DEN-NJN-MIN

[shrink]

Truthfully, if DEN could get Kevin Love and cap space for Melo, they should be thankful. With that much money, ($25-$30 mil in savings), they can buy as many late picks as they want.

That said, what if we used the cap space and took the NJN offer? Basically:

DEN GETS: Love + cap space
DEN GIVES: Melo

NJN GETS: Melo
NJN GIVES: Favors + Devin Harris + 2 picks

MIN GETS: Favors + Devin Harris + 2 picks
MIN GIVES: Love + cap space

Picks are NJN's, and GSW's

2011: Top 14 protected
2012: Top 11 protected
2013: Top 10 protected
.. or 2013 2nd pick and 2015 2nd rd pick

[AQuintus]

Way too good for Minnesota. Terrible for Denver.

[MSGBallerz]

If anything the two picks should be going to Denver and this trade would still be lopsided.

[Stephen S]

you could send both of the picks to denver and then its closer....or we could involve Flynn to Nets and then play with it some more...

[Diggler]

If Denver is dragging their feet over Favors, AK47, and 2 firsts, it's pretty hard to see Love and capspace getting it done.

[Esohny]

Denver isn't taking that.

[shrink]

I'm surprised people think $25-30 million is worth less than two late 1sts.

[shrink]

And for those that think the Kroenke's could care less about $25 million, it sounds like they care about $1 million:

"Alan Hahn of Newsday similarly tweets the Nuggets, who have drastically cut salary and expenses in recent weeks, "want to come out of it with a payroll savings. Deal as is would mean adding" payroll.

If it'd make you guys feel better, we could sell them the UTA pick for $3 mil in cash to get them started. Then they'd only have $22 mil left to try to buy another pick.

[Foye]

I don't think we can pull that off shrink. Love + cap space isn't worth Favors, Harris and 2 picks. We have enough picks next year anyway. Move them to Denver.

[Swimmer]

If Favors is roughly = Love, you think the cost of taking on Devin Harris is worth two first rounders? Sure Harris is overpaid, and had a bad year, but he is worth a decent portion of his contract -- probably all but a couple million a year. If it's by $2M, I think it's very easy to believe that a a team wouldn't sell two mid first-rounders for $6M staggered over three years (time value..). If it's by $3M, it's still not too hard to believe a team wouldn't sell two mid first-rounders for $9M staggered over three years.

[john2jer]

As others have said, this is way too good for Minnesota. Denver would just cut the Wolves out of it, and tell New Jersey they can hang on to Harris.

[shrink]

As others have said, this is way too good for Minnesota. Denver would just cut the Wolves out of it, and tell New Jersey they can hang on to Harris.

Harris is not worth $18 million to them.

That's the point. Every player they take back after the young big is going to cost them double.

Now is the time to get involved in a cap-space deal. Both NJN and DEN want to get a deal done before the season starts, and its fallen off its axles. The main reason? Money. Here's the latest from yahoo:

The four-team trade fell apart when Denver kept trying to include more of its players in deals to spare themselves a bigger luxury-tax bill that would’ve come with the arrivals of Kirilenko and Favors, sources said. The proposed trade would have added $4.5 million in salary to their payroll plus another $4.5 million in luxury tax.

So no, the Nuggets don't want to take on Devin Harris, or Kirilenko, or any of these guys. In fact, they are trying to move players of their own. It IS about the lux.

Like I said, today is the day that MIN should step up and ask what incentives they can get for using their cap space. It will certainly be more than Devin Harris.

[the_bruce]

Lets assume Love for Favors is equal.

Devin Harris is worth the cap space.

MN should not get these 2 picks and DEN should.

Let harris play while flynn recovers. Then dump him for a pick or whatever with MEM or DET later this year. Swap bassy for something else

DEN GETS: Favors + cap space + 2 picks
DEN GIVES: Melo

NJN GETS: Melo
NJN GIVES: Favors + Devin Harris + 2 picks

MIN GETS: Devin Harris
MIN GIVES: Cap space

[john2jer]

As others have said, this is way too good for Minnesota. Denver would just cut the Wolves out of it, and tell New Jersey they can hang on to Harris.

Harris is not worth $18 million to them.

That's the point. Every player they take back after the young big is going to cost them double.

Let me clarify since you read me wrong. Denver will tell New Jersey that the Nets can keep Harris.

[shrink]

Let me clarify since you read me wrong. Denver will tell New Jersey that the Nets can keep Harris.

But NJN can't do the deal under the CBA without Harris, or some other salary DEN isn't going to want to pay double for. This is why MIN has leverage. Maybe I'm still reading you wrong.

Lets assume Love for Favors is equal.

Devin Harris is worth the cap space.

MN should not get these 2 picks and DEN should.

This is about leverage too, and relative worth.

Devin Harris may be worth $9 mil in cap space to us (maybe). But please note how difficult it has been to get any value from Harris around the league. CHA, who desperately needs a starting PG, won't even give up fat Diaw and Augustin. Harris might not be that easy to flip.

Devin Harris is not worth $18 mil to DEN. Not close.

Would they eat the $18 mil for two late picks? With picks costing $3 mil, that's a big "if" too .. its like saying Harris is worth $12 mil, and I don't think he is.

At a minimum, I 'd expect one pick. Heck, make it two picks, and give DEN the option to use $3 mil in cash from their $18 mil to buy our UTA pick.

[Krapinsky]

I think if we want 2 picks we are going to have take Diaw and give up Brewer. Even then, Nugs probably say no.

Brewer + Favors to Nuggets
Diaw + 2 picks to Wolves
Melo to Nets
Harris to Bobcats

[shrink]

I think if we want 2 picks we are going to have take Diaw and give up Brewer. Even then, Nugs probably say no.

Brewer + Favors to Nuggets
Diaw + 2 picks to Wolves
Melo to Nets
Harris to Bobcats

I think Diaw is worth less than Harris, so to me, they really don't add anything to the deal. Remove them (with MIN getting Harris) and each team is still giving/getting the same.

[Krapinsky]

I think if we want 2 picks we are going to have take Diaw and give up Brewer. Even then, Nugs probably say no.

Brewer + Favors to Nuggets
Diaw + 2 picks to Wolves
Melo to Nets
Harris to Bobcats

I think Diaw is worth less than Harris, so to me, they really don't add anything to the deal. Remove them (with MIN getting Harris) and each team is still giving/getting the same.

I see what you mean, however, in that scenario I can't see us getting 2 first round picks for Harris. I think you can either have Harris or not have him. Key would be finding a different team that would give up assets or a player we could better use for Harris. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that team exists right now.