Fake Trade Thread #3

[Hornet Mania]

If the price is higher than Zeller + Monk + 1st (lotto protected) than I'm not that interested.

[MPM]

Not super interested in Vooch despite the obvious pros. Seen a lot of him down here in O-town. He can be a force on the court - sure thing offense/defensive rebounding stabilizer - and his decreasing salary structure is nice. He's 30, which is a clear negative, but has the type of game that should age well for the duration of his contract.

I do think Cody/Monk + '21 FRP is fair but, above upside aside, not 100% comfy with the fit (both from an on-court and team building standpoint).

Still hate that we seemed to have missed a window of opportunity on Claxton (when Allen was a Net) - maybe Drummond finally lands on the Nets and that window reopens.

[amcoolio]

Said this on the trade board but I would center the deal around Washington. I don't think he works with LaMelo as well as Bridges/Monk, and getting a shooting forward is easier than getting someone like Bridges or Monk. Can also slot Hayward to the 4 and play a defensive 3 like Cody Martin if need be.

[yosemiteben]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

[amcoolio]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

Monk is still only 22, and I believe he will be a yearly sixth man of the year candidate when he hits 25. He's getting more mature and making better decisions every game. He's someone you want to have on your team... a player that can come in and change momentum after a few minutes, and also is a pretty good shot creator. A team like the Celtics would kill to have Monk right now. We need to hold on to him.

Graham is 25 and can't finish at the basket. He is a better passer, and his defense isn't good enough to make a difference between the two.

To me its a no brainer.

[BigSlam]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

A 4 man guard rotation of:

PG: LaMelo - Tae
SG: Terry - Monk

is very “mix and matchable” (especially with Gordo at SF helping with ball movement) and should be workable?

Then you play the Twins in spot/energy mins as needed.

[JDR720]

Not very interested in Vuc, I feel like he would be far too expensive to get.

His normal trade value + a bonus since we're a division rival.

[HornetJail]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

A 4 man guard rotation of:

PG: LaMelo - Tae
SG: Terry - Monk

is very “mix and matchable” (especially with Gordo at SF helping with ball movement) and should be workable?

Then you play the Twins in spot/energy mins as needed.

it is further helped along by the fact that the three-guard lineups have worked well in spurts, and as LaMelo grows into his frame, he may be a bigger mismatch playing as a SF- it'll be easier to hide his defensive shortcomings putting him against wings rather than quicker guards. If it's my decision I'm bringing back all four next season, and if things don't work out, I trade one later. An expiring Rozier could also be good trade bait for a center.

There's always the chance that Rozier walks in 2022, and we need to stay prepared for that outcome. Imagine if we dumped Graham or Monk for a meager return, and then Rozier walks, our backcourt immediately becomes a weakness.

[Rich4114]

This is where we sell high on Rozier IMO. We’d be smart to get rid of a $15m+ contract if we are taking back a $26m contract. Adding Rozier may mean we don’t give up a draft pick.

Rozier + Pj + Biz for Vuc matches salaries

Tae replaces Rozier in the rotation and we start Monk in place of Rozier.

LaMelo/Tae
Monk/Twins
Gordo/Twins
Miles/McD
Vuc/Cody

We’d need to find 2 more players to fill roster spots though.

That’s a playoff starting lineup.

It’s also possible Orlando just wants expiring plus a pick.

[BigSlam]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

A 4 man guard rotation of:

PG: LaMelo - Tae
SG: Terry - Monk

is very “mix and matchable” (especially with Gordo at SF helping with ball movement) and should be workable?

Then you play the Twins in spot/energy mins as needed.

In saying all that, I'm not down with trading for Vooch - especially not if they are wanting a kings ransom.

He seems more like a "trade for him if you think you are competing for a ring" type team, not a "geez it would be a nice surprise if we made the playoffs" type team like we are.

[Roll Tide 09]

As long as the trade includes Washington and Graham...we’ll be fine. I personally feel like Graham could still net a late 1st as a stand alone trade.

