I dunno? Do they expect Simmons or Dinwiddie to be more likely to contribute to wins? I'd think Simmons does more. But hell, I'd gladly take Simmons instead of Dinwiddie/O'Neale, as long as the picks/ prospects came along with him.
From the Athletic today: Katz: It would take more than just Barrett. And any team after Holiday has to be urgent. Based on conversations I’ve had with league sources, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Holiday trade happened soon. Training camp begins Tuesday. There is a world where Holiday never even arrives in Portland. This is not a stale name that’s been on the market since the beginning of time. Teams had 47 years to talk themselves into and then out of and then into again and then out of again John Collins or Myles Turner. Meanwhile, Holiday just popped up as available five minutes ago. There is a sort of excitement that comes around the league with that. But other competitive offers aren’t the only reason a trade would take more than Barrett (as well as Evan Fournier to make the money work). You mentioned the Knicks’ long-term plans, but I’m not sure how Barrett would fit into the Blazers’. They just drafted Scoot Henderson, a physical, explosive point guard with all the talent in the world and who could become a star, maybe quickly. But if Henderson has a flaw, it’s the jumper. Portland wants to surround him with shooters, so he can have space to bash. But Barrett is a slasher, too. And with Deandre Ayton in the middle, the pipes could get clogged. So there must be more. The Knicks have all of their first-round picks moving forward, as well as four protected ones from other teams. If I’m New York, and I’m making a play for Holiday, I’m doing whatever I can to make sure the picks I’m offering are soon. ... That’s one of the reasons we keep mentioning Barrett, instead of Grimes or Quickley, as the young player who would make the most sense in a hypothetical Holiday trade. Barrett’s new, nine-figure contract kicks in this season. Pair him with Fournier, who makes $18.9 million and expires next summer, and the financials work. But Quickley and Grimes are on cheaper, rookie contracts. Neither DiVincenzo nor Josh Hart is trade-eligible at the moment since they both signed new contracts with the Knicks this summer. Switching Mitchell Robinson for Holiday makes no positional sense without another move in conjunction. Isaiah Hartenstein’s and Fournier’s salaries don’t come close to making the math work. Julius Randle and Brunson wouldn’t be part of the deal. So, in some ways, it’s Barrett and picks or no deal at all, even though that leaves the Knicks, a team with two centers, a conventional power forward and a bunch of guards, even further from employing a rangy wing that they (and every other team in existence) need.
I really think we can get two picks from each club. Both want to win right now. Philly would be getting rid of a negative asset because he doesn't want to play there and getting a really good replacement. LA has two great forwards but desperately needs a PG. In Harden, they get a top 10 offensive player (when he is playing where he wants to be.)
I'm definitely not an RJ fan, but wanted to share what I read since it both acknowledged that AND talked about the NBA generally even as it had a Knicks perspective baseline.
Barrett's salary situation is bad too. Could he be traded somewhere for a trade exception? (Red is team option. Blue is player option.)
How about Fournier and Divincenzo? Divincenzo is a good role player. Fournier's contract is expiring.
DiVincenzo just signed can't be traded until mid December. This is a hard team to find matching salaries for and I honestly don't know why they are being talked about so much. Brunson, Quickley, Grimes, Hart, DicVincenzo... this team has a crowded back court that is really good. I know with the exception of Brunson that Jrue is a huge upgrade over any of those guys but still... I don't think the Knicks are going to end up with Jrue.
I think he could be decent in a role with less usage. I get Andrew Wiggins vibes. He was miscast as the primary guy in Minny but flourished in a lesser role with fewer responsibilities in GS. But I do want a guy who would swing from SF to PF not SF to SG.
If you were frustrated watching Sharpe not get enough touches or shots last year, I'd recommend you get off the RJ-to-Portland train.
If I have to guess, I think we have received a bunch of pretty good offers for Jrue, now we're probably trying to involve 3rd and 4th teams to further sweeten the pot for us. An analyst made a good point with the Dame trade that we didn't want to wait to turn Jrue into other assets in the deal, so we just took him and are doing it ourselves. Perhaps we'll move some of the pieces we get for Holliday, but my guess is we're looking to get back assets we actually plan on using.
Cam Johnson is such a dream target for me but we'd have to wait a few months to do a trade for him. Checks so many boxes. But hes also a win now player. If we are targeting younger guys, Herb Jones, Okongwu, Kuminga, Eason, McDaniels are all high on my list.
