Transaction Discussion Part 3 (Trades, Free-Agency, News, Rumors & Ideas)

[TucsonClip]

I think Barnes is going to be a hot trade item if the Kings make him available.

I think the Suns should go after him.

Phoenix was the first team I thought of for Barnes as well, but with the Kings looking to try to get into the playoffs now, not sure what the Suns would give up to entice them. If they were still selling, I could, maybe, see Sac selling low on Jalen Smith, #29 to see if Jalen has anything in the tank.

Unless they like Saric and think he can help when he comes back on top of Jalen & #29

Saric, Smith, Carter, #29 and they have the ability to work in a future pick, but it's quite tricky considering the protections OKC has on their 22 #1.

[madmaxmedia]

We can easily find 20 different ways to bolster our championship chance by simple not dealing for Ben Simmons at all. If ever that guy gonna be recover, it should be somewhere without an immediate pressure for success.

That's a good point, Simmons on the Clippers would not be that different than what he went through last year. A rebuilding team on the rise is on a better timeline with Simmons. I would assume a full year of work and development to try to improve his shot and confidence, it's hard to to do that when you're in win-now mode like we are.

[ecuhus1981]

Hey guys, I have another trade proposal to share, let me know your thoughts:

https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/trades/FqWYB7degvWZ1Z/cle-lac-phi-option-2

CLE trades Love/Sexton/22CLE1st/24CLE1st/26CLE1st for Simmons/Kennard
The Cavaliers push all-in for a young, exciting core.
Garland, Okoro, Simmons, Markkanen, Allen
Rubio, Kennard, Windler, Osman, Mobley


LAC trades Morris/Kennard for Love/Curry
The Clippers move off of long-term salary (anticipating Terence's extension), while bringing in savvy vets.
Jackson, Mann, George, Batum, Zubac
Bledsoe, Curry, Winslow, Love, Ibaka


PHI trades Simmons/Curry for Morris/Sexton/22CLE1st/24CLE1st/26CLE1st
The Sixers shed $19mil on their current cap number and add future 1sts that could facilitate a subsequent superstar trade.
Sexton, Green, Morris, Harris, Embiid
Milton, Korkmaz, Thybulle, Niang, Reed

[ejftw]

Clippers would need assets in that deal, and good ones too..Love is cooked, don't even trust him starting with our GLG team at this point.

[esqtvd]

Clippers would need assets in that deal, and good ones too..Love is cooked, don't even trust him starting with our GLG team at this point.

yah Love has no fire in the belly and is happy to stay put and collect the check

I could live without Marcus though and Kennard hasn't shown me much

[ecuhus1981]

Hey guys, I have concocted another trade proposal! Please share your feedback, thanks in advance:

https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/trades/0B05A0puRIyXHH/rockets-explode-w-mavericks-clippers

DAL trades Powell/Stein/Burke for Gordon/Ibaka/House
Dallas absorbs salary to nab a 3-level scoring guard, a feisty 3&D wing and a stretch big.
Doncic, Gordon, Hardaway, Smith, Porzingis
Brunson, Bullock, House, Kleber, Ibaka


HOU trades Wall/Gordon/House for Morris/Kennard/Powell
Houston trims $27mil in current cap while returning 2 useful rotation players.
Porter, Green, Morris, Theis, Wood
Kennard, Nwaba, Tate, Garuba, Sengün


LAC trades Morris/Kennard/Ibaka for Wall/Stein/Burke
Los Angeles takes on 2-year salary to shed longterm payroll, while adding an elite distributor and deep bench vets.
Wall, Mann, George, Batum, Zubac
Bledsoe, Jackson, Johnson, Winslow, Stein

[ecuhus1981]

Ok, skip Wall, let's go bigger for a 3rd star! Let me know your thoughts on this latest proposal:

https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/trades/ca14l8d6weSpXY/fairer-picks-cle-lac-phi

CLE trades Love/Osman/Sexton for Morris/Kennard
The Cavaliers upgrade their rotation while trimming payroll and creating a new $17mil TPE.
Garland, Okoro, Morris, Markkanen, Allen
Rubio, Kennard, Windler, Wade, Mobley


