Official Trade Thread Part XLVII

[payitforward]

We're now at 16. Plus Richmond, Martin and Watkins on 2-way deals. With only 1 Center.

More to come, obviously.

[WallToWall]

Back to trade ideas, can anyone find a feasible trade for Jalen Smith?

Smith is a PF/C who would fit a positional need. He could help Sarr as a secondary shot-blocker who can rebound and stretch the floor. Jalen has been timid i his career but this would be a great place for his game to emerge.

He has to be familiar with Cam Whitmore.

McCollum + Kispert FOR Smith + Huerter + Buzelis works. Add picks as you see fit.
Gives CHI a SF who can shoot 3's and drive to the basket, and backup SG who can still score. I dont think they drop much in defense if Smith, Huerter, and Buzelis go.

[nate33]

Back to trade ideas, can anyone find a feasible trade for Jalen Smith?

Smith is a PF/C who would fit a positional need. He could help Sarr as a secondary shot-blocker who can rebound and stretch the floor. Jalen has been timid i his career but this would be a great place for his game to emerge.

He has to be familiar with Cam Whitmore.

McCollum + Kispert FOR Smith + Huerter + Buzelis works. Add picks as you see fit.
Gives CHI a SF who can shoot 3's and drive to the basket, and backup SG who can still score. I dont think they drop much in defense if Smith, Huerter, and Buzelis go.

Chicago isn't trading Buzelis. They'd laugh you off the phone.

[dckingsfan]

...adding two more 22 year olds to the roster. ...

No room for 2 more....

noooooo, I want three!

[gambitx777]

I mean gill and Holmes can go but **** we needs center lol


Sent from my SM-S926U1 using RealGM mobile app

[gambitx777]

Best center we could get for kispert ?


Sent from my SM-S926U1 using RealGM mobile app

[Rafael122]

I'm still confused about Holmes' contract. So only $250K is guaranteed, so if he is traded, is the NBA taking into account his $13 million salary in the trade to make the math work? Does his contract need to be guaranteed in order for him to be traded? Otherwise, I have no idea why teams aren't in line waiting to trade for him. You can dump a salary and attach a protected pick in exchange for taking back $250K.

[pcbothwel]

I'm still confused about Holmes' contract. So only $250K is guaranteed, so if he is traded, is the NBA taking into account his $13 million salary in the trade to make the math work? Does his contract need to be guaranteed in order for him to be traded? Otherwise, I have no idea why teams aren't in line waiting to trade for him. You can dump a salary and attach a protected pick in exchange for taking back $250K.

Holmes only counts 250k in salary for trade purposes. The last CBA closed this loophole that was previously available for teams to exploit.
Unless we have a trade in the works for a solid back up center, I expect them to bring back homes at a reduced salary.

[nate33]

I'm still confused about Holmes' contract. So only $250K is guaranteed, so if he is traded, is the NBA taking into account his $13 million salary in the trade to make the math work? Does his contract need to be guaranteed in order for him to be traded? Otherwise, I have no idea why teams aren't in line waiting to trade for him. You can dump a salary and attach a protected pick in exchange for taking back $250K.

Holmes only counts 250k in salary for trade purposes. The last CBA closed this loophole that was previously available for teams to exploit.
Unless we have a trade in the works for a solid back up center, I expect them to bring back homes at a reduced salary.

Apparently, the significance of Holmes' contract having such a late date before it becomes fully guaranteed can only be utilized to help us meet the cap floor. If, for example, everyone else on the roster excluding Holmes had a total payroll of $127M, by adding Holmes' $13.5M salary, it would get us up over the salary cap minimum of $139.2M. And, then, if we made some trade in December that added $8M to the total payroll, we could then "cut" Holmes and resign him for $5.5M (saving us that $8M and getting us back to the salary floor) as long as we did so before his contract guarantee date on January 10.

But if Holmes' salary is used as $13.5M outgoing salary in a trade, the receiving team can't then cut him and save salary.

