Who wants Kris Middleton?

[wemby]

The ONLY way the Wizards are going to get real value out of Middleton (that is, first round picks / swaps), is by eating long term bad money. If you only want expiring salaries in return, you might get a second round pick (or two if they're bad and Middleton is playing well).

Again, the original trade and some of the others I suggest are talking about using Middleton to trade UP a few draft slots. The Wizards aren't asking for a 1st round pick from scratch. They are looking to add Middleton to their #30 pick to move up to somewhere in the low 20's.

Yeah, you're saying as if I didn't understand it. Spurs aren't going to trade their first (best of themselves / Hawks) for OKC's, for an expiring 35 year old who isn't better than they already have. Reminds me of the days in the 2024 draft when Wizards fans expected to trade #2 for $4 and #8. And they were dead serious

[wemby]

I’d take KM but it would be Jerami Grant + coming back.

You mean Blazers are sending compensation to the Wizards for eating the rest of Jerami Grant's contract, I hope.

I would be willing to do so. How much is the sticking point.

More than the Blazers should pay, to be honest. He's got like 70 million left beyond this season, he's paid like twice what he should, it won't be cheap and Blazers aren't going to do anything with the savings, might as well keep him and hope he regains form so that you can dupe someone into taking him for less. I'd start with the Pelicans and the Bulls (sorry fans of those teams, but you know I'm right).

[penbeast0]

Yeah, you're saying as if I didn't understand it. Spurs aren't going to trade their first (best of themselves / Hawks) for OKC's, for an expiring 35 year old who isn't better than they already have. Reminds me of the days in the 2024 draft when Wizards fans expected to trade #2 for $4 and #8. And they were dead serious

And despite Castle's rookie of the year last year, most teams would at this moment rather have #2 Alex Sarr than #4 Castle and #8 Dillingham. With Wemby, the Spurs are a rare team where Sarr's skill set might be too redundant to get full value but most other teams would go with Sarr at the moment I believe.

It all depends on who is available and how you evaluate them. And the Wiz would have been foolish to make that deal needing top end talent the way they do.

[wemby]

Yeah, you're saying as if I didn't understand it. Spurs aren't going to trade their first (best of themselves / Hawks) for OKC's, for an expiring 35 year old who isn't better than they already have. Reminds me of the days in the 2024 draft when Wizards fans expected to trade #2 for $4 and #8. And they were dead serious

And despite Castle's rookie of the year last year, most teams would at this moment rather have #2 Alex Sarr than #4 Castle and #8 Dillingham. With Wemby, the Spurs are a rare team where Sarr's skill set might be too redundant to get full value but most other teams would go with Sarr at the moment I believe.

It all depends on who is available and how you evaluate them. And the Wiz would have been foolish to make that deal needing top end talent the way they do.

#8 wasn't the Spurs pick, so if anything you should say Castle + TWolves 31 unprotected + Twolves 30 swap (that is effectively what the Spurs ended up with after the draft). And no, most teams preferring that is your assertion, there's people that don't have Sarr as a top 10 in this class right now in a redraft (I'm not one of them) so you presenting this as consensus is funny. Honestly I would absolutely not trade Castle for Sarr straight up, I don't think Sarr is anywhere closer to being top end talent than Castle is, but to each their own.

[penbeast0]

Fair enough. I've watched Sarr a bit and, unlike last season where he couldn't guard his man and avoided the paint, he really seems to have worked on those while not losing his ability to block shots and pass. His 3 pointer is still hit and miss and he is probably never going to be an outstanding rebounder but he's really looking much better.

Oh, and the #4 and #8 was from your post that I was responding to. I don't remember any Wiz fans offering the deal but I don't see or remember all the posts here.

[wemby]

Oh, and the #4 and #8 was from your post that I was responding to. I don't remember any Wiz fans offering the deal but I don't see or remember all the posts here.

Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly: Spurs did have picks #4 and #8 pre-draft but it isn't accurate to frame #8 as Dillingham because he was the TWolves choice (who the Spurs traded the pick to). As far as the Spurs are concerned, it's what they got for #4 (Castle) and what they got for #8 (a TWolves unprotected first and -I believe- a top 1 protected swap if memory serves right) that would matter in this case.

Bottom line, we see proposals like this all the time, vets who have been dumped and have marginal value for many reasons (age, injuries, archetype, etc) elicit wild demands from fans of whichever team landed them, as if the rest of the league was clueless. Last couple of seasons it was usually Brogdon or RWIII, this season it's Sexton and Middleton's turn. Names change, the flawed premise remains the same.

[NCHeels2008]

Khris and filler for LeBron who says no

[DNP-Old]

Khris and filler for LeBron who says no

LeBron.

[nate33]

Khris and filler for LeBron who says no

Why would Washington do this? Of what value is Lebron to a tanking team?

[gswhoops]

Khris and filler for LeBron who says no

Why would Washington do this? Of what value is Lebron to a tanking team?

