Official Trade Thread: New Year, New Thread, New Laughs

[Frank Lee]

I think the FO is trying to seal one more deal, for a PF or offensive upgrade at SF....but if no deal can be made....
there is an ace in hole.




Kevin Garnett

last yr of his deal... lousy tanking team. I smell a buy out/waiver... then the Suns could claim him and he would get his last 'harrah' in.

[Revived]

Bulls interested in Green

http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/ ... -green.htm

Did you bother to read the so called rumor/article ?

It is no more news worthy than any trade proposed here.

Haha no actually I didnt. Just read the headline.

[Walt_Uoob]

I've been playing with the Trade Machine a bit too. I don't see a great blockbuster possibility out there, so my ideas are about continuing to build from within and acquire assets, at least for now. BTW I got a lot of my ideas from this month-old Bleacher Report article on NBA team needs: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2296 ... y-nba-team .

With Charlotte: Gerald Green and Plumlee for Marvin Williams and Charlotte's 2015 or 2016 first round pick.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=mohnr4h
Charlotte needs to shake things up. Green and Stephenson could be a dynamic combo and Plumlee improves their frontcourt depth and athleticism. They also save significant money because they're paying Williams $7m per year this season and next to be a mostly ineffective bench player. That's why they include the draft pick. For us, we give up two good players who are nonetheless pretty much expendable at this point. We have to take on Williams's salary, but he might do better as a stretch-four in our system and we get back a valuable first-rounder.

With Chicago: P.J. Tucker for MIke Dunleavy, Cameron Bairstow (or other salary filler), and the first-round pick owed to the Bulls by the Kings (top 10 protected in 2015, 2016, and 2017, then becomes a 2017 second-rounder).
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=n5fk3v5
The Bulls are weak and unhealthy at SF with Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott. Tucker would be a perfect fit as a 3-and-D guy in Thibodeau's system and would make their great defense even better. We save salary in the deal but it's really about opening up playing time for T.J. Warren and getting the Sacramento pick. The pick would be #11 if the season ended right now, and even if the Kings slide and the pick doesn't convey this year, they should be good enough to get out of the bottom ten at some point in the next three years (though I thought the same thing about that Timberwolves pick/s we just traded for Wright). And if he gets healthy, Dunleavy is decent enough to keep us from falling off too much this season.

With Toronto: Something involving Tyler Ennis for draft pick/s.
I think we'll re-sign Dragic for Bledsoe-like money and keep the hydra intact, meaning it's going to be hard to develop Ennis. Meawhile, the Raptors reportedly still covet Ennis (http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketbal ... ennis.html) and have all their own first-rounders available and one due in 2016 from the Knicks (the worse of the Knicks' or Nuggets' pick; both could end up in the lottery next year).

[kennydorglas]

Bleacher Report ‏@BleacherReport 7 min
Report: Kevin Love expected to opt out of current deal and is unlikely to sign long term http://ble.ac/1IDfsFK

[DirtyDez]

Bleacher Report ‏@BleacherReport 7 min
Report: Kevin Love expected to opt out of current deal and is unlikely to sign long term http://ble.ac/1IDfsFK

Wiggins starting to look like a stud too. Oof!

[nevetsov]

Bleacher Report ‏@BleacherReport 7 min
Report: Kevin Love expected to opt out of current deal and is unlikely to sign long term http://ble.ac/1IDfsFK

Too bad we have the Morri, Thomas and Tucker eating up $25m of our cap space next year.

[Flying Colors]

Thats assumeing we ever had a chance with Love

[King4Day]

Bleacher Report ‏@BleacherReport 7 min
Report: Kevin Love expected to opt out of current deal and is unlikely to sign long term http://ble.ac/1IDfsFK

Wiggins starting to look like a stud too. Oof!

The article seems to indicate he'll wait another year to sign long term so he could take advantage of the higher cap.
I'm sure they'll be kicking themselves if Wiggins becomes a stud though.

[King4Day]

Bulls interested in Green

http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/ ... -green.htm

If this were true, i'd do it in a heartbeat

[RunDogGun]

Bulls interested in Green

http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/ ... -green.htm

If this were true, i'd do it in a heartbeat

I'd rather try Green, Plumlee, and our first lotto protected for Mitotic and filler.