LAC trades Morris/Kennard/22LAC2nd/25DET2nd/25LAC2nd/28LAC1st for Simmons/Osman
The Clippers push all-in for the perfect addition: a star playmaker and versatile defender. They absorb Cedi with the Rondo TPE as part of the value exchange.
Jackson, George, Leonard, Simmons, Zubac
Bledsoe, Mann, Osman, Batum, Ibaka


PHI trades Simmons for Love/Sexton/22LAC2nd/25DET2nd/25LAC2nd/28LAC1st
The Sixers cut bait on a talented malcontent, and return an elite young scorer, a veteran stretch big and future picks.
Sexton, Green, Thybulle, Harris, Embiid
Maxey, Milton, Korkmaz, Love, Drummond

[Wammy Giveaway]

The Washington Wizards pulled off a double overtime victory against the Boston Celtics. Hachimura has been DNP due to mental health issues (one half with regards to Japan's 0-3 record in Olympics after having a winning record in friendlies; the other is a trigger warning, I'll just link to the article c/o The Japan Times; corroborated by Bullets Forever of SB Nation). Wizards currently stand at 5-1, and following their win, already two Twitter users wrote this:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Basically, if the trend of winning without Hachimura continues, Wizards might try to trade him. Clippers have been desperately seeking for a player that can replace Leonard's production, whose status is being withheld until Clippers qualify for playoffs. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups compared Hachimura's game to the Clipper's current face of the franchise:

Read on Twitter

Could the Clipper's answer to the Leonard problem be as simple as trading for a poor man's Leonard?

[donemilio21]

I wonder if Houston would be willing to do Wood and Gordon for Bledsoe and Zubac ?

[esqtvd]

I wonder if Houston would be willing to do Wood and Gordon for Bledsoe and Zubac ?

Wood is only 26 and is playing well. No need to dump him, esp for Zubac.

Eric Gordon could be available--he has another year after this at $20M and isn't really earning it. At least Bledsoe is an expiring. Still, I think Houston could get a better deal later from a contender who has a hole to fill.

[donemilio21]

I wonder if Houston would be willing to do Wood and Gordon for Bledsoe and Zubac ?

Wood is only 26 and is playing well. No need to dump him, esp for Zubac.

Eric Gordon could be available--he has another year after this at $20M and isn't really earning it. At least Bledsoe is an expiring. Still, I think Houston could get a better deal later from a contender who has a hole to fill.

Houston's only incentive would be getting rid of Gordon's contract.
I'd even try Bledsoe for Dragic straight up. He is just not playing well for us.

[Vae Victus]

My ideal target while using Bledsoe's contract, would be a 1/2 combo guard type who can playmake a bit. We dont need a true playmaker as Kawhi and PG13 has the ball the most anyway, but someone who can secondary playmake and attack disruptions.

Realistically all that will be available for Bledsoe is a flawed overpaid player, but as long as that player can fulfill a coupla roles albeit not optimally, it'll be a helluva lot more than whatever Bledsoe can provide.

Kuzma and KCP are good targets to pursue, but until WAS implodes wont be available.

EG Jr would be ideal if he wasnt so injury prone. We woulda kept PatBev if he wasnt only good for 40-50 games a season, but durability is something that the team needs to take into account.

Gallo also falls into the same category in being injury prone, and at his paycheck of 20+ mil its a bitter pill to swallow for an aging bench player. The player i'd like to nab from the Hawks would be Bogdan Bogdanovic, he's a combo sized guard who can do a bit of everything. Defensively he's bleh and its unlikely we can play both him and Kennard together, and i think ATL if they have a bad season might decide to cut payroll and give Huerter the reins at starting SG.

Something along the lines of

Bogdan + Delon Wright for Bledsoe + Winslow + one of the young guys in

Clips get a backup PG and Combo G, while ATL saves sizable chunk of money this year and next.

C - Zubac, Ibaka, Hart
PF- Morris, Batum
SF - PG13, Kennard
SG- Bogdan, Mann
PG - RJax, Wright

That's a pretty good roster for this year and if they gel and grow together, add Kawhi next year.