Mentorship? Championship experience to impart on impressionable young guys? Setting standards in the locker room, showing guys what winning at the highest level really takes? Giving the offense structure so guys like Tre and Sarr can develop?

Or from the ownership perspective: massive interest in the team, ticket/jersey sales?

LeBron for Khris is silly for a lot of reasons (not least of which because it doesn't come close to working $ wise) but to say that LeBron doesn't bring any value to Washington is insane.

[nate33]

Khris and filler for LeBron who says no

Why would Washington do this? Of what value is Lebron to a tanking team?

Mentorship? Championship experience to impart on impressionable young guys? Setting standards in the locker room, showing guys what winning at the highest level really takes? Giving the offense structure so guys like Tre and Sarr can develop?

Or from the ownership perspective: massive interest in the team, ticket/jersey sales?

LeBron for Khris is silly for a lot of reasons (not least of which because it doesn't come close to working $ wise) but to say that LeBron doesn't bring any value to Washington is insane.

I say he would bring negative value because he would ruin the tank while providing no long term benefit whatsoever. He would sell tickets to be sure, but that's it. Otherwise, the presence of Lebron in 2026 would make the Wizards a substantially worse team from 2027 to 2030. Lebron as a mentor at this stage of his career is pretty laughable. He would be conniving to try and put himself in a winning situation any way he could without any regard for any young player on the Wizards roster. We're not talking about Taj Gibson here. We're talking about the 2nd best player of all time who is desperately chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan.

I'd happily involve Middleton as a third team in a Lebron trade, but Lebron needs to go somewhere else, with the Wizards getting a future asset.

[WiscoKing13]

I’d take KM but it would be Jerami Grant + coming back.

You mean Blazers are sending compensation to the Wizards for eating the rest of Jerami Grant's contract, I hope.

I would be willing to do so. How much is the sticking point.

This would be funny from a Bucks POV. Kris/Dame/Jrue all on the same roster. (Plus Patrick St. Andrews is on the staff).

[LightTheBeam]

This has the Kings written all over it, but it's probably Carter (instead of a first) and one of Monk or DeRozan.

I agree. This team is stinking of desperation a week into the season.

They dont want carter even though hes got some nice traits and hasnt been given a chance. I can totally see demar + carter + 2nds for Middleton to convince the fans they want to win. At least it clears some money off the books. Hopefully they do it early and then buy out Middleton so he can play meaningful ball with giannis.

[Daddy 801]

Don’t see Middleton fetching a first. Sending a first for an expiring contract happens when a player is young and you can resign him. A couple seconds maybe for a team who is right on the cusp and needs 15-25 mins a night to make a run.

And that’s not really going to be known now because a team on the cusp probably only needs 15-25 mins a night for Middleton if they play a well all season and an injury happens pre trade deadline.

Don’t see a trade for a player like Middleton happening anytime soon. And I especially don’t see it happening for a first.

[mhd]

Don’t see Middleton fetching a first. Sending a first for an expiring contract happens when a player is young and you can resign him. A couple seconds maybe for a team who is right on the cusp and needs 15-25 mins a night to make a run.

And that’s not really going to be known now because a team on the cusp probably only needs 15-25 mins a night for Middleton if they play a well all season and an injury happens pre trade deadline.

Don’t see a trade for a player like Middleton happening anytime soon. And I especially don’t see it happening for a first.

It’s not for a first. It’s using the likely 30th pick plus Middleton for expiring(s) to move up to the early 20s.

[wemby]

This thread's Schroeder / Brogdon / RWIII vibes are off the charts.

[gswhoops]

Don’t see Middleton fetching a first. Sending a first for an expiring contract happens when a player is young and you can resign him. A couple seconds maybe for a team who is right on the cusp and needs 15-25 mins a night to make a run.

And that’s not really going to be known now because a team on the cusp probably only needs 15-25 mins a night for Middleton if they play a well all season and an injury happens pre trade deadline.

Don’t see a trade for a player like Middleton happening anytime soon. And I especially don’t see it happening for a first.

It’s not for a first. It’s using the likely 30th pick plus Middleton for expiring(s) to move up to the early 20s.

Yeah, I don’t think Middleton moves you from 30 to 20-25 without taking on future money

[Daddy 801]

Don’t see Middleton fetching a first. Sending a first for an expiring contract happens when a player is young and you can resign him. A couple seconds maybe for a team who is right on the cusp and needs 15-25 mins a night to make a run.

And that’s not really going to be known now because a team on the cusp probably only needs 15-25 mins a night for Middleton if they play a well all season and an injury happens pre trade deadline.

Don’t see a trade for a player like Middleton happening anytime soon. And I especially don’t see it happening for a first.

It’s not for a first. It’s using the likely 30th pick plus Middleton for expiring(s) to move up to the early 20s.

Personally I wouldn’t make that trade. Rather keep the 10 draft spots. But that’s just me.