[letsgosuns]

The Cavs coach just bashed Kevin Love pretty badly after their loss against the Kings. http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... Player-Yet I would not be shocked if they end up trading him before the deadline because he just has not worked out on that team. Even though I am not a big fan of his, I would offer them Thomas and the Morris brothers for him. None of those players play defense so it is a wash in that department. I think it helps them a lot honestly. Gives the Cavs three scoring options to help Lebron. It takes away the Suns glut of point guards and allows time for Warren to back up Tucker and also Green to become the main guard off the bench again. That should help him to relax. Then Ennis and Goodwin can get some time too. Most importantly, it should open up the floor with Love hanging around the three point line and Len manning the middle. If anything, it gets the Suns out of their long term obligations to Thomas and the Morris brothers.

[Frank Lee]

interesting the Bucks sign KMart, right when Ilyasova comes back ....

hmmmmm

[nevetsov]

Building on Kerrsed's Noel trade idea from the other day, making it a 3 way with Cleveland:

Suns out ($18.1m) - Morri ($6.2m), Thomas ($7.2m), Green ($3.5m), Plumlee ($1.2m) lesser of LAL/PHX pick the year LAL pick is conveyed, rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic
Suns in ($18.3m) - Love ($15.7m), Marion ($1.4m), Wroten ($1.2m)

PHX cashes in on the disgruntled players on dysfunctional teams. Happy to burn one of the picks (likely our pick in 12-15 range) as we are struggling to develop the youth we have already.

Goran, Bledsoe/ Ennis
Bledsoe, Wroten
Tucker, Warren
Love, Marion
Len, Wright

CLE out ($17.9m) - Love ($15.7m), Marion ($1.4m), Dellavadova ($0.8m)
CLE in - ($17.3m) - Noel ($3.5m), Thomas ($7.2m), Kirilenko ($3.3m), Plumlee ($1.2m), Maynor ($2.1m filler)

Turns Love into a premium big man prospect and adds complementary depth to balance roster, improve chemistry and appease LBJ. If Maynor (waived) and Kirilenko not wanted, could be switched for JRich's expiring. Mozgovs range is a nice complement to Noel inside.

Irving, Thomas
JR Smith, Shumpert
James, Miller
Noel, Thompson
Mozgov, Plumlee (Varajeo injury)

PHI out ($10.1m) - Noel ($3.5m), Wroten ($1.2m), Kirilenko ($3.3m), Maynor ($2.1m)
PHI in ($10.5m) - Morri ($6.2m), Dellevadova ($0.8m), Green ($3.5m) lesser of LAL/PHX pick the year LAL pick is conveyed (likely 12-15), rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic

PHI gets a PF tandem more suited to play alongside Embiid's defensive/ inside game, an underrated prospect in Dellevadova who would be good next to MCW, and the lord of all tank commanders in Green who would at least bring in the highlights while they rebuild. I figured the pick is sufficient but can be adjusted as required. Also, if Kiri can't be traded due waiver claim in a separate deal, as noted before him and Maynor can be switched for JRich for salary purposes.

MCW, Dellevadova
Green (Bogdanovic)
Covington, (Saric)
Morris, Morris
Embiid

EDIT: If PHI can flip Green and value to CHI for Mirotic, they'd have Bogdanovic/ Saric/ Mirotic. TRIPLE ITCH FTW!

[Kerrsed]

If for some reason we trade Dragic or lose him in FA, maybe we should check out Matthews in FA.

The NBA's most prolific three-point shooter has a rather surprising view of his best offensive attribute.

"I don't see myself as a three-point shooter," Wesley Matthews said.

You see, the Portland Trail Blazers' starting shooting guard has never really been a shooter. He rarely took threes in high school. And at Marquette University, he made just 100 three-pointers in 127 career games, which seems preposterous considering he's already made 96 in 32 games this season.

So how did Matthews mold himself into one of the NBA's most lethal and consistent long-range shooters?

"I owe everything to Jeff Hornacek," he said.

Let's back up. It all started in 2009, when Matthews was a rookie with the Utah Jazz. His path to the NBA has been well chronicled. Matthews went undrafted out of Marquette and had to play on two summer league teams just to earn a training camp invitation in Utah. Then, through sheer will and hard work, he not only earned a roster spot, but also blossomed into a midseason starter on a playoff team. The Blazers were so enamored with his defense and potential, they signed him to a stunning five-year, $34 million free agent contract in the summer of 2010. You know how the rest of the story goes.

