Trading Dame?

[Norm2953]

It's indeed a business for with the sale of the team on the horizon, the team is highly unlikely to do
anything to depress the value of the team, which precludes trading Dame until the team gets sold,

It is what it is for the sale of the team is first and foremost the most important matter to the
management in Seattle. The team will be open to business to improve the team, but with
limitations as to what will be approved.

[Dame Lizard]

He says he wants to stay nearly everytime he's interviewed and he talks to Joe Cronin everyday. What are you talking about? The scenarios you are describing are just fantasies.

I mean I get it, it's realgm but..

I think he was saying that the FO should make it clear to Dame that the route to turning this team into a contender isnt likely even if given 3 years and is near impossible to do in a single offseason. Ensure Dame realizes that by the time we have decent pieces around him he may be pretty old, and even then its not a guarantee.

That being said even if Dame wants to move on due to the above, trading him now while his value is at an all time low is nuts. You wait for him to prove health.

I agree with this take.

Dame may be keen to stay if we trade away all of our draft assets to try and put our best foot forward in the short-term. However realistically that foot won't be good enough to make genuine noise in the playoffs.

[Norm2953]

It would take some major additions for Portland to be really competitive for think
about the GSW, Phoenix, Memphis as being powerhouses. The Clippers if they Kawhi
back might be two deep thanks in part to last years trade for Powell and the
Pelicans with a returning Zion.

The addition of Grant and Collins might still not be enough for what is needed is to bring
an elite player.

[Case2012]

Well I hope it’s not Grant and Collins we add then, at least not Collins who I’m not a fan of.

Any team can beat any team on any given night. No one saw Boston doing what they’ve done since the all star break. Who would’ve thought ATL would make it to the ECF last year? We obviously want the best players we can get but coaching and system don’t really play a part in these conversations about what the blazers are capable of over the next 3 years. If we get guys that fit in Billups system and they buy in who knows. People are also really underestimating how competitive Dame is and forgetting the teams he’s dragged to the PO’s every year. If we put some legit forwards and a another tier 2 or 3 guy around him that play with high motors I’m confident we will shock a lot of nay sayers.

There’s more prognosticators on real gm than the psychic hotline. Drop your numbers in my inbox so I can call ya now for a free readin

[wco81]

I have a feeling even if the Blazers think about trading Dame it doesn't come until the mid-point of this season or the off-season after next year.

He is still fairly young all things considered, and probably has a good 4-5 more years of being a very productive player. Sure his value is dropping every year slightly as he ages, but at 32 that still gives teams a reasonable window of having a very good player.

Don’t they have to offer him an extension in the next year or two?

So it’s a big decision, whether to extend him, wHicH might make trading him much more difficult, or trade him and start the rebuild.

Also looming over this question is the possible sale of the franchise. Would the new owners want the biggest star to remain on the team, even at the cost of a huge extension? If they want a new arena, team has to be on an upwards trajectory, to keep ticket sales high leading up to the opening of the new arena.

[BlazersBroncos]

Well I hope it’s not Grant and Collins we add then, at least not Collins who I’m not a fan of.

Any team can beat any team on any given night. No one saw Boston doing what they’ve done since the all star break. Who would’ve thought ATL would make it to the ECF last year? We obviously want the best players we can get but coaching and system don’t really play a part in these conversations about what the blazers are capable of over the next 3 years. If we get guys that fit in Billups system and they buy in who knows. People are also really underestimating how competitive Dame is and forgetting the teams he’s dragged to the PO’s every year. If we put some legit forwards and a another tier 2 or 3 guy around him that play with high motors I’m confident we will shock a lot of nay sayers.

There’s more prognosticators on real gm than the psychic hotline. Drop your numbers in my inbox so I can call ya now for a free readin

Boston had 2 youngsters take the leap that most knew they had the potential. The role players they have are much better as well. We are not close to as talented as Boston.