None of this matters because we are way over the salary floor. However, I wouldn't be surprised if we negotiated some type of similar arrangement with Smart whereby we fake extend him for one more year but have it be mostly non-guaranteed so we could use his contract to help meet the salary floor for the early part of next season.

[prime1time]

What's the benefit of going into the season with CJ and Middleton on the roster? There contracts are massive and they will only hurt the tank. Buy them out now and let the young guys play. Don't wait until the trade deadline. Let them go now. It is imperative that we retain our pick. The Suns didn't make the playoffs last year and that was with KD. They won't make it this year. If we keep our pick and we can pick swap with them we have a great chance of getting a top 3 pick to get an impact player. If we keep CJ and Middleton then pull a Houston with John Wall and tell them not to show up.

Bub - Tre - Whitmore - Bilal - Sarr

[nate33]

What's the benefit of going into the season with CJ and Middleton on the roster? There contracts are massive and they will only hurt the tank. Buy them out now and let the young guys play. Don't wait until the trade deadline. Let them go now. It is imperative that we retain our pick. The Suns didn't make the playoffs last year and that was with KD. They won't make it this year. If we keep our pick and we can pick swap with them we have a great chance of getting a top 3 pick to get an impact player. If we keep CJ and Middleton then pull a Houston with John Wall and tell them not to show up.

Bub - Tre - Whitmore - Bilal - Sarr

You may well be right that one or both of them are moved to get the roster limit down.

On the other hand, this is the same front office that was excited about adding Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon last year even though we were tanking. History suggests that management likes having a few vets around to organize the youngsters and lead as an example in practice. Maybe they'll be bought out mid-season, but I'm guessing they'll be around in December.

[prime1time]

What's the benefit of going into the season with CJ and Middleton on the roster? There contracts are massive and they will only hurt the tank. Buy them out now and let the young guys play. Don't wait until the trade deadline. Let them go now. It is imperative that we retain our pick. The Suns didn't make the playoffs last year and that was with KD. They won't make it this year. If we keep our pick and we can pick swap with them we have a great chance of getting a top 3 pick to get an impact player. If we keep CJ and Middleton then pull a Houston with John Wall and tell them not to show up.

Bub - Tre - Whitmore - Bilal - Sarr

You may well be right that one or both of them are moved to get the roster limit down.

On the other hand, this is the same front office that was excited about adding Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon last year even though we were tanking. History suggests that management likes having a few vets around to organize the youngsters and lead as an example in practice. Maybe they'll be bought out mid-season, but I'm guessing they'll be around in December.

I'm fine with some vets, but what's the benefit of them taking major playing time. Especially Middleton. He concerns me. Dude is such a good player. At the end of last year he was like, we should make the playoffs next year. That's concerning lol.

[nate33]

What's the benefit of going into the season with CJ and Middleton on the roster? There contracts are massive and they will only hurt the tank. Buy them out now and let the young guys play. Don't wait until the trade deadline. Let them go now. It is imperative that we retain our pick. The Suns didn't make the playoffs last year and that was with KD. They won't make it this year. If we keep our pick and we can pick swap with them we have a great chance of getting a top 3 pick to get an impact player. If we keep CJ and Middleton then pull a Houston with John Wall and tell them not to show up.

Bub - Tre - Whitmore - Bilal - Sarr

You may well be right that one or both of them are moved to get the roster limit down.

On the other hand, this is the same front office that was excited about adding Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon last year even though we were tanking. History suggests that management likes having a few vets around to organize the youngsters and lead as an example in practice. Maybe they'll be bought out mid-season, but I'm guessing they'll be around in December.

I'm fine with some vets, but what's the benefit of them taking major playing time. Especially Middleton. He concerns me. Dude is such a good player. At the end of last year he was like, we should make the playoffs next year. That's concerning lol.

I'm hoping Middleton will agree to a load management plan where he plays 20 minutes a game off the bench and preserves his health for a mid-season trade.