But what you don't know, what very few people know, is how Matthews carved out a more prominent role with the Jazz -- by making himself into a shooter.

It didn't take long for no-nonsense Jazz coach Jerry Sloan to take a liking to Matthews, who commonly refers to himself as a "dog." But after a few successful stretches early in his rookie season, NBA scouting reports started catching up to Matthews, and the book on him was clear: sag off on the perimeter, stop his drives to the hoop, dare him to shoot.

Sloan would lean on Matthews' defense, but he found himself scheming around his shooting deficiencies. Oftentimes, Matthews noticed, Sloan would pull him out of games during important offensive stretches, usually late in quarters and always down the stretch of close games.

"They would take me out because I was a liability," Matthews said. "It was just one of those things; they would put (Kyle) Korver or CJ Miles in the game and pull me. I remember watching the game and thinking, 'In order to stay on the court, I've got to be a two-way player. I've got to play at both ends of the court. I can't be a liability.' And I took that personal. You're sagging off me! All right! I'm going to make you pay for it."

Enter Hornacek, then an assistant coach with the Jazz. Hornacek was one of the NBA's best shooters during his 14-year playing career and he was blunt with Matthews, telling him he wouldn't stick in the league if he didn't develop that part of his game. So Hornacek, now the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, made it his personal goal to shape Matthews' shot.

The pair became inseparable and worked to refine Matthews' stroke through repetition and diligence. Every day, sometimes twice a day, they would work. Off days. Game days. Practice days. Holidays. It didn't matter. Matthews said a day didn't go by without the two working on shooting drills.

Matthews would shoot spot-up threes and spot-up jumpers from a variety of areas on the court, as part of a normal shooting routine that virtually every guard in the NBA does. But Hornacek pushed Matthews beyond the standard operating procedure. He didn't just instruct Matthews, he competed with him.

The most demanding work was on practice days. The two would meet 90 minutes before scheduled workouts and heave countless shots. They'd set up a machine that rebounded and fired passes back to the perimeter, and they made it part of their game, moving from one spot to the next on the court, over and over and over, in constant motion, with the machine firing passes again and again.

"He would have us moving nonstop," Matthews said. "I would run behind him and shoot, the gun would move, and then he would run behind me and shoot and the gun would move. There was constant movement and then a shot. Movement and then a shot."

Matthews is fueled by competition -- doesn't matter if it's a game of Monopoly or basketball, he wants to win -- and the rounds with Hornacek proved to be a test of endurance and patience. Hornacek once set an NBA record by making eight consecutive threes in a game without a miss, and he never lost his shooting stroke. Matthews found it nearly impossible to defeat his mentor.

"I beat him twice," he said, chuckling. "We did it the whole year, every day, and I only beat him twice."

But what Matthews lost in those competitions, he eventually won in long-term gains. About a quarter of the way through his rookie season, he noticed improvement. During a two-game stretch in November, Matthews went 6 for 7 from three-point range. During a four-game run in early December, he went 7 for 17. By season's end, three-point shooting had become an asset.

He made 6 of 7 threes during a 29-point outburst at the Oklahoma City Thunder in March and finished his rookie season strong, making 14 of 32 threes (44 percent) over the final 11 games of the regular season, before shooting 37 percent from long-range in the playoffs.

"It was all about drive," Matthews said. "Shooting is definitely a skill. There's mechanics to it and everything. But if you shoot enough and you make enough shots, you figure it out."

And boy did he figure it out. Matthews made 154 threes and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc during his first season with the Blazers and has steadily become more lethal since. Last season, he made 201, fifth-most in the NBA, and this season, his 96 three-pointers are the most in the league -- nine more than teammate Damian Lillard (87), who ranks second, and 10 more than Korver (86), the player who used to replace him on offense with the Jazz.

Over the last four games, Matthews has been ridiculously hot, making 21 of 42 threes (50 percent). Most of them have been followed by his new bow and arrow three-point celebration.

Did Matthews ever think his career would develop like this? That he would become known as a three-point shooter?

"No, I didn't," he said. "Like I said, I don't see myself as a three-point shooter. I never have and I still don't. I can shoot it. It's one of my offensive weapons. But I would much rather attack the basket or post-up."

