Trade with Kings

[Shem]

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[d-train]

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Is this the first part or the second part of the explanation?

[PDXKnight]

I kinda like this deal. Ariza’s EFG % is higher than baz’s, ariza is taller, and I think Trevor could have a bit of a rebound in Portland’s system.

[Sinobas]

Blazers need to trade CJ and replace him at SG with a cheaper option (like maybe Rodney Hood). Because when Dame's super max kicks in, we'll really be hurting.

I think we've all seen over the past 5 years how Dame and CJ need a good supporting cast to succeed, and the Blazers just can't afford one with their combined salaries.

[PDXKnight]

Blazers need to trade CJ and replace him at SG with a cheaper option (like maybe Rodney Hood). Because when Dame's super max kicks in, we'll really be hurting.

I think we've all seen over the past 5 years how Dame and CJ need a good supporting cast to succeed, and the Blazers just can't afford one with their combined salaries.

At the rate we’re going we will likely have a good player on a rookie contract next year now. Cj is spendy indeed but I think as the cap goes up we are still likely to retain both and have room to maneuver under the tax still

[Epicurus]

Rebounding is the 2nd biggest area (to health, which may have impacted rebounding) the Blazers are not doing as well this season as last. Both Swanigan and Gabriel are better rebounders than Tolliver. Gabriel MAY prove to be just as good as shooter as this version of Tolliver. So not much is lost there, if anything.

Ariza with greater height, although heretofore not much of a rebounder, may be better than Bazemore, without giving up anything offered by Bazemore. Thus on the floor ( I have no idea regarding the offcourt financial stuff), not a bad trade. A weakness gets a little better, while not losing on other factors.

[PDXKnight]

Rebounding is the 2nd biggest area (to health, which may have impacted rebounding) the Blazers are not doing as well this season as last. Both Swanigan and Gabriel are better rebounders than Tolliver. Gabriel MAY prove to be just as good as shooter as this version of Tolliver. So not much is lost there, if anything.

Ariza with greater height, although heretofore not much of a rebounder, may be better than Bazemore, without giving up anything offered by Bazemore. Thus on the floor ( I have no idea regarding the offcourt financial stuff), not a bad trade. A weakness gets a little better, while not losing on other factors.

Yes this is what I’m thinking. I know some online on other sites aren’t too happy about this but I like ariza and think he can be a nice addition to this team. I can see his percentages going up on stotts’s system and even with his poor shooting this year his efg% is .518 telling me he is contributing defensively as he always has. He might even be worth keeping around that extra year if he looks like he can be a role player for us next season. I’ve always wanted ariza around, he’s the kind of guy you want on your roster to instill a sense of aggression and intensity & I think he will be a better vet for this team in that sense than baz who just was more of a chucker

Tolliver is old and wasn’t gonna produce like he did in the last week on a regular basis. Gabriel was just a throw in undoubtedly but I think we could easily add a role player similar to the mold of tolliver. But we may not even need to if nurk comes back in 2 weeks as the plan was before.

[Norm2953]

I do think ultimately CJ will get traded for Nurk is going to be a real problem to re-sign in two years
with the Dame/CJ extensions coming on board. Sinobas has the right idea on replacing CJ with
a backcourt partner for half the salary with size and tools for defense.

It will be interesting to see in the second half of the season, if any of the young players emerges with
PT. Interesting to see Trent jr score 30 points in his first extended action and it will be interesting to
see if Little, Hoard, Gabriel develop. If Gabriel shows anything in practice, perhaps Portland might be
willing to eat Swanigan's contract and release him?

[BlazersBroncos]

I don't think Gabriel was anything more than a toss in. He is basically the same type of player as Little and Hoard, and IMO not more talented than either.

Most on the GB and TT forum think this was a pretty nice move for Portland. I think our fanbase, myself included, had much too high of hopes for what our EC's were going to bring back. After a day, I can live with this deal. Ariza is a markedly better player than Kent and a guy known to sorta turn it on/off depending on his teams situation (A reason why I never understood why poor teams kept signing him). IMO we could get a player that is much better than he showed in SAC, and even if not, we are getting an improvement over KB.

I just really dislike perpetually having no SRP's. Its frustrating to not have them as trade filler moving forward, and using them in a deal for a non-long term piece sorta sucks. I do expect Ariza to be retained FWIW. Unless he totally poops the bed.

[Norm2953]

Gabriel is a guy who originally signed as a two way player who got converted to a standard NBA contract.
He's very much like Hoard (whom I'd like to convert into another standard contract) for we're going to
need more of these minimum contracts on young players as opposed to the older guys like Tolliver who
best days are behind him.

I think I'd rather sign more two way guys each year and would hope the team funds its own G league team
with an emphasis on player development. There are just too many 19 year olds dreaming of NBA careers
and the difference between the guys picked in the second round and the guys like Hoard are minimal.

[zzaj]

IMO, all roads lead back to Olshey.

The guy now has a pretty long track record of handing out contracts that are not commensurate with a players abilities. Sure, there is a Nurkic type signing here and there, but overall it's been one blunder after another.

