I think Mario is the target but trading for a vet depends on how the lotto goes. If Orlando can land a high enough pick to land Russell or Mudiay, fwiw they love Payton as well, I'd be on the phone trying to pry away Oladipo.
If we package Batum and our pick for a pick in the 7-10 range, I'd like to target Justice Winslow from Duke ... although, we'd have to most likely make another move up a couple more picks. I think Winslow is the best prospect in the draft and fills a need on the wing.
I'd rather trade Batum for the 10th-12th pick straight up, draft Hezonja or Deckker as a backup SF, (using money cleared to sign FAs) then selecting Upshaw or a PG with the 23rd pick. Deckker and Hezonja are gonna be steals. Rarely do Small Forwards as big and skillful as them flame out. And Upshaw is easily with the gamble. Get him to fix his issues and you have a potential DPOY from the get go.
I know NBAdraft.net is not the site to be using for accurate stuff on prospects, but they make Dekker seem like a jack of all trades, I wouldn't mind a Gordon Hayward. Still, since I'm a racist, I'm always wary of white guys being Luke Babbitt. http://www.nbadraft.net/players/sam-dekker
I feel the same way about Winslow. I think in five years this will be thought of as the Winslow draft.
I just don't think drafting a rookie would WOW Aldridge though. That's what the Blazers need to do if they want to keep him around.
That might in itself no. But trading Nic and a pick to get Winslow would also get $10M in cap space or one or two other players
Fuck aldridge then. He can go get wowed somewhere else. He's not michael jordan we don't need to cater to his every wish. If he doesn't want to come back then I hope he let's olshey know instead of dicking him around so Portland can move on with their summer. He owes the team at least that.
It'd be a mistake to build your draft strategy around making Aldridge happy. See the heat last season.
The good thing is, we have needs. Whether LA leaves or stays we need a wing or a shooter in the draft, or Upshaw if he lasts to 23.
Maybe he does want to come back. Maybe he would be happy with Neil's moves. Until he decides i don't see the reason for the hate. We have plenty of time for that afterwards. Let him enjoy being a free agent for the first time in his career.
My comment had nothing to do with wowing Aldridge. It was just that I think ultimately Winslow turns out to be the star of this draft. I don't know what Aldridge would think of trading Batum or drafting Winslow or what SF we might pick up with the money freed up from trading Nic. I do think, though, that Winslow probably will be seen as a better player than Batum at each of their heights, and I am not a Batum hater (although his inconsistency bothers me and I see him as the most likely Blazer to be moved).
I know people scoffed at Lance Stephenson, he's on my red-flag cancer list too, but... Batum for Stephenson and the #9 pick, shaves a couple mill of the books, and gives us a replacement SG, and a pick that we could use on any of C, SF or PF. Or we could package our pick with #9 and try to get into top 5.
Let's use that pick on Robert Upshaw, and then trade for Larry Sanders and sign Rajon Rondo, and go all-out for the All-Headcase team!!!
