Cronin blow it by not taking Wiseman?

[Blazers20]

Personally I think Wiseman would had been a better risk than 3-5 second round picks. High risk and high reward type player. Athletic and tall exactly what Portland is missing.

[DusterBuster]

I definitely would have rather kicked the tires on Wiseman vs 2nd rounders. Still baffled why that didn't happen, although the change a guy like Wiseman actually pans out when they've been THIS big of a bust and that high of a pick is pretty rare.

I honestly can't think of any Top 2 pick that was a total flameout from the word go actually recuperating his career at his next stop. Maybe Fultz?... kinda... at best they're usually just rotational / decent starter level.

[Village Idiot]

Nerlens Noel was the guy we should have gotten in that trade. Now the Wiseman is there he's not going to get any playing time. When he was with the Knicks he was top 5in BPG and top 15 in SPG. I would love to have another big on this team going forward. Could be a great mentor for Wemby too

[BlazersBroncos]

No. Wiseman is a scrub and isnt worth more than a vet min deal.

He stinks. He might put up some decent raw numbers but all metrics show the team stinks, stinks, stinks with him on the floor.

Wiseman is still living off HS hype. He played like 3 games in college, never made it into the GSW rotation despite being spoon fed minutes at times and has a horrendous feel for the game.

Look at this metric -

Minutes 1098, On Court -12.2, On/Off -16.1

He sucks.

[BNM]

Wiseman sucks and his $9.6 million salary would have put POR over the luxury tax threshold. By moving Payton and not taking back any salary, POR is now $6.1 million under the tax threshold. A straight Payton for Wiseman swap would have put us $3.5 million over the threshold.

James Wiseman is simply not worth it. Not this year, and given Dame's huge extension, not worth repeater tax penalties going forward. This resets the clock on the repeater tax counter.

If we want a back up big man, the $6.1 million headroom under the tax threshold gives us plenty of room to sign a veteran big man to a vet min contract without becoming a tax paying team. In addition to the usual suspects like Boogie, Dwight, Whiteside, Kanter/Freedom, let's see who becomes available on the buy out market. Plenty of options that are better and cheaper than Wiseman that won't push us over the tax threshold.

[BNM]

Nerlens Noel was the guy we should have gotten in that trade. Now the Wiseman is there he's not going to get any playing time. When he was with the Knicks he was top 5in BPG and top 15 in SPG. I would love to have another big on this team going forward. Could be a great mentor for Wemby too

Noel, like Wiseman would have put us $3.5 million over the tax threshold. I like Noel a LOT better than Wiseman, but is it really worth paying the luxury tax this year for a back up center for a team that is struggling to make the play-in and also be stuck with the onerous repeater tax penalties for as long as Damian Lillard is a Trail Blazer? That would severely limit roster flexibility going forward.

Noel will likely be bought out by DET. He'll probably get picked up elsewhere, by a contending team, but there are plenty of other veteran bigs available that won't push us over the tax threshold.

[Wizenheimer]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

Wiseman is tall, but that's about it. He's certainly a giant bust from his #2 slot in the draft. And while the Warriors are probably the best in the NBA at playing small, they certainly need a big man or two on the roster. That's what they drafted Wiseman for and the fact they were really trying hard to dump him is a bad reference for Wiseman

I think Blazer management is ambivalent about this season. They know the Blazers are going nowhere. They kind of have a win-win situation going in a dark-cloud/silver-lining kind of way. If the Blazers make the playoffs in an upset, then thankfully, finally, the idiotic-dumbshiz-WTF encumbrance Olshey loaded onto every single available Blazer 1st round pick thru 2030 is extinguished, and the Blazers will then have the leverage of owning all of their 1st draft picks, plus 3 or 4 extras 2nd's.

on the other hand, If Portland sinks into the lottery, and the Knicks make the playoffs, then the Blazers will have a lottery pick plus another mid-1st round pick in a talent-heavy draft. And they will also have those 2nd round picks. Further, they will have a couple of 7M TPE's from their trade deadline moves. That's a better war-chest of assets than Portland has had for years.

in other words, there was no reason for the Blazer to commit to a player that has a 9.3M salary this season and a 12M next season. Those are way too expensive tires to kick

[babyjax13]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

No, it is not likely at all that we were going to trade Vanderbilt for Winslow and some seconds.

[Wizenheimer]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

No, it is not likely at all that we were going to trade Vanderbilt for Winslow and some seconds.

blah blah blah...a fan of a team that takes on Westbrook should just keep off the internet and live in shame. The Jazz traded Conley, Beasely, Vanderbilt, and two 2nd's for a 2027 first round pick. Yeah, right there buddy, the Jazz valued Vanderbilt highly., LOL...thanks for the laugh

[Blazers20]

I think Wiseman can redeem himself, look at Lauri. A lot of people didn’t want Lauri and now he’s an all star.

[BlazersBroncos]

I think Wiseman can redeem himself, look at Lauri. A lot of people didn’t want Lauri and now he’s an all star.

There is absolutley no comparison. Lauri has been a starting caliber guy since he came into the league, there was a short time when people were starting to think he was a 3rd big but that was quickly quieted after his CLE season and he is now hitting All Star levels.

