MIN-TOR-MIL

[shrink]

MIN GIVES: Rodney Carney (exp?) + Craig Smith (2 yr) + Brian Cardinal (2 yr)
MIN GETS: Joey Graham (exp) + Damon Jones (exp)

TOR GIVES: Kopono (3 yr) + Joey Graham (exp)
TOR GETS: Rodney Carney (exp) + Craig Smith (2 yr) + Brian Cardinal (2 yr)

MIL GIVES: Damon Jones (exp)
MIL GETS: Jason Kopono (3 yr)

Why for MIN: MIN clears max cap space for 2009 Free agency, but keeps Mike Miller. MIN would be at $41.2 mil plus whatever we spend on McCants ($3.64 qualifying offer) and picks. Salary cap will be at about $60. Joey Graham won't see many minutes, but Damon Jones might see the court since MIN only carries two PG's, Foye and Telfair.

Why for TOR: They get two good young players and chop off the last year of Kopono's contract. Smith could be a low-post scorer next to JO, and be a contrast to Kris Humphries.

Why for MIL: MIL wants to win now, and won't be under the salary cap in 2010. Damon Jones isn't going to see a lot of playing time with Ridnour and Sessions in front at PG, and Redd and the under-appreciated Charlie Bell at the 2. The question for MIL is whether Kopono is worth the salary.

Kopono
2008-09 $5,784,480
2009-10 $6,212,960
2010-11 $6,641,440

Jones.........Kopono
6' 3"............6'8"

MPG 19.9...18.9
FG% 0.416...0.488
FT% 0.714...0.860
3P% 0.417...0.483
RPG 1.1...1.5
APG 1.9...0.8
SPG 0.3...0.4
BPG 0.0 ...0.0
PPG 6.5...7.2

[Krapinsky]

Fine for Wolves, however...

I think Toronto needs to keep Kapono to stretch the floor for their tin towers. No reason they do this trade.

Miluakee is better served tying up their money elsewhere since they have enough shooters and enough depth at the 3.

[revprodeji]

I do not like it from a MN side. Why would we move Craig Smith? What exactly is our incentive? plus wasnt the Mil/Cle trade a clear sign MIl is trying to clear cap also?

[shrink]

Milwaukee is better served tying up their money elsewhere since they have enough shooters and enough depth at the 3.

MIL was 6th from the bottom in 3P% last year. I like Kopono's numbers and think he has a fair contract .. its just that we don't need Mike Miller-lite when we have the real thing. Can you think of a better fit for a win-now team with an expiring that is not going to care about Kopono's third year?

I do not like it from a MN side. Why would we move Craig Smith? What exactly is our incentive? plus wasnt the Mil/Cle trade a clear sign MIl is trying to clear cap also?

I like Craig Smith. He works hard and has a great contract. However, his size is always going to require a big defensive center on the floor who can play great help defense. MIN doesn't have that. Moreover, MIN's going to struggle to find minutes for him with Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Ryan Gomes ahead of him, and Madsen and Cardinal also able to play PF. His trade value here is going to go in the toilet, and I think he'd be happier elsewhere on a team with a better fit.

The incentive for the team is to clear Cardinal's cap space. Unless Carney suddenly breaks out, and gets tons of minutes, he is not going to carry the trade value to move Cardinal alone. Smith + Carney + Cardinal are not worth $11 mil next year. I think we'd be better off combining that $11 mil with $10 from the buy-outs and $6 from Collins, and using that money to add a player that can truly help us. We can't trade bought-out contracts, so the best use we have is to get as far under the salary cap as possible to make that $10 mil useful.

You may be right about MIL, but since they added Jefferson and extended Bogut, they have $52.5 mil locked up in four players (+ Redd and Gadzuric) in 2010. I think they moved Mo Williams because they liked what Sessions did at the end of the season, but I admit I don't follow the Bucks very closely.

[B Calrissian]

I do not like it from a MN side. Why would we move Craig Smith? What exactly is our incentive? plus wasnt the Mil/Cle trade a clear sign MIl is trying to clear cap also?

That had more to do with geting rid of a no D playing chucker. It is a shame that they couldn't get rid of Redd too.

[Krapinsky]

MIL was 6th from the bottom in 3P% last year. I like Kopono's numbers and think he has a fair contract .. its just that we don't need Mike Miller-lite when we have the real thing. Can you think of a better fit for a win-now team with an expiring that is not going to care about Kopono's third year

?

Well they picked up Richard Jefferson (shooter) and Joe Alexander (mid-range shooter) so I'm not sure when Kapono is going to play. Additionally, they also have Damon Jones (shooter) and Redd (shooter) who exclusively rely on their long range game.

[shrink]

MIL was 6th from the bottom in 3P% last year. I like Kopono's numbers and think he has a fair contract .. its just that we don't need Mike Miller-lite when we have the real thing. Can you think of a better fit for a win-now team with an expiring that is not going to care about Kopono's third year

?

Well they picked up Richard Jefferson (shooter) and Joe Alexander (mid-range shooter) so I'm not sure when Kapono is going to play. Additionally, they also have Damon Jones (shooter) and Redd (shooter) who exclusively rely on their long range game.

Jefferson is not a good 3P shooter (36%), and Joe Alexander's a rookie and not really a three-point shooter either. I was surprised to see Redd only shot 36% last year too. Damon Jones would be dealt in the trade. I don't know -- maybe they don't want to play him for minutes, but they don't have anything close to that kind of a 3-point threat. Surely they have even less use for Damon Jones.

However, I did go looking for other teams with expirings, but I didn'y come up with a lot of other alternatives. Its surprising how many teams were willing to give out contracts that run through 2010, but so few have deals expiring in 2009. I suppose that's why there's so few competitors in free agency. Anyway, you have lots of big name expirings, but not a lot around the MLE.

The two biggest suitors for Mike Miller on the Trade Board are CLE and LAL, and I kind of see Kopono as a Mike Miller-lite. I don't know if CLE would be willing to take Kopono's third year, but Eric Snow's expiring gives them absolutely zero production. The Laker's expiring is Odom, but maybe they could trade him elsewhere and get the pieces to make a deal for production plus expirings.

I haven't given the TOR side much thought, since this deal originated from one of their posters until I modified it a little (we can't take Kopono). I just assumed he had his reasons. ::shrug::

[dburke05]

you cant even spell Jason Kapono right but he is the best player in that deal and the Raptors dont want some **** Mephis guy or a 6'7 power forward. lol Kapono scares defences and is a underated defender and rebounder. Id trade Kapono for Miller because Miller is a better Kapono but this trade is jokes from a toronto point of view.

[Devilzsidewalk]

watch your mouth our we'll bomb your hoser asses back to the stone ages

that's how we roll

[shrink]

you cant even spell Jason Kapono right but he is the best player in that deal and the Raptors dont want some **** Mephis guy or a 6'7 power forward. lol Kapono scares defences and is a underated defender and rebounder. Id trade Kapono for Miller because Miller is a better Kapono but this trade is jokes from a toronto point of view.

MIL posters unanimously disagree with you.

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