Though, at his salary, I'm not sure if there's a mid-season trade out there even if he is healthy. What contender has a spare $33M contract that they can part with in order to match salaries?

[pcbothwel]

You may well be right that one or both of them are moved to get the roster limit down.

On the other hand, this is the same front office that was excited about adding Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon last year even though we were tanking. History suggests that management likes having a few vets around to organize the youngsters and lead as an example in practice. Maybe they'll be bought out mid-season, but I'm guessing they'll be around in December.

I'm fine with some vets, but what's the benefit of them taking major playing time. Especially Middleton. He concerns me. Dude is such a good player. At the end of last year he was like, we should make the playoffs next year. That's concerning lol.

I'm hoping Middleton will agree to a load management plan where he plays 20 minutes a game off the bench and preserves his health for a mid-season trade.

Though, at his salary, I'm not sure if there's a mid-season trade out there even if he is healthy. What contender has a spare $33M contract that they can part with in order to match salaries?

There are surely some more complex scenarios, but the most obvious at the deadline would be the Heat:
- Wiggins has two years on this deal at ~30M. What asset does Miami give us for a Wiggins/Rozier for Middleton/Smart trade? This frees them up for a max FA in the offseason as they are shipping their 2027 1st to the Hornets.

Others of interest:
- Portland could pivot as well at the deadline. They are going up for sale and they may look to get out of either Grant or Holiday.
- Does Toronto underperform and look to move off of Barrett?
- What do the Lakers do with the $34M owed to Vincent/Kleber/Vanderbilt?
- Does PG13 continue to underperform, and Morey gets itchy at one more bite at the Max FA Apple now that they have McCain, VJ, Maxey, and Embiid?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think it's too early to make any meaningful predictions about next year's draft. I certainly wouldn't make permanent roster decisions right now based on projections of a bunch of high school kids. We gotta see these guys against college competition first.

Agreed. I just looked back at one of last year’s early NBA mock drafts (Nov. 24) and Queen was mocked in the second round and Sorber wasn’t even mentioned.

By the same token, forget the damned tank.

Play the best players to win.

Players at the top of the mock drafts might not be any better than players just drafted of those who will be entering their third and fourth seasons. Don't have another miserable season on purpose. If this is a 40-win team that is 21-22 years old, free agents will come. Other teams will not be able to retain all their talent. The Wizards can be a legitimate contender that Giannis would come to.

About the mocks, some of second round projections will become better players in the long run.

I would rather see the Wizards compete, develop a winning mindset, and draft round two if need be than to see another intentional tank.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Back to trade ideas, can anyone find a feasible trade for Jalen Smith?

Smith is a PF/C who would fit a positional need. He could help Sarr as a secondary shot-blocker who can rebound and stretch the floor. Jalen has been timid i his career but this would be a great place for his game to emerge.

He has to be familiar with Cam Whitmore.

McCollum + Kispert FOR Smith + Huerter + Buzelis works. Add picks as you see fit.
Gives CHI a SF who can shoot 3's and drive to the basket, and backup SG who can still score. I dont think they drop much in defense if Smith, Huerter, and Buzelis go.

[b]Chicago isn't trading Buzelis. [/b] They'd laugh you off the phone.

Yeah, nate is right. Buzelis plays like a future star.

I like the idea of getting Huerter and Smith. Two Terps that could meet team needs.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'm fine with some vets, but what's the benefit of them taking major playing time. Especially Middleton. He concerns me. Dude is such a good player. At the end of last year he was like, we should make the playoffs next year. That's concerning lol.

I'm hoping Middleton will agree to a load management plan where he plays 20 minutes a game off the bench and preserves his health for a mid-season trade.

Though, at his salary, I'm not sure if there's a mid-season trade out there even if he is healthy. What contender has a spare $33M contract that they can part with in order to match salaries?

