Okafor

[SacTown Kings]

I think we should try and bring Okafor here. I know there were rumors at the trade deadline. Sounds like New Orleans is screwed financially and is looking to clear some salary (and they wont be able to trade Peja so Okafor would be next). I would do a Hawes for Okafor and I bet New Orleans would too. Also sounds like they are using Collison as bait for someone to take one of their bad contracts. I would love to see Collison in a Kings uniform too.

[rpa]

Okafor is probably the most readily available & talented guy that fits what this team needs. However, his contract leaves a lot to be desired. He's on the books for 4 more years and $52mil. That's a LOT of money considering that he's never been all that good--then you need to factor in what could happen in next year's new CBA (Okafor will be under that CBA for the final 3 years of his contract).

On the other hand, of course, Okafor is a GREAT buy-low candidate. He looked like ass last year & is making a lot of money so his value is probably near an all-time low. He also doesn't turn 28 until September so his contract is going to end right around the time that he'll start declining.

I think if we picked him up you'd need to dump at least 1 2+ year contract in the trade. I'm sure the Hornets would never go for a Nocioni/Garcia simply because there's no savings right now but in my mind if you trade for Okafor you need to give them one of Nocioni or Garcia (preferably Nocioni--which is probably who they'd prefer of the 2 because of his contract).

So in the end, something like Nocioni (+ some kind of sweetener perhaps: 2nd rounder, cash, etc.) for Okafor.

[perezident]

Guys like Okafor SCREAM the same situation as Beno. Spurs gave up on Beno and then the Wolves? But he came here and was able to make a name for himself and has turned around his career!

A lineup of

Okafor/Hawes
JT/Landry/Brockman
JJ(Atl)/Casspi
Beno/Donte
Evans/Cisco

Give that team about 2 years to really grow together we'd be a force to reckon with

[Bac2Basics]

I see Okafor as becoming the same situation as what Elton Brand is now before too long, and Okafor wasn't as good in his prime as Brand was in his.

If Okafor's contract was anywhere close to reasonable, I think it would be worth consideration, but with that bloated contract, it's an easy no unless the Kings get a major young piece in the process any only give up guys we don't really need long term, and since that's unlikely, I don't see that as being likely.

[dozencousins]

I agree with RPA on this !

I have thought about this possibility before about the KINGS trading GARCIA & NOCIANI for OKAFOR &COLIISON . I believe we may have to add either a little cash considerations or a future 2nd round pick but i dont see the KINGS giving up the 2nd round pick this year as this year their will be alot of great 2nd round pick ups !

W.WARREN
J.CRAWFORD
J.JORDEN
C. BRAICKETT

etc

[Bac2Basics]

I agree with RPA on this !

I have thought about this possibility before about the KINGS trading GARCIA & NOCIANI for OKAFOR &COLIISON . I believe we may have to add either a little cash considerations or a future 2nd round pick but i dont see the KINGS giving up the 2nd round pick this year as this year their will be alot of great 2nd round pick ups !

W.WARREN
J.CRAWFORD
J.JORDEN
C. BRAICKETT

etc

Okafor/Collison for Nocioni/Garcia is probably the only way I could see Sacramento making sense of such a deal, but I seriously doubt New Orleans goes for it.

So again, I don't see Okafor in Sacramento's future.

[dozencousins]

I agree with RPA on this !

I have thought about this possibility before about the KINGS trading GARCIA & NOCIANI for OKAFOR &COLIISON . I believe we may have to add either a little cash considerations or a future 2nd round pick but i dont see the KINGS giving up the 2nd round pick this year as this year their will be alot of great 2nd round pick ups !

W.WARREN
J.CRAWFORD
J.JORDEN
C. BRAICKETT

etc

Okafor/Collison for Nocioni/Garcia is probably the only way I could see Sacramento making sense of such a deal, but I seriously doubt New Orleans goes for it.

So again, I don't see Okafor in Sacramento's future.

Yah as I said above thats basically the deal I would do .
I dont think it will happen but I would not be shocked if someting like this happens especially if we dont get the bigman we are hoping for at the #5 pick !

[SacTown Kings]

I don't see a garcia and noc trade since the reason NO would be trading Okafor is to cut their lux tax. I would still offer up Hawes. Plus NO would need a big if they were to trade Okafor. Then hopefully Cousins falls to us in the draft. Then trade Noc for a bag of dog poo and our line up would look like:

Beno/Evans/#33 pick?
Evans/Garcia
Greene/Casspi/bag of dog poo
Landry/Thompson/Brockman
Okafor/Cousins

Our frontcourt would be pretty sick and deep. I think this team would have the talent to be a playoff team (maybe try and bring in a redick or morrow for some outside shooting). And everyone on the team is still young leaving growth for improvement.

[Dustin5566]

I think the new wiretap reports that the Hornets are willing to deal Collison as long as the team takes Okafor as well is even more enticing. We need another PG in a bad way and Collison is as good of a young PG who's value is super low because they NEED to cut salary and not rely most on talent returning.

