With the playoffs looming Seattle looks to... the offseason

[ryantony]

I think the Sonics will make a big move before the draft involving us moving up to retain another lottery pick. I am looking at these potential scenarios:

Sonics trade:
08 Suns 1st rd pick
09 Spurs 1st rd pick
010 Suns 1st rd pick

Knicks trade:
08 Knicks 1st rd pick

The Knicks make this move because as of right now they certainly don't have a drastic need to upgrade their team talent wise. The Knicks have plenty of talent and will not want to add another player who will demand playing time when they have really yet to evaluate their prior 2 first rd picks (Mardy Collins and Wilson Chandler). Then with our selections in the draft we select Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo in the lottery and Joey Dorsey in the early 2nd round. We let Swift, Gelabele, Griffin, Elson and Wilks leave in free agency and sign Mickael Pietrus (No way Golden State wil be able to resign him if they want to keep Monta who is certainly their number one priority). Then next year the Sonics will be looking at a starting lineup and rotation like this.

C-Johan Petro
PF-Jeffe Green
SF-Kevin Durant
SG-OJ Mayo
PG-Derrick Rose

Bench:

F/C- Joey Dorsey
F/C- Nick Collison
G/F- Mickael Pietrus
G- Earl Watson
G-Luke Ridnour

This is of course all wishful thinking but I think these are realistic moves not only would the trade be fair but Presti is not afraid to make a big deal. The rotation next year would be contingent upon thefact that Green and Durant both beef up a bit to be able to play the positions that suit them best (the 4 and the 3 respectively) and if the Sonics believe Petro is their center of the future. I have been very critical of Petro the past few years but this year he seems to be improving nicely and he is a hustler who can extend the defense with his range and I love the way he runs the court. Pietrus would be an excelent addition as well he is versatile, athletic and brings good defense. The starting lineup would be young but I believe that much talent together can only be positive and I would expect them to gel quickly with the help from a veteran bench.

[HeavyP]

There's no way they do this. They might do it for the PHX pick this year and the Sonics 09 and the Spurs 09.

[ryantony]

Well any combo of our suns pick this yr and 2 of our 4 the next 2 years

[big L]

The Knicks have a new GM, no more craziness.

[mapko81]

Even the Knicks are not (Please Use More Appropriate Word) enough to pull something like that.

Keep in mind, high 1st round picks that belong to elite teams like PHX and SAS are worse than early 2nd round picks. They are guaranteed contracts for players that rarely pan out as contributors in this league.

The best you can hope to get out of those picks is to move up in the draft.

[Ex-hippie]

Even the Knicks are not (Please Use More Appropriate Word) enough to pull something like that.

Keep in mind, high 1st round picks that belong to elite teams like PHX and SAS are worse than early 2nd round picks. They are guaranteed contracts for players that rarely pan out as contributors in this league.

The best you can hope to get out of those picks is to move up in the draft.

Hyperbole alert!

Go through the history of the draft and you'll find that most players drafted in the 20-29 range at least become contributors. There are few stars in the group (Josh Howard, Kevin Martin, Tony Parker, Gerald Wallace) but there are a whole bunch of quality players.

2007 - too soon to tell, but Cook, Dudley, Chandler and Afflalo all look like they belong in this league. Fernandez might be huge when he comes over, and we'll also take a look at Splitter and Koponen soon.
2006 - the year of the late-first PG: Rondo, M.Williams, Farmar, Sergio, Lowry, all potential starters. Plus a solid contributor in Josh Boone.
2005 - Petro, Jack, Garcia, Head, Maxiell, Kleiza, Lee. All quality contributors. Only Ian Mahinmi and Wayne Simien have not panned out, and Mahinmi still has some chance.
2004 - D.West, Allen, K. Martin, Vujacic, Harrison. All have had their moments and Martin is a star.
2003 - Diaw, Perkins, Barbosa, Howard. A team with those players as four of its five starters wouldn't be half bad. Also some decent contributors in Outlaw, Cook and Delfino. Only Ebi and Planinic were busts (and I still think Planinic could have worked out in the right place).
2002 - Prince, Krstic, Salmons. Admittedly the rest of the late first-rounders didn't turn out to be much (C.Jacobsen, Dickau, F. Williams, C.Jefferies, Q.Woods).
2001 - Parker, Wallace, Dalembert, Tinsley, Haywood, Z-Bo.

And so on. Clearly, you're quite wrong when you say these picks "rarely pan out as contributors." Odds are we will not get a star, but there is a very good chance we can get a good or even very good player.

EDIT: I find it quite interesting that you say this when your Av features Vlade Divac. That is, Vlade Divac, 26th overall pick, 1989.

[ryantony]

Even the Knicks are not (Please Use More Appropriate Word) enough to pull something like that.

Keep in mind, high 1st round picks that belong to elite teams like PHX and SAS are worse than early 2nd round picks. They are guaranteed contracts for players that rarely pan out as contributors in this league.

The best you can hope to get out of those picks is to move up in the draft.

First off I did correct my intitial deal and say they could be our 2 first rd picks the next 2 years and I'd still pull the deal off. Also the Suns will not be an elite team in 2 years bye Grant Hill, Nash, Shaq. Take a look at the Knicks roster and payroll they can't afford to add another player next year who is going to demand minutes they have a full roster next year just about and are 33 mil over the cap they want to build for the future beyond next year where they will still have stephon randolph and currys contracts to deal with

[mapko81]

Yeah, you can find players in the late first round. You can also find players in the early 2nd rounds or in the 2nd round generally. That is why low 1st round picks are not very valuable, they are guaranteed contracts at a point in the draft (picks 20-40) when things become a crapshoot.

You thinking that the Suns won't be an elite team in 2 years is pure speculation. The Knicks would have to be (Please Use More Appropriate Word) to trade away a lottery pick in a pretty strong draft on the hope that the Suns falter in 2 years. The Knicks may have a lot of players on their team, but they don't have a franchise player and if it weren't for guaranteed contracts they'd kick most of them out. Why don't you go on the Knicks board and propose this trade? You will be spat on and ridiculed by every poster. The only thing that franchise has to look forward to is the 2008 NBA draft and the possibility of getting a player like Beasley, Rose or Mayo. You think the Knicks 'cannot afford' to add a player like that? You're seriously clueless.

You will not get a lottery pick with those first rounders. I can guarantee you that much. It is ridiculous to even entertain the idea.

[Ballito]

The Knicks have a new GM, no more craziness.

Good Lookin Lamont ...we aint doing that.. no way