But no matter how he wants to view himself, the reality is that three-point shooting is his best offensive asset. At his current pace, Matthews would end the season with 246 threes, the highest single-season total in franchise history. What's more, he soon will become the Blazers' most accomplished long-range shooter.

Matthews has made 749 threes in four-plus seasons in Portland, which ranks second on the Blazers' all-time list. If he makes 25 more, he'll move into the top spot, past Terry Porter, who made 773 in 10 seasons with the Blazers.

At this rate, the player who doesn't view himself as a three-point shooter is primed to participate in the NBA's marquee shooting event: The Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend.

Even he has trouble wrapping his head around that.

"I think it would be fun for the fans," Matthews said, of competing in the All-Star event. "Of course, my family would love it and everybody back home would love it. It would be something cool to do, just to compete and represent Portland and all that. If I get called, awesome. If I don't, I'll be back in the gym working to get better."

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index ... ews_7.html

You have to admit, Bledsoe/Matthews/Tucker/???????/Len would be a hell of a defensive starting 5!

[MathiasPW]

Never thought about Matthews. Love the idea. It´s also NEW!!

[Qwigglez]

Never thought about Matthews. Love the idea. It´s also NEW!!

Eff that I mentioned it a couple pages ago!
Anyway, I think he's gonna command somewhere in the range of 52mil for 4 years, maybe even 56 to 58mil. Good shooting guards in the league are becoming very scarce.

[MathiasPW]

Never thought about Matthews. Love the idea. It´s also NEW!!

Eff that I mentioned it a couple pages ago!
Anyway, I think he's gonna command somewhere in the range of 52mil for 4 years, maybe even 56 to 58mil. Good shooting guards in the league are becoming very scarce.

Woops! Well, new TO ME then. My bad

[jcsunsfan]

Simple. IT, the Morris twins, and our first round pick for Love with a commitment to resign here.

Done. Cleveland gets depth, some size (both the twins are bigger than Love) and a very efficient scorer off the bench in IT. The middle opens up for Len. Love is perfect to let Warren operate mid-range down the road. And we start working Ennis into the rotation, who I really want to keep.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I'm a big Marquette fan so love me some Wes Matthews. Would be a tremendous fit on this team.

Sent from my SM-G900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

[kennydorglas]

Spoiler:

If for some reason we trade Dragic or lose him in FA, maybe we should check out Matthews in FA.

The NBA's most prolific three-point shooter has a rather surprising view of his best offensive attribute.

"I don't see myself as a three-point shooter," Wesley Matthews said.

You see, the Portland Trail Blazers' starting shooting guard has never really been a shooter. He rarely took threes in high school. And at Marquette University, he made just 100 three-pointers in 127 career games, which seems preposterous considering he's already made 96 in 32 games this season.

So how did Matthews mold himself into one of the NBA's most lethal and consistent long-range shooters?

"I owe everything to Jeff Hornacek," he said.

Let's back up. It all started in 2009, when Matthews was a rookie with the Utah Jazz. His path to the NBA has been well chronicled. Matthews went undrafted out of Marquette and had to play on two summer league teams just to earn a training camp invitation in Utah. Then, through sheer will and hard work, he not only earned a roster spot, but also blossomed into a midseason starter on a playoff team. The Blazers were so enamored with his defense and potential, they signed him to a stunning five-year, $34 million free agent contract in the summer of 2010. You know how the rest of the story goes.

But what you don't know, what very few people know, is how Matthews carved out a more prominent role with the Jazz -- by making himself into a shooter.

It didn't take long for no-nonsense Jazz coach Jerry Sloan to take a liking to Matthews, who commonly refers to himself as a "dog." But after a few successful stretches early in his rookie season, NBA scouting reports started catching up to Matthews, and the book on him was clear: sag off on the perimeter, stop his drives to the hoop, dare him to shoot.

Sloan would lean on Matthews' defense, but he found himself scheming around his shooting deficiencies. Oftentimes, Matthews noticed, Sloan would pull him out of games during important offensive stretches, usually late in quarters and always down the stretch of close games.

"They would take me out because I was a liability," Matthews said. "It was just one of those things; they would put (Kyle) Korver or CJ Miles in the game and pull me. I remember watching the game and thinking, 'In order to stay on the court, I've got to be a two-way player. I've got to play at both ends of the court. I can't be a liability.' And I took that personal. You're sagging off me! All right! I'm going to make you pay for it."

