Ayton, Grant, and Simons for anything?

[tester551]

In recent weeks, two other notable Eastern Conference teams have inquired about Williams' availability leading up to the deadline, one of which is firmly in the playoff conversation.

I wonder which teams?

I have to believe the playoff one is Cleveland. They've been wanting frontcourt help and have reportedly in the past few weeks had exploratory talks with Portland - originally for Grant, but after his bad play this season and Cronin's price tag, makes sense they would pivot to a cheaper asset like Williams.

I could see the Bucks or Hawks being the other team.

Hawks would be really interesting.

Think they would go for this:

Nance + Krejci + worst 25 1st (Lakers/Kings)
for
RW3 + Banton

[Wizenheimer]

More from Sidery

Houston is looking to center a trade package around Jock Landale, Jae’Sean Tate, and numerous second-round picks for a talent like Williams, sources said. Since the Blazers continue to build during their rebuild, centering a Williams package on second-round picks wouldn’t necessarily be their go-to option. After all, Williams is a player Portland specifically wanted in trade talks for Holiday with Boston. The Rockets, sources said, could be forced to part ways with a talented young player like Cam Whitmore in a deal for Williams.

seems pretty clear to me that Sidery is Cronin's mouthpiece kind of like Woj was occasionally Olsheys mouthpiece

all that crap about the Blazers really wanting Williams and being reluctant to move him is negotiating 101. Actually it's negotiating 01 because it's so remedial. Nobody should believe that

LOL...yeah right....Cronin wanted to have Aytion, Clingan, and Timelord at a combined 56M salary to play C on a lottery team!

[cucad8]

More from Sidery

Houston is looking to center a trade package around Jock Landale, Jae’Sean Tate, and numerous second-round picks for a talent like Williams, sources said. Since the Blazers continue to build during their rebuild, centering a Williams package on second-round picks wouldn’t necessarily be their go-to option. After all, Williams is a player Portland specifically wanted in trade talks for Holiday with Boston. The Rockets, sources said, could be forced to part ways with a talented young player like Cam Whitmore in a deal for Williams.

seems pretty clear to me that Sidery is Cronin's mouthpiece kind of like Woj was occasionally Olsheys mouthpiece

all that crap about the Blazers really wanting Williams and being reluctant to move him is negotiating 101. Actually it's negotiating 01 because it's so remedial. Nobody should believe that

LOL...yeah right....Cronin wanted to have Aytion, Clingan, and Timelord at a combined 56M salary to play C on a lottery team!

Sidery is just an aggregator. He's not a mouthpiece for anyone yet.

[BlazersBroncos]

I wonder if we could get one of the new FRP PHX now has in a RWIII for Nurkic swap.

Albeit taking on the 2nd year of Nurkic would suck, and he would have to be bought out IMO, but its a FRP - and I dont think we get a FRP in a RWIII deal unless its attached to bad money (Like Nurk)

[PDXKnight]

I wonder if we could get one of the new FRP PHX now has in a RWIII for Nurkic swap.

Albeit taking on the 2nd year of Nurkic would suck, and he would have to be bought out IMO, but its a FRP - and I dont think we get a FRP in a RWIII deal unless its attached to bad money (Like Nurk)

If we are taking on that sort of bad money even for a first I'd want to find a way to dump thybulle in the deal even if we need to add a 3rd team and equal the money out

[Wizenheimer]

More from Sidery

seems pretty clear to me that Sidery is Cronin's mouthpiece kind of like Woj was occasionally Olsheys mouthpiece

all that crap about the Blazers really wanting Williams and being reluctant to move him is negotiating 101. Actually it's negotiating 01 because it's so remedial. Nobody should believe that

LOL...yeah right....Cronin wanted to have Aytion, Clingan, and Timelord at a combined 56M salary to play C on a lottery team!

Sidery is just an aggregator. He's not a mouthpiece for anyone yet.

that could be....all I've noticed from him is Blazer related tweets people post to Blazer message boards

[Walton1one]

seems pretty clear to me that Sidery is Cronin's mouthpiece kind of like Woj was occasionally Olsheys mouthpiece

all that crap about the Blazers really wanting Williams and being reluctant to move him is negotiating 101. Actually it's negotiating 01 because it's so remedial. Nobody should believe that

LOL...yeah right....Cronin wanted to have Aytion, Clingan, and Timelord at a combined 56M salary to play C on a lottery team!

