Wiz trade Shard and 2nd rounder for Okafor and Ariza

[TGW]

LOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Did we get the bottle of lube at least? Please?

[Severn Hoos]

Lyrical - here's the part that makes sense. The team will have completed the transformation into an actual, professional collection of players. The young guys - especially Wall - will have veterans around to show them the right way to do just about everything. No more knuckleheads or guys who are more interested in style than substance. And possibly challenging for the postseason as well.

What makes less sense, but maybe kinda sorta could work out down the road: Next year, Okafor and Ariza will be expiring contracts. They'll also have a slew of guys moving toward the end of their rookie contracts. Maybe they will be able to work out some sort of KG-style trade for an unhappy star in summer 2013 or during the 13-14 season?

What makes no sense: Throwing away not only the valuable asset of an expiring $22M contract that can be made into a $13M contract with the stroke of a pen, but also writing off any type of cap room this summer or next, and after that - the window's closed. So much for any FA scenarios.

Plus, the roster seems so unbalanced. [I suppose the term "unbalanced" might have applied previously in another context...] Still no shooters. Another somewhat undersized C, although this one can protect the rim (when healthy) better than anyone currently on the roster. More frontcourt players taking away minutes from the developing bigs.

I hope there's a follow-up deal in the works, or a Christmas morning surprise that the 10th pick is included somehow. Otherwise, this is a tough one to justify.

[nate33]

Well I misread, Okafor and Ariza expire in 2014, so I guess it's not AS bad. And we probably weren't going to get any big FAs with our cap space anyway. Best case scenario we become competitive by 2014 so that when we do clear cap space, we can convince quality FAs to sign with us to make a run.

In 2014, Wall, Seraphin and Booker are up for new contracts. After accounting for their cap holds, I don't think we will have any cap room.

FIRE EG!

[Ruzious]

Well I misread, Okafor and Ariza expire in 2014, so I guess it's not AS bad. And we probably weren't going to get any big FAs with our cap space anyway. Best case scenario we become competitive by 2014 so that when we do clear cap space, we can convince quality FAs to sign with us to make a run.

But how the hell are minutes gunna be distributed at the 4 and 5 spots?

This is the saving grace of a trade I think was just made for PR purposes (to strive for .500). Their contracts expire when we'll need to pay Wall. But I concur with Nate. They needed to get a 1st rounder to make this a reasonable trade.

[dobrojim]

Wow. Getting rid of Shard is no shocker. But I'm wondering

is Okafor now our 3rd string C? I guess we now lead the league in
undersized but strong Cs.

My eye use to believe that Ariza was pretty decent. He is athletic.

I'll be curious to hear the details explained to me as to why this
is a good/awful/meh kind of move.

[KevinFCheng]

Inexplicable trade

[God Squad]

This is a HORRIBLE trade unless we're getting the #10 pick.

Okafor is redundant with Nene and Seraphin. We simply don't need him. Ariza is a decent wing but not any better than what we can find in free agency. Only with this trade, we obliterate any potential cap room in 2013. I just don't understand it.

Raps fan. Didn't believe it at first. Not Sure why you'd do this trade. Just my opinion though.

[Higga]

We aren't getting the #10 pick, if we were we'd have known by now.

I'm guessing there has to be another deal in the works to clean up the roster imbalances a bit. Until then, might not be fair to evaluate.

Listening to Scott and BMitch on ESPN 980 right now and Scott makes a good point: cap space doesn't do us any good because how many guys are gunna want to come play for us?

[colts18]

This team will never be a title contender under Ernie. The only chance was to tank this season and add another top 3 pick.

[montestewart]

Well I misread, Okafor and Ariza expire in 2014, so I guess it's not AS bad. And we probably weren't going to get any big FAs with our cap space anyway. Best case scenario we become competitive by 2014 so that when we do clear cap space, we can convince quality FAs to sign with us to make a run.

In 2014, Wall, Seraphin and Booker are up for new contracts. After accounting for their cap holds, I don't think we will have any cap room.

FIRE EG!

Agreed. Horrible trade. Nene was one thing, risky, but maybe would pay off. Now he's done it to the entire roster. Trading one over the hill expiring for two more years of salary which could well be over the hill by the end. Crazy. I'm glad I decided not to renew my tickets.

[sashae]

Welp, it wouldn't be draft time of year without EG getting fleeced. Good times.

C Nene/Okafor
PF Seraphin/Booker/Vesely/Blatche
SF Ariza/CSingleton
SG Crawford
PG Wall/Mack

What the what?!

We can also safely say that once again, James Singleton will not be back...

[Severn Hoos]

Listening to Scott and BMitch on ESPN 980 right now and Scott makes a good point: cap space doesn't do us any good because how many guys are gunna want to come play for us?

Well, first off - you never know until you try. If we had $8-10M to offer Ilyasova, he seemed to indicate he would go wherever the best offer was. Maybe he'd have come for less than Okafor by himself will cost next year.

But on the whole - yes, he's correct that DC is not a particularly desirable FA destination. However, outright FA signings are not the only use of cap space. Taking on unbalanced salaries to bring in a star and helping the other team lower their cap/tax number is another possibility. As is the BOYD like the series of Hinrich moves to get Seraphin and Singleton for nothing.

Still don't get this one.

[PELICANSFAN]

Would you not play Nene at the 4 and Okafor at the 5? Ariza is a very good defender, but terrible shooter (although he does not know it and refuses to stop trying).

[Ruzious]

We aren't getting the #10 pick, if we were we'd have known by now.

I'm guessing there has to be another deal in the works to clean up the roster imbalances a bit. Until then, might not be fair to evaluate.

Listening to Scott and BMitch on ESPN 980 right now and Scott makes a good point: cap space doesn't do us any good because how many guys are gunna want to come play for us?

That's silly/stupid. Cap space isn't just for signing free agents. It's also for making trades - like this. The only problem was - the trade was stupid!

[TGW]

Exactly the type of move I've been calling for. Maybe not the exact guys I currently want (I'm more interested in guys like Ben Gordon and Marvin Williams at the moment) but I still support adding overpaid veterans on short-term deals.

You have to be kidding. You're almost as bad as Hands and Andray Blatche.

This is a horrible, short-sighted move. At this point, I am wondering why Grunfeld still has a freakin' job. He has pissed away a ton of cap money on Nene, Okafor, and Ariza. This is a effin travesty.

[Jay81]

we were suppose to do this trade and get back the 10th overall pick??? Where is the 10th overall pick?

[Higga]

I'm going to take a wait and see approach. There has to be another move or two in the works to balance the roster out some more. My guess is Booker gets moved. We have plenty of young players, it was obvious Ted and the FO want some experienced vets in here to create a better locker room. Remember how much Wall was gushing about the presence of Nene? A happy Wall hopefully = a better and more developed Wall which ultimately is our best shot at being a good team.

[KevinFCheng]

Maybe we've stopped modeling ourselves after the Thunder and have now switched to the Hornets

[Jay81]

I blame Ted. If he had fired Ernie properly, this trade wouldnt of happened

[keynote]

That's a lot of cap room taken up, and we still haven't improved a lick offensively.