ATL: 2018 Trade Deadline Edition - Mirotic to the Pels

[neiLz]

Looking at our salary situation... I still can't believe we had to stretch an expiring Hawes. That contract would have value if we wanted to make a deal.

Seriously, why did they stretch him? such a short-sighted and cheap ass move.

[Nowak008]

Looking at our salary situation... I still can't believe we had to stretch an expiring Hawes. That contract would have value if we wanted to make a deal.

Seriously, why did they stretch him? such a short-sighted and cheap ass move.

They stretched him because your username sucks

[BroncoBuck]

Looking at our salary situation... I still can't believe we had to stretch an expiring Hawes. That contract would have value if we wanted to make a deal.

i said the same at the time


christ, he would have value over thon right now

That cut made no sense. Hawes looked quite decent on the floor on the few games he played - he also won us a game if I remember correctly. I'd take any amount of Hawes minutes over Thon's spazzing

He’s currently out of the league. My guess is his political beliefs (which he has been very outspoken of) clashing with nearly every player in the League (aside from Kaminsky) is a fairly huge reason. Not worth the headache for the production he gives you. Same argument people have about Kaep, just opposite end.

[Nowak008]

We should really look to see if we can get an expiring for Thon

[MickeyDavis]

We should really look to see if we can get an expiring for Thon

Expiring what? Gallon of milk?

[Wisky4life]

Horst: Fires Kidd, Your move...
Sterns: Hold my Beer: Makes a Big Trade and Signs Cain......
Horst...................

(Personally hoping for the 1st 12 player trade)

[Nowak008]

We should really look to see if we can get an expiring for Thon

Expiring what? Gallon of milk?

You don't think we could get an expiring contract for Thon? That would be pretty sad... and U might be right.

James Ennis for Thon would be perfect


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[Sauce Boss]

I'd consider cutting Jet or Kilpatrick to give a swing at Skal if the reports that the Kings are willing to just give him away are true. I don't know if he's got anything, but at his salary I'd give him a look for a year. You can always decline his team option and send him to FA after next year.

[Ron Swanson]

Everyone talking about guys like Dedmon, Zeller, and Rolo, but I'm still interested in packaging Telly + Henson for Biyombo. So long as either the 2019 Brooklyn 2nd rounder or the 2020 OKC protected-1st are coming back.

Question Ron, given Biyombo is owed two more years (after this one) at 17M per year, would you rather do the trade you suggested or a second round pick and let's say Vaughn for Harrell or Chinaua Onuaku?

I'm not saying that either of those are on the table, but I like that idea way more than adding Biyombo at that salary

Oh, easily the latter, but I don't see any reason LA gives up Harrell. Unless they really don't want to pay him. Onuaku might be more gettable, but Houston probably wants a cheap wing or guard. Maybe Jet plus a 2nd rounder gets it done, I really don't know how high they are on him.

[mlloyd10]

DJ/Wesley Johnson or Middleton/Telly/WIlson

[neiLz]

Looking at our salary situation... I still can't believe we had to stretch an expiring Hawes. That contract would have value if we wanted to make a deal.

Seriously, why did they stretch him? such a short-sighted and cheap ass move.

They stretched him because your username sucks

Well that's just like, your opinion, man.

[raferfenix]

It doesn't seem fair to Giannis to have no one else on the roster who can rebound.

Shouldn't be so hard to find even a modest upgrade to Thon at backup center at least.

I think Horst pulls something off.

[smauss]

Looking at our salary situation... I still can't believe we had to stretch an expiring Hawes. That contract would have value if we wanted to make a deal.

Seriously, why did they stretch him? such a short-sighted and cheap ass move.

They stretched him because your username sucks

I have no idea why, but I burst out laughing when I read this.......... Another cogent intellectual post from Nowak008!

[raferfenix]

Zach Lowe on Utah: "Starting Jonas Jerebko or Joe Johnson in Favors' place might be the easiest fix, but those guys aren't saving Utah's season. The trade deadline might provide a solution."

Full context:

It might be time to pull the plug on the Ricky Rubio-Derrick Favors-Rudy Gobert trio. The Jazz know it too, which is why they pull the in-game plug three or four minutes into each half.

Utah has scored just 90.5 points per 100 possessions with those three on the floor -- dead last among 500-plus trios that have logged at least 275 minutes together, per NBA.com. That is a full 10 points below Sacramento's league-worst overall offense -- equivalent to the gap between the Kings and the No. 4 Raptors. (Congrats to the Kings, by the way, for jumping out of the basement in points allowed per possession so that they are not dead last on both sides of the ball. And congrats to the Cavs for finally sinking to the bottom on defense!)

Opponents have outscored Utah by almost 16 points per 100 possessions in the 278 minutes those three have played together. Only six of those 500-plus trios have worse scoring margins. (Four of those six come from Sacramento.)

Favors thrived as a rim-running center when Gobert missed extended time, but he's miscast playing alongside the French Rejection -- at least given the present state of Utah's perimeter talent. When Favors slides to center, about 57 percent of his shots come in the restricted area, per NBA.com. That drops below 40 percent when Favors plays alongside Gobert.

Favors spots up in the corner, but no one cares, and they shouldn't; Favors is 5-of-24 on 3s, though he has told me is optimistic he will hit more next season after a year experimenting. Chilling there also takes him far from the rim; the twin towers look has barely nudged Utah's anemic offensive rebounding rate.

