Okay, the Blazers hypothetically make the trade and send Aldridge to Cleveland for: #1 pick Dion Waiters Tristan Thompson #19 We still have the #10. We still have $11 million in cap space. What would you do with those assets?
Spend it on one guy....best talent available since we've diluted the talent in favor of role players. Probably look to trade batum or Matthews if we can take back someone in a sign and trade who is a top player in the league. I'd also package out the 10 and 19 to get a bigger name guy.
Mine would be: McLemore at #1 Zeller at #10 #19 and Matthews for Gortat. Cap space on Al Jefferson and maybe Maynor. Lillard/Maynor McLemore/Waiters/Barton Batum/Claver Jefferson/Thompson/Zeller/Freeland Gortat/Leonard
I wonder if push came to shove, they'd include the 19 or not. Fun thread to play with. Was about to post the same, but didn't want to catch th flak of another LMA thread.
People are too caught up in wanting to fight. They can stay out of this thread. There's plenty of other places to argue.
If you trade Aldridge then you want to suck in 2013-2014. Wasting cap space on guys like Gortat and Jefferson is useless just to be .500. Be terrible and get a top pick in 2014.
I am willing to bet a team with Lillard/McLemore/Batum/Jefferson/Gortat makes the playoffs. So you would sit on the cap space?
That team is not a serious threat. It's a pointless move. If you trade Aldridge then just go all out and suck and get a top pick in 2014. No reason to bring in vets that aren't all-star players just to be an okay team. Be terrible and try for Wiggins
Oladipo. Zeller at 10. Do whatever necessary to acquire 13. Draft Schroeder. @ 19 take Nogueira Lillard/Schroeder Oladipo/Waiters Batum/Claver Zeller/Tristan Thomspon FA Center/Nogueira
I've been playing around with just #1/19/Thompson (maybe future considerations). I don't see us getting both Waiters and Thompson. End up with ~16M in cap space trade Freeland for Marion (1yr/9.3M left) and DAL's #13 pick. Let DAL continue their Howard pipe dream by clearing 6+M off their cap line, while we bump the cap space one year (and clear another 3M for 2014). You can still do this and keep Maynor's cap hold. Depending on the scouting you've done (I can't comment much, other than rumors, b/c I haven't seen anyone play), we should probably end up with a SG, stretch 4 and defensive C with #1/10/13. That could either be Noel/Zeller/Shabazz or Len/McCollum/Olynyk or Oladipo/Zeller/Adams, depending on your likes (all should be close to available at those picks). If you don't plan on bringing back Maynor, then you almost have to look for a combo SG that can play a little point (MCW, KCP) with your SG pick--unless you have a good feeling about a low-cost PG you're targeting in UFA (Krypto-Nate? Livingston? Boobie Gibson?)
If we made that trade with Cleveland, I would: Pick Oladipo with #1 - (I think slasher/driver better compliment to Lillard) Pick Adams/Zeller with #10 - either one becomes starting center Pick Dennis Schroeder with #19 to back up Lillard. Lillard - Matthews - Batum - Thompson - Adams/or/Zeller as starters Schroeder - Oladipo - Waiters - Freeland - Leonard Barton - Claver - 2nd Round Big - 2nd Round Wing With this lineup, we'd finish in the bottom 7 in the league (from inexperience not from lack of future talent). I'd hope to land a top 3 pick in the 2014 lotto! I'd keep the cap space for now.
I agree with this. I would modify the deal so that they keep Waiters and the 3.9M owed to him, they take Freeland and the 3M owed him, and they also give us the future Memphis #1 as well as another future first. I take Olapido at #1 (would not be disappointed in Len if they chose him instead) and Zeller at #10. I take BPA at #19. I give Maynor a 4.5M one year deal to preserve our cap space for 2014. That leaves us with 15M in cap space with 11 players under contract. I use the remaining 15M in trades that pick up future assets while not affecting our win-loss total positively. That makes for a good draft pick in a solid 2014 draft, a solid core to build around, and future assets to use with our 2014 cap space to make a major splash. Big hole to tank with/Leonard Thompson/Zeller Batum/Claver Olapido/Matthews/Barton Lillard/Maynor #19 BPA
I'd turn around trade 10,19 and Waiters to move up as high as possible. Hopefully you get in top 6 and land Len , Noel, or VO. Then you spend the next year developing those players and winning around 20 games and hope like hell you land a top 2 pick for 2014. That said I doubt they offer 1,19,Waiters and TT.