[Wammy Giveaway]

Another former Clipper has been getting the ire of Laker fans, calling him a wasted space. When I saw Jordan joining Lakers this season, I was thinking, "Good move on their part, signing DJ to keep him off the Clippers, maybe even using him against them in a playoff series for their own version of psychological warfare." Turns out the Lakers want fast and immediate results, and if they have to wait to face the Clippers for Jordan to have his breakout game in purple and gold, he's no good to them in their eyes. There are now murmurs of Lakers looking to trade Jordan.

I'd keep a close eye on DJ as well; he may end up returning to Clippers as his last resort. He would end up being another reclamation project, but most importantly a former Clipper whose mojo was taken away because he left his first team, and Clippers would now be tasked to fix their longest tenured draft pick. That would make it two players to redeem after Eric Bledsoe should DJ be released.

[esqtvd]

Another former Clipper has been getting the ire of Laker fans, calling him a wasted space. When I saw Jordan joining Lakers this season, I was thinking, "Good move on their part, signing DJ to keep him off the Clippers, maybe even using him against them in a playoff series for their own version of psychological warfare." Turns out the Lakers want fast and immediate results, and if they have to wait to face the Clippers for Jordan to have his breakout game in purple and gold, he's no good to them in their eyes. There are now murmurs of Lakers looking to trade Jordan.

I'd keep a close eye on DJ as well; he may end up returning to Clippers as his last resort. He would end up being another reclamation project, but most importantly a former Clipper whose mojo was taken away because he left his first team, and Clippers would now be tasked to fix their longest tenured draft pick. That would make it two players to redeem after Eric Bledsoe should DJ be released.

DJ is putting up nice numbers in the boxscore every morning. But his plus/minus is in the minus and Dwight is in the plus that's why Vogel is only giving DJ 14 mpg.

Now I know and now you know. DJ was, is and always will be a dog. That doesn't make him a bad person, mind you. He's made over $150 million US dollars pretending he gives a shi*it about his job and he's only 33 and set for life.

You fooled them all, DJ. Props.

[MartinToVaught]

DJ never fooled me. I was ripped to shreds years ago for suggesting that he'd never be worth anything close to a max contract. His entire career was built on athleticism, not fundamentals, so he was always going to be in trouble once he started losing a step. He also mentally checked out during his final season here and devoted all his energy to stat-padding his rebounds, not to helping the team win, and he's played that way on every other team since then. If he wasn't KD's close friend, I'm not sure he'd even still be in the league at this point.

[madmaxmedia]

I always though DJ was a pretty good player in his prime, but only within his limits (which were significant of course.)

That definitely sets a upper limit on what you wanted pay him even in his prime, but he did a pretty good job of making a solid NBA career out of very humble beginnings.

[LamarWho]

Wondering if TJ McConnell is available.

Read on Twitter

[LamarWho]

Too bad, will definitely be a good replacement for Bledsoe.

Read on Twitter

[esqtvd]

I always though DJ was a pretty good player in his prime, but only within his limits (which were significant of course.)

That definitely sets a upper limit on what you wanted pay him even in his prime, but he did a pretty good job of making a solid NBA career out of very humble beginnings.

What I didn't remember was how Doc DID try to dump him but the troops mutinied. CP wanted him gone too, I think, but iirc as a last attempt to get Lob City all on the same page, in the end accepted a ride on Ballmer's private jet to do the One-For-All, All-For-One thing.

[MartinToVaught]

What I didn't remember was how Doc DID try to dump him but the troops mutinied.

BS. Doc was never going to split that team up willingly. He always used to compare Lob City to the Stockton/Malone Jazz to justify staying on the treadmill of mediocrity, as if those Jazz teams didn't make the Finals.

If I recall correctly, the team's field trip to DJ's house happened because DJ himself was wavering and basically wanted to be talked out of going to Dallas. Doc, of course, was there with bells on because he wanted to keep the same old mediocre team together and not have to make any big decisions.