2 big, young, athletic scorers and a multitude of versatile defenders is a pretty decent recipe for success.

[Case2012]

Well I hope it’s not Grant and Collins we add then, at least not Collins who I’m not a fan of.

Any team can beat any team on any given night. No one saw Boston doing what they’ve done since the all star break. Who would’ve thought ATL would make it to the ECF last year? We obviously want the best players we can get but coaching and system don’t really play a part in these conversations about what the blazers are capable of over the next 3 years. If we get guys that fit in Billups system and they buy in who knows. People are also really underestimating how competitive Dame is and forgetting the teams he’s dragged to the PO’s every year. If we put some legit forwards and a another tier 2 or 3 guy around him that play with high motors I’m confident we will shock a lot of nay sayers.

There’s more prognosticators on real gm than the psychic hotline. Drop your numbers in my inbox so I can call ya now for a free readin

Boston had 2 youngsters take the leap that most knew they had the potential. The role players they have are much better as well. We are not close to as talented as Boston.

2 big, young, athletic scorers and a multitude of versatile defenders is a pretty decent recipe for success.

I agree, that's why we should make moves for those kinds of players. I think both Grant and Randle are attainable and would fit our system. Are they as good as Tatum and Brown? No. But we also have a top 10 player when healthy in Dame.

[wco81]

Celtics got Tatum and Brown on a very lopsided trade. They also got some rotation players with additional picks acquired through that and other trades.

While they look good now, they also had chances to trade several of those players for Kawhi, which might have gotten them a title.

But you may need to trade Dame to get a lot of picks, though picks are now lottery-protected as a result of that Celtics and Nets trade.

[BlazersBroncos]

Well I hope it’s not Grant and Collins we add then, at least not Collins who I’m not a fan of.

Any team can beat any team on any given night. No one saw Boston doing what they’ve done since the all star break. Who would’ve thought ATL would make it to the ECF last year? We obviously want the best players we can get but coaching and system don’t really play a part in these conversations about what the blazers are capable of over the next 3 years. If we get guys that fit in Billups system and they buy in who knows. People are also really underestimating how competitive Dame is and forgetting the teams he’s dragged to the PO’s every year. If we put some legit forwards and a another tier 2 or 3 guy around him that play with high motors I’m confident we will shock a lot of nay sayers.

There’s more prognosticators on real gm than the psychic hotline. Drop your numbers in my inbox so I can call ya now for a free readin

Boston had 2 youngsters take the leap that most knew they had the potential. The role players they have are much better as well. We are not close to as talented as Boston.

2 big, young, athletic scorers and a multitude of versatile defenders is a pretty decent recipe for success.

I agree, that's why we should make moves for those kinds of players. I think both Grant and Randle are attainable and would fit our system. Are they as good as Tatum and Brown? No. But we also have a top 10 player when healthy in Dame.

Grant is on the level of the role players that Boston has around Brown and Tatum - Smart, Horford, Timelord

Randle is below them all honestly IMO.

[Case2012]

Agree to disagree. The point I was making is that Dame, Randle, Grant = Tatum, Brown, Smart. Or anthem way to look at it would be Randle(last year)=Brown, Tatum>Grant, Dame>>Smart. Of course I think Randle as a clear number 2 and Grant as a number 3 with Dame as the leader is a lot better than other people think. NYC is a toxic place and clearly Randle couldn't handle it but he would thrive in Portland and get back to his all NBA level.

[Dame Lizard]

Agree to disagree. The point I was making is that Dame, Randle, Grant = Tatum, Brown, Smart. Or anthem way to look at it would be Randle(last year)=Brown, Tatum>Grant, Dame>>Smart. Of course I think Randle as a clear number 2 and Grant as a number 3 with Dame as the leader is a lot better than other people think. NYC is a toxic place and clearly Randle couldn't handle it but he would thrive in Portland and get back to his all NBA level.

