Obviously I'm going to leave out Dwight because his salary makes him impossible to trade even if we wanted to. I'm leaving out Harden as well, his salary also makes him tough to trade and I don't think Morey would ever trade away Harden unless we were getting a superstar in return; again, impossible to trade even if we wanted to. I'm also going to leave out our fringe rotation players that are obviously expendable since nobody seems to believe in them enough to put them in a rotation. Garcia, Casspi, Hamilton, Powell, Canaan, Motiejunas, Daniels etc. That leaves our core. Lin, Parsons, Jones, Asik, Beverley. Of those five who's the most untouchable? Is it still Parsons? Sure he's getting paid very little, but he's probably going to demand a lot very soon. Remember in Lin and Asik's situation if we keep them we can always sign them again for less later (assuming nobody offers them more than 8.3mil). Beverley is probably going to demand more as well. Jones, unknown at this point too young. Honestly I think the two most untouchable pieces outside of Harden and Howard are between Jones and Parsons.
Out of this group Parsons then Bev. It would not surprise me at all if Lin, Asik, Jones, and Dmo were all traded this summer. I will be shocked if Lin and Asik are not traded.
Parsons. He is still getting better and he understands his role. He knows he wont be the main option and he can operate around those constraints. Also, he is kind of invaluable to the team because it seems like everybody in the league likes him. He is inviting, friendly, and a huge asset. Also, he is dead sexy /thread
Untouchable as in other teams not wanting to touch Lin and his 15 million dollar contract with a 10 foot pole.
I'd say Bev. It has something to do with there are so many good PGs and that makes his trade value not that high. I think Parsons is the most valuable player, but I think Bev is the least likely to get traded.
The question is not...who is the most valuable player; but, who is the most untouchable. Lin is the most untouchable until next year. After that...maybe Parsons.
Untouchable applies both to our reluctance to let said player go, and reluctance of other teams to be willing to trade for said player. Parsons is untouchable on our end. Lin is untouchable in regards to the GM on the other end of the phone. They are both untouchable in that regard.
None. I would trade all of them if there's good return. The only player I would call untouchable is Dwight since he's the best C in the league. If Harden fetches a good price I would trade him too.
I do not want to be picky, but "his salary also makes him tough to trade" is flat out wrong in my opinion. Harden is a top 10 (top 20 at worst) player in this league. Harden is 24 and has improved every season -- and no, that is not just a factor of "more playing time." With trade proposals of a #8 draft pick for Love with NO guaranteed future out there... Harden would NOT be hard to trade. Harden would be a valuable asset to teams on all sides of the spectrum, from rebuilding to championship contender with a tough defensive team (Indiana or Miami). Now, Morey only doing a trade if it were for a superstar in return, is true. But, that just goes to show what his overall value is as a player.
