I_Like_Dirt wrote:nate33 wrote:I said this type of deal would be possible this summer, not this exact deal.
Basically, the proposed deal is Wall for shorter bad contracts plus Ntilikina (who may or may not be characterized as marginally better than a "bad contract"). It's not a particularly attractive offer for Wall. It's a last resort, desperation type of deal.
The same type of deal could be on the table next summer - Wall for shorter, bad contracts. Next summer, the basis of the deal would be Wall for Lee + Hardaway. That works under the salary cap. It's the same basic concept. I figure it makes more sense then because from the Wizards perspective, if Wall is still here in the summer, it likely means that there weren't any more attractive offers out there. And from the Knicks perspective, they can first see how free agency goes with Durant, and then make this Wall trade as a means of finding a 3rd star to join Durant/Porzingis, or as a means to add a star player to join Porzingis and put butts in seats. (Actually, if they strike out in free agency, they could absorb Wall into their salary and not give up Hardaway if they would prefer to keep him.)
I just think trade talks between these two teams make more sense later once both teams have a better sense of where they are going.
The same kind of offer might be available in the offseason but it's way tougher to make it work the bigger Wall's salary gets. I'm not so sure the Knicks are interested in making that trade without Oubre and with Hardaway instead of Thomas. Hardaway is an awful defender but he's also a reasonably good offensive player who gets dumped on way, too much. That said, if the Knicks strike out in free agency entirely maybe they move Lee and Thomas with cap space for Wall. I'm not so sure there are going to be that many teams lining up to make that kind of trade this offseason as you think. There really aren't that many awful contracts that fit the scale of Wall's. If the Knicks get Durant... maybe. I wouldn't bank on the Knicks getting Durant any more than I'd have banked on the Wizards getting Durant in his previous free agency. The Suns could trade Ryan Anderson and cap space, maybe. The market looks really dry out there, though.
And waiting... it's a bit of a double-edged sword. If things go really wrong for the Wizards this season teams who might trade for Wall might reconsider. Another Wall injury or a bunch of player infighting (not unheard of where Wall is concerned) and teams might decide they're better off without him. And this isn't to say that I think Wall should be moved immediately. The real is dumping Ernie and hiring a competent replacement. I just think overstating the value of the potential return where he's concerned is a recipe for more Ernie-type treadmill shenanigans.
Really, that's the state of Wizards fandom at this point. Waiting for Ernie to be fired is the equivalent of waiting for Godot.
FYI, you might have missed it, but I reconsidered the original Knicks deal and I like it. I didn't place sufficient value on Mitchell Robinson as a prospect, and I didn't realize that Lance Thomas' deal is non-guaranteed so it's effectively an expiring contract.
