No, but I bet he'll be better than Kevin Love when Kevin Love's contract is up. It's not like he's the second coming of Meyers Leonard. Meyers always shot slow and looked like he was a step or two behind the rest of the team offensively. Zach doesn't. His flaws are far more to do with lack of experience than lack of physical skill. Thing is, Love would be good. But just like how everyone thought Portland HAD to give up CJ + younger players + picks to get Butler (and the 76ers did not give up someone with CJ's stats, etc), the Cavs won't get a lot for him. Plus, since you think Collins won't be a starter (let alone, an all star), why the fuck would the Cavs want him then? Sounds like he's a bum.
I'd give up our lotto protected 1st this year. Between Simons, trent, collins, we have 3 good, very young pieces to develop. Im ok with moving a pick hopefully in the 20s with turner for him
I could see Boston trading Hayward for Love....he's too expensive for us ….Melo any team could dump the 15th player on the bench for about now.
ok then... Portland is in ownership limbo and about the only thing we can know is likely that a priority will be to reduce salary and mitigate tax exposure so then: 30M/year - Dame 30M/year - Love 28M/year - CJ 12M/year - Nurkic that's 100M/year for just 4 players. That's only 8-15M below projected caps and 30-40M below projected tax thresholds...with 10 other players still needed to fill the roster. Can't be done while assembling a good team and staying under the tax line the only way Portland could make it work financially is to trade CJ for Love. And that leaves Portland in the exact same spot: with a undeserving player hogging the 2nd max deal Portland can afford...it can't afford three. Portland needs to give that 2nd max contract to a player at least equal to Lillard in talent. When they give it to players like CJ or Love, all they are doing is tap-dancing on a slow moving treadmill
You clearly underestimate his ability to sit on the bench in street clothes and assorted casts and braces and wave a towl!
Both of these things seem to me to show a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the modern NBA.
There is no one player to put us over the top. Not a player that could be had while keeping Dame, CJ and Nurk. That said, this group won't get past the first round (maybe not even make the playoffs) so do we live with mediocrity? Is it not worth trying to make a move by unloading Leonard, Harkless and yes, even Collins, if necessary? If I were the GM I would seriously be looking at what the Celtics would give me for Dame. Build a team around Nurk and Collins and the young guys, draft for a wing with a Boston pick (Sacramento or Memphis) and mix a new cake. This cake - has baked and baked and baked and won't be getting us to round 2. And when we don't even make the playoffs - - Dame will ask to be traded and we will have missed our opportunity for a great windfall.
No ONE player available for trade. It is going to take multiple adjustments. An over-priced, injury prone, coasting on his reputation player is certainly not the answer.
Of the 3 players mentioned in that post, none are currently close to being all-star level. Only one has a small chance of getting there in the future.
Kevin Love isn't eligible to be traded until January 24th. That is still a month and a half away and only 2 weeks before the trade deadline. That makes for a very small window when he'd be able to be moved this season.