I'll heavily disagree on that.

Tatum and Brown are excellent defenders. Smart just won DPOY. Defensively those trios of players are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Dame and Randle are both genuinely bad defenders. Grant is solid defensively.

I'd give the offensive edge to Dame over Tatum, but Brown over Randle (particularly as Randle has been very hit and miss).

[Case2012]

Dame is a horrible defender but Randle can play defense if he's engaged. It comes down to coaching and chemistry with him imo. Obviously those 3 are way better defenders but the gulf in talent isn't as large as people think.

[monopoman]

With how desperately Boston needed scoring in their series I would not be surprised to see them make an offer for Dame this off-season.

If any team could afford a subpar defender as long as he can score at an elite level it's Boston. I'm not sure that the Blazers bite on any offer they get, but if Dame comes back to his old self this season I think he would take Boston to the next level assuming it happened.

[soobias]

With how desperately Boston needed scoring in their series I would not be surprised to see them make an offer for Dame this off-season.

If any team could afford a subpar defender as long as he can score at an elite level it's Boston. I'm not sure that the Blazers bite on any offer they get, but if Dame comes back to his old self this season I think he would take Boston to the next level assuming it happened.

but who would you want in return ?

[Dame Lizard]

With how desperately Boston needed scoring in their series I would not be surprised to see them make an offer for Dame this off-season.

If any team could afford a subpar defender as long as he can score at an elite level it's Boston. I'm not sure that the Blazers bite on any offer they get, but if Dame comes back to his old self this season I think he would take Boston to the next level assuming it happened.

If I was Boston I wouldn't make an offer for Dame, as they'd have to give up Brown, and I wouldn't want to give up Brown. Dame would be amazing alongside Tatum though, and Tatum/Smart/Williams/Horford would still retain an elite defense.

They made the NBA Finals and it was a very competitive series. Tatum played poorly on offense (not sure if the shoulder was affecting him). He's 24 and Brown is 25. Their entire core (Tatum, Brown, Smart, Williams) are young and on long-term contracts. You'd expect them all to keep improving. They'd be an amazing team with Dame, but I wouldn't give up an 8 year window to push the chips in hard for 3 years, particularly given their defense is a big part of their identity.

They need to focus on upgrading from Pritchard as the back-up PG, and life after Horford too.

[monopoman]

With how desperately Boston needed scoring in their series I would not be surprised to see them make an offer for Dame this off-season.

If any team could afford a subpar defender as long as he can score at an elite level it's Boston. I'm not sure that the Blazers bite on any offer they get, but if Dame comes back to his old self this season I think he would take Boston to the next level assuming it happened.

If I was Boston I wouldn't make an offer for Dame, as they'd have to give up Brown, and I wouldn't want to give up Brown. Dame would be amazing alongside Tatum though, and Tatum/Smart/Williams/Horford would still retain an elite defense.

They made the NBA Finals and it was a very competitive series. Tatum played poorly on offense (not sure if the shoulder was affecting him). He's 24 and Brown is 25. Their entire core (Tatum, Brown, Smart, Williams) are young and on long-term contracts. You'd expect them all to keep improving. They'd be an amazing team with Dame, but I wouldn't give up an 8 year window to push the chips in hard for 3 years, particularly given their defense is a big part of their identity.

They need to focus on upgrading from Pritchard as the back-up PG, and life after Horford too.

You hear about teams that tried the "let the cake bake" strategy before and not had it work. Many times teams try to seem content with their roster and letting their guys gel or slowly get better together and it rarely works out. Now maybe Boston can buck the trend and actually win that championship, but I really don't see them winning jack **** without a top tier scorer.

They will have a very good team for years to come, but in today's NBA that might not be good enough to actually collect that championship trophy.

[Dame Lizard]

With how desperately Boston needed scoring in their series I would not be surprised to see them make an offer for Dame this off-season.