Sidery is just an aggregator. He's not a mouthpiece for anyone yet.

that could be....all I've noticed from him is Blazer related tweets people post to Blazer message boards

I would think that a way to build up some rep\rapport is to be an equal opportunity leaker. A way to build up some rapport with different GM's by leaking out some stuff for them

[Walton1one]

The Butler trade is a little all over the place, 3 teams are seemingly confirmed PXH\MIA\MIL, the 4th (possibly 5th?) teams seem to be in flux.

Could be TOR, involving Brown potentially?
Could be DET, I remain skeptical that this is how they want to use their cap space. I think they want to use it to improve their roster this year
Could be CHI, Lavine has been speculated...

Those seem to be the teams most talked about.

Gee, if Cronin hadn't matched Thybulle, POR could have been a player here and taken back Connaughton and gained some assets, probably more than he is going to end up getting for Thybulle, what a complete fail on his part

Read on Twitter

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1882096511875477862%7Ctwgr%5E825d9344f4ae2fd4fccaec4c2566370020713c5b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html1882096511875477862

[Walton1one]

More News, this matches up with latest coming out of LAL, leBron\AD are not happy. Who could have guessed that would happen?

With just 15 days left until the NBA’s 2025 trade deadline arrives, Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are “growing concerned” about the team’s ability to make significant upgrades on the trade market, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Insider link).

That lines up with reporting from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who wrote on Tuesday that James and Davis favor an “all-in approach” on the trade market and noted that LeBron has “never valued draft picks.”

Read on Twitter

Rui\Vincent\JHS & 29' or 31' protected 1st for Grant and any (1) of Reath\Walker\Banton would work

and sure enough someone else thought similar

A team that always seems to be a threat down to the trade deadline wire is the Los Angeles Lakers. In this trade proposal from Fadeaway World, the Lakers may find their missing piece, while Portland gets a healthy haul for the future

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jerami Grant
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 first-round pick

[Walton1one]

Mavericks center Dereck Lively has been diagnosed with a small fracture in his foot and is expected to be sidelined for the next two-to-three months, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Could we see a bidding war b\t HOU & DAL? POR likely asking for Whitmore or a 1st back from HOU for RW3, DAL has a 25' 1st they could trade in a deal

Kleber\Prosper & 25' 1st (lotto protected) for RW3, this saves DAL $2.16mil in luxury tax, and also moves them to almost $2mil under the 1st apron (right now they are only $500k under)

[Walton1one]

Read on Twitter

Simons & RW3 to DET?

for Stewart\Fontechhio & THJ + future protected 1st and a couple of 2nd's? (specifically that TOR 25' 2nd)

With the cap space that DET has ($14+ in cap space + another $30mil under the luxury tax) there are a ton of permeations that could work here

DET Salary is @ $126,571,331
Salary Cap is @ $140,588,000
Luxury tax Threshold is @ $170,814,000

[Walton1one]

The most intriguing rookie I saw at the G League Showcase was the Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Johnson, who has spent most of the season on assignment with the Wisconsin Herd. An electric 6-5 athlete who turned 20 on Dec. 1, Johnson appears to be making progress after playing sparingly in his draft-eligible season with Australia's Illawarra Hawks.

The Bucks' selection of Johnson with the No. 23 pick was one of the more widely questioned draft-night decisions. There was a range of opinions about Johnson's long-term prospects and a pretty limited sample of meaningful minutes to evaluate. He played well at the combine last May, helping to boost his standing among teams. But considering Milwaukee's immediate aim to contend around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, selecting a relatively unknown player with a first-round deal was a debatable path, with more NBA-ready players left on the board.

It's still fair to question the chances of Johnson reaching his potential on a timeline matching Milwaukee's. Still, it seems noteworthy that he's growing comfortable in the G League, averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 17 games with the Herd.

I could see MIL including him in a deal to help offset compensation (the only other things they have are their own 31' 1st & 2nd)

[zzaj]

The most intriguing rookie I saw at the G League Showcase was the Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Johnson, who has spent most of the season on assignment with the Wisconsin Herd. An electric 6-5 athlete who turned 20 on Dec. 1, Johnson appears to be making progress after playing sparingly in his draft-eligible season with Australia's Illawarra Hawks.

The Bucks' selection of Johnson with the No. 23 pick was one of the more widely questioned draft-night decisions. There was a range of opinions about Johnson's long-term prospects and a pretty limited sample of meaningful minutes to evaluate. He played well at the combine last May, helping to boost his standing among teams. But considering Milwaukee's immediate aim to contend around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, selecting a relatively unknown player with a first-round deal was a debatable path, with more NBA-ready players left on the board.

