19 deadline that could be slipped in favor of the trade deadline if the offers aren't good enough could serve to bring a better offer than he might get at the deadline.
Because whatever team that they trade Asik to likely won't have straight cap space to cover his contract. That would mean that we would be receiving player/players in return.
All that sounds good... But I think Morey would be just as happy if he could get his hands on Kelly or someone like The Alphabet from Milwaukee. Making room for possible moves down the road is all fine and good _ but all of that is just a shot in the dark...
That's possible. Although with a superstar like Melo it would typically come down to the last day....kinda like Dwight's deal a couple years ago where Orlando forced him to give up his opt out. Remember Melo has an opt-out. If the Knicks feel he is going to opt and walk out..they could pull the Orlando/Dwight scenario where they find a team to trade him to that he doesn't want to go to and then give him the option to give up his opt out for 2014 or be traded somewhere where he doesn't want to go. When it comes to Melo (a true superstar) you can and should expect a bunch of games to play out before and if he is actually moved. Melo is already playing games and has been playing games for some time. He wants to go to the Lakers and ideally he wants to be traded there for nothing so he can re-up on a supermax deal. He figures if he can convince the Knicks he is staying then he can force them to trade him at the last minutes for Pau's deal. And if they don't do that he's ready to walk to the Lakers. All this bologna coming out today about trying to get Rondo to the Knicks coming out from their HS coach.....like he can force Ainge to trade Rondo to the Knicks for crap.....is an obvious ploy by Melo to try to convince the Knicks that he is planning on staying. It's all a game Melo is playing to get-out-of-town to LA.
Heat doesn't fear anyone except the Pacers - may be the Spurs a little - because they had no answer for Hibbert. That's why they tried so hard to make the Oden experiment work. Oden is still dead weight and has yet to log a single minute of play. Asik instantly gives them a double-double guy at the center spot on a night basis, and makes them a flawless team instantly, more importantly an answer to Hibbert. Meanwhile, Beasley, having hit rock bottom and given a second chance, is playing well and from all indication is staying clean. He's the same size as Bosh and is only 24, shoots as well as Bosh. He can slide in Bosh's spot without noticeable drop off. We all know that Wade's body is breaking down, isn't going to get better with his age creeping up. Like Torocan said, Lin definitely can fill a need in their roster. A Bosh for Asik/Lin trade alone sheds $4M off their cap and far more off luxury tax. If the Rox wants to part with Asik/Lin for Bosh, Riley will jump on it. I doubt Riley would resign Bosh for the max anyway because of the luxury tax hit, especially if Beasley pans out.
