Texas Chuck wrote:The injured centers -- one thing I keep seeing is fairly high values still being set on Robert Williams and to a lessor extent Mitchell Robinson -- but Mavs fans understand that Maxi Kleber being hurt all the time makes him a negative contract. And sure enough Robinson and Kleber both hurt again in the playoffs.
So why are Robinson and Williams still valued not only as assets(I don't see how either guy could be at this point) but assets worth a significant return?
What am I missing? Neither are dominant players when they do play. They are fine bottom half of the league starting centers, something we typically don't value highly even when guys are available.
So serious question, what am I missing?
Missing nothing, just some wishcasting. Same with WCJ, has a subpar playoffs and is injury prone but yet some Orlando fans expound him being misused and having great trade value to another team. Centers after the top 15 or so just don't carry a ton of trade value in the modern era. Like Dallas landing Gafford for pick 29.... that is around what to expect for a healthy center getting back in a trade that is not inside of the top 15. Another example, Jarrett Allen traded for a late 1st before fully breaking out a couple of years ago, but still much more desired at the time than the current MRob, RWill, WCJ of the world.
Now of course Memphis is the market for a center so one could take this take as bias, but I think recent trade history shows that that level of center is just not worth much, and when you toss in injuries or a bad contract(Ayton) it gets even more bleak.
edit: The Poeltl trade is a weird offshoot here. Toronto made a very shortsighted trade with those protections for a guy the caliper of Poeltl. You have to imagine that when they made the trade they factored in that that pick was very likely going to be a mid 1st at best with FVV likely reupping(he didn't), but still not sure why they didn't protect that pick more. I don't think anyone was going to beat their offer even if it was top 10-12 protected.