plyrically wrote:Switching the topic to Eric Gordon who might be had for strictly cap relief under some circumstances, his contract fits perfectly into that TPE.. I bet Olshey’s talking to Morey..
the problem with that, of course, is tax. If the Blazers add Gordon's 13.5M salary to their current situation, and you assume they re-sign Nurkic and Davis (18M + 9M?), Portland would be looking at a 100M tax bill
while PA may be OK with paying some tax, 100M is excessive. So then, if Portland adds Gordon at the expense of Ed Davis, would they actually be any better? Gordon is better then Connaughton for sure, but Pat could slide to the SF position situationally, while Gordon is pretty much a SG. And that would mean that in order to get Dame-CJ-Gordon their minutes, CJ would have to play a lot of PG and frankly, he's crappy at that. So, not only could Portland be sacrificing Ed Davis, they'd be sacrificing minutes for a backup PG. That's just not an improved team, but it sure is more expensive
maybe the Blazers can use their TPE as a instantaneous transitional spot in a multi-team trade that boomerangs a player immediately to another team but it's hard seeing how that could work
Adding upon it, the more I think about this the more i'm positive that the Blazers just can't start both Harkless and Chief at the 3 and the 4 in this upcoming season. I'm fine with one of them (whomever it may be), just think that it's going to be next to impossible (obviously, depends also on how you choose to add into that 2nd unit) to get through the 1st round with both in the lineup. The Blazers played some of their best post LMA era ball after the all-star break this year till Harkless got hurt, and Chief was pretty decent in the Playoffs (As much as you can be on a losing effort) - but I feel like a refreshment is due. And it's tough to say it since probably he's the best teammate any player could wish for, ET has to be traded one way or another.
my take is the 'problem' is bigger then Harkless/Aminu. At SG-SF-PF Portland has CJ-Harkless-Aminu. Those are their best players at those 3 positions. But those are the positions where the good teams have their strength. A team definitely needs, at minimum, a consensus all-star player at one of those positions. A player who can force opposing defenses to adjust to his talent. Portland doesn't have that and frankly, they aren't even close
Portland's strength is the talent of Lillard. But him being Portland's PG means that's also Portland's biggest vulnerability. Shut Dame down and a team takes out the #1 option at the same time they hamstring the offense since nobody else on Portland can run the offense with any efficiency. Broken roster
that's basically the problem I have with almost all of the trade ideas I see. None are bringing in a good enough player but almost all are bringing in lots of salary. Trading Harkless + Aminu for Love solves nothing. Adding Eric Gordon solves nothing. I'd like CJ traded but I almost never see trades that would make a difference, and the few that do seem too lop-sided in Portland's favor to be realistic.
At minimum, Portland needs a player significantly more talented then anyone they have not named Lillard. They aren't going to trade Harkless for a better SF or Aminu for a better PF. I can't see any realistic trade that would accomplish that. The only way to realistically get that player, IMO, is thru the draft. So, I'm a lot more inclined to like trades that bring in picks, even if it makes the team worse, short term (that might be a bonus as well). If Portland can get the 14th pick + Faried, I like that a lot more then just getting Gordon. (and yes, I know the odds of landing an all-star level player at 14).
I think it would be a big mistake if Portland just makes trades that rearrange the deck chairs while ignoring the sputtering sound in the engine room. The ship is taking on water and changing out furniture isn't going to solve what's going on below the waterline
