Shaun Powell tweeting Hornets interested in moving #10 with Ariza or Okafor

I'd do Scola for Okafur and the tenth. The only issue i see is him taking minutes from whatever 5 we draft (zeller?). I think you have to resign camby for his vet big man presence and desire to be in Houston. But NO taking on scola OR martin wouldn't really free up much cap space.

 

Rockets are totally going to bring back Ariza! Same Ariza they signed with the Yao Ming Disabled Player Exception and later shipped out a year later!

:grin:

No deal to be had here for the Rockets. Want a top 10 pick, you could always tank err rebuild or maybe more possible/realistic right now: ship Lowry(and perhaps 14 OR 16) out. No need to take on Ariza or Okafor.

Hornets aren't taking back Martin or Scola or any of our "bad" contracts. That's the whole point of them trying to dump Ariza or Okafor.

 

A Dalembert sign and trade probably makes more since

 

Agreed. The rockets should get better opportunities to move up by using Lowry in a trade.

 

If im the Hornets, I'm shopping that deal to a team like the mavs.

 

Mavs are looking to shed salary, not add.

 

would do it for okafor and the #10 depending on what their asking price is --

Martin probably will not do it since they still have Gordon

If we package Lowry would have to then add someone else for sure

If okafor is healthy then he is still good just overpaid (But considering that the league always overpays for centers) and we need size, defense and shot blocking in the middle and someone that isnt a total liability -- factor in Okafor is from Houston he probably would have extra motivation to play well in his hometown.


but it all boils down to -- what do the Rockets have that the Hornets would want?

 

Actually I can give you a good answer on that, having just finished data crunching 20 years of draft attempting to find out what the 2012 picks are worth.

Packaged together they would probably get you the 4th pick. But everything is situational in trades, so unless you can read the general manager's minds it is just hypothetical. But based on historical data plus modeling designed for the 2012 draft class - the 4th.

 

i really think they would be bite on scola. they already traded for him last year. Pairing Davis with a veteran power forward like Scola would be a great idea.

Davis
Scola
Ariza
Gordon
PG?

^^^That team could make the playoffs if healthy.

 

This.

It makes Zero sense for the Hornest to go after Martin. They have a younger, much more dynamic, equally good shooter in Eric Gordon. I'm assuming they're trying to free up space to lock up Gordon and build around him and Davis.

If I'm the Hornets I'd offer Okafor, Ariza, Aminu or Henry + 10th pick to the Magic for Dwight + Turkogulu.

Of course it's a longshot/pipe dream for the Hornets but it's not any more out of line than our offers of Lowry/Martin/Scola/Bud/Pick combos that every armchair GM on this board are throwing around.

Jack
Gordon
Turkoglu
Davis
Howard

bench: Landry, Belly etc.

Could be a contender right away depending on how big of an impact Davis makes.

Why I think the Magic might do this? When they lose Dwight they'll be in FULL on rebuild/TANK mode. While I think a package we can put together might be "better" or attractive in terms of more wins for the Magic I think the package I mentioned by the Hornets is better in terms of rebuilding and staying at the bottom for the next 2 years to secure Top Picks and have huge cap space in the summer of 2013/2014.

Forecasting ahead to 2014 the Magic should have TWO Top 5 prospect's one from 2013 draft and one from 2014 draft, a bunch of cap space flexibility to go after a top FA in the summer of 2014 or 2015 as well as hoping the #10 pick they acquired from the Hornets turns out to be good.

 

I cannot figure out why the Hornet's would want to dump Okafur's salary. If they dumped Okafur and they and signed Gordon to his MAX contract they would still be short of the $46.35 million the team minimum salary from the new CBA kicks in. Right now they probably stand ~$7 million under the league minimum salary. Is there something I am missing?

 

While some might not think the return is enough, these are the types of deals that DM had in mind when he signed Dalembert to that contract last year. I think he's due $6.7 million next year, but can be released and only count $1 million against the cap.

Dalembert, Greg Smith, Patterson

for

Okafor, #10 pick, future pick

Again, I understand some might think that's giving up too much. But in reality, the only thing you are giving up on is PPat. Dalembert is a nice center, on a solid contract. He lost his starting job to 100 year old Marcus Camby. The Hornets are going to just release him anyway. PPat had a down year, so tough to trade him know, but I feel he's a relatively known commodity, and someone needs to be included to make salaries work - it is him or Morris, and for some reason I'd rather at least see if Morris can become something.

