Generally speaking, acquiring a long term asset (Lee) for an asset with a short shelf-life (cap space) makes sense. In this case, keep in mind that we would not be acquiring Lee as a future trading chip. At 5 years/$50 million, we will be stuck with him. Translation: bringing in Lee means trading Joel (a superior defender and better option if Oden gets hurt) or LMA (just plain a superior player.) Sorry, but I am not feeling it.
Brandon Bass! If we were to sign him, he would address the back-up PF position, and there would still be some extra money. Please don't trade Joel, just because his numbers aren't amazing, that does not mean he doesn't have value on the team. He is the mentor for Oden that accepts his role and manages the team along with Roy and LaMarcus.
Just putting 1 and 1 together here...What about POR signing David Lee to $9 mil and sending him to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace straight up? I think POR can sign a guy and trade him, but if I recall that player cannot be traded with other players, and he must be traded for another player straight up? 2nd part I am not sure about... Wallace makes $9.5 mil next year, if Lee was signed for $9mil it is an easy 1 for 1 swap... CHA could use Lee and POR could use Wallace, it makes sense, and it allows POR to then deal Outlaw or Webster with\without Blake to deal for a PG or a b\u PF...
That was my thought. It has to be structured a bit differently though. New York has to sign and trade Crash to Charlotte, Wallace is sent to Portland, and then we have to send something to Portland. The only thing is 1) Lee has to agree to a long term deal with Charlotte and I'm not sure how he feels about that scene and 2) Charlotte doesn't save much in the way of money.
The player signed must have prior knowledge of the deal and sign off on it. If Portland could pull that off, then I don't see why they wouldn't.
No, I think POR could sign Lee as a Restricted FA, provided that NY doesn't match, and POR could arrange the contract so that it is most expensive\painful for NY in 2010 to reconsider matching...there have been rumours that NY wouldn't match a contract starting at $9 to $9+ mil per year...and then deal him to CHA straight up for Wallace, so NY wouldn't need to be involved.... As for CHA not saving money, that is true, but they are currently paying both small forwards, Diaw and Wallace $9 mil per and have no real PF to speak of...or center depending on how you look at it....I would think that a Lee\Okafor front court would be better than Okafor\Mohammed... Or another thought would be POR signing Lee and then flipping Przybilla for Wallace... Okafor\Przybilla or Okafor\Mohammed, which would you choose? and Przybilla would require fewer years of investment than Lee would in a S&T... and I think an Oden, Aldridge, Lee frontline would be very effective.... Oden as Center 1, Aldridge as PF 1 and center 2, Lee as PF 2...and then you have guys like Pendergraph (who I think could surprise) as 3rd string, and maybe POR goes after a journeyman center\pf like a Kurt Thomas, Antonio McDyess or Fabricio Oberto...
No. You can't do that. The soonest we'd be able to trade him is, I believe, Dec. 15th. or three months after we've signed him.
Right now - today - Lee is better (all around) than LMA. Lee however is too small to be our starting center - but this is where Oden fits in. And Oden won't play big minutes because of his foul problems. Lee would play more than 12 minutes per game on this team (minus Pryz) but if Pryz was to remain, then we'd have a log jam.
Based on what? Statistically, they're pretty similar. In terms of defense, which isn't well-encapsulated by statistics in my opinion, I'd much rather have Aldridge.
If LMA played for the Knicks he would have a lot better stats the he has now that is for sure. I also would say if LMA was a FA he would already have a great offer. There would be teams lining up to make LMA an offer. Lee isn't half the player LMA.
I agree with others that have said signing Lee would be in order to trade him. As we've learned, teams are not always eager to send talent out in exchange for cap space. We convert our $10 mil in cap space into the best FA asset available. We may even go into the season with a great backup PF, or perhaps even experiment with LA at the 3, but we'd be trying to trade him for another player. I think a very nice fit would be Mike Miller. Washington needs a PF, and they have a plethora of wings. The salaries would match straight up.
That's probably the only scenario I could see where signing Lee would make some sense. Right when Lee is eligible to be traded, you start shopping him and hopefully get something good by the deadline.
This would all depend upon Oden's development over the first half of the season. If he is coming into his own, then you have GREAT trade-bait with Lee....and if Lee happens to be fitting in along with LMA and Oden in the front court - you have a VERY VALUABLE trade-bait in Pryz (come trade deadline). If the 4-player front court happens to be clicking, come the trade deadline - I would imagine that we'd be well in front in 1st place in the division and KP will have pulled off a coup! So, I see no down side in bringing in Lee. [PS: I only said Lee was better "today" than LMA - but this does mean that I think LMA has a ton of more upside...even in a year!] But Lee, historically, has shown a much greater amount of hustle than LMA. LMA has been a tad 'soft' and I'm hoping (and believing) that he just might improve in this area. If he indeed does - then LMA is the stud PF of the league! To those suggesting any form of a trade involving LMA - you are crazy...or not patient enough. In a nutshell: we offer Lee a front-loaded contract and hope the Knicks don't match. We utilize Travis and Blake (or even Travis and Bayless) and go after a PG in a S&T. Of Harris, Nate R., Andre Miller, Bibby, Sessions, etc. - I'm going to guess that New Jersey could consider Travis, Bayless and Picks for Harris. [sorry, I don't even consider Hinrich on my list] Harris & Lee would make for a decent summer. However, I still like earlier threads of Lee & Wallace (leaving us still without our guard) - but you gotta like that.
