What if we trade nobody?

I think or hope Cronin is trying for 2025 or later. He’s not traded yet because all of the dumb GM’s have been fleeced of their number ones and the pickings are slim. Portland doesn’t need anything more in what is considered a weak 2024 draft.
First lightly protected offer of 2025 and later plus salary filler, he’s gone. The reason he is still here, is because no one has offered that and Cronin is not going to take a late first or a couple seconds in next year draft

 

so...you're saying Portland has a small guard issue and that generates concerns about Portland trading their biggest and most versatile guard. That's actually a solid concern....except for the reality that wins don't matter this season (and next season AFAIC) and in fact can validly be viewed as counter to Portland's future

but here's the thing: you rightly point out the problems with playing Ant and Scoot together. Brogdon and Scoot don't have those problems. I've seen pretty clearly that Ant and Sharpe have plenty of issues when they play together. Brogdon and Sharpe don't have those issues

maybe instead of Portland shopping their biggest most versatile two-way guard they should be shopping their smallest least versatile one-way guard

that clearly won't happen so that loops back around to Brogdon and balancing the scale of trade-him or don't. I don't see any compelling reasons for the don't. By the way, Thybulle can play guard in a 4-guard rotation

 

Or there are multiple offers and Joe is negotiating for less protections or more compensation.

 

Now, why am I not surprised that you routed my post around to the notion that Ant needs to go. I thought about throwing that whole rotten banana into my post, but decided it would get in the way of the discussion that I most want to have: For you in the lottery-loving club, when does the end to that quest for more young talent come to an end? I've seen too many teams get stuck in the lottery loop for too long to have faith in it as the sole means of rebuilding the Blazers.

Edit: And wins always mean something...to me. I enjoy the heck out of every fricking one of them.

 

I wouldn't call it directionless even though it seems like that. The direction has been apparent for quite a while now and that direction is dictated by the Vulcans in keeping the Blazers a cash cow. Other than that, I think Jody & the Vulcans are effectively ambivalent, and don't give a shit about what Blazer fans would like as long as they keep selling tickets as the only pro option in town

I've been about 80% convinced that Cronin was not going to do anything significant at this trade deadline. He won't go over the damn tax line, that's certaint. That number has risen to 85% but I'm really hoping I'm wrong

what pisses me off is that the Portland front office essentially maneuvered the franchise player into demanding a trade with the cover of there was 'almost-no-way' to build a contender around him. Well, there's even less than almost-no-way to build a contender around Brogdon (or any of the vets) but the FO kind of seems fine with running out the clock on those guys

 

I'm hoping that's just posturing. Even though we've seen rumors that Joe isn't interested in moving Malcolm or Jerami it hasn't stopped the reports from other teams' beat writers that they're interested. So here's to hoping Joe does the thing that makes sense not the thing he's been leaking to the media both locally and nationally.

 

c'mon now....you were the one that said "small guards" and pointed out that Ant+Scoot doesn't work. I didn't open those doors this time. You invited me for drinks at that happy hour

the Blazers have a .313 winning percentage this year and Brogdon is 31 with an extensive injury history and 2 years left on his deal. Keeping him is not going to impact how long Portland repeats in the lottery; not for a second. What Portland might trade him for could impact that though, however unlikely that is

and as for how long Portland spends in the lottery, it's my view that anybody expecting it would be less than 4-5 years after trading away Dame was delusional. Blazers didn't get any immediate assets that pointed the team's trajectory upward as much as losing Dame pointed it downward. All the potentially great draft capital doesn't arrive till 2028. That's more than 4 years from now and any gold struck in 2028 probably won't be paying good dividends till 2030

 

he has made substantial moves in his first two trade deadlines. Trading away CJ, Powell, RoCo, Nance, Payton, and Hart is notable. And the Payton trade showed he was willing to correct mistakes

so I hope you're right. I'm just concerned about inertia created by the Seattle mothership

 

And if takes months, it takes months.

 

2030? Yippee! I know you're about the same age as I am. Mortality stats being what they are, I make it about 50-50 if we ever get to see a winning season again under your plan. The Blazers already have the better of their own or Milwaukee's first round pick in 2030. Pretty good odds one of those will be a lottery pick.

 

One thing I am not worried about with our guards is that they are too small without Brogdon. Smaller yes, but not small.

Scoot is solidly built with a +7" wing span. I have no worries that he can cover most SGs. Plus let's not forget we still have Thybulle at guard and his possible replacement in Rupert.

 

Those are valid points. Truth be told, I don't really object to trading Brogdon as long as the return is at least a first rounder. Preferably in next year's draft.

 

I don't see any point in keeping Brogdon or Williams.

I'm fine with keeping Grant for now.

 

it's not my plan and it's not what I wanted. My plan was to fire Olshey's arrogant ass 8 years ago and actually try and build a contender around Dame instead of wasting his talent and his prime

and again: I like Brogdon but I know that keeping him has no bearing on how long Portland is in the lottery. None. That die has been cast. The asset(s) Portland get for trading him might have an impact though

 

Yeah, for me the idea isn't to stockpile picks in order to use all of them but so when we do have this supposedly scary situation people are whining about of needing to get up to the salary floor we can use multiple future firsts to get someone who makes money and can contribute on the Scoot/Shaedon timeline. Also we can use the picks to move anywhere we might want in a draft to get a guy we value.

In a rebuild it's about having the most options possible to draft the players you think you can hit on and draft enough players that the misses won't hurt the future. Also it's about having the flexibility and draft capital to pounce if a young star ends up on the block.

 

it's about maximizing opportunities

OKC is the most often mentioned template; probably because their rebuild has only taken 4-5 years. Now, OKC got SGA in the trade of their superstar, so that's a major leg up the ladder that Portland can't emulate so expecting an OKC time-frame seems unrealistic

but OKC added draft capital in trades at the same time they were maximizing the reach of their own draft picks. They added Jalen Williams and Tre Mann with picks they got in trades (and still have LAC's 2024+2026 first's). And they have added Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren with their high lottery picks

in other words, they have 4 of 5 long-term starters from their rebuild. They arguably have fucked up too because they could have had Jaime Jaquez but traded him away...for another first

one think OKC DID NOT do is fuck around and straddle a fence by keeping 30-31 year old players like Brogdon and Grant

 

Who is giving up a more talented, younger player?

Would you give up a younger, more talented player for an older less talented player?

This sounds like more fantasy land to me, im sorry.

 

A draft pick for next season would work. Or if it's the right player, we could include a pick.

There are a ton of ways to skin a cat. Right now we need talent more than we need anything else.

 

There obviously ARENT a ton of ways to skin a cat or we would have multiple skinless cats hanging in the rafters. Trading away proven talent for potential talent is not a way in my opinion. Again. Trade him and a pick or two for an all star? sure. Trade him for picks and potential?
No thanks.

Malcom is glue. Contenders need glue.

 

Can you name the right player?