Collison
Okafor

for

Nocioni
TPE

Cut and dry, they get a declining contract and pure cap space. Win-Win for both teams.

Beno/Collison
Evans/Garcia/#33
Greene/Casspi
Landry/JT
Okafor/Hawes

We still have #5 to play with and have options now that we got our frontcourt player. We can actively move it for added assets or pick BPA

[Bac2Basics]

I don't see a garcia and noc trade since the reason NO would be trading Okafor is to cut their lux tax. I would still offer up Hawes. Plus NO would need a big if they were to trade Okafor. Then hopefully Cousins falls to us in the draft. Then trade Noc for a bag of dog poo and our line up would look like:

Beno/Evans/#33 pick?
Evans/Garcia
Greene/Casspi/bag of dog poo
Landry/Thompson/Brockman
Okafor/Cousins

Our frontcourt would be pretty sick and deep. I think this team would have the talent to be a playoff team (maybe try and bring in a redick or morrow for some outside shooting). And everyone on the team is still young leaving growth for improvement.

If we include Hawes in a trade for Okafor, I'd be seriously pissed.

[SacTown Kings]

^^ Why? Are you big on Hawes or down on Okafor. I think a broken Okafor is still better than Hawes. I know Hawes is still young and I doubt Petrie trades him but Kings need an Okafor much more than Hawes even if he improves. The only negative which I know is prolly the biggest catch is Okafor's contract. But after this season Hawes has a qualifying offer of 4 million and I am sure there are some teams that will at least offer him at least the MLE if not more so if we wanna keep him I am sure we will be paying more than 4 million probably more like 5 or 6 million, especially if he improves this year. Would you be more inclined to trade Landry rather than Hawes? Don't get me wrong I like Hawes and would love to get Okafor without giving him up.

[_SRV_]

I think the new wiretap reports that the Hornets are willing to deal Collison as long as the team takes Okafor as well is even more enticing. We need another PG in a bad way and Collison is as good of a young PG who's value is super low because they NEED to cut salary and not rely most on talent returning.

Collison
Okafor

for

Nocioni
TPE

Cut and dry, they get a declining contract and pure cap space. Win-Win for both teams.

Beno/Collison
Evans/Garcia/#33
Greene/Casspi
Landry/JT
Okafor/Hawes

We still have #5 to play with and have options now that we got our frontcourt player. We can actively move it for added assets or pick BPA

I would also be willing to add Hawes on top of that.

[Bac2Basics]

^^ Why? Are you big on Hawes or down on Okafor. I think a broken Okafor is still better than Hawes. I know Hawes is still young and I doubt Petrie trades him but Kings need an Okafor much more than Hawes even if he improves. The only negative which I know is prolly the biggest catch is Okafor's contract. But after this season Hawes has a qualifying offer of 4 million and I am sure there are some teams that will at least offer him at least the MLE if not more so if we wanna keep him I am sure we will be paying more than 4 million probably more like 5 or 6 million, especially if he improves this year. Would you be more inclined to trade Landry rather than Hawes? Don't get me wrong I like Hawes and would love to get Okafor without giving him up.

I wouldn't say I'm big on Hawes, but I think trading him unless Sacramento is getting a young player that could be potential part of the Sacramento core would be a mistake. Okafor's significantly older than the players Sacramento currently has as it's core. Additionally, the wholes in Okafor's game are at least as big as the ones in Hawes'. They are different, but their overall games are at least as flawed.

I'm of the opinion that Hawes has his best games in front of him, and that trading him now would likely to be selling low, while trading for Okafor is probably getting him at the best he'll ever be. Best case scenario for Okafor is that he stays where he is for another couple of years, but it's highly unlikely he'll be this effective for the remainer of his contract, and when his value slides, Okafor would put Sacramento in the same position Philadelphia is with Elton Brand.

I think Hawes and Okafor would actually make a complete player in most respects, but Okafor's contract would be a cap anchor for any team trading for him. Why do you think Charlotte moved him so quickly and New Orleans is trying to do the same thing just as quickly?

Also, even if Sacramento would have to spend MLE level money on Hawes' next contract, that's still a bargain compared to what Okafor has left on his deal.

Okafor shouldn't be viewed as a target, but rather as someone that Sacramento should require sweetner to be willing to take on.

[SacTown Kings]

Well there is no way NO would dump Collison to get rid of Okafor if they have to take Noc back. I'm not even a NO fan and even I would laugh at that offer. At the very least we would have to include Hawes.

Also has anyone else heard about the rumor about Cleveland Toronto and Sacto doing a three way. I read that somewhere but can't find it now. No player names were thrown out so even if there was something to it I don't know who would be involved. Although I have a feeling it involves Hedo who I don't want to see on the Kings.

[Bac2Basics]

Well there is no way NO would dump Collison to get rid of Okafor if they have to take Noc back. I'm not even a NO fan and even I would laugh at that offer. At the very least we would have to include Hawes.

