RealGM

Seems like this a trade that could help both teams.

Howard, Durant and Westbrook would be a strong big 3 potentially than Miami's.

Orlando would get pieces for an immediate restart.

Seems like a win-win.

If the Thunder really think they can not keep Ibaka and Harden, then yeah. But, Dwight would have to sign a max deal before either player steps foot in Orlando.

He11 no. They might consider Westbrook and Perkins, but that would be based on opening enough future capspace for Harden and Ibaka while maintaining the ability to compete for a championship next season. Perkins only has value if the Lakers keep Bynum and Gasol, which I doubt they do. Westbrook's game hinges on his athleticism so much I can't help but think he and his max contract are the most ideal trade chip for the Thunder. When RW is 30, I doubt he's anywhere near the player he is now, and nowhere near as good as say Tony Parker because his IQ isn't very good. Harden could maintain his current ability until he's 35. Ibaka is the guy I think Presti makes a move with.

Balkman32 wrote:If the Thunder really think they can not keep Ibaka and Harden, then yeah. But, Dwight would have to sign a max deal before either player steps foot in Orlando.

who are we bidding against then?
I rather trade Perkins + Harden Or Ibaka for Dwight and trade the other guy left (Harden/Ibaka for a high draft rookie contract.

edit: same disclaimer. That is if he even want to be here.

Dwight Howard isn't worth that especially if he won't sign a long term contract, lay off the crack!!!!!

If Dwight agrees to sign an extension I agree that this would be a good deal for both teams. Harden's contract would at least start with 10M, and I don't think Ibaka would settle for much less. Howard's max is never an overpay since the guy is the best center and one of the most dominant players in the world. OKC have serious problems in post scoring, which ultimately costed them the loss in NBA Finals. Dwight would be the solution for this problem without compromising the elite post defense. I like Harden a lot, but it seems very difficult to sustain OKC's young roster without a move.

I wouldn't touch Dwight until he proves he is 100% healthy from his back surgery. So no I wouldn't do this trade.

wiff wrote:I wouldn't touch Dwight until he proves he is 100% healthy from his back surgery. So no I wouldn't do this trade.

Are you kidding? Perkins' is falling apart and Dwight is lightyears above Ibaka as a player. Dwight all the way, Westbrook Durant and Howard is a dynasty, they could 4 peat!

Nanogeek wrote:Seems like this a trade that could help both teams.

Howard, Durant and Westbrook would be a strong big 3 potentially than Miami's.

Orlando would get pieces for an immediate restart.

Seems like a win-win.

I dont think we would need to give up Ibaka to get Howard.
Harden is probably better then anything anyone else is offering them right now.
Throw in Aldrich, Jones and Perkins and the Magic would get a solid center, a developing center who should get way more minutes, a developing PF who was a top 15 pick a month ago and of course, someone who could probably become a franchise player if he was the core.

If Howard was healthy and not a diva and wanted to come join, I might. But he isn't and Presti won't do it and Howard won't accept it.

If Howard resigned and the Thunder also get Ryan Anderson back in the deal, then absolutely

This deal has been proposed by as journalist and in the polling of which trade people think is most worthy of consideration a Thunder/Magic swap like what I describe above is the leading proposal!

http://www.nba.com/magic/cohen-some-how ... der_070412

Should anyone be surprised that the Thunder scenario has the most votes on the NBA.com Orlando page, when it is by far the most value for Howard?

A big component of OKC's success is the establishment of a culture where the team comes first and the players want to play for OKC. Dwight seems more concerned about things other than team and does not want to play in OKC.

Logic doesn't mean anything if you're dealing with an illogical person (Dwight Howard).

Thunder could easily propose the best deal to Orlando for Dwight and they should pursue it just need to convince Dwight to sign long term. Why wouldn't he want to play with Westbrook and Durant he's always made the most sense to go to OKC from a gameplay pov.

Canucklehead wrote:Thunder could easily propose the best deal to Orlando for Dwight and they should pursue it just need to convince Dwight to sign long term. Why wouldn't he want to play with Westbrook and Durant he's always made the most sense to go to OKC from a gameplay pov.

From the places he wants to be the most it doesnt seem that gameplay is his most important criteria. Big city is more important. Can it be changed? of course. should we risk our core + additional asset to see if we can change that?

Pingalore was told this was the team Howard is most likely to end up at. However, Pingalore also learned Oklahoma City is making a push for the Magic center. Pingalore was told that the Thunder are offering James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

Do you OKC fans think this is true?