Miles, McDaniels, and Hayward can rotate covering the Power Forward position. Zeller would definitely be missed to an extent, but it’s the nature of trying to win championships. If we’re too concerned about depth, we could always bring back MKG...who would actually fit well with this team, especially with Ball.

[NCHeels2008]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

A 4 man guard rotation of:

PG: LaMelo - Tae
SG: Terry - Monk

is very “mix and matchable” (especially with Gordo at SF helping with ball movement) and should be workable?

Then you play the Twins in spot/energy mins as needed.

it is further helped along by the fact that the three-guard lineups have worked well in spurts, and as LaMelo grows into his frame, he may be a bigger mismatch playing as a SF- it'll be easier to hide his defensive shortcomings putting him against wings rather than quicker guards. If it's my decision I'm bringing back all four next season, and if things don't work out, I trade one later. An expiring Rozier could also be good trade bait for a center.

There's always the chance that Rozier walks in 2022, and we need to stay prepared for that outcome. Imagine if we dumped Graham or Monk for a meager return, and then Rozier walks, our backcourt immediately becomes a weakness.

true but one nice thing about LaMelo and GH is both can swing positions around wherever we are strong or weak. Say we picked up a strong 4 and a strong 5 we could start them together at PG and SG or SG and SF. Obviously, if we stay more guard tilted we can go LaMelo at the 3 and GH at the 4.

[NCHeels2008]

As long as the trade includes Washington and Graham...we’ll be fine. I personally feel like Graham could still net a late 1st as a stand alone trade.

Miles, McDaniels, and Hayward can rotate covering the Power Forward position. Zeller would definitely be missed to an extent, but it’s the nature of trying to win championships. If we’re too concerned about depth, we could always bring back MKG...who would actually fit well with this team, especially with Ball.

As a fan of both the Lakers and Hornets I'd love to see something around Graham for Kuzma, though I'm not sure w/ Kyle's new deal if his contract is super tradeable.

[NCHeels2008]

I don't understand the desire to preserve Monk. We already can't play all our guards when they are healthy. We were down Graham and on a prolonged west cost trip and Monk still only played 30 or more minutes once. If Graham is healthy and in the rotation, he's going to get even less minutes.

If we as a franchise are on board with keeping Rozier and Hayward long term, then Monk is always going to be a microwave scorer for us. Moving Monk for a difference maker at 5 balances the roster without destroying our depth.

Graham is a big variable here. I cannot imagine that we as a franchise decide Ball - Rozier - Hayward are the future, then we also hold on to Graham and Monk. If Graham does not stick around this offseason, then losing Monk becomes a much bigger deal. If Graham stays, then I have to believe Monk will want to go elsewhere. He does not seem like the type that is going to sign up for a 20 MPG fringe rotation role.

A 4 man guard rotation of:

PG: LaMelo - Tae
SG: Terry - Monk

is very “mix and matchable” (especially with Gordo at SF helping with ball movement) and should be workable?

Then you play the Twins in spot/energy mins as needed.

In saying all that, I'm not down with trading for Vooch - especially not if they are wanting a kings ransom.

He seems more like a "trade for him if you think you are competing for a ring" type team, not a "geez it would be a nice surprise if we made the playoffs" type team like we are.

I'd love to get McGee for cheap if we can or take a flyer on a young big that hasn't developed yet. But I don't want to overpay to make a run for the next 2 years. Hell I'd love to get Collins, but I think just like Vuc, they'd overcharge us. If Westbrook wasn't paid so much I think he would actually make a good rim runner here as we could use someone who pulls the defense inside. But like (older) Melo/DeRozan he needs a year or two of "growing pains" to rightsize himself for the role he should be in for the next stage of his career. Miles and Melo are a great pair but I'd love to see someone with some more size who could do what Bridges does, whether they're a 4 or a 5.

[The Real Dalic]

This is where we sell high on Rozier IMO. We’d be smart to get rid of a $15m+ contract if we are taking back a $26m contract. Adding Rozier may mean we don’t give up a draft pick.

Rozier + Pj + Biz for Vuc matches salaries

Tae replaces Rozier in the rotation and we start Monk in place of Rozier.