There are surely some more complex scenarios, but the most obvious at the deadline would be the Heat:
- Wiggins has two years on this deal at ~30M. What asset does Miami give us for a Wiggins/Rozier for Middleton/Smart trade? This frees them up for a max FA in the offseason as they are shipping their 2027 1st to the Hornets.

Others of interest:
- Portland could pivot as well at the deadline. They are going up for sale and they may look to get out of either Grant or Holiday.
- Does Toronto underperform and look to move off of Barrett?
- What do the Lakers do with the $34M owed to Vincent/Kleber/Vanderbilt?
- Does PG13 continue to underperform, and Morey gets itchy at one more bite at the Max FA Apple now that they have McCain, VJ, Maxey, and Embiid?

The Wizards should let the old pro ball out. Start him. Win games. it is vital that the young guys come into a COMPETITIVE environment. Middleton has every expectation of WE SHOULD MAKE PLAYOFFS this year. Guys need to witness how it's done by a championship winning player.

Get Middleton his deserved minutes and shots and buy him out if no trade is forthcoming.

Stop jerking him and the fans around with the long game tanking.

[nate33]

The Wizards should let the old pro ball out. Start him. Win games. it is vital that the young guys come into a COMPETITIVE environment. Middleton has every expectation of WE SHOULD MAKE PLAYOFFS this year. Guys need to witness how it's done by a championship winning player.

Get Middleton his deserved minutes and shots and buy him out if no trade is forthcoming.

Stop jerking him and the fans around with the long game tanking.

We're not giving away our 2026 FRP pick (a pick with supercharged lotto odds thanks to the Phoenix swap) just so we can win 31 games instead of 24.

It's not happening. It would be GM malpractice.

Just accept it, CCJ.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The Wizards should let the old pro ball out. Start him. Win games. it is vital that the young guys come into a COMPETITIVE environment. Middleton has every expectation of WE SHOULD MAKE PLAYOFFS this year. Guys need to witness how it's done by a championship winning player.

Get Middleton his deserved minutes and shots and buy him out if no trade is forthcoming.

Stop jerking him and the fans around with the long game tanking.

We're not giving away our 2026 FRP pick (a pick with supercharged lotto odds thanks to the Phoenix swap) just so we can win 31 games instead of 24.

It's not happening. It would be GM malpractice.

Just accept it, CCJ.

I can accept 31 wins if they happen organically. If this roster is so ass that they lose 50-60 games, that's cool.

I think they have too much talent to do that.

[payitforward]

The Wizards should let the old pro ball out. Start him. Win games. it is vital that the young guys come into a COMPETITIVE environment. Middleton has every expectation of WE SHOULD MAKE PLAYOFFS this year. Guys need to witness how it's done by a championship winning player.

Get Middleton his deserved minutes and shots and buy him out if no trade is forthcoming.

Stop jerking him and the fans around with the long game tanking.

We're not giving away our 2026 FRP pick (a pick with supercharged lotto odds thanks to the Phoenix swap) just so we can win 31 games instead of 24.

It's not happening. It would be GM malpractice.

Just accept it, CCJ.

I can accept 31 wins if they happen organically. If this roster is so ass that they loses 55-60 games, that's cool.

I think they have too much talent to do that.

TBH, i think "tanking" is not always the right word -- or at least it's not usually well understood.

It might imply intention to lose. But, I don't our kids go into a game, ever, hoping they're going to be beaten. I don't think competitive athletes do that.

Yet, any rebuild -- esp. a total one like our current rebuild -- is really about willingness to lose. Not reaching for mediocrity as a solution to misery! Maintaining the organizational discipline to accept losing now as a requirement for becoming great in the future.

You can fail all the same. But, when the new guys arrived, it was obviously the only way to re-introduce discipline and ambition into the Wizards.

So, yeah, do a great job drafting, acquire the best young guys you can, & when you add a veteran make him be the best one you can get. But, don't compromise for respectability.

I think Winger/Dawkins have in mind to build a world-class franchise. I'd rather lose reaching for that than be a .500 team hoping to "get hot at the right time" as Ernie used to say.