Okay, now there's gossip of Kevin Durant looking elsewhere, every team is imagining what they can offer for him. Why should we be different? Personally, I don't want him here on anything other than him signing for a veteran's minimum.
Without the 7th pick, I don't see a path that makes us contender for him without including Dame and it's not going to happen.
we can still trade sharpe 30 days after signing him if the nets want him. hell his ~$6 mil contract would be a good addition to the package. Happened with Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. Wiggins actually played in Summer League for the Cavs before being traded for Minny. Or we can also trade Sharpe next week before he signs his deal, but it would only be his draft rights so his $ could not be added to our trade package.
KD doesn't get a say because he just signed a long contract. So the Nets decide who is "beneath" KD. There's nothing beneath Kyrie except a flat earth.
I'm all for getting Ben, but not for Ant. Simmons' value is at an all-time low. Less valuable pieces and future picks would be fine though.
Sharpe draft rights, Ant sign and trade, Hart, Little, Keon, 3 first round picks (2025, 2027, 2029) and 3 first round pick swaps (2024, 2026, 2028) is the max the Blazers can send from what I can tell. With Dame and Durant our pick would almost certainly convey to Chicago in 2023, thus the Nets should be fine getting conditional picks back that just say 2 years after pick conveys to Chicago. For example the Lakers did this to Orlando when acquiring Dwight Howard. The Nets could also flip Irving to a team for draft picks. They could even flip Simmons eventually if they want too. Its really only two picks the Nets still owe Houston (2024, 2026), as most the swaps will probably see both teams suck. With all of our picks and some from Philly the Nets would have a lot of picks to build with, nothing like the Pierce/Garnett trade. Durant is going to be 34 before the season starts. There is some major bad downside risk to the Blazers, especially way out in 2029 when Durant and Dame are retired and that could be the #1 overall level of lottery pick. But it gives the Blazers their first real contending roster since 2000. I actually don't believe the Blazer should quite offer all of this, 6 years of draft picks, Sharpe, Ant and Hart for a 34 year old Durant. Seems like the Blazers need to at the least keep Hart, Ant, or reduce the picks.
You have to get the numbers and why the Nets would do it otherwise. They have to get $30m, picks and something of substance otherwise they will just try to rebuild around him from whatever they got from the Durant trade. You have to give them something else to build around and keep asses in the seats - that's the most reasonable option, especially when you have to give the ball to Dame, Simmons and potentially Sharpe going forward - if you get Simmons and keep Ant (and I love Ant's game) - you have 4 people that need the ball on the roster - that's just too much...
Simmons has never had high usage. He's hovered around 20% for his whole career, and has at times had like the 5th highest on the Sixers teams. It's one of the reasons I really wanted him last year. He gets a ton of assists for how little he holds the ball.
