@Nook exactly It's easy to say PJ (filler) for Butler is not on the table, because Thibs would be fleeced in that trade. EGo is being offered. PJ is being offered. But just not together. We have too much confirmation of Morey working multiple packages and remaining aggressive. So naturally, Minny calls Morey back on Tuesday to try to up the offer to EGo with PJ and gets rejected, because they are currently in a very weak negotiating position, now that Miami has pulled out. bottomline: The confusion is sources are saying PJ is not on the table, when that actually means he's not on the table WITH Gordon.
i agree. i don't think the rockets are crazy enough to trade tucker who is on a cheap deal for three more seasons for a one year rental who wants to go elsewhere. PJ Tucker is playing like a borderline all-star. Without him against the warriors we have no chance. Who would we play at the five in crunch time, playing small ball? Capela still has free throw issues. Tucker is a foundational piece, especially now with ariza and moute gone. If it aint broke, don't mess with it. Tucker is someone you also need to pair with melo. As much as butler is a certified bad ass, he can't really play the small ball 5 like tucker can.
Yeah, but hard to see how we have the additional pieces along with PJ to make a convincing offer ...if Gordon isn't part of that package. Part of me thinks it's great we are sticking to our guns; PJ was a really key part of our success last year. But another part of me sees Butler's length and talent...especially on the defensive side of the ball, and it's got me thinking ...damn ...Jimmy B is the missing link. Do we let PJ stand in the way of a true franchise star? One that will give GS fits? If Morey can pull off a Butler trade without giving up PJ ....i swear we have to run him for president.
@Nook Has mentioned a few times that he has sources in the league. I believe Spooky Nook Sports is a legit sports center if you Google them.
I just saw where Cyber said that he (Cyber) was wrong regarding PJ being on the table. I don’t recall ever in your multiple postings where you admitted that you were wrong.....that is a sign of a pure “Amateur”
I know positions don’t matter in the NBA these days, and it’s funny because for the past year I always worried about how we don’t have a natural PF besides Tucker (who wasn’t originally a natural PF but today he is), but if we did include him then the players we have available to play power forward are Melo, Ennis, Chriss, Yikes.
This is really a weird take. Clutchfans hearts aren't broken. The Stefano tweet confirms cyberx was correct that we are in serious talks with Minny about Butler -- enough for Minny to call us now that they are getting desperate with Miami dropping out. Why would we be heartbroken that Minny called us, after Miami unraveled? You're so busy trying say no one knows anything, you tried to use a "Minny called Houston" tweet against the OP, when it actually validated this thread, once again. And the OP first mentioned this back on June 4th.
Well that's what I'm saying. They're not going to trade both. That's not an upgrade for Houston, yet it is obvious that is what the Wolves are demanding. If all they wanted is one, then the deal would already have happened, as that would be an obvious upgrade for Houston. Unless of course Houston gets another piece back outside of Butler. Just seems unlikely.
3rd team would probably be as difficult as Dieng but that would be the best option. The ONLY way the Rockets COULD do it is in three weeks send EGo, Knight, Chriss, Nene, Zhou, and Hartenstein. They would have to have 3 open roster spots. We would need to take back Tyus Jones in our TPE as well with no picks involved. We would need to use the TP MLE on someone after buyouts. Then at the deadline or offseason we would need to package picks to find a taker for Wiggins. Sac then becomes a better alternative. I assume 4 or 5 years of Wiggins is preferable to 3 years of Dieng. The deal would have to involve no picks because we would need them later. I think this deal COULD work but I wouldn't want us making it and logistically it might very difficult because of the roster spots. Does Minny say yes to throwing away Wiggins like this? We are not keeping the equivalent of 5 max contracts (Harden CP3, Capela, Butler, Wiggins) on the roster with Tucker and MLE and minimums.
Glen Taylor rejected it. I agree, Glen Taylor should call Miami back & see if the offer is still on the table.
Not including Tucker isn't a sign that the Rockets think he's on the same level as Butler, it's about how thin we are at PF. If Miami would give up James Johnson for some draft picks I'm sure Tuck would be gone.
Correct. Since Thibs would be an idiot to take just PJ for Butler, Morey has been working on 3rd teams. Plus, a 3rd team appears to be the breaking point in the Miami deal that unraveled. There is no way a PJ for Butler trade happens, but that doesn't mean Morey wasn't able to offer it; hence why Minny called us to try to combine their options of EGo or PJ into one. As @Vivi and @Nook agree, now that Minny has asked and we rejected a PJ+EGo package, and Morey knows how/why the Miami/Richardson trade unraveled, when he offers EGo+PJ, he will work a bigger, broader, multi-team deal that returns us more value than just Butler. But while doing this, he will also first spice up the individual PJ or EGo packages with 3rd parties, to help repair the equivalent value Miami was offering. PJ (without EGo) possibilities open up after Oct 31st, if this lasts that long. But bottomline: a PJ (+filler) offer will never be acceptable to Thibs .... so, it's easy for amateurs to say that was never on the table.