IMO they should've never given him permission to speak to Phoenix given they knew they had NO assets, lol.
If Dame asked for a trade, Portland would have to work a three team trade because Miami only has draft picks Portland would want. This is where you wrap Phoenix or Houston in because they want vets.
Perhaps we let CJ pick his destination, but the destination he picked accommodated a trade for a player we could use and generates a TPE that just happened to be just barely large enough to fit Grant's next-year's salary. We may have accommodated CJ's wishes, but not at the expense of a good return.
Maybe the principle of a Dame trade if that is who he is being cryptic about. IIRC, it can be completed until sometime in July?
Yeah, I agree. I don't think N.O. would have been CJs top choice to be traded to....but maybe an acceptable one. I think Joe liked Hart a lot (I do too) and wanted a pick in return. The emergence of Sharpe, probably made it easier to move him.
IF Dame is traded, he should go to a team where he “has a shot” at contending. That does pre-suppose not only that the team has a Bridges (and Claxton who becomes a Blazer), but also would get Nurkic as a replacement center. They have the contracts for both AND the draft picks of teams whose best players MAY be gone or washed in 3-4 years. Sign and trade Jerami Grant as well — more picks! Under no circumstances should a Dame-trade receive okay veterans with longer than a 2-year contract. Trading Dame means tanking for 1-2 years … and just being bad. Any useful, okay players are tradeworthy elsewhere. With Miami, any useful players who don’t fit the timeline SHOULD be shopped off for youth, fit, and picks. Unprotected picks in 27 and 29. Option on Unprotected pick swaps in 28 and 30. Tyler Herro at 23 is a possible keeper. Nikola Jovic is 20. The rest is filler — Lowry. Dame + Nurkic is $62.5 million / Lowry (final year) + Herro + Jovic = $59 million Herro is 4 years / $120 million starting at $27 million in 23-24 / he will be tradable This is not what I want to happen. BUT it’s also not Dame demanding anything nor going back on his words. Help the other team WIN … and take a truckload of unprotected picks. Trade Nurkic and a sign and traded Grant (if possible).
The Wiz saved like 90 million not taking back Hero and Robinson. The pick swaps could be worth a lot if Phoenix is terrible in a few years, I'd have wanted more for Beal but it's still something and possibly better than Miami picks will be.