Rumor SPURS TO TRADE LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE TO PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS, DEMAR DEROZAN TO MIAMI HEAT

I agree to a certain point but we would need to get a helluva lot to give up Nurk or Gary... they're just too good already especially at complementing Dame, have way too much upside and are both on really good contracts (I realize that is relative to what we can get Gary to agree to going forward). Everyone else should definitely be on the block and probably moved... I mean Zach is on a good contract too for a back up big but if we can get solid value for him, I'd trade him in a heartbeat too. Just Dame obviously and then Nurk and Gary... those would be the guys I would keep and build everything else around. Obviously we would also keep guys like Nas and re-sign Wenyen on a cheap deal if there weren't better options but other than all of that, if I were pulling the trigger I wouldn't want anyone else that's on this roster to be here next season, just get me all of the value you can that fits with Dame from everyone else.

Really when I look at it though, what does that mean, blow it up? Doesn't it really just mean trade CJ? Get stuff that fits around Dame for CJ and some other guys thrown in to sweeten or make salaries match. Basically lets stop this Dame/CJ nonsense and do something that makes sense.

 

We could possibly be facing a season without ticket sales played bubble style in a couple locations again..the economics for the NBA are going to face the same issues that music concerts and movie theaters will face....indoor entertainment for public viewing may not be possible at all....cutting cost now is the name of the game..I think they'll revisit the CBA going into next season without much choice....

 

Which is just another reason why this Whiteside for Aldridge thing wont happen.

 

Yeah the league now has until October 15th to decide that they will definitely terminate the CBA.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...back-window-preserving-cba-termination-rights

 

This doesn't excite me, nor does it enrage me. It all would depend on what we were giving up to make it happen and how it affected cap flexibility.

LA's game at 35 isn't a perfect fit here anymore, but he's still a talented scorer and his ability to produce on the low block is a market inefficiency that I think has value. An occasional lineup of Dame, CJ, Melo, LA and Nurk would be a nightmare to defend, practically impossible because all 5 guys are threats to score at multiple levels and require help defenders. Of course, the trade off is it would be such a weak defensive five, I don't think you could play it in any lengthy spurts ... which means you still need some really quality depth to take advantage of it.

 

Only true if LA is wanting to re-sign with the team they trade him to. When was the last time you heard of a team giving up a bunch of assets for a one-year rental of an aging star that they are going to have to pay $24M to and then watch him walk away the next year? I would say it doesn’t work like that. Kawhi for a title run? Sure. LA at this point in his career? Nope. He gets traded somewhere else only if it’s more appealing than his promised return to the Blazers.

I think the biggest potential wrench in the idea is the luxury tax implications, and nobody knows what those are yet.

 

Tim Duncan took a pretty big paycut to allow San Antonio to bring Manu Ginobli back to the Spurs.....there are examples of this sort of sacrifice....anything is possible and at any rate...it's a break from other threads to speculate about....which is all this thread is...speculation

 

I really doubt that’s the plan for next season. I see all NBA players and staff getting early vaccinations around the first of the year so there isn’t much chance of players getting sick. I think socially distanced home arenas with just a few thousand people attending, probably in masks, is the likely course of action.

 

Not to mention that the only player in that offensive lineup that has shown themselves to be selfless throughout their career is Dame and he's the most efficient of all of those guys to have the ball. CJ has never said things that make him look selfish but has always been selfish on the floor. Melo is Melo and although he is different now... I just don't know if he would be cool being the fifth option, I think his newly found humility and great attitude would shift but I could be wrong on that one. LMA might not voice his displeasure but it's a guarantee that his game would suffer when he undoubtedly became frustrated with his dropping usage. I love Nurk but he has shown in his career that he doesn't want to be looked at as less than... I think this would affect him too. Dame would be fine mentally and that might be the biggest problem, the guy already gives CJ too many possessions where CJ's the man and it would be more effective for Dame to run the offense and be the first option... what would Dame do in this situation (probably do what he needed to keep his teammates happy and give his best effort which would be a misuse of his talents and skills).

 

I ain’t watching LaMarsha and LaMello. That’s just TOO much.

 

If 3000 people attend NBA games that would be 17% of usual NBA live attendance revenue. Live attendance revenue accounts for more than 40% of total NBA revenue. That means the NBA would be missing around 1/3 of their revenue... no business can survive that. Even if they cut the player's salaries by 1/3 which I doubt the players would be down for if they're playing the same amount of games on contracts that are already guaranteed... but even if the players did, that doesn't cut one third of cost, it still costs the same to open up those arena's 42 times per season. That's not to mention that so many experts are saying that those vaccinations that will be available at the beginning of the year A. won't necessarily be safe because so many steps were skipped in development and B. are just half of the vaccine. On multiple levels, your model just doesn't work either, is what I'm saying.

 

And you think the bubble model does? It’s fantastically expensive and keeps players bottled up for an entire season. That is not a model that has any chance for more than a short time like we’re seeing to end this season.

Your comments on vaccines are similarly off base.

 

No fucking way... it's a far worse model than yours. That model makes playing the games more expensive than yours does and it provides zero live attendance revenue instead of 1/3. I think the CBA is getting ripped up and I think the next NBA season may be canceled. I don't know if that will ruin the NBA or not but it will definitely hurt mid to low level players in ways that will leave them in financial despair. The answer like so many other answers to this pandemic and it's economic fallout just isn't there but people smarter than me make things work... usually.

 

I think we will never see the travel and schedule the NBA has grown used to again.....they could easily have division bubbles where you win your division and move on to the conference bubble...etc....keeping players in a bubble for several weeks ....break....then the next one. There are too many unknowns to discount any scenario but I think it'll be different and I don't think it will be weekly travel for teams around the country. I know we don't want to think in terms of this continuing but it more than likely will for at least the upcoming season

 

Yep, that's why it's tagged "rumor"

 

Well, thanks for the rumor. Kind of fun fighting over Blazers crap we have no input on again.

 

I certainly don’t have any answers, but I think they will find a way to play. Part of any entertainment business is keeping the audience excited. Losing an entire season would be a killer. I still think starting the way I said is likely, with restrictions lifted as more people are vaccinated. If the vaccines don’t work, we’re all pretty much screwed anyway.

 

Anyone who thinks we'll trade for Aldridge this summer including the agent spreading this info is a major face palm.

 

Just for the record, Aldridge is still under contract next year. So the off season after this next season would be where this scenario could play out.

Definitely a possibility in the 2021 off season!

 

I'm not sure id want to give up the 16th pick for one season of Aldridge.....

I could see this type of trade happening though. Whiteside gets $20mil. SAS save salary and gets a pick. Blazers get Aldridge. Id think as someone else posted the luxury tax rules could certainly impact this.

Dame Simons
CJ Trent
Ariza Little
LMA Melo
Nurk Collins

A big defensive wing SF/PF as we had in Aminu or Harkless would be the main other addition I'd want. Also a 3rd string PG.