RealGM

Clippers trade Brand, Tim Thomas, Cassell
Wizards trade, Jamison, Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Antonio Daniels

Why it could work for the Clips:

Sterling may look at the Western conference and conclude that he's not going to compete in the next couple of years, and therefore conclude that he doesn't want to spend too much money. He also runs the risk of losing Brand for nothing if he opts out. He decides to clear salary and rebuild with young talent.

Blatche is 21, 6'11" and has the talent to be an all-star. He needs playing time and to mature physically and mentally. He's signed to a dirt-cheap 5-year $15M deal.

Young is an LA kid who has a natural offensive game. He too needs PT and time to mature . He has great offensive potential and is already a gifted scorer.

Jamison is a 20 and 10 consummate pro with a big expiring contract. He likely won't be thrilled with the trade, but will handle himself with class and dignity and set an example for the kids.

Daniels can do everything that Brevin Knight hasn't. He can run a team and be an excellent complement/backup/mentor to Livingston if/when he returns healthy.

Why the Clippers might object:

Brand's the best player in the deal, and there's no reason to trade him. They may be content extending him and building around him. Also, while full of promise, neither Blatche nor Young are guarantees.

Why it could work for Washington:

If Brand returns to health and form, the Wizards would have a roster capable of competing for a conference title and possibly a championship.

Cassell's expiring salary helps keep them out of the luxury tax. Thomas would provide three point shooting and versatility.

The Wizards would also likely nosedive once this deal is made. There are two benefits of that. One is that it would remove pressure on Arenas to come back this year; he could focus on getting truly healthy for next year. Second, they'd improve their draft position.

Why the Wizards might object:

They may not be sold enough on Brand's return to excellence to warrant trading so much talent (established and prospective) for him.. If they have doubts about his achilles this trade makes littles sense for them.

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I dont like it much for WAS, but thats partly because I'm extremely high on Blatche and Young.

That's not bad for both teams...

Only problem is, it really damages WAS for this season unless Brand comes back from injury very soon. I don't think they can afford to do that; at least Eddie Jordan can't.

1eyedjake wrote:That's not bad for both teams...

Only problem is, it really damages WAS for this season unless Brand comes back from injury very soon. I don't think they can afford to do that; at least Eddie Jordan can't.

Eddie JOrdan isn't on the hot seat. He's done quite a job keep the team around .500 without Arenas. They'd undoubtedly have to sacrifice some wins this season to get this trade done, and I think they'd do so for Brand. The question is could they field a large enough roster without exceeding the lux tax.

1eyedjake wrote:That's not bad for both teams...

Only problem is, it really damages WAS for this season unless Brand comes back from injury very soon. I don't think they can afford to do that; at least Eddie Jordan can't.

Wait to do it at the trade deadline. Brand is expected back late February/March.

The trade would work without Thomas and be better for the Wiz without him. Including Thomas puts them into lux tax for this season and limits what they can do in the future. You could add someone like Aaron Williams, instead. That would be ideal for the Wiz.

it's a decent brand trade although he's going nowhere. getting rid of thomas in the deal is a major plus. however, blatche is pretty much the centerpiece of this deal, jamison is on his way to a decline the clippers could have drafted young if they wanted to. we wouldn't take back another center in a trade for brand since kaman is playing so well this year.

So then at the deadline, you could do Jamison, Blatche, Young for Brand and Cassell.

there's no guarantee that Brand will be the same player again, so until he proves that he'll be back to his old self, Wizards won't mortgage their future to do this trade.

fishercob wrote:So then at the deadline, you could do Jamison, Blatche, Young for Brand and Cassell.

Swap Cassell with Mobley or Thomas, then yes, but with Cassell, I'd pass.

livingston2kaman wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Swap Cassell with Mobley or Thomas, then yes, but with Cassell, I'd pass.

The Wiz can't unless they know that Etan Thomas is going to retire next year -- and them knowing that at the deadline seems unlikely. Otherwise they'd need Cassell's expiring to avoid the lux tax. If they needed to (meaning, if they were confident in Brand's health) they might throw in Memphis' future 1st to get it done.

I think it's too much to give up for Brand.

Brand is either planning to opt out of his contract and test the free agent waters, or he isn't.

If he does intend to opt out, then the Clippers don't have much negotiation leverage. The Wizards should offer just Jamison, Daniels, Blatche and a 2009 first rounder for Brand and Cassell. From LA's perspective, they get Blatche rather than letting Brand walk for nothing. The Wizards also sacrifice a first rounder in order to exchange Daniels for Cassell (needed for luxtax purposes).

If Brand does not intend to opt out, then the Clippers are highly unlikely to trade him no matter what. The Wizards shouldn't even try to offer fair value because it would deplete the Wizards' depth too much. The Wizards have a good thing going right now with the way Jamison is playing (and particularly with the way he is rebounding). I'm not so sure that swapping Jamison for Brand is such a dramatic upgrade that it's worth sacrificing all their youth and possibly a future pick.

fishercob wrote:The Wiz can't unless they know that Etan Thomas is going to retire next year -- and them knowing that at the deadline seems unlikely. Otherwise they'd need Cassell's expiring to avoid the lux tax. If they needed to (meaning, if they were confident in Brand's health) they might throw in Memphis' future 1st to get it done.

Clippers won't trade Elton and not dump a contract along with him, let alone deal Sammy, who has said he wants to become an assistant coach with the Clippers, who's an expiring contract. A Future first does little, maybe if it was one this year, but like I said, no dumping a contract, no deal.

livingston2kaman wrote:-= original quote snipped =-




Clippers won't trade Elton and not dump a contract along with him, let alone deal Sammy, who has said he wants to become an assistant coach with the Clippers, who's an expiring contract. A Future first does little, maybe if it was one this year, but like I said, no dumping a contract, no deal.

Today's wiretap casts some doubt on that.

The Clippers' financial flexibility from this trade would come in three forms:

(1) Blatche locked up for 5 years, $15M total.
(2) Young on his rookie contract
(3) Jamison's expiring. They could let him walk or could re-sign him at a good value -- they'll be able to pay him more than anyone else except for a couple of teams, who will likely focus their big FA expenditures elsewhere.

The Wiz need Cassell's expiring to avoid the luxtax.


As Nate33 said, it's unlikely that the Wiz even do this trade. Jamison's playing too well, Brand's health is too uncertain, and the young guys are big talents locked up for cheap for some time.