Extension or no extension

Harden+Perkins+Jones+Aldrich+Draft pick plus taking a nasty contract back


Westbrook+Thabo+Durant+Ibaka+Dwight

w/Maynor + Turkyglue off the bench

that team beats Miami and any other team in the nba

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7urrvsb
(Basically add Thabeet and JRich to the deals respectively)

As a Lakers fan I'm ideally pushing for a Bynum/D12 swap.
But as a fantasy GM in my spare time, I don't see how either team would pass this trade up.

Conventional wisdom goes that you: "never trade big for small/always trade small for big" and "the team that gets the best player wins the trade"

But ORL knows they have very little leverage thus must necessarily not get equal value for D12. They have to lose in any trade, if only slightly.

OKC cannot hope to retain Harden + Ibaka after their rookie contracts expire so must necessarily lose one of the two after next year. (If Eric Gordon is getting the max after playing like 6 games last season, a team will offer Harden the max. Likewise if Hilbert gets the max, Ibaka is getting near max offers. There's always a chance some idiot GM offers him the max too. Seriously, $10mill for Asik?!? And I thought HOU had a smart F.O.) For OKC, having D12 is better than having only one of either Harden or Ibaka while simultaneously dumping Perkin's albatross contract for a floor-spacer at SG.

A lineup of Westbrook-JRich-Thabo/PJII-Durant-Howard has serious staying power in the NBA with the top four players in that lineup three years from now all still locked up for at least another year (Westbrook, PJ3, Durant, Howard) With two deadeye shooters, a post presence, slashes, PNR players all in the starting lineup, there's definitely a chance for some good chemistry with Brooks manning the joint for the entire duration.

For D12, he has no mammoth legacy of Shaq/Wilt/Hakeem to live up to. Instead, he gets to join a rebranded franchise where he can be the first, and without Ibaka/Perkins, the only real big man. With OKC holding his birdrights and offering 20+ million more than any other team, the opportunity to create the most athletic starting 5 the NBA has ever seen (seriously, Westbrook, PJ3, Durant, D12?!) he'll be in the perfect place to adapt to the changing guard in the NBA to the stretch 4 and more small ball... with a frontcourt partner who still stands 6'10" and has traditional 4 height.

He will have no problem with teammate issues either. Westbrook is a hothead but while spectacular is not on KD3/D12's level of superstardom so he knows his place. KD3 is about the best superstar teammate you could ask for to share the spotlight. A 1/5 or 4/5 PNR with Westbrook/Durant would simply be unstoppable. The former would feature the two fastest/quickest/most athletic players at their positions respectively and the latter would pair what would be the two best players at their positions in a PNR. (Oh, and KD3 is the league's 3rd best shooter [Nash, RayRay] and D12 is the league's 3rd best finisher at the rim [LBJ, Griffin] so...) Really, I can't tell which combo is more devastating but that pales in comparison to the potential activity on defense. DPOY multiple times? Wait till he has an athletic team in front of him. With D12 down low, Sefo/KD3/Russ/PJ3 could go ballistic gambling on steals.

And for the Magic, having Harden + Ibaka's bird rights while getting a serviceable post defender as they rebuild is superior to any package the Rockets can offer.

So for ORL, their viewpoint is simple: LAL for the best player, OKC for the best future talent/balance, HOU for the best valued contracts (rookies) + most salary dumps, BRK for no reason at all.

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As a Lakers/Knicks fan, I would adopt OKC as my temporary third team if this deal went down. What true basketball fan could resist? This has the makings of a dynasty.

ubernathan wrote:

wiff wrote:I wouldn't touch Dwight until he proves he is 100% healthy from his back surgery. So no I wouldn't do this trade.

Are you kidding? Perkins' is falling apart and Dwight is lightyears above Ibaka as a player. Dwight all the way, Westbrook Durant and Howard is a dynasty, they could 4 peat!

I am not kidding. Not in the slightest.

Ask TMAC, Barkley, Bird and the long list of others what it's like to play hoop when your back is whack. The dude is built like a freight train and can get up off the floor with the best of them which also means his back feels it every time he comes back down to Earth. The guys game is based purely on his athleticism. There is no refinement to his game, all hops, that and a bad back is just not a recipe for good things in the future.

So no I wouldn't take the chance right now. Too big of a risk. Plus he isn't going to re-sign in OKC anyway. And that's way too much for a rental.