Andrew McCeltic wrote:Scoot McGroot wrote:Andrew McCeltic wrote:I think Covington will probably draw more interest than Barnes, even though Barnes has more scoring ability (which the Pacers need) - and part of the sell for Sacramento is getting a do-over on his money.
Do we? We have offensive guys, but we need someone that can defend a 4. Barnes hasn't been that. Covington would be. It's a bit weird that your argument is more along the lines of "Barnes is worse, so you can get him for Sabonis". Sabonis is pretty good. Really good. He should net a fair amount. We don't have to sell out and get a lot worse to swap him for Barnes.
Barnes may be "better" than Covington, I think Covington will attract more trade interest because he's more impactful defensively and easier to slot in on offense on teams that are already mostly constructed - Denver would probably have more interest in Covington than Barnes, for example. Player ability and absolute value - Sabonis *is* really good - don't always line up with relative value when it comes to trades.
Right now it sounds like Pritchard's plan all along has been to pair Sabonis and Turner, give it time, and make it work. If he doesn't have any good options, it may be that Sabonis' reps are holding him over a barrel to extract a fatter contract. I'm guessing Pritchard blinks and gives out more money..
The Pacers front office had an indepth interview a week or two ago, and their team building was well talked about. One of the things they mentioned is that they will ALWAYS listen to offers, and maybe enter trade talks, but will always be honest with their players and keep them abreast of any possible situations. Them listening likely doesn't mean much of anything. A couple extra dollars for Sabonis isn't a worry. If he wants an extra $7-10m a year, well, that's a worry.
Otherwise, Covington is a better player than Barnes overall. Defense matters a ton. Barnes scores more, for sure. But Covington is a guy that can help you win games. Barnes isn't. At least, not yet. Maybe not ever?