Nick Young traded to Clippers/McGee to Denver/Nene to DC

[Saqs]

1. Young wasn't coming back and I don't want to re-sign McGee for 10-12mil per season
2. Productive centers are hard to come by (helps that they're good, smart people too)
3. Productive centers who are good people and smart players command a lot of money every year
4. Cap space is useless if no one wants to sign with you
5. No one would want to sign with us so we'd have to overpay for mediocre talent
6. There are no FA centers who are even remotely close to Nene (Hibbert doesn't count -- he'll be re-signed)
7. Even with the trade, our cap situation is still looking very promising

If our cap is fine and we're a better, smarter, more attractive destination, what's not to like?

And last point -- to those in horror of the 4yr contract of Nene...

This * 1000. Throw in the fact that the two players being gone, even without getting anything at all in return, raises the teams collective bball IQ significantly. I really dont get the hate for this trade at all.....

You could argue that we should continue to add more young players via the draft, but isnt that what we've done for the last 3 years!?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'm sure there were people who bellyached when Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas and Charlie V were traded/allowed to walk. They're young and they put up good numbers, they're obviously gonna develop, right! Cept they didn't.

Unintelligent, unmotivated and spoiled players don't win in this league, no matter how many double doubles they put up. They're fool's gold no matter how good their statlines at 23 are. McGee is a scrub and Young is an even bigger scrub. Nene is overpaid, but at least he can play.

The issue for me is NOT that they traded McGee or Young. The issue is what they took back. I think they'd have been better off letting the contracts of McGee and Young expire, and then using the cap space to overpay younger players. As I've posted a few times -- they're buying the wrong part of Nene's career.

+1

[closg00]

I'd much rather make the mistake and pay the up & comer. The athletic young guy who's already productive with room to improve rather than a 30 yr old guy in descent with consistent injury concerns.

Yeah. Here's when you want NBA players: rookie contract, because they're almost always bargains. That's usually ages 20-22 through ages 24-26. And then the 2nd contract -- ages 24-26 through ages 28-31. NBA players peak between 25-28 (depending on the study), but the declines starts (gradually) at about 30-31 for most players, and intensifies at 32. This is also the time when NBA players are at their most expensive. So, the Wizards have bought the most expensive part of Nene's career, as well as the period likely to be his least productive.

+1, I would have waited, let the smoke clear and try-again to sign JaVale to a reasonable contract. JaVale and Seraphin are rising bigs. When Ernie panics, bad-things happen.

Watch, Ernie will be trying to unload an unenthusiastic-to-be-here Nene a year or two from now. Christmas came early for Denver this year.

[Ruzious]

Looking at the positive side on Nene's stats this year, there does appear to be reason that his decline was a temporary thing. In December and January, he was very solid - averaging 14.3 PPG on 53.5% FG% and 8.6 RPG. It was just coming back from injuries that his stats fell. And he did pretty well in his last 2 games.

Ugg, he is going to screw up the tank. At least we still have Blatche - still doing everything in his powers for the tank. The season cannot end soon enough - we're going to be so conflicted as to rooting for the team to win or lose. Honestly, I don't think I can help rooting for this team to win.

Notice, EG helped Denver's long-term cap flexibility enough for them to sign Chandler. EG's done a lot of favors for teams over the years.

[Nivek]

People should stop going on about Nene's bad contract. Of course he has a bad contract - If he didn't then Denver wouldn't have traded him. The Wiz aren't going to get any quality player in a trade or as a free agent on a great team friendly contract. You want Batum or Ryan Anderson? You're going to have to overpay like crazy or their teams will simply match. Maybe they would match even if we made a crazy offer. So we have to overpay any way you look at it.

I would rather have let McGee walk and then use the cap room to overpay Ryan Anderson and Batum. Draft a center, trade for one, reclaim a few from the scrap heap for a year until you can make additional moves.

You wouldn't get both of those guys for $13M. My guess is each of them alone will cost $10M or more.

I know. That was my point. Now, the best the Wiz could hope for is to get one of them. (And, those names were just examples anyway.) My point is that I'd rather have a combination of FOR EXAMPLE Anderson and Batum at $25 million than Nene and Anderson at $25 million or Nene and Batum at $25 million.

Especially considering that by the time Washington could hope to be relevant, Nene will probably be in steep decline.

[Rafael122]

Ryan Anderson...that's a buyer beware type of player. He's a product of Dwight Howard's double teams. We don't have a center on our roster (pre-trade) that would have drawn double teams and left Anderson open on the outside.

Batum - Portland will match, they cleared cap room for that reason.

Illyasova - one year wonder?

Other options at center? Hawes? Will probably get $9 million a year. Hibbert? Will probably re-sign with Indiana.

Not singling Nivek out here, but I'd just like to know who would be available between now and say the 2013 trade deadline that we could conceivably get, via free agency or trade. Market is slim.

