MIN-NO

[shrink]

MIN GETS: Julian Wright + Hilton Armstrong + Rasual Butler ($3.8 ave for 2 years)

NOH GETS: McCants and Jaric.

Change in Team Outlook: +11.6 ppg, -0.7 rpg, and +4.6 apg.

NOH has a good starting line-up except for a gaping hole at SG, and a pretty bad bench outside of Pargo. For them, the trade improves their chances to win now, and maintains their full MLE to address any other needs. McCants would give them some SG scoring punch that MoPete couldn't provide (8 PPG). Jaric would fit great in a back court next to Paul or Pargo, and he'd provide some protection against an injury at SF. With McCants and Jaric's ability to play 1-2-3, their depth at those three positions would be covered. They could then use the full MLE to add a big man, like Diop.

Paul/Pargo/Mike James
McCants/Jaric/MoPete
Peja/Bonzi
West/Ely/Anderson
Chandler/Diop


MIN exchanges production to get some cap relief and some youth. Hilton Armstrong hasn't done much, and would be a back-up for Al Jefferson. Julian Wright's done a bit more, but averaged less than 4 PPG. He's long though (6' 8") and MIN trades for his upside. Butler's washing out, but he's a cheaper deal than Jaric and a year shorter (though the youth's contracts are guaranteed for a while).

[theGreatRC]

I like, but NOH fans have a crush on Julian Wright, and his defense is pretty good, too.

[delux55]

YEah he really picked it up in the playoffs and I dont think he is on their want or will move list

[shrink]

Really? I didn't watch any Hornets games, but he only averaged 4.2 PPG in the first round, and 4.3 PPG in the second, and only played 12 mpg.

I can understand that after only one year, teams are often still in love with their draft picks, and see them as how they hope they will be, not as they will probably turn out.

However, I don't see anything of value on their team that could even reach the questionable value of McCants. Their pick is #27, and they are even admiting Hilton Armstong may be a bust, and his guaranteed salary might make him valueless.

New Orleans is one of the few teams where McCants would be a the clear starter at SG.

Maybe a simpler "Jaric for Butler + Armstrong" would be better, where all we get is cap savings.

[theGreatRC]

I like the Jaric for Butler and Armstrong trade you proposed at the end of the post above. Gives us a solid bench and we get to keep McCants.

[Winter Wonder]

As much as I would like for either deal to happen, I really do not see New Orleans being happy with these trades. They are big on Wright and I think still like Armstrong quite a bit even though Chandler's emergence has diminished him a bit.

Additionally, though they want an upgrade at the 2, they think Pargo played well for them and lessens their need at that position. They would want a high end talent starter at the 2, with Pargo as primary back up. I don't think Jaric would be viewed as this, and McCants may or may not be seen as a potential starting 2 in their eyes.

Over all, I think the fit is probably/possibly good with NO, but they wouldn't be interested at this cost. We would probably have to get a bit more creative. If they are interested, I think MN does it in a heartbeat!

[shrink]

The problem with NO is that while they may want a star 2, they don't have the bits to trade. I struggled to find anything of value that they could trade, assuming West, Chandler, and of course, Chris Paul were out-of-bounds.

I am not getting a positive vibe on Hilton Armstrong from them, and I also don't think he would be of much use to us either. He just isn't developing after two years like they hoped he would.

I think the best we could do to up our side is to include a second, or eat a year of salary with a Craig Smith sign-and-trade

If McCants for Julian Wright is out (15 PPG vs 4 PPG), I might do the other part, but its still no slamdunk for us. I estimate Jaric is about a $4.5 mil guy in production, so we lose about $2.5 mil a year on him. Rasual Butler's two years ($7.5 mil) is about the same as three years of loss for Jaric. In other words, would Jaric's additional usefulness to NO be more than Butler's total usefulness to MIN? Before you answer, I should point out that Rasual shot FG 35% last year. He's a buy-out, IMHO.

Salary matching is tough, and requires about two mil. Armstrong is a possibility, a S&T for Bonzi maybe with only the first year guaranteed (another buy-out), but overall we don't have to pay for the usefulness that Jaric would have provided, and that might make the deal worthwhile.

[dunkonu21]

Wright was one of the more athletic players in last years draft. He is a fantastic athlete and has a pretty good jumper too. I doubt they'd trade him at all, much less for that package.