If any team could afford a subpar defender as long as he can score at an elite level it's Boston. I'm not sure that the Blazers bite on any offer they get, but if Dame comes back to his old self this season I think he would take Boston to the next level assuming it happened.

If I was Boston I wouldn't make an offer for Dame, as they'd have to give up Brown, and I wouldn't want to give up Brown. Dame would be amazing alongside Tatum though, and Tatum/Smart/Williams/Horford would still retain an elite defense.

They made the NBA Finals and it was a very competitive series. Tatum played poorly on offense (not sure if the shoulder was affecting him). He's 24 and Brown is 25. Their entire core (Tatum, Brown, Smart, Williams) are young and on long-term contracts. You'd expect them all to keep improving. They'd be an amazing team with Dame, but I wouldn't give up an 8 year window to push the chips in hard for 3 years, particularly given their defense is a big part of their identity.

They need to focus on upgrading from Pritchard as the back-up PG, and life after Horford too.

You hear about teams that tried the "let the cake bake" strategy before and not had it work. Many times teams try to seem content with their roster and letting their guys gel or slowly get better together and it rarely works out. Now maybe Boston can buck the trend and actually win that championship, but I really don't see them winning jack **** without a top tier scorer.

They will have a very good team for years to come, but in today's NBA that might not be good enough to actually collect that championship trophy.

Tatum is not a top-tier scorer?

One playoff series shouldn't change people's perception. He's also only 24 and projects to be a future MVP candidate (if he wasn't one this year).

[monopoman]

If I was Boston I wouldn't make an offer for Dame, as they'd have to give up Brown, and I wouldn't want to give up Brown. Dame would be amazing alongside Tatum though, and Tatum/Smart/Williams/Horford would still retain an elite defense.

They made the NBA Finals and it was a very competitive series. Tatum played poorly on offense (not sure if the shoulder was affecting him). He's 24 and Brown is 25. Their entire core (Tatum, Brown, Smart, Williams) are young and on long-term contracts. You'd expect them all to keep improving. They'd be an amazing team with Dame, but I wouldn't give up an 8 year window to push the chips in hard for 3 years, particularly given their defense is a big part of their identity.

They need to focus on upgrading from Pritchard as the back-up PG, and life after Horford too.

You hear about teams that tried the "let the cake bake" strategy before and not had it work. Many times teams try to seem content with their roster and letting their guys gel or slowly get better together and it rarely works out. Now maybe Boston can buck the trend and actually win that championship, but I really don't see them winning jack **** without a top tier scorer.

They will have a very good team for years to come, but in today's NBA that might not be good enough to actually collect that championship trophy.

Tatum is not a top-tier scorer?

One playoff series shouldn't change people's perception. He's also only 24 and projects to be a future MVP candidate (if he wasn't one this year).

Yeah I didn't realize Tatum was only slightly older than Simons, so maybe they can build it with just what they have making some minor adjustments.

His stats were also way better than I thought they were, but I haven't seen him play much admittedly. It also helps that Curry is 34 and likely will hit a real decline soon, at best he has 2 more years at being a high level player and even that is pushing the limit.

[Norm2953]

Agree to disagree. The point I was making is that Dame, Randle, Grant = Tatum, Brown, Smart. Or anthem way to look at it would be Randle(last year)=Brown, Tatum>Grant, Dame>>Smart. Of course I think Randle as a clear number 2 and Grant as a number 3 with Dame as the leader is a lot better than other people think. NYC is a toxic place and clearly Randle couldn't handle it but he would thrive in Portland and get back to his all NBA level.

Adding Randle/Grant to Portland would likely put Nurk is the fifth option on offense leaving for a very unhappy big
and literally nobody engaged to play defense and rebounding. Both guys are high usage, offensive minded players.

It's not a matter of adding more guys to score but how these guys would work together. If one places Dame in the
Curry role, think about the guys needed to play the Draymond Green role as well as the wing defenders with length
