Yet as perfect as he may be next to Dwight he would still be the one on the block for cap space so who really cares if it was Pattersone we would have to be moving or Robinson? The only question that matters is who would be easier to move right now.
Robinson is the type of player who needs time on the court to get better. I bet he would have made some more noise in Sacramento had he not been traded.
No. Playing time is earned on the practice court, then he can carve out more minutes if he plays well. Skipping steps in the process is what will make a team worse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The Houston Rockets could hypothetically trade Thomas Robinson TODAY to at least 10 teams without taking back any g'teed salary for next yr.</p>— David Weiner (@BimaThug) <a href="https://twitter.com/BimaThug/status/340939577554505728" data-datetime="2013-06-01T21:15:04+00:00">June 1, 2013</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> what teams Bima?
Without checking i think: Bobcats Jazz Kings Cavs Hawks Hornets Wolves Pistons Magic Suns Out of those teams, scratch the jazz, kings, wolves, hornets, and suns off the list (wc teams and division rival). The hawks think they have a shot at him, so scratch them off too. I dont think the cavs want another pf and they seem like assholes to deal with. They will probably end up taking noel with the first pick. That leaves the bobcats, magic, and pistons. The pistons are pretty stacked with bigs.
Pardon my ignorance, but if need be (worst case), could we just sign and trade Howard from the Lakers and give back T-Rob? We get salary cap room to sign Dwight, and the Lakers (begrudgingly) get a parting gift (better than nothing) for Dwight. (Yes, in this scenario, we don't get value for T-Rob, and he is essentially given away.)
I think it is possible, but the lakers would play hard ball. They would call howards bluff if all it meant was getting an unproven rookie or losing an all star center. They have litereally nothing going for them. They have 1-2 years left before they are bottom dwellers if they are lucky. Whenever his agent makes such a threat they will keep talking about the money and how nice it is in la until dwight changes his mind. It is best not to deal with a team on the verge of losing two stars and 2 first rounders for nothing.
I agree with Bima. Every team who has cap space would take Robinson for at least a 2nd round pick. He has high potential and his contract is almost zero risk. I'll say Charlotte would be a great fit.
Theoretically, is there not some sort of contractual/legal action we could take to void Royce Whites's contract?
I don't think we'd have any qualms about trading him to a western team like the suns, hornets, or wolves.
The Rockets could in theory do it right now, but the ramifications of that would be the NBAPA and Royce would lawyer up and sue both the NBA/Rockets. It be too much of a PR mess that really it's probably not worth going that route. If the Rockets don't trade him, they'll probably just give him one more chance next season or choose to not pick up his 3rd year option so he will just become a free agent.
I think best we can hope for is to waive and use the stretch provision to stretch out his final year to 3 years. We would take a cap hit of about $566,000 a year for the next 3 years but it would save us about $1 million this year. Not really worth it unless we were really desperate.
Despite the GM connection, Philly is still a great fit. I would assume that Thadeaus Young will be a name you hear in trade rumors coming up. His salary is something a GM like Hinkie will hate being on the books long term, he isn't likely to improve much more than the player he already is, and should still have some trade value on the market. Even if they dont move Young, I could still see them looking at Robinson for a year, not picking up his option, and still being able to move him at the Feb deadline as an expiring contract if he doesn't improve dramatically in year 2. Also, the main free agent they are likely to look to bring back (Bynum) will still be able to be resigned over the cap since they hold his bird rights. T. Robinson would be an excellent pickup on draft night for a 2nd round pick or worse, and is going to be more productive next year than any player they are getting with a late lottery pick in this years draft who is going to be set to make just as much as Robinson over the life of their contract anyways.
In the same boat might be Indiana as well. They are pretty much right there with being a contending team for the next few years in the East, but have very little behind an aging David West that can offer them more than a bruiser like Tyler Hans. can give them. You'd have to think that getting him for nothing on draft night would be a steal for them as well.