Enter Hornacek, then an assistant coach with the Jazz. Hornacek was one of the NBA's best shooters during his 14-year playing career and he was blunt with Matthews, telling him he wouldn't stick in the league if he didn't develop that part of his game. So Hornacek, now the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, made it his personal goal to shape Matthews' shot.

The pair became inseparable and worked to refine Matthews' stroke through repetition and diligence. Every day, sometimes twice a day, they would work. Off days. Game days. Practice days. Holidays. It didn't matter. Matthews said a day didn't go by without the two working on shooting drills.

Matthews would shoot spot-up threes and spot-up jumpers from a variety of areas on the court, as part of a normal shooting routine that virtually every guard in the NBA does. But Hornacek pushed Matthews beyond the standard operating procedure. He didn't just instruct Matthews, he competed with him.

The most demanding work was on practice days. The two would meet 90 minutes before scheduled workouts and heave countless shots. They'd set up a machine that rebounded and fired passes back to the perimeter, and they made it part of their game, moving from one spot to the next on the court, over and over and over, in constant motion, with the machine firing passes again and again.

"He would have us moving nonstop," Matthews said. "I would run behind him and shoot, the gun would move, and then he would run behind me and shoot and the gun would move. There was constant movement and then a shot. Movement and then a shot."

Matthews is fueled by competition -- doesn't matter if it's a game of Monopoly or basketball, he wants to win -- and the rounds with Hornacek proved to be a test of endurance and patience. Hornacek once set an NBA record by making eight consecutive threes in a game without a miss, and he never lost his shooting stroke. Matthews found it nearly impossible to defeat his mentor.

"I beat him twice," he said, chuckling. "We did it the whole year, every day, and I only beat him twice."

But what Matthews lost in those competitions, he eventually won in long-term gains. About a quarter of the way through his rookie season, he noticed improvement. During a two-game stretch in November, Matthews went 6 for 7 from three-point range. During a four-game run in early December, he went 7 for 17. By season's end, three-point shooting had become an asset.

He made 6 of 7 threes during a 29-point outburst at the Oklahoma City Thunder in March and finished his rookie season strong, making 14 of 32 threes (44 percent) over the final 11 games of the regular season, before shooting 37 percent from long-range in the playoffs.

"It was all about drive," Matthews said. "Shooting is definitely a skill. There's mechanics to it and everything. But if you shoot enough and you make enough shots, you figure it out."

And boy did he figure it out. Matthews made 154 threes and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc during his first season with the Blazers and has steadily become more lethal since. Last season, he made 201, fifth-most in the NBA, and this season, his 96 three-pointers are the most in the league -- nine more than teammate Damian Lillard (87), who ranks second, and 10 more than Korver (86), the player who used to replace him on offense with the Jazz.

Over the last four games, Matthews has been ridiculously hot, making 21 of 42 threes (50 percent). Most of them have been followed by his new bow and arrow three-point celebration.

Did Matthews ever think his career would develop like this? That he would become known as a three-point shooter?

"No, I didn't," he said. "Like I said, I don't see myself as a three-point shooter. I never have and I still don't. I can shoot it. It's one of my offensive weapons. But I would much rather attack the basket or post-up."

But no matter how he wants to view himself, the reality is that three-point shooting is his best offensive asset. At his current pace, Matthews would end the season with 246 threes, the highest single-season total in franchise history. What's more, he soon will become the Blazers' most accomplished long-range shooter.

Matthews has made 749 threes in four-plus seasons in Portland, which ranks second on the Blazers' all-time list. If he makes 25 more, he'll move into the top spot, past Terry Porter, who made 773 in 10 seasons with the Blazers.

At this rate, the player who doesn't view himself as a three-point shooter is primed to participate in the NBA's marquee shooting event: The Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend.

Even he has trouble wrapping his head around that.

"I think it would be fun for the fans," Matthews said, of competing in the All-Star event. "Of course, my family would love it and everybody back home would love it. It would be something cool to do, just to compete and represent Portland and all that. If I get called, awesome. If I don't, I'll be back in the gym working to get better."

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index ... ews_7.html

You have to admit, Bledsoe/Matthews/Tucker/???????/Len would be a hell of a defensive starting 5!

This is a damn good lineup