RealGM

NOP
In: Garland
Out:Payton/Murray/7

NOP gets a missing piece at guard. In a 25-year-old all-star, they're out of the draft but still have a surplus of picks, some with high potential, and they form a young and very complementary group of Garland/Herb/Murphy/Zion/Missi

CAVS
In: Murray/Payton/7
Out:Garland

They get a guard (who when healthy) in theory should fit well alongside Mitchell, he's long and a better defender than Garland, they also save money in the short and long term. The big prize here would be the lottery pick, who could Maluach be? It would give them the necessary depth at the center position and perhaps if all goes well in the future they could use Allen as a high-value trade chip.

Note: Both Garland and Murray are injured.



thoughts? who owes courage? can it be fixed? if it needs to be?

Cavs decline. Find a way to fit Herb in there (with the 7th pick) and I have interest. I really don’t like Murray. I think he is just a guy. Garland should be healthy for the start of the season—give or take a few weeks. I am not sure when Murray is coming back, and even when he does come back, I can’t expect him to be close to 100%.

Murray was bad when he was supposed to be good. Coming off his specific injury the odds of being even okay are pretty low this season. Not a version I'd want as the Cavs.

Pels also shouldn't invest in Garland until they know what is up with Zion.

You misspelled Murphy. He's the only way the Pelicans are getting Garland.

I don't think Murray has that kind of value. Murphy does that's the best path forward. The only other way would be CJ along with some cheap young talent (in a separate deal) and picks. After how things worked out in ATL, and then the injury, i don't think Murray is a positive value guy.

Straight up, no way. Cleveland is interested in contending, not absorbing bad salary and developing rookies.

BUT, this framework might be how NOP could enable Cleveland to do a Giannis for Mobley + Garland deal. (Cleveland is very unlikely to offer that in the event they make a Giannis offer, but let's at least humor the hypothetical.)

Getting off Murray's deal is probably going to cost more than this, even to a team that isn't interested in being competitive next year. Given that Murray was declining BEFORE he tore his Achilles, there's no guarantee he's an NBA-quality player after his recovery and his contract may be the biggest albatross in the league except for Beal's. It might take #7 + MIL draft capital to dump Murray. (Maybe just the MIL draft capital if you send out Herb too or send McCollum instead of Murray.)

That ultimately looks like:
CLE out: Mobley, Garland, Okoro
CLE in: Giannis, Herb

NO out: Murray, Herb, 2026 MIL swap canceled, 2027 1st (best of MIL/NOP)
NO in: Garland, Connaughton (MLE exception), Okoro (Ingram TPE)

MIL out: Giannis, Connaughton
MIL in: Mobley, Murray, returned draft capital

CLE gets an MVP candidate and ducks the 2nd apron enough to fill out the roster. Two all-stars out hurts, but they do get a second rotation piece back.
NO dumps their bad salary while acquiring a real all-star PG. Okoro provides 80% of what they lose in Herb, but he also can cover the point of attack guards better.
Milwaukee resets, gives Mobley a #1 option development year before Dame/Murray get healthy, and get to harvest draft capital in the meantime.

toooskies wrote:Straight up, no way. Cleveland is interested in contending, not absorbing bad salary and developing rookies.

BUT, this framework might be how NOP could enable Cleveland to do a Giannis for Mobley + Garland deal. (Cleveland is very unlikely to offer that in the event they make a Giannis offer, but let's at least humor the hypothetical.)

Getting off Murray's deal is probably going to cost more than this, even to a team that isn't interested in being competitive next year. Given that Murray was declining BEFORE he tore his Achilles, there's no guarantee he's an NBA-quality player after his recovery and his contract may be the biggest albatross in the league except for Beal's. It might take #7 + MIL draft capital to dump Murray. (Maybe just the MIL draft capital if you send out Herb too or send McCollum instead of Murray.)

That ultimately looks like:
CLE out: Mobley, Garland, Okoro
CLE in: Giannis, Herb

NO out: Murray, Herb, 2026 MIL swap canceled, 2027 1st (best of MIL/NOP)
NO in: Garland, Connaughton (MLE exception), Okoro (Ingram TPE)

MIL out: Giannis, Connaughton
MIL in: Mobley, Murray, returned draft capital

CLE gets an MVP candidate and ducks the 2nd apron enough to fill out the roster. Two all-stars out hurts, but they do get a second rotation piece back.
NO dumps their bad salary while acquiring a real all-star PG. Okoro provides 80% of what they lose in Herb, but he also can cover the point of attack guards better.
Milwaukee resets, gives Mobley a #1 option development year before Dame/Murray get healthy, and get to harvest draft capital in the meantime.

This was my most realistic way for Cleveland to get Giannis. It isn’t a bad trade for Milwaukee. They get their 2026 and 2027 picks back plus Mobley.

Pelicans aren’t trading Murphy. Only reason Herb “could” is because he’s got only two years left. But it would take a massive deal for the Pels to move on. He’s the fans’ favorite player, and let’s just say the franchise and fan base need to make amends.

This is much closer than the prior deal. But I still don’t really believe the Pels can afford/want to pay $40+ million for Garland. And now Garland and Murray are on the same injury timeline.

I personally think it was going to be tough to deal Garland before and impossible now. He stays in Cleveland.