A thread to piss off the homers

Look at the difference between Lin in NY and Lin in Houston.

 

There are a few issues at play (already hashed out a ton, but what's a message board for?) in trading LMA.

First, no team is going to give much value to get him unless they're either in WIN IMMEDIATELY!!11!! mode (which I think only applies to BKN or MIA) or unless they think they have a good-to-lock chance of having his services past 2015. As I see it, that means a team located where he wants to live and/or a team that is now (and perennially) a contender. That seems to leave the Texas teams, OKC, LA teams, MIA and CHI as final destinations for him. Maaaaaaybe GSW, but I don't think so. I don't see LMA wanting to go to BKN/NYK.

Second, most of those teams who are contenders are probably not going to do challenge trades (my all-star for your all-star)...they're going to want to do 4-quarters-for-your-dollar trades. Complicating that is PA's supposed mandate that any trade of LMA right now makes us better--or, at the very least, keeps us about the same while severely increasing future, long-term assets. While there's plausibility to straight-ups like LMA for Love, Bosh, Griffin, B. Lopez, etc., I don't think those teams are willing to scrap what they've built for an unknown like bringing LMA in mid-season.

Third, not many of those teams have 4 quarters we want, even if PA would accept it. HOU doesn't. MM's idea of Asik/TJ/Parsons/2 1sts seems like simultaneously bad for us and too much from HOU's perspective. What, are we going to roll with a Lopez/Asik frontcourt with Robinson/Leonard/Freeland/Jones off the bench? Which two of our roster are you cutting to support his, Watson and ??? I don't think CHI does, because I don't get the vibe that they think Deng/Mirotic/few firsts is good value for LMA. If we could get Deng re-signed here, that wouldn't be horrible, and he's at least 85% of LMA and could probably keep us competitive as we stock up assets like Mirotic and CHA's first. But like I said, I don't know if CHI would do that. The GSW line of thinking, with Thompson and Lee, seems less legit, since LMA may not stay and while I really like Thompson, he's not a headliner (yet?)--and Lee's not going to help our defense much. The prize we'd be getting back would logjam the wings with Klay/Wes/CJ/Batum/Wright/ all fighting for 96 mpg, to say nothing of Crabbe/Claver/Barton.

That leaves the multi-team trades. HOU seems willing to give up Asik and parts. CHI willing to give up Boozer and parts (and maybe Deng). Who's looking to cut long-term salary? Who's "going for it" this year and needs frontcourt help? (Well, the Wiz and Knicks both qualify on both counts, but neither have many assets left over at all).

Is there a team who needs a defensive-minded big man (Asik) but will give up an offensive-minded one? (This is where DET might come in--would a package headlined by Asik and whatever parts HOU and POR can come up with bring back Drummond? Monroe?) MIL may be an opportunity here as well.

One thing that's been running through my mind is that, if we really want to go with this bombs-away offense, that it might be worthwhile to really go for it and see if the third team can bring back someone who's not necessarily an offensive-minded big man, but an all-star-level player at another position who's also looking for a new home? For instance, would BOS accept HOU's package to give us Rondo? (I don't love Rondo, but he's talented). Would NOP send Eric Gordon for Parsons and a first or two, and maybe filler from us (so that we end up with Asik, Gordon and maybe a first)?

As a tangent, if we are looking to no-kidding blow it up and make a splash in this year's draft, PHX, ORL, CLE (in addition to CHI, who owns CHA's top-10-protected pick, but unprotected in 2016) and BOS are all teams that have multiple extra 1sts in the next few years, but none of them are places on the LMA list and all of whom are rebuilding themselves.