Post#23 » by R-DAWG » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:06 pm
1) I would look to move Otto Porters money. Sacramento and Houston seem to be the two best suited to absorb the contract. Porter should be your 4th best player/glue guy but he's paid like an all-star. In Sacramento, all their guys are on rookie deals so they can afford to overpay. In Houston, they are desperate and the window to win is narrow if it hasn't closed already. Sacramento can offer Washington cap relief and some 2nd tier prospects. Houston can offer their 1st rd pick, but WAS would have to absorb the last year of Knights deal. Maybe Washington could dump Mihinmi on Sacramento.
2) John Wall. The contract is bad and he's coming off a major surgery. But the contract runs through his age 32 season, not into his mid 30's and he's still an all-star level player. This has Miami Heat written all over it. They don't have cap flexibility the next summer and they seemed prepared to give Jimmy Butler, who is a year older, a 5 year deal at similar numbers. Wall through his age 32 season is better than Butler through his age 35 season. Additionally, Miami's all-star PG, Goran Dragic, turns 33 in May and only has 1 year left on his deal (player option). I can see Miami flipping Dragic and the Waiters contract and taking on John Wall's contract. They get younger and better without really effecting their long term cap situation (which is why moving Waiters is very important). Miami will go into free agency in the summer of 2020 with Wall, Richardson, Bam, Winslow and their 2019 and 2020 1st rd picks on the roster and have a max cap slot to play with. Washington can flip Dragic to a win now team for cap space and draft picks.
So assuming you trade Porter and Mihinmi to SAC for cap space and no young pieces back. Then Wall in a trade with Miami taking back Waiters and flipping Dragic for picks, you open up $48.85MM in cap space. The roster has a 2nd star entering his prime years in Brad Beal, a likely a top 7 pick. Kevin Durant is from Washington. Washington can potentially use the assets acquired for Dragic to move Dwight Howard and Waiters, leaving Washington with about $30MM in cap space to play with after maxing out Durant.