Slim Charless wrote:Ghost of Kleine wrote:Slim Charless wrote:
What makes you think you're getting 3 FRPs plus CamJo and Claxton for RJ? Oneal is negative value and Richards is neutral-at best.
Well, proper perspective man would indicate that the 19th pick and 26th picks in a relatively shallow/ top heavy draft (due to so much talent dropping out) and also the value drop off being viewed as fairly significant after the top 2-3 of the draft.
And of course those specific picks being late 1sts in this shallow draft would not being viewed as premium assets beyond mere slightly better than neutral value acquisitions.
Also, the Philly 27' 1st being (top 8 protected) is a crapshoot to even convey at all and if it happens to fall anywhere in the 9-30 ranges, then it becomes the least valuable of three 1sts between Brooklyn/ Philly/ Phoenix. So somewhat similar to our "least of" CLE 1sts which obviously aren't viewed favorably!
Lastly, is the most important factor in that Brooklyn is aggressively looking to acquire a 2nd top 10 lotto pick. So this trade accomplishes that goal for them. Now RJ Barrett is only 25 yrs old, still an athletic 6'6 swingman that is putting up near all star production at 21/ 6/ 5.
And it just so happens that Brooklyn doesn't really have a top tier shooting guard and is almost 127 million in cap space and will need to spend to get to the apron floor. As for O'neale, they've had him there before and he did well for them and they'll need a get presence/ salary filler. And Richards is just a much cheaper alternative option as the Nets obviously aren't sold on Claxton either.
But the crux of the value is in them getting the 9th pick, giving them two top 10 lotto picks and fringe all star wing, and two cost effective vets at positions of need in exchange for two players they're looking to trade anyways and two late 1sts and one future protected 1st.
Richards and Royce aren't cost effective. They're negative. I agree that Brooklyn has a ton of cap room. Most teams use that to get paid to fill the space. You have theme paying a premium for the same pleasure....
They were asking for a ton for both Cam and Claxton. I'm not sure RJ is worth more than a swap of either.
If it happens, cool.
Well actually man, You might he right about RJs' value, but the value exchange is cumulative:
Richards and Claxton are very similar in terms of overall statistical production, and honestly the variance is incremental:
https://stathead.com/basketball/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2=richani01&year_min=2025&player_id1=claxtni01&seasons_type=forall&request=1&utm_id=claxtni01&utm_campaign=2023_01_wdgt_player_comparison&utm_medium=sr_xsite&utm_source=bbrNow sure, Claxton is obviously vastly more dynamic. But he's also making 25 million compared to Richards 5 million. So Richards offers similar production for 20 million less. Is that not cost effective in a financially punitive CBA climate??
As for O'neale, he's putting up 10/4/2 and shooting 40% from three. But is making only 10 million currently which is obviously less than the current midlevel exception. So that seems reasonably cost effective by comparison to what similar players are getting paid for comparable production in this current NBA man.
Lastly, it's not just RJ Barrett though. It's Barrett, O'neale, Richards, and the 9th overall pick ( the centerpiece value). So the breakdown goes like this:
1- RJ Barrett.
A 25 yr old former top 3 pick that is still putting up all star level production. Worth maybe a rotation player and two 1sts?
2- O'neale.
A quality vet starter on a cost controlled contract. Also has previous experience with the Nets.
3- Nik Richards.
A cheaper cost controlled center with an almost identical statistical production and skillset. Would be a stopgap replacement filler/ positional backup option.
4- The 9th overall pick.
This is the centerpiece/ crux value as the Nets have repeatedly stated strong interest in acquiring a 2nd top 10 lotto.pick to try and package towards moving up.
This trade accomplishes that goal for them while also helping add important salary to reach the floor salary threshold. And gives them multiple assets to keep or trade if they so choose.
I guess if it helps, think of it like this then,
- RJ Barrett/ Allen swapped for Cam Johnson.
- 9th pick and Richards for Claxton/ 19th, 26th, 36th picks and a future protected 1st?
** And they've again been looking to kove off of Claxton for his 25 million because they're not sure he hasn't plateaued??
