did you catch the offer he apparently made? never mind that this isn't really possible without some cap maneuvering, but this is insulting.
CJ for Simmons makes sense on so many levels, but apparently Morey can't make the logical trade. He has to come away as a hands down winner.
Posturing, in my opinion. Siakam doesn't give them the dynamic outside scoring they need. In fact I don't know if he would result in more wins for the team in the regular season or the playoffs. Siakam is good but if they're holding out for Dame, how is Siakam going to be the thing that gets them over the top. Some article said that they want Lowry which makes sense I guess. That being said, in a sign and trade what else are the Raptors going to have to give up besides Lowry to get Simmons, I would think it would have to be something pretty significant?
Maybe, this all might just be negotiations between Olshey and Morey both wanting to get over on the other. The fact is if it takes DJ and picks to make the deal work or even Nas or Ant... I'd just make it happen if I was Olshey and walk away having improved our team and letting Morey win but I don't know if either of these guys can handle that hit to their pride.
Don't know, but I listened to the podcast, and he literally called the Memphis-NOP trade before it happened... so he clearly at least has some sources.
which is funny because he has made some really dumb trades in the past. He gave up assets along with CP for Westbrook for example. And then sucked it up to trade Westbrook for a worse contract in John Wall a year later.
So the question is, does he really think he can just wait out the Dame situation? Or is he trying to squeeze us for someone like RoCo and a 1st? CJ RoCo 1st That sounds like the kind of deal Morey is asking for. And I say fuck that. They can't have RoCo. They can have DJJ.
Maybe Morey is asking for the RoCo deal but will accept DJJ and two future firsts. They are negotiating this thing every time a leak from Philly says CJ isn't enough and every time a leak from here says they're not seeing good enough offers for CJ. The fact is Morey will make a deal because that's what he does but will Neil? Morey makes big deals and Neil really hasn't, so I'm hoping Neil doesn't give up RoCo with CJ but is willing to give up enough.
I kind of hate to make this conversation so reductive, but what Neil does or doesn't do, at this point is kinda moot... At the end of the day, it's going to come down to whether or not Dame signs off on a big move. If Dame thinks CJ + Roco for Simmons is an improvement, then... there you go.
The Sixers are trying to make everyone forget that his team and his coach threw him under the bus after the Hawks series. And now there are reports that they can't even get the dude on the phone. This situation is much much worse than the Dame situation. They NEED to make a trade.
Here's my main question about Simmons: Does he move the needle enough? No doubt he's a great defender and I really like him as a secondary playmaker in the Draymond Green role, but given how stacked the West is, does he get the Blazers into the upper half of playoff teams? Assume that the Blazers trade CJ and a pick for him, re-sign Norm, get a decent back-up big and PG, where does that stack them up against the Lakers, Suns, Nuggets, Jazz, Warriors, Mavericks and Clippers? And then there are the hungry young teams, the Grizzlies and Pelicans (maybe even the Kings if they have a good off-season), nipping at the heels of those teams. Is a starting lineup of Nurk, Simmons, RoCo, Norm & Dame good enough to compete? I'd say it's good enough to compete for a top-four spot in the West, as long as Simmons can shake off some of the yips that bothered him in the playoffs this year, but far from a given. Is the bench going to be deep enough to not be the drag it was last year? I think that's equally important to the Blazers' chances as adding Simmons. Olshey has his work to do, and even if he gets it done there are no assurances that the Blazers will finish better than they did this year.
Health obviously the biggest factor, but if we stay healthy, I think that team can compete with any in the west.
The cool thing about it is they will trade him... Morey is a move maker, he might say they'll hold onto him but they will not. He will pawn Simmons for as much value as possible and that will be that. Hopefully due to the fit of their needs, he will think a package with CJ at the forefront is the best value possible.
The first trade was pushed by Harden. The second trade was made after they already knew about Harden's trade demand.
I think it depends a lot on what the Blazers can do to improve his confidence. There's actually a massive risk that his confidence is broken moving forward. If you get the Simmons from the Hawks series, he's not even worth CJ. However, if you get a revitalized Simmons and you move Norm into his natural position of shooting guard, I think this team is definitely in the upper 4 teams of the western conference, and whether we're a true contender will depend on how we gel. Dame Norm RoCo Simmons Nurk That's a legit playoff team on paper. Our defense should be massively improved because now Dame is the only questionable defender in the starting lineup. Just need to figure out the bench then.
(EDITED: deleted erroneous comment regarding Morey and RoCo with illmatic99's correction. Original thought was the idea of RoCo costing two picks, then sending more picks with him and CJ to get Simmons ... the picks adding up in the aggregate.) CJ + Little + a pick is decent value for Simmons. IMHO, he's worth it. I hope Olshey gets after this trade. He has too much to lose with Lillard.