Turner
Meyers
Aminu
Crabbe
CJ

What's more, he's racked up a bunch of dead money: Nicholson, Varejao, Gasol, Ezeli. Shoot, this trade with the Kings was ostensibly done to save Allen 9.5M, yet this year the Blazers are paying those dead money players 7.6M.

The Turner, Meyers, et al contracts have all turned into nothing despite lots of "flexibility" talk...and yes I include CJ in that mix. We've seen the ceiling of what a Lillard/CJ backcourt can do without a good supporting cast, and so far it's "nothing".

I would offer that signing CJ to his current deal was among the biggest blunders Olshey has made yet. He'll never live up to that contract and he's basically untradeable for lateral money. CJ should have been traded a few years ago when his contract actually matched his talent, for a partner that made sense next to Lillard. There have been a few of us that have been very vocal about that for a long time.

I was ready for Olshey to be gone 5 years ago...and no, it had nothing to do with him signing Adam Morrison.

[HoopsFanAZ]

After this season, it’s one more year of Varejao ($1.9M) and Nicholson’s neverending $2.8M. That’s it for dead money of any impact. Even if Ariza’s $1.8M non guaranteed is just bought out, no worries.

The spending of cap room to get what Olshey did AND keep his own back in 2016 has been well discussed, here. Positive and negative impacts.

Olshey’s track record in the draft and reclamation projects as well.

With Nurkic, Collins, Little, Hood, Simons, and Lillard, I’m all for improving at the 3 by trading CJ and getting good parts with Whiteside. But count me in on supporting NOT having Aminu, Harkless, Leonard, and Turner on the team and moving forward. And the trades for the rentals (HWEC and KBEC).

I’m no fan of Olshey, but on balance, he’s a pretty decent GM.

[BlazersBroncos]

Aminu and Hark were not world beaters, but any good team could use a guy in their rotation with their skillsets. Lanky defensive oriented forward who can switch and rebound without needing the ball are really in high demand. This team would be better with one of them in the rotation, the problem was we were STARTING both of them lol

[d-train]

Aminu and Hark were not world beaters, but any good team could use a guy in their rotation with their skillsets. Lanky defensive oriented forward who can switch and rebound without needing the ball are really in high demand. This team would be better with one of them in the rotation, the problem was we were STARTING both of them lol

I like Collins better. I see Collins as a player who can impact the outcome of games. Not as a standalone player, but as a complementary player similar to Dramond Green. Collins assets are different than Green's, but his potential to impact games with his length, mobility, defense, and passing is similar.

The right combinations of players are critical for the Blazers because we don't have a dominant player. The closest thing we have is Lillard's scoring, which comes at the price of having a playmaker that can singularly manage a game.

I'm excited about a starting lineup of Lillard, CJ, Nurkic, Collins, and Melo. This lineup gives us playmaking, passing, shooting, and scoring at every position. With Whiteside coming off the bench, our rebounding dominance is restored and also our place as a top defensive team. Especially, if NO can go to work and add some ballhawking defenders. We might have some candidates in Little and Hoard.

[d-train]

I wouldn't be opposed to waiving and resigning Ariza if he proves his worth this season.

[Case2012]

**** Ariza.

[Brandon-Clyde]

Aminu and Hark were not world beaters, but any good team could use a guy in their rotation with their skillsets. Lanky defensive oriented forward who can switch and rebound without needing the ball are really in high demand. This team would be better with one of them in the rotation, the problem was we were STARTING both of them lol

I would not be opposed to bring back Harkless as a free agent at $5-7 million. Have him come off the bench. And I agree the problem was not playing Harkless or Aminu the problem was we were starting both and both were too incosistent to make it work well on a consistent basis.

[d-train]

Aminu and Hark were not world beaters, but any good team could use a guy in their rotation with their skillsets. Lanky defensive oriented forward who can switch and rebound without needing the ball are really in high demand. This team would be better with one of them in the rotation, the problem was we were STARTING both of them lol

I would not be opposed to bring back Harkless as a free agent at $5-7 million. Have him come off the bench. And I agree the problem was not playing Harkless or Aminu the problem was we were starting both and both were too incosistent to make it work well on a consistent basis.

I don't know if you can get Harkless back for $5-7M.

[Brandon-Clyde]

Aminu and Hark were not world beaters, but any good team could use a guy in their rotation with their skillsets. Lanky defensive oriented forward who can switch and rebound without needing the ball are really in high demand. This team would be better with one of them in the rotation, the problem was we were STARTING both of them lol

I would not be opposed to bring back Harkless as a free agent at $5-7 million. Have him come off the bench. And I agree the problem was not playing Harkless or Aminu the problem was we were starting both and both were too incosistent to make it work well on a consistent basis.

I don't know if you can get Harkless back for $5-7M.

That is all I would offer. It would be nice to get him back but I believe he is a short term solution at best(I expect Portland to try and get a long term solution via either trade or draft)

[Norm2953]

Let's not fool ourselves for even before Zach's injury, Portland's roster was still lacking in
frontcourt depth. It's much more likely none of the young players will be any more
consistent than Simons was this season. Ariza is going to be 35 next season and he's near
the end of the line. Hood is going to be a question mark from his ACL and its very likely
Portland will make a move with Whiteside and we don't know how that will impact this
team moving forward.