Yeah you mortgage that portion of the future, going all in on a Dame/KD lead team winning at least one ring but you keep promising pieces for the future in Shae and Keon, along with Trendon, Jabari and Greg... not to mention that you can't trade 4 unprotected picks in a row and we can't even trade 4 firsts because we owe Chicago one... some of those picks would have to be swaps so you would still have a chance to build through the first round of the draft every other year.
I meant not trading all our picks AND including Sharpe. I’m completely against doing that. But if it costed 4 unprotected pick, or 2 unprotected 1sts and 2 pick swaps and another 2 protected 1sts, it almost guarantees a 4+ year window to compete with Dame in his prime. I’m also one of the those who is staunchly against giving up 1sts. But for KD who is still elite and probably will be until at least the end of his contract, I definitely consider it.
One of the difficulties of a Durant trade is stacking up the salaries to match, and leaving us with space to add to the team. Doing a 3 for 1 deal with simons, nurk and little means we add on about 2 million more in salary, getting us closer to the hard cap, but also requires us to bring in 2 more people to fix our roster limit issue we'd have. Signing 2 more guys would eat in to the space we'd have for the buyout market.
That's not much of a concern. Portland has ~$6M until they hit the hard cap. A Durant trade eats ~$2M out of that. They would still have room for 2 more minimum contract guys (on buy-outs). Since the salaries are pro-rated, they could possibly add 3 min contract guys.
I like what Hart brings to the team. You know whose contributions I'd like more? KD. This one's an easy yes from me. Lillard/Winslow/Keon Sharpe/GPII Grant/Little Durant/Watford/Walker Claxton/Eubanks Yes please. That's a title contender. Maybe the favorite.
i think grant has shown too much to be in a deal if Ant is also involved. Hart is a terrific WINNING player, but given his upcoming FA status, and duplication of skills from a combo of GP2 + Shaedon, this would be a no brainer for me. That lineup is one of the best in the league and a potential serious playoff threat if healthy. Might need to find a minimum guard to balance out the roster
Portland's picks are encumbered till 2030, which is past the 7 year limit anyway I'm not sure they can swap a pick they don't own outright, and even if they could, the value wouldn't be very high. Maybe they can sell Chicago on lifting the protections this year
I agree with you that Grant at this point is too valuable to be in the deal. Who do you double-team when Dame, KD, and Grant are on the floor together? However, I don’t see how Hart/Ant/Nurk/2 1sts can bring back KD/Claxton. Off the top of my head, Bridges/Ayton/multiple 1sts is a much better package.
Durant (and Claxton) on the Blazers without trading Lillard, GP, Sharpe, Grant, Walker, and Eubanks ... (having Watford and Winslow for depth is good) ... Chicago pick guaranteed this year ... Trade future picks? YES. (Simons, Little, Hart, Nurkic -- I like them but it's Durant.) Yes, I want the Blazers to improve at center (Ayton, for example). Yes, a consolidation trade to improve at SF (OG, what a surprise). But it's DURANT and Brooklyn should tear it down as immediately as possible. Go young. Trade Kyrie to the Lakers. Trade Simmons to Toronto ... to anyplace not near a major U.S. city and attention. Suck badly and have a serious case of amnesia about building a super-team that isn't. Suck and build through the draft with a scrappy team like they had before the super friends arrived. It won't happen ... at least not with the Blazers. Cronin will make deals. The roster is not done, yet, and he's bought plenty of believability (IMHO) for actually making moves. Good luck, Cronin.
Walt Williams, I liked that guy. Getting Pippen was worth it, but I wish we could have had him longer.
I'm kind of doubtful they're going to give up Anfernee Simons. I actually think Brooklyn would be happy with Simons, Nurk and a pick or two. We keep 1 of Hart or Little. Maybe they get Keon. I think Anfernee has been really good and he's only going to get better. How many years of Durant do we have left vs Simons? If the Blazers did it, I'd be down and hope they know what they're doing.
No thx on 34 KD, ship Nurk out and bring in 26 Turner. Dame/GP2 Simmons/Sharpe Hart/Nas Grant/Watford/Walker Turner/Winslow/Eubanks That’s so balanced and lethal. We would be so athletic everywhere and even better defensively.
Dude, Turner sucks. People need to stop bringing him up. He's a super poor defender. You want to have him AND Grant on the floor together? Bad news bears. Say no to Turner.
Bad defender? I don’t think you’ve watched Turner play much then. Turner’s length, shot blocking and ability to spread the floor would upgrade the roster. Elite rim protector.
https://www.basketballinsiders.com/news/myles-turner-making-a-difference-with-defense/ Since Turner’s rookie season, only three players have blocked more shots than he has. He ranks 15th in the league in deflections and is top-five in terms of defensive field goal percentage at the rim. Indiana’s defensive rating is a 107.7 when he is on the court and a 111.3 when he is on the bench. These are the signs of a truly elite defensive player.
