Portland....they see the handwriting on the wall. They will trade LMA and try to attach Wes Matthews to the trade to move out his contract. I don't know if we'll get LaMarcus. Don't even know if I want him. But he's gonna get traded.
Because: Curry Thompson Iggy Lee Asik is way better than Curry Thompson Iggy Lee Bogut both now and in the future. GSW has no plan for when Bogut retires, which appears to be soon. They just signed Iggy to a big contract, so Barnes is now expendable. A top 5 center is an awesome return for a young, but still somewhat unproven SF. Also, as I've already mentioned, Asik is a great fit next to Lee. Lee is one of the worst defenders in the league....Asik one of the best. Lee is one of the best offensive PFs in the league......Asik not so much.
They can't do it because of the salaries, but it would probably be a trade that makes a lot of sense for them. They don't have enough time for the 3 wings they have and they can't count on Bogut. Asik in the middle would be a fantastic fit for them. They can still fill it up with Curry, Thompson and Lee and would have a fantastic defender on the perimeter with Iggy and in the middle with Asik. Lee and Asik rebounding would be a great combo. If they could also dump Bogut it would be an enormous win for them because they wouldn't even pay luxury tax.
D12 did not get Brooklyn last year. If Blazers feel they can get a better deal than Asik and fillers then I'm guessing they'll take it.
please dont turn this in to a random trade idea thread...most these are stupid. besides the fact that 4 teams are so unlikely...
its not just them taking a better deal... the team has to offer a package thats better with the risk of LA not resigning after 2015. He comes out and says I want to go to Houston... then that leaves a dwight situation on their hands. There was only a handful of teams even willing to try this with Howard last year. Teams are going to be even less likely to do trades for a player that doesnt want to come there...seeing as the mighty lakers just lost out big on trading for a player on a one year contract and him leaving.
Haha. Sorry about that. It's so tempting. I agree that 4 team trades are unlikely, but I think the one above makes every team involved better, both from a cap and team perspective.
4 team trades are tough, but i have to say finsraider, your trade was pretty well thought out from all sides. You did a good job of using other team's position inbalances and moving parts to fill holes and needs.
2 team trades are tough. Adding a 3rd or 4th and, wowsers! The $64 question is simply, 'What does Portland want?' Maybe they are all-in with TRob, maybe they want Wiggins, maybe they expect this team, as is, to compete for home court. I do not believe anyone anywhere (perhaps including Blazers' FO) knows what Portland wants.
If Portland is intending to move Aldridge it is because they know he WON'T resign with them when he is a UFA in 2015. So Portland would probably want the "best asset package" (picks, young talent) they could get and reset their roster building around Lillard, McCollum, Batum. A Houston trade package looking something like this could help provide that Omer Asik + (Portland's choice of PF Terrence Jones OR PF/C Donatas Motiejunas) + Hou 2014 1st + Hou 2016 1st. Portland would also be taking back less cap room.
Portland would be dumb not to trade him this year with one of the best draft classes this year and maybe 2015...
2015 is a million years in the future. We finally have 'the future is now' here; but is LMA the answer?
I agree. It's hard to tell what the Blazers want. I think they want to compete now (but perhaps not for a championship), while maintaining cap flexibility and aligning themselves for a run in 2-3 years, when both Batum and Lillard are in their primes. There was an article about a month ago that said LMA was not interested in participating in a "youth movement". That, coupled with the list given in the CSN article (Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis) all seem to point to Portland wanting to "align their talent" age-wise. Noah, Love, Griffin, Horford and Davis are all cornerstones for their respective franchises. The next rung down is a guy like Greg Monroe. Lillard/Batum/Monroe gives Portland 3 great and proven players that are all either 23 or 24 y/o. You also have highly talented but unproven players in McCollum and Robinson. That's a good young core with which to build a team. Soon, Portland will realize that they aren't equipped to compete with SA, HOU, OKC, GSW, Clippers or even Memphis.....but they might be in 2-3 years with the right moves.
Noah is half way to 29, so I'm not really sure that fits aligning the talent, i think it's more a case that they want to try and get the same talent level back (which is just amusingly impossible). At this point I don't think it's the GM, sure he does his due diligence, but he'd know that just never happens, no one trades laterally with guys they have a good working relationship, especially ones they have locked down for several years more (anthony davis really?).
Your post is fine. I'll just redundantly reiterate the 2-3 years in the future is a million years away. Portland needs to have a plan (Presti did and it was carried thru to perfection. Oops, then he ran into the bumps known as Harden/contract and Perkins/fall-off; DM the assistant GM did and it was carried thru to perfection) and go with it. Well, assuming, of course, it's a good and sustainable one. But, the Blazer ownership group appears to change-up and out the management team and its plans annually. I do not believe they know just what they want. That is either aces or craps for some team wanting to exchange assets for assets.
While my own inclination is to see what this team can do as it is, at least until the break, I could get behind that deal, because we would keep Parsons, and keep one of our young 4's. Not sure if Portland would bite, but that's a good return for a player who would have told them that he wasn't going to remain with the team after his deal ended. Might have to toss in a couple of 2nd rounders, and a Euro stash.
I'd tend to think Beverley is more likely to go than Lin, contract at almost nothing with restricted rights. But at the same time, I doubt Morey is in a rush, Asik, Dmo, Jones, picks, maybe something else is better than anything anyone else he'd re-sign with is actually willing to offer. People suggesting Parsons make me feel like the Knicks and Melo over again, bidding against themselves.