[4ho5ive]

Yea I like Wright but I doubt they are willing to part ways with him. Id rather just take a FA flier on POB than lose the production of Jaric for a non producing 5 and a really non producing 2/3.

[revprodeji]

I do not like Wright. In the same avenue of Thornton. I consider those guys very athletic, good at one on one situations but lacking the BBIQ or the team-focus to be starters on good teams. I also doubt NO does this.

Hilton Armstrong does nothing for me. I would have him behind Hibbert as a prospect.

[4ho5ive]

Who said we needed him as a starter? Gomes is still the ideal starting 3 IMO. I would love to have Brew and JWright come off the bench as energy guys to run the floor.

[revprodeji]

I dont. I think Gomes is the ideal 3/4 6th man. Unless we project Brew as a 2 (which I do) and we draft a big early (lopez/love) then Gomes is still a good starting 3 prospect.

I really like Gomes, but on a good team is he is a 6/7 man.

I just do not like Armstrong or Jwright. Just a preference.

[younggunsmn]

This is a pretty bad trade for New Orleans.
Wright and Armstrong are both cheap and part of their young core, I doubt they move them unless they get a pretty big upgrade.
No way they are taking on Jaric's contract.
They should get a pretty good 2 guard in the draft at 27
(CDR, Rush, Budinger, Courtney Lee, one of those guys should be there).

It's a nice thought, but this does nothing for New Orleans. McCants is a year away from restricted free agency, even if McCants didn't have the attitude issues Wright has alot more value right now.

[4ho5ive]

I think CDR and Rush will be long gone when pick #27 rolls around

[shrink]

I must be under-rating the Hornet players.

Is Sebastian Telfair a cheap part of our young core?
Is Craig Smith a guy with a good shot?

My point is that our guys had three times the production of those Hornets. I understand how teams can be excited about their picks, and hope they turn into something great. But they're guys are putting up 3 and 4 PPG. That means they are not part of the core, and if they have a good jumpshot -- big deal. That's one less miss every three games. I feel like people read about these guys in 2006 and 2007 draft prep, and are ignoring how they've done against true NBA competition.

Now, I suppose we can give Julian Wright, the 13th pick in last year's draft, a break, but neither of these guys progressed like the Hornets hoped. I'd be OK taking out McCants for Wright, but I see Jaric as being a productive addition to the hornets, and a huge increase over what they'd get out of Butler and Armstrong. Yeah, they have to pay $10 mil more over three years, but Jaric would certainly produce that much mroe than those two guys would.

[4ho5ive]

Well the Hornets arent exactly in rebuild mode to be shelling out hordes of minutes to the young ones. I think Armstrong is probably a lost cause in NO, but I think Julian Wright has a future their. A few of our players wouldnt get much burn on alot of other teams

[younggunsmn]

cheap as in locked up for another 2-3 years on rookie scale deals.
Telfair and Smith are both Restricted Free Agents, they no longer qualify.
If we were to re-sign them for 2-3 years to cheap deals they would.

You're exaggerating the stat differential and not taking playing time or team talent into account. Telfair averaged 32 min per game, McCants 27.. Wright and Armstrong got very little burn. They are good role players right now with the potential to expand their roles in the future. Armstrong is a backup C, Wright a defensive minded wing. Telfair and Smith wouldn't have received 10 minutes per game on that team before the Bobby Jackson trade. Progress is measured much differently on a winning team, it's more about finding a niche and doing the little things right. Armstrong isn't ever going to start over chandler nor Wright over Peja, but don't discount the fact that they are future rotational fixtures and "Plan B's" should either of those 2 injury-prone starters go down.

Even as a homer I can't justify that trade. What in the world would they want with Jaric or McCants? It would be better just to use their pick on a SG and move Pargo to backup PG. He killed us when we played them this year. Plus it leaves them with a huge hole at backup C.

You are seriously overvaluing Jaric. He is barely competent as a rotational backup guard/wing, and certainly not worth the money he's making. The only player on the hornets we could move him for would probably be Mo Pete, who has a similar deal for his level of production.

But who knows, they were fleeced by Houston in the Bobby Jackson deal both financially and in terms of talent.


I don't see CDR or Rush going earlier than 20, though I agree both will probably be gone at 27. But there will be a run on bigs in the 20's too. When I look at most draft boards, one of those 4 guys should be there at 27 and any one of them would be an excellent fit in NO.