captaincrunk wrote:http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=62gm5rm
The basics of the trade:
Phoenix gets Nazr (decent backup big) and Boris (instant starter).
Charlotte gets Kaman and Craig Smith.
Clippers get half man, now 1/4th amazing.
No picks, nothing. Phoenix can use that 3 million to pay off some of Diaw's contract or whatever they want. If anyone has a right to complain it's the Clippers, but this is the kind of trade they'll need to make to keep Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon, and Blake Griffin on roster. They could sign a guy in FA next year with this trade, and then hold the fort and resign their guys as the rookie deals are running out. Baron Davis would be hard to move. Maybe the Cavs would take him, they said they would take big contracts and wait it out in exchange for picks.
I still don't like it:
- Diaw has logged at least 70 games in every season but one (not counting this year). He may not be great but he's very reliable.
- Kaman, well, not so much.
- If Kaman is injured again this year, we may not make the playoffs (yes, let's win with Craig Smith and Najera).
- If Kaman is injured again next year, we may not make the playoffs (we really need to so that the Chicago pick can be surrendered while it's not a lotto pick).
- Craig Smith is nice but he's no Diaw.
- Always a very small chance that Diaw declines is Player Option if a team promises him a long-term (remember, Tyson considered declining his option last year).
There are better options out there for a playoff bubble team than a guy who has played a whopping 11 games this season.