The careers are totally unrelatable. Lauri did more in his first 5 games as a rookie than Wiseman has done his entire career.

[red_power]

Yeah, but there is a subtle difference. Lauri has always been a solid player, albeit with questionable efficiency, while Wiseman is still G-league material after spending 3 years in the NBA.

[BNM]

I think Wiseman can redeem himself, look at Lauri. A lot of people didn’t want Lauri and now he’s an all star.

Bad comp. Lauri has had a valued skill from day 1 - his ability to make 3-pointers. He set a rookie record for made 3-pointers, was the youngest player in NBA history to get to 200 made 3-pointers and was 1st team all rookie. It may have taken him a while to develop into an all star, but he never sucked the way Wiseman does.

Lauri is a 7-footer that has made over 100 3-pointers in six straight seasons and has a career 3FG% = .375. He has also started at least 50 games in 5 of his 6 NBA seasons. He wasn't a star until this year, but he was never worse than an average NBA player, even as a 20-year old rookie. He was never a bust like Wiseman.

Maybe Wiseman eventually becomes a playable rotation piece, but do you really want to roll the dice on that long shot knowing it will put the Blazers in repeater tax payer hell for the remainder of Damian Lillard's career?

[babyjax13]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

No, it is not likely at all that we were going to trade Vanderbilt for Winslow and some seconds.

blah blah blah...a fan of a team that takes on Westbrook should just keep off the internet and live in shame. The Jazz traded Conley, Beasely, Vanderbilt, and two 2nd's for a 2027 first round pick. Yeah, right there buddy, the Jazz valued Vanderbilt highly., LOL...thanks for the laugh

That pick has a lot of value. I'm just telling you that Winslow and some seconds wasn't going to get it done, every piece of reporting suggests Utah wanted a first, or to aggregate Vanderbilt into a larger trade. We have so many picks seconds don't mean anything.

RE: Westbrook, cute? He's probably never going to play with us, but if he does, he'll just help our rebuild.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

I have plenty of issues with our deadline moves, but missing Wiseman is not one of them. Hasheem Thabeet all over again.

[Dame Lizard]

I'd rather the 5 seconds than Wiseman.

[Cappy_Smurf]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

No, it is not likely at all that we were going to trade Vanderbilt for Winslow and some seconds.

blah blah blah...a fan of a team that takes on Westbrook should just keep off the internet and live in shame. The Jazz traded Conley, Beasely, Vanderbilt, and two 2nd's for a 2027 first round pick. Yeah, right there buddy, the Jazz valued Vanderbilt highly., LOL...thanks for the laugh

That 2027 1st is only top 4 protected. Utah has 7 1st round picks in the next 3 years, so they have no need of trading for another pick anytime soon,and may have to move some of the 1sts they already have rather than using them. Also, when trading for a pick that is several years out, it helps with getting less protection on the pick, as nobody wants picks in the distant future unless they have higher value.

Babyjax is right about the 2nd rounders. Ainge doesn't value them much. He could have dumped multiple players for 2nds earlier in the year to speed up the tank but held out until he could get a pick he valued.

[DusterBuster]

pretty likely that Portland had a tentative deal in place to trade Winslow and a couple of seconds to Utah for Vanderbilt. But Ainge is addicted to first round picks and when the Lakers threw their first into the pot, Ainge sent Vanderbilt to LA

Wiseman is tall, but that's about it. He's certainly a giant bust from his #2 slot in the draft. And while the Warriors are probably the best in the NBA at playing small, they certainly need a big man or two on the roster. That's what they drafted Wiseman for and the fact they were really trying hard to dump him is a bad reference for Wiseman

I think Blazer management is ambivalent about this season. They know the Blazers are going nowhere. They kind of have a win-win situation going in a dark-cloud/silver-lining kind of way. If the Blazers make the playoffs in an upset, then thankfully, finally, the idiotic-dumbshiz-WTF encumbrance Olshey loaded onto every single available Blazer 1st round pick thru 2030 is extinguished, and the Blazers will then have the leverage of owning all of their 1st draft picks, plus 3 or 4 extras 2nd's.

on the other hand, If Portland sinks into the lottery, and the Knicks make the playoffs, then the Blazers will have a lottery pick plus another mid-1st round pick in a talent-heavy draft. And they will also have those 2nd round picks. Further, they will have a couple of 7M TPE's from their trade deadline moves. That's a better war-chest of assets than Portland has had for years.

in other words, there was no reason for the Blazer to commit to a player that has a 9.3M salary this season and a 12M next season. Those are way too expensive tires to kick

That’s a fair assessment and honestly changed my mind on this.

Question I have tho, if they try and make a trade this summer with their picks… (assuming lottery for Blazers and Knicks make POs), aren’t they still hampered moving future firsts because of the Nance trade?

[babyjax13]

Yah I think Wizenheimer is right on that. I wonder if Portland could, if their pick does not convey this year, trade to get it back.

[floppymoose]

You arent missing anything with Wiseman. He will be out of the league in 3 years.