Also has anyone else heard about the rumor about Cleveland Toronto and Sacto doing a three way. I read that somewhere but can't find it now. No player names were thrown out so even if there was something to it I don't know who would be involved. Although I have a feeling it involves Hedo who I don't want to see on the Kings.

Which is why I wouldn't focus on Okafor as a target, he's contract is far too large to fit with the rest of what Sacramento plans on keeping as it's core.

I haven't heard anything about the Toronto/Cleveland/Sacto idea, but being as there aren't too may guys on either of those rosters that make sense for Sacramento to trade for, I really don't like the idea, but I'd be interested to see what's being considered.

[SacTown Kings]

I wouldn't say I'm big on Hawes, but I think trading him unless Sacramento is getting a young player that could be potential part of the Sacramento core would be a mistake. Okafor's significantly older than the players Sacramento currently has as it's core. Additionally, the wholes in Okafor's game are at least as big as the ones in Hawes'. They are different, but their overall games are at least as flawed.

I'm of the opinion that Hawes has his best games in front of him, and that trading him now would likely to be selling low, while trading for Okafor is probably getting him at the best he'll ever be. Best case scenario for Okafor is that he stays where he is for another couple of years, but it's highly unlikely he'll be this effective for the remainer of his contract, and when his value slides, Okafor would put Sacramento in the same position Philadelphia is with Elton Brand.

I think Hawes and Okafor would actually make a complete player in most respects, but Okafor's contract would be a cap anchor for any team trading for him. Why do you think Charlotte moved him so quickly and New Orleans is trying to do the same thing just as quickly?

Also, even if Sacramento would have to spend MLE level money on Hawes' next contract, that's still a bargain compared to what Okafor has left on his deal.

Okafor shouldn't be viewed as a target, but rather as someone that Sacramento should require sweetner to be willing to take on.[/quote]


Okafor is still only 27, I see more than 2 years left in him so I don't see why he wouldn't be part of our future core. Also Charlotte and New Orleans were/are in financial trouble and its not like Okafor was the main reason for that it's more like having guys likem Peja making 15 million, you gotta look at the other bad contracts that put them in that situatiion and we are not in that situation nor would we be if we brought him in here so I don't think that is a good comparison.

[City of Trees]

its to early to give up on Hawes in a deal straight up for Okafor.. But what if that deal included Daren collison as well? realgm is reporting that the hornets are making Collison availible to teams that are willing to take on either Okafor, peja, or Posey.. i

i say it may be worth trading hawes for both of them. what do you guys think of this trade? who else needs to be added or would it work?

kings trade
hawes

Hornets trade
Okafor
Collison

[Bac2Basics]

its to early to give up on Hawes in a deal straight up for Okafor.. But what if that deal included Daren collison as well? realgm is reporting that the hornets are making Collison availible to teams that are willing to take on either Okafor, peja, or Posey.. i

i say it may be worth trading hawes for both of them. what do you guys think of this trade? who else needs to be added or would it work?

kings trade
hawes

Hornets trade
Okafor
Collison

It would take adding Collison to the deal to even persuade me to do with without Hawes.

[YC42Balla]

If we include Hawes in a trade for Okafor, I'd be seriously pissed.

Same, I just don't think it's a good Idea to trade a young talent like Hawes to New Orleans, for some one like Okafor.. to me it seems like he's in the same position Brand was in a few years back.. Okafor has lost a lot of value these past few years. I just don't see Petrie making a trade offer for him any time soon.

[rpa]

I see Okafor as becoming the same situation as what Elton Brand is now before too long, and Okafor wasn't as good in his prime as Brand was in his.

Huh? The only reason Elton Brand is the current Elton Brand is because he suffered a MAJOR injury. So yeah, Okafor could become the next Elton Brand if he suffers an equally debilitating injury--which can be said about any player in the league with a big money contract.

If the Hornets are offering Collison the likely asking price would be Okafor/Collison for an expiring (or even cap space). I'm not of the belief that Collison has uber-high value but I'm also not of the belief that Okafor is a downright horrible contract either. With the way bigs are paid in this league a guy of his talent is probably going to make $9-11mil a year easy. He's making more (I believe his contract averages out to about $13mil over the next 4 years). So basically you're overpaying Okafor (something the Kings would have to do to get a high caliber big man anyways) and in exchange you get Collison.


I'm just throwing this out there for **** and giggles but what if the Kings could pull off something along these lines:

Nocioni for Okafor/Collison
Sign Amare to a near max deal (I'm saying this because I've heard the Maloofs have a relationship with him and, well, you know they're going to make him an offer anyways)
Then go and draft BPA at 5 (probably Johnson).

The Kings then run with a line-up of:
Collison / Beno
Evans / Garcia / Greene
Johnson / Casspi
Amare / Landry
Okafor / Thompson / Hawes

All things considered that's a pretty strong lineup both offensively AND defensively. And what's more: it's very young. Okafor & Amare will both be 28 around the start of the season, Johnson & Collison are around 23, and Evans still can't have alcohol. That's a good looking team RIGHT NOW that has a good 3-5 years before the bigs start to decline.