Lopsided trade

Well, first Harden and now Gay. Twitter is abuzz about how this is the "new nba", where teams just can't afford to have too many stars anymore. Sam Amico tweets, "Those who said NBA lockout pointless should take look at what's left of Memphis Grizzlies. I assure you, similar stunning breakups on way."

Doesn't it seem like a lopsided trade should be option #1 for Portland to use it's financial flexibility? We have had next to no luck luring a big time free agent here. If Harden can go to Houston, perhaps we can get a big time guy ourselves. Thoughts?

 

Agree, its always been that way in Portland

 

I wouldn't lump Harden in with Gay for a few reasons.

1. Harden hadn't signed a ridiculous contract yet he just held out for 1 before traded.

2. Harden actually deserves his contract where Gay doesn't.

So I think there will be very few Harden cases of getting a true All-Star. There will be a bunch of Gay cases where a fringe All-Star is dealt but the problem is that person is paid like a real All-Star.

I mean seriously who would want Gay on our team even if we could give up scraps for him? The guy is a horrible shooting chucker. So the next guy who comes along cheap in a trade will probably be along the same lines.

The theory is sound but the result is not close to a slam-dunk idea.

 

we should explore this gay/hardon paradigm more

 

Ya all this buzz is stemming from Woj's article (in which he still couldn't resist taking shots at LBJ, mostly). The only real example of a more parity creating move is Harden in OKC. Gay does not count. And tbh, if the Thunder were in a bigger market and had more revenue, they could withstand the higher luxury taxes without giving up talent.

So going back to Lebron's question, "what the hell we have a lockout for?"

 

So what we shoul dlook at are teams that are or will be in cap hell and see who would make sense for us in a lopsided trade this summer

 

granger will be available shortly

 

Boston seems there(Bass, Green, Terry, Lee)
Chicago(Boozer, Deng)
GS
LAL(Gasol)
Miami(crap)
NY
Toronto(Bargnani, Fields)

 

Compared to what they are paid the only player I would consider on your list is Deng. Green too but he would be one of the last guys BOS moves.

 

I'm not sure that there's as much of an opportunity in this as you might think. Look at the teams that are in Luxury Tax hell: Celtics, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Bulls, and Warriors. They've all got the same basic issue: 3 or 4 max or near-max players and a bunch of bench fodder. The max players that they might be willing to part with, say a Pau Gasol, Kris Humphries, or Joe Johnson, have such bloated contracts that the Blazers couldn't (and I'd say shouldn't) put together a package that works cap-wise and that makes sense from a basketball standpoint. The Blazers are in the enviable position of having their core-4 players on reasonably priced contracts. They need to fill in the holes in the roster with other reasonable contracts, either through the draft or free agency.

 

I always like the Freeland for Lopez lopsided trade!

 

I think you're going to need your Jedi mind tricks to pull that one off. If you can do it, I'll vote for you as GM of the year.

 

Maybe a package around Hickson and Matthews for Ellis and Dalembert? We'd have to add trash, but that might save them some money

 

Dalembert is in his final year of contract. Unless you think that Ellis is the trash.

 

overpaid and injury riddled, no thx

 

Now, or offseason? Ellis would be a good 6th man, but can't see him going for that role.

 

AND truly an overlap of Batum. We can almost guarantee Aldridge, Lillard and Batum will be eating up a ton of minutes at their position. The players we need are SG and Center.

 

Our trash

 

Fuck my reading comprehension is really bad right now. Sorry.