Favors's pick-and-pop long 2s don't scare defenses. His post-up game -- a method of manufacturing spacing when there is none -- has stalled out; Favors is just 9-of-30 on post-up shots this season, per Synergy Sports.

The rise of Donovan Mitchell has relegated Rubio to more off-ball duty, and there may no perimeter guy worse suited to off-ball duty than Rubio. Teams don't even pretend to guard him anymore.

It's easier to suggest a lineup change from the outside than it is to make one. Rubio may be a Jazz man next season (not a certainty, by the way), and Utah is likely wary of crushing his confidence by benching him -- and moving Mitchell to point guard. Potential replacements for Rubio are uninspiring, especially with Rodney Hood dealing with another case of Rodney Hood-itis. Thabo Sefolosha, a fill-in starter at multiple positions, is out for the season.

Starting Jonas Jerebko or Joe Johnson in Favors' place might be the easiest fix, but those guys aren't saving Utah's season. The trade deadline might provide a solution.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22210351/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-all-star-snubs-nba

[raferfenix]

Other trade deadline thoughts from Lowe:

Detroit is now 22-24. If it dips further over the next 10 days, we might get another seller at the deadline.

The Kings have thankfully cut Labissiere's post touches per possession in half since Dec. 1, per Second Spectrum data. We're seeing less of Labissiere flinging hopeless jump hooks over bigger dudes he can't dislodge...

He's even canned a few 3s lately. As long as they're tanking, the Kings should let Labissiere develop his face-up game against real NBA competition. He has soft touch and some fledgling feel for the game. Force-feed him some playmaking chances, and let him stretch those skills.

There have been rumblings the Kings might dump Labissiere to free up a roster spot so they absorb extra contracts from Cleveland in the percolating George Hill deal. If that's true, a smart team will buy low on Labissiere.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22210351/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-all-star-snubs-nba

[raferfenix]

Thinking about what we would offer for Vucevic + Hezonja.

We know Hammond loves him some Thon.

Ideally we could sell them on Thon + Delly but Thon + Telly could be more likely if they don't value Delly -- not sure if he was more of a Kidd or Hammond signing.

“I love it here,” Vucevic answered when he was asked whether he’d like to remain with the team. “I’m just disappointed that I haven’t been able to bring more wins and more joy to this franchise, to these fans. That’s the biggest disappointment for me. But other than that, everything’s been great for me here as far as how the organization treated me, how the fans treated me, my role on the team, how I’ve been able to perform. All that’s been great.

“I think if only we could get some wins, get some joy around here, it would be so much better. I always think we’re not that far away. I always think it’s like a couple of things that need to change, a couple of things that we could do to make it better. That’s why I try to stay positive. It’s not easy. A lot times when we have a bad loss, when we get a couple of losses in a row and all that, it takes a toll. You get very frustrated. But it’s never gotten to a point where I felt like I should ask to be moved.”

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/248727/Nikola-Vucevic-Hopes-Hes-Not-Traded-By-Magic

In between flashes of immense athleticism and a multi-positional talent, there were weeks and weeks that Hezonja, 22, spent glued to the Orlando Magic bench. Often raw and inconsistent, steady playing time had been difficult for Hezonja to lock down over the early stages of his career, typically surpassed by veterans with longer leashes and career resumes. This up-and-down partnership would eventually lead to Orlando declining Hezonja’s option for a fourth-year at the end of October, a move that will make him an unrestricted free agent in the summertime.

But since that resolution — and in thanks to one of the NBA’s most unfortunate list of injuries — the Magic have come to rely on the Croatian playmaker quite a bit recently. Over the last 19 games, Hezonja has averaged 11.2 points and 3.9 rebounds (even joining the starting lineup in nine of these games). As he now creeps toward a career-high in minutes per game, Hezonja has chalked up the new-found success to staying in rhythm.

Not only has Hezonja found his niche as a talented scorer, but he’s even done it across four different positions in his young career as well. Beyond his assumed appearances at shooting guard and small forward, Hezonja once flirted with the idea of point guard during his rookie year under former head coach Scott Skiles. Under Vogel, Hezonja has gone the other direction to power forward, where he frequently punishes slower defenders in his ever-confident fashion.

Since Dec. 13, Hezonja has crossed the double-digit threshold in 12 of his last 19 games, topping out with a perspective-altering 28 points on 8-for-12 from three-point range against the Detroit Pistons. No matter where he plays or who guards him, Hezonja has quickly become an invaluable member of Orlando’s rotation.

Nevertheless, those whispers haven’t totally subsided.

Hezonja, along with Fournier and Payton, could be moved before the Feb. 8 deadline, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. While the declined fourth-year option could leave the door open for an agreeable return to Orlando, rival executives expect Jeff Weltman — Orlando’s team president — to “aggressively hunt” for a Hezonja deal in the coming weeks.

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-daily-finally-mario-hezonja-is-breaking-out/

[Chuck Diesel]

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ya2fdgeh

Bucks: Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeMarre Carroll
Nets: Jabari Parker, Delly, Vaughn

Bledsoe/Dinwiddie
Brogdon/Brown
Middleton/Snell
Giannis/Carroll
Henson/Allen

[AussieBuck]

Sticking with Henson and one or two of our recent first rounders for Cody Zeller.

[SupremeHustle]

Stop trading Jabari, Chuck! (and everyone else!)

[Plossum]

Hilarious how often Jrue waives off Cousins and AD to call his own number.