LaMelo/Tae
Monk/Twins
Gordo/Twins
Miles/McD
Vuc/Cody

We’d need to find 2 more players to fill roster spots though.

That’s a playoff starting lineup.

It’s also possible Orlando just wants expiring plus a pick.

As a Magic fan, deal. I actually don't think you would even need to throw in PJ if Rozier would be coming back. Though I would love him on the Magic. If salary wasn't an issue, I don't see how we couldn't add AG or Fournier into the trade for that value as well.

[DY_nasty]

pairing vuc with lamelo makes no sense to me

[penquin11]

This is where we sell high on Rozier IMO. We’d be smart to get rid of a $15m+ contract if we are taking back a $26m contract. Adding Rozier may mean we don’t give up a draft pick.

Rozier + Pj + Biz for Vuc matches salaries

Tae replaces Rozier in the rotation and we start Monk in place of Rozier.

LaMelo/Tae
Monk/Twins
Gordo/Twins
Miles/McD
Vuc/Cody

We’d need to find 2 more players to fill roster spots though.

That’s a playoff starting lineup.

It’s also possible Orlando just wants expiring plus a pick.

As a Magic fan, deal. I actually don't think you would even need to throw in PJ if Rozier would be coming back. Though I would love him on the Magic. If salary wasn't an issue, I don't see how we couldn't add AG or Fournier into the trade for that value as well.

If you guys throw in Fournier I would do this in a heartbeat.

[The Real Dalic]

This is where we sell high on Rozier IMO. We’d be smart to get rid of a $15m+ contract if we are taking back a $26m contract. Adding Rozier may mean we don’t give up a draft pick.

Rozier + Pj + Biz for Vuc matches salaries

Tae replaces Rozier in the rotation and we start Monk in place of Rozier.

LaMelo/Tae
Monk/Twins
Gordo/Twins
Miles/McD
Vuc/Cody

We’d need to find 2 more players to fill roster spots though.

That’s a playoff starting lineup.

It’s also possible Orlando just wants expiring plus a pick.

As a Magic fan, deal. I actually don't think you would even need to throw in PJ if Rozier would be coming back. Though I would love him on the Magic. If salary wasn't an issue, I don't see how we couldn't add AG or Fournier into the trade for that value as well.

If you guys throw in Fournier I would do this in a heartbeat.

I would do it. The problem is salary, plus our FO being allergic to trades.

[geraldwallace]

Question to the keep all 4 guards guys, are you comfortable paying probably close to 30 million a year for two back ups playing 18-24 minutes each?

[Braggins]

I dont like Vucevic as a trade target. Hes a nice player and plays the position we desperately need help at, but hes going to be very expensive to acquire and I don't think he fits what the team needs enough to justify the asking price. I think the team has enough offensive firepower with the emergence of Monk as a primary bench scorer and LaMelo moving to the starting lineup. I think they'd get a lot more bang for their buck going after a cheaper and more defensive oriented center. I also assume Orlando wants picks and young assets for Vuc, and giving those up for a 30 year old fringe all-star when our franchise player is 19 seems short sighted.

Mason Plumlee is an interesting option. JaVale McGee would be fine if they want to go really cheap and just get an upgrade to replace Biz's minutes and be a better spot starter when Cody is injured. Okongwu has struggled to pick up any steam for Atlanta and has barely been getting minutes, even with Capela out, but he probably still isn't available unfortunately.

As for the Monk vs Graham debate. Graham is a 20mpg backup and he needs his role lessened anyways, so I think there are plenty of minutes for the other guards this season and I like having a great guard rotation (Graham/Monk on the second unit is pretty dynamic tbh). If I'm choosing between keeping Monk or Graham long term I'm going with Monk and its not close at all, but I actually think keeping both is a viable option as well. Rozier's contract is up pretty soon, Monk fits great in a 6th man scoring role, and our coach likes to go small. It would be ideal to just keep one of them and get a bigger guard to replace one of their roles, but LaMelo being the franchise player allows this team to get a sort of arbitrage value out of undersized scoring guards like Rozier and Monk that aren't typically highly valued around the league, so I don't think the size issues are a deal breaker.