It's still fair to question the chances of Johnson reaching his potential on a timeline matching Milwaukee's. Still, it seems noteworthy that he's growing comfortable in the G League, averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 17 games with the Herd.

I could see MIL including him in a deal to help offset compensation (the only other things they have are their own 31' 1st & 2nd)

I liked AJ Johnson, a lot...

I'm getting the feeling there are going to be quite a few incensed posters here when Cro-lshey decides to just stick with the status quo and not move any of the vets, despite some deals going down league-wide. I know I will be! lol

[Walton1one]

Read on Twitter

CHI going into full sell mode would not be good news for POR IMO...

Read on Twitter

I still think they will lean into being buyers, but maybe there are some legs to them helping to facilitate the MIA\MIL\PHX deal

From Marc Stein:

The Pelicans continue to shut down ongoing interest in defensive stalwart Herb Jones, who’s out indefinitely with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. So now Mavs are targeting Javonte Green. He has a 2M contract but Mavs will have competition on getting him.

If there’s one trade candidate to monitor in New Orleans, it may be Javonte Green. The Pelicans are receiving healthy interest in the athletic forward, who makes just $2 million this season and is yet another player whose current salary is lower than the league’s current veteran minimum.

I still think Thybulle makes a ton of sense here, but Green is similar to Reath, which makes acquiring him likely more easy\attractive

https://clutchpoints.com/why-bucks-hold-final-piece-heat-suns-jimmy-butler-trade-puzzle

Good breakdown of Butler\Beal trade parameters

To help facilitate this deal between the Heat and Suns involving Butler, a player the Bucks have internally discussed pursuing themselves, this organization would first have to move out of the second apron by trading Pat Connaughton.

After doing so, the Milwaukee would then have to combine enough salaries as a first-apron team to add Beal's $50.2 million contract, which is near impossible without giving up Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and a player like MarJon Beauchamp.

If it's not Milwaukee for Beal, another idea that has been floated around involves the Chicago Bulls including former All-Star swingman Zach LaVine in a trade scenario with Butler. However, it's still the Bucks that would control things since they would need to sign off on accepting LaVine over Beal. There are then questions about whether Beal even want to join a Bulls team that isn't in contention for anything. It is worth noting that Billy Donovan was Beal's college head coach at Florida, so there is that connection.

In addition to the Suns, Heat, and Bucks possibly banding together, three other organizations stand out as the most likely to also be involved: the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and Charlotte Hornets.

I think CHA has done a good job acquiring assets, which is baffling why POR has not, given they sit in a similar situation...

[Butter]

Kings don't see pathway to acquire Cameron Johnson for now

The Sacramento Kings have been frequently mentioned this month as an aggressive trade suitor for the Nets’ sharpshooter, but league sources told The Stein Line on Wednesday that there have been no discussions between the Kings and Nets regarding Johnson for weeks. Sources say that the Kings, at this juncture, do not see a pathway to a workable Johnson deal with the Nets. 1 hour ago – via marcstein.substack.com

[BlazersBroncos]

Kings don't see pathway to acquire Cameron Johnson for now

The Sacramento Kings have been frequently mentioned this month as an aggressive trade suitor for the Nets’ sharpshooter, but league sources told The Stein Line on Wednesday that there have been no discussions between the Kings and Nets regarding Johnson for weeks. Sources say that the Kings, at this juncture, do not see a pathway to a workable Johnson deal with the Nets. 1 hour ago – via marcstein.substack.com

I heard that BRK wants a UNP FRP. I am hopeful that they dont budge, SAC pivots to Grant and we can snag a LP FRP.

Grant for Huerter + Lyles + future LP FRP works. I would throw them Banton or Walker into their TPE as a side dish if they wanted as well.

I see SAC as one of the maybe 2-3 teams that would move a FRP in the right scenario for Grant. And I am not too sure on that still, but I will be optimistic today.

[Walton1one]

Well, the original ask from BRK was (2) 1s't & a young player (Carter was mentioned), which is about as crazy as (2) 1st's for Grant.

For a while now it has been the SAC deal of (1) 1st + Huerter & Lyles was there, but that BRK repeatedly deemed it not good enough.

With the way BRK has handled their cap space\acquiring assets, there is no rush to move off of Cam Johnson IMO, he is still young enough (28), has 2 years left on a reasonable deal ($20.5\$22.5)

BRK is going to use that space to go big game hunting (Ingram\Randle\Turner\Reid) or use that space and some of their assets to trade for some restricted players (Kuminga\Johnson\) or other young players (Markkanen\Williamson)

and they are an attractive enough market to get someone, add to that they have (4) picks in the 25' draft and they could turn around their situation quickly.

