We have better assets than we had when we traded for Harden, they're good, not amazing, but all the teams with amazing aren't trading them.
I will side with Bima and his knowledge of cap dynamics and assets on Rockets team over Cyber's opinion. Especially considering that Cyber is not really a Rockets fan and not that invested. Not a shot against his insider status or his sources but i would not go to a dentist if I needed brain surgery.
Right now they are at an all-time low. Picks for a solid player? I would say right now is a sellers market. Picks as of late have been let downs. It also depends how far you made it into the playoffs if we wanted to trade T.jones.
Cyberex is right. Everyone is overvaluing our assets. Later our assets may have appeal but as of now we have little.
picks are if anything more valuable now, teams are really only trading highly protected picks (late 1st rounders and early 2nd rounders are roughly about the same price and not worth much), but how many lottery picks are floating around in trades right now? the Lakers pick and the Pelicans pick, and that's it. The far more stringent salary cap rules have put a premium on cheap contracts, and draft picks are what lead to those contracts. Sure our assets aren't holy ****, we have to trade now now now, but they weren't with Harden either, and the teams with those assets aren't trading them, who are these teams you think have these drop dead assets?
Are these that same people around the league that told you that McHale was upset that we didn't bid on Boozer when in fact we weren't even allowed to make a bid?
Depends on if they are a playoff team in the West or not. I think 8-14, somewhere in that area. Even though they have Asik and Davis I don't think they make the playoffs in the West. But I'm not convinced. Need to see them on court first. I think we'll know fairly early whether they are playoff material or not.
Well to say that would be to know what kind of team the Pelicans will be which is something nobody really knows. -Davis is due for an even larger breakout season. -Eric Gordon is "apparently" healthy (for real this time) -Jrue Holiday is close to returning to practice -Ryan Anderson expects to be healthy this season etc. So health, health, health seems to be the reoccurring issue with this team. If they are healthy I put them in the caliber of teams with Phoenix, Minnesota, and maybe even Sacramento(I think Boogie is due for a big year) who will be fighting for the final 2 or 3 playoff spots. Where the Pelican's pick has value more than other picks that will be on the market is its protection AGAINST the non-lottery selections. Morey was smart enough to know that the 9th or 10th place teams in the West will most likely have better records than that of the East so the protection really works out to where its a guaranteed lottery pick, or very close to being that. That's where the appeal comes into play Cyberx. ..................... More than picks though, where the Rockets are going to have issues competing in trades is going to be young talent (unless Capela, D-Mo, Johnson, Canaan, etc. have breakout years) & large expiring contracts. More than anything, taking back bad salary is really where the money seems to be at this year. With Rondo, I guarantee you Ainge is looking to move at least 2 bad contracts. With Rubio, I'm sure they'd love to move Pekovic and a wing. The Nets would love to move Deron William's max salary, etc. etc. That's an issue for the Rockets when looking at potential block buster trades. Small to mid-sized deals shouldn't be an issue. The Rockets are setup nicely to acquire a "good" player. A great one (on an existing large contract) will be pretty much close to impossible (even though I'm sure Morey is prepping ways they could make moves to put themselves better into that position).
Even after looking at the assets on Bima's list (and others), I agree with cyberx that we don't have the assets to pull off a trade for that 3rd star. Our only hope is that Trevor actually plays well after signing his contract (never been done before), and he's included in the package. Add to that that if Terry still has gas left in his tank (possible but still far from a given), then you might be getting some interest. But even then most people looking to trade a star or future star are looking for a better star or youth that has great promise in a rebuild. None of our youth have star promise except for the Peli's pick which that too is a long shot even if it drops to #8 which would be best case. Rondo is the only possible star that could be had, but Ainge, even with the latest event, isn't giving him away. And please no Rubio. His name is greater than his game. Realistically we might have a shot at Ilyasova with the TE and a few 2nds, but that is not the 3rd star we're looking for.
I think the assets can get a decent player, but not a star... I dont think the Pelicans pick with be that amazing, but like you have said, we have to wait and see.
To be honest there's not really any "stars" available. I think rondo is best case scenario. I think if the rockets agree to take bass back then talks could start.