The Hornets, assuming they release Dalembert, would shave about $10 million off their cap.

Not sure on the salary cap implications to the Rockets, especially as it relates to being able to resign Dragic and/or Lee. But at worst, #10, #14, #16 in a potentially deep draft would be great. At best, that's a lot of picks you can move up. Maybe DM only has one guy targeted, say Beal is available at 6. The Trailblazers might move #6 for those 3 picks, because they can still draft the PG they probably want at one of those later picks.

That's just a random hypothetical, but if something like that happened, you'd be trading Dalembert, Patterson, Greg Smith, the #14 and #16 pick for Okafor and the #6 pick. Seems more or less fair.

 

I like it.

 

If that happened... I'd be a happy camper.

 

Actually this trade scenario makes more since than most. Trading #10, #14 and #16 for #6 may be overpaying, but it certainly is not out of the realm of possibilities. Lowry and #14 would be preferable. But who the heck knows?

 

You have to overpay to move up that far, imo. There's a relatively big difference between a #6 pick and a #10 pick. #6 can get you a potential Dwayne Wade. #10 pick you have to luck out to get a Rudy Gay type. Not that Gay is bad, but its a clear difference.

Plus, as many have pointed out, the Rockets don't really need 3 first round picks, even if PPat was no longer on the team.

But I kind of agree with you, I'd rather trade Lowry, #14 for #6. And assuming my hypothetical NO trade, you'd then have #6, #10 and #16 picks still.

Dragic (resigned) / [new backup]
Martin / Lee (resigned)
Parsons / Morris
Scola / DMo
Okafor / Camby (resigned)
Plus: #6, #10, #16 picks

I don't know how anyone could complain about the above. Might have to let Lee walk.

I definitely think you target Portland, though. At the 6th pick, one of the following 5 will DEFINITELY be available: Robinbson, MKG, Barnes, Drummond, Beal.

My preference of the bunch is Beal, but any would be worth taking on cap space in a Hornets deal, and trading Lowry in a Blazers deal - assuming you can lock Dragic up.

DWill and Dwight dreams are just that - dreams.

 

I agree the Hornets wouldnt be taking Scola or Martin in return.
The only piece I could see them taking is Dalembert since they could simply not pick up his option year.

The problem there is that Dalembert's contract isnt rich enough alone to get the deal done - The Rockets would have to send out an additional ~$1.8m in salary to make the numbers work.

The only player who's contract fits that description is Marcus Morris. The question becomes - Are they ready to give up on Morris?

The only deal that works contract wise (If indeed the return for the Rockets is Okafor) is Dalembert + Morris for the #10 and Okafor.

Do you make that deal ?

 

Yes. But as I noted above, PPat works, too. PPat and Morris are so-so backup NBA players. PPat did NOT have a good year. Morris can't see the floor. They were #14 picks in bad drafts. For the #10 pick in a good draft, of course. Never mind the fact that everyone is looking at Okafor like chopped liver. Dude can hold down the center spot.

Morey can pick up an additional pick from NO in the future. Maybe a second rounder, but still something. Maybe a first rounder with serious protection for a while.

 

Since both the Hornets and the Rockets are under the cap (by quite a bit) the salaries do not have to come close to matching.

 

No offense, but the package you listed sucks even for "rebuilding."

First, if they want to rebuild, they need to get higher picks and better young guys than you are offering. Guys like Aminu and Henry hasn't really look like prime prospects. Second, Okafor is a good enough player to get them into the 30-35 win territory, and he's not exactly a contract you can trade for more draft picks (in fact, New Orleans is trying to GIVE AWAY a draft pick to find someone to take him). Third, given that Ariza and Okafor are fully guaranteed for 2 years, this deal doesn't even give them the cap room with which to either sign a FA or to make advantageous trades (like using it to eat a contract like Ariza's for a draft pick)-- in fact, they'd take on more salary than they'd trade away.

If they are tanking/rebuilding, they want draft picks, young players who actually showed potential, vets that they can trade for draft picks/prospects in a 3-team deal or a later deal (for example: Lowry, Gay, Iguodala), and cap relief that allows them to begin using salary cap space as an asset as soon as possible.