Quasi Arcane wrote:http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/29749500
Interesting read...
Parting with Gortat, Frye or Lopez shouldn't be a deal-breaker in this trade scenario. If it's Gortat, acquiring some other asset in return would be necessary, as his value as a player is greater than jumping up 10 spots in a weak draft. Frye and Lopez, though, are who they are and should certainly be on the table. In Frye's case, he was signed to a long-term contract that carries him through 2014-2015. Getting out of that salary commitment might not be the worst thing in the world if Phoenix does intend to undergo a rebuilding process.
A trade like this makes all sorts of sense from Minnesota's standpoint. If they could add either Gortat or Lopez plus pick up Burks or Thompson at No. 13 that's a very good return on the rights to the No. 2 pick. Getting McGee plus Leonard or Burks for the rights to Williams would be even better.
I don't like the idea of giving up Gortat unless we get back more than the #2... he is our biggest asset and is a coveted piece all around the NBA. I remember when we first acquired him, there was talks of management getting calls for Gortat. We should hang onto him, I'm sure we can get a better deal than what the Wolves would give us for him.
I wouldn't mind giving up Lopez or Frye though. If they want 'em they can have 'em. Frye isn't the right fit for the Wolves, so I have my doubts of a trade being made where Frye is traded for the #2. That leaves Sideshow Rob, its just too bad he had a bad year or else his stock would be higher and we would actually have some leverage here, but that's not the case. He sucked donkey nuts last year and it would be close to impossible to sell the Wolves on him.
Negotiations look grim... unless we give up Gortat which is probably our only option if we really want to get #2. As stated before... we'd need more than just the #2. You have to keep adding and subtracting pieces to get the deal to work, and that can get really hairy.