[Walton1one]

Read on Twitter

For quite a while it has been Vucevic will get 1-2 2nd's, and that still could be true, but all of the sudden now CHI is asking for a 1st, POR definitely asking for a 1st for RW3, WAS & Valunciunas? Last report was 2nd's.

If the Butler\Beal goes down, I think it could open the floodgates a little, b\c other contending teams are going to want to improve their rosters as well. There are already rumors out there for just about every playoff\play in team

EC
Rumored to be looking to do something - CLE, NYK, ATL, DET
MIA\MIL - Obviously
Philly - Unknown, they likely can't get to #6, might be able to rebound to make play in, but schedule is unfavorable and injuries have been relentless. Kind of a wildcard, will they be a seller (doubtful IMO) or a buyer (pretty limited avenues)
BOS - very little, no real wiggle room, something minor if anything (Springer)
ORL - pretty quiet
IND rumors to stay put

WC
Rumored to be looking to do something - HOU, MEM, DEN, LAC, LAL, DAL, SAC, GS
PHX - Obviously
MIN - Not much, but struggles could lead to something
OKC - quiet so far
SAS - Pretty quiet

That is a lot of team with rumors swirling, will be interesting to see how things play out these next few weeks.

[dckingsfan]

Kings don't see pathway to acquire Cameron Johnson for now

The Sacramento Kings have been frequently mentioned this month as an aggressive trade suitor for the Nets’ sharpshooter, but league sources told The Stein Line on Wednesday that there have been no discussions between the Kings and Nets regarding Johnson for weeks. Sources say that the Kings, at this juncture, do not see a pathway to a workable Johnson deal with the Nets. 1 hour ago – via marcstein.substack.com

I heard that BRK wants a UNP FRP. I am hopeful that they dont budge, SAC pivots to Grant and we can snag a LP FRP.

Grant for Huerter + Lyles + future LP FRP works. I would throw them Banton or Walker into their TPE as a side dish if they wanted as well.

I see SAC as one of the maybe 2-3 teams that would move a FRP in the right scenario for Grant. And I am not too sure on that still, but I will be optimistic today.

"I think" they are looking for PF and not a SF as well as help at C. So, we would need a 3rd team to take Grant?

Sac out: Huerter + Lyles + future LP FRP
Portland out: Grant
Third team?:

I think RWIII + Thybulle for Huerter + Lyles + 2 SRPs would work. It would reduce our cap hit next year + give us draft capital. But I am guessing we wouldn't be all in for that deal (as RWIII seems to be very valuable to Cronin). And I don't think it gets Sac where they want to be either.

[dckingsfan]

For quite a while it has been Vucevic will get 1-2 2nd's, and that still could be true, but all of the sudden now CHI is asking for a 1st, POR definitely asking for a 1st for RW3, WAS & Valunciunas? Last report was 2nd's.

If the Butler\Beal goes down, I think it could open the floodgates a little, b\c other contending teams are going to want to improve their rosters as well. There are already rumors out there for just about every playoff\play in team

EC
Rumored to be looking to do something - CLE, NYK, ATL, DET
IND rumors to stay put
BOS - very little, no real wiggle room, something minor if anything
ORL - pretty quiet
MIA\MIL - Obviously
Philly - Unknown, they likely can't get to #6, might be able to rebound to make play in, but schedule is unfavorable and injuries have been relentless. Kind of a wildcard, will they be a seller (doubtful IMO) or a buyer (pretty limited avenues)

WC
Rumored to be looking to do something - HOU, MEM, DEN, LAC, LAL, DAL, SAC, GS
PHX - Obviously
OKC - quiet so far
MIN - Not much, but struggles could lead to something
SAS - Pretty quiet

That is a lot of team with rumors swirling, will be interesting to see how things play out these next few weeks.

Vucevic, Valanciunas, RW3 all seem to be valued in the 2 SRP range. But the injury to Lively makes it more, "interesting" if you have a spare & valuable C.

And yeah, I don't think the Butler\Beal trade goes down - Beal isn't wanted if you will (unless it is accompanied by draft assets which Phoenix doesn't have). And why take on Butler if you know he is going to opt-out. But weirder things have happened...

I think we both agree that the Blazers should be sellers given where they are at... The question is which players are actually coveted by those teams making a push? RWIII for sure, I am not sure about the others.