[Nivek]

Raf: What's the point? No matter what name I post, the comeback will always be the same -- He'll never sign here.

Shoot, by this standard, Wizards ought to extend Rashard Lewis's deal. That way they'll have Someone on the roster.

Maybe the Wiz should just fold. No one would ever come here to get paid millions of dollars to play basketball. That'd be ridiculous.

[C-Droppa]

Everyone keeps saying Batum's name but he's not going anywhere. Portland cleared all that cap space and G. Wallace to make room specifically for that guy. He's there present and future sf. Unfortunately, it is all wishful thinking for him to come here.

[Ruzious]

Ryan Anderson...that's a buyer beware type of player. He's a product of Dwight Howard's double teams. We don't have a center on our roster (pre-trade) that would have drawn double teams and left Anderson open on the outside.

We do have a player that drives the lane - creating switches - which leads to open players on the perimeter. I think Anderson would do very well here. And re Ilyasova, I think if anything, he could be a more explosive 3 point shooter than he's shown - judging by the volume of 3's he took when he played in Europe.

[fishercob]

Some more thoughts on this having had a night to sleep on it.

Nene, much like Al Horford, Chris Webber and other talented bigs is better suited to play power forward than center. He plays center by necessity. If Nene is going to play exclusively center here, that is more reason to dislike this (remember, he's not a very good rebounder and completely useless on the offensive glass). Ironically, Nene next to McGee would have been much more reason for hope than McGee next to Booker or Seraphin.

I know some people here find CCJ grating because he tends to repeat himself incessantly, in bold, huge type face using different colors. And he speaks in absolute terms and that pisses people off. And that's fine. But everyone needs to stop for a second and realize that CCJ has already been vindicated 1000% about Kenneth Faried.

BulletsForever interviewed the guys at the SBN Nuggets Blog and look what they had to say:

To stay as myself for just one moment ... Nene was finally seeing more time at power forward this seasonwith Timofey Mozgov starting at center, before the emergence of Kenneth Faried. With Nene and Mozgov both missing time with injuries, Faried was able to work his way into the starting lineup and likely will staythere for a long time. Nene was just recently moved back to center - where he has stated for years he's not too fond of playing.

Now to channel my best Masai Ujiri ...

We invested $67 million in Nene for the next five seasons. He's 29 years old right now and turns 30 in September. We really were expecting big things from Nene right away and banking on him to be a big part of the team over the next two to three years. But ... he's missed 16 games this season with various nagging injuries to his heel and calf, and the team hasn't missed much with him out of the lineup.

When Nene has played we've seen his offensive game stay about the same and his defensive game has been hit-or-miss. Never a strong rebounder (or shot blocker), Nene was actually rebounding the ball a little better this season, but Faried has proved to be the team's best rebounder. Faried has even shown more on the offensive end that we thought possible and he's only a rookie. Faried's price-tag is only a fraction of Nene's, yet he's just as productive and he does the thing the team really needs by being a strong rebounder and he's developing great chemistry with Ty Lawson.

This could have all been avoided if Grunfeld had simply drafted Faried at 6 or 19 instead of the either of the two bums (they may be nice and well intentioned, but they are indeed bums) that we ended up with. Denver did this trade because Faried is already better than Nene and this gave them a mulligan on their mistake with his contract. Anyone who won't admit that has either not done the proper research or is kidding themselves.

Cap space is useless if no one wants to sign with you

This is tragically wrong. Cuban has said over and over since the lockout ended that cap space is the new NBA currency. Teams with cap space are going to be at a great advantage in the trade market. I believe the Grizzlies acquired Zach Randolph via pure cap space. In three years Nene's contract is going to be a problem. If not, then we're going to have a crappy inexpensive team. I don't see how one of the two won't happen.

On the issue of age, Leonsis has actually blogged about these various studies. He has talked openly about knowing when NBA players reach their primes and when they decline. That he would act against what he has claimed publicly to know is mystifying. So is letting a GM who doesn't have a contract after this season make moves that are going to affect the team for four years.

As I have noted many times before – the process we are undergoing will be quite difficult – it is messy; it is painful; but we have no other course of action to pursue; we have chosen to build through the draft – manage our cap space wisely and build a team for the long term around young players. We will make trades at the right time; we will keep our players that form our core long term; we will add free agents when we believe it is the right time. That is the plan.

How is trading for Nene "building around young players?" He's not young and he's locked in for four more years.

And from 12/15:

With the draft – and rookie contracts – you have some comfort in the time it takes to develop prospects.

NBA players come into their prime statistical years at 25 to 26 years of age.

Many of these young men get drafted at an age under 20 years old. And basketball is truly a global game and you must scout and draft from around the world – which we have.

We know we also have to add to our roster via trades – and via free agency. But free agency is like the lottery – home run signings happen few and far between; it is hard to plan for it; with the draft – you have many viable options under your direct control; you can have multiple options and it is the best way to form an identity and man all positions.

It just seems like this was a total panic move -- or that Ernie had Ted bound and gagged so he could trade for another "physical, versatile veteran who plays the game the right way..."

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Ryan Anderson...that's a buyer beware type of player. He's a product of Dwight Howard's double teams. We don't have a center on our roster (pre-trade) that would have drawn double teams and left Anderson open on the outside.

We do have a player that drives the lane - creating switches - which leads to open players on the perimeter. I think Anderson would do very well here. And re Ilyasova, I think if anything, he could be a more explosive 3 point shooter than he's shown - judging by the volume of 3's he took when he played in Europe.

Here's where we agree. I was all for Anderson until you pointed out Ilysasova. The guy has since outplayed Anderson head-to-head twice. Ilysasova was NBA Player of the Week not too long ago. That guy is a baller for sure. Like you, Ruz, I think he's probably going to get better with the green light to shoot. I wonder about his motor and consistency but not if he is that good. He is.

I still like Anderson a ton BTW. Just think Ilyasova might be an even better player and a better bargain down the road.

[Jimmy Recard]

Pretty crazy to think that Presti offered the '09 #3 pick (Harden) for Javale on draft day. My goodness, imagine a Wall-Harden backcourt.

[Rafael122]

Raf: What's the point? No matter what name I post, the comeback will always be the same -- He'll never sign here.

Shoot, by this standard, Wizards ought to extend Rashard Lewis's deal. That way they'll have Someone on the roster.

Maybe the Wiz should just fold. No one would ever come here to get paid millions of dollars to play basketball. That'd be ridiculous.

I'm just being realistic. Batum, Hibbert, guys like that aren't options b/c their teams are going to match it anyway.

[Ruzious]

It just seems like this was a total panic move -- or that Ernie had Ted bound and gagged so he could trade for another "physical, versatile veteran who plays the game the right way..."

Hmm, there's still nothing on tedstake.com about the trade.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Thanks fish. Love you, man.

I grate because me being nearly the only one with a certain view doesn't necessarily mean everybody else isn't wrong. I tend to see things a long ways out. If anything, I'm mad at the world because I should be rich. I have been right for so long and so consistently that it is sickening that people still doubt me so hard and so frequently.

I am the one who needs to do better for myself.

[Ruzious]

In all fairness to "everybody else" there were a lot of other posters here who wanted Faried with the 18th pick.

[fishercob]

Pretty crazy to think that Presti offered the '09 #3 pick (Harden) for Javale on draft day. My goodness, imagine a Wall-Harden backcourt.

I don't believe this happened.

[Nivek]

Raf: What's the point? No matter what name I post, the comeback will always be the same -- He'll never sign here.

Shoot, by this standard, Wizards ought to extend Rashard Lewis's deal. That way they'll have Someone on the roster.

Maybe the Wiz should just fold. No one would ever come here to get paid millions of dollars to play basketball. That'd be ridiculous.

I'm just being realistic. Batum, Hibbert, guys like that aren't options b/c their teams are going to match it anyway.

Realistic is recognizing that Washington could have had $30 million in cap space, plus Wall and a high lotto pick. It really wouldn't have been that tough a sell to persuade talented YOUNG players to join a team on a rapid rebuild and get paid $40-50 million over the next 4 years to do it.

[gesa2]

Nivek, you make the point that we can't justify trading for an expensive player by saying we aren't going to attract a good free agent. Without arguing whether Nene makes any sense, it does make me think again about all of the things we had hoped that Leonsis would do when he bought the team that might make us seem more attractive to free agents -- Revamping the training and medical staff for example.

The more we invest in externally visible factors that create an impression of the Wizards as a stable well run organization, the less we hopefully will have to overpay players in the future. Dallas had a crappy reputation before Cuban took over, but I remember hearing stories about dvd players and screens in every locker, hiring twice as many coaches for player development than anyone else, etc.. As a result they're a free agent and trade destination for better players now. I wish we were seeing more of that here. Beyond the argument over Nene's value, I'm celebrating that we won't be on the negative highlights on ESPN as often now the cinnamon kids are gone.

[Nivek]

In all fairness to "everybody else" there were a lot of other posters here who wanted Faried with the 18th pick.

True. fish's point, though was that Ernie had two opportunities to pick Faried and whiffed both times. In fact, unless BOTH players Ernie picked ahead of Faried work crazy hard to drastically improve, it's entirely possible that neither guy will be a solid professional player.

So, the net result of Ernie whiffing twice is that he now put the Wizards in the position of cleaning up Denver's contract mess -- a mess created (in part) because Nene was made expendable by a player the Wizards could have picked. A guy who's better than either of the guys they did pick.

And, the Wizards get to pay the expendable guy $13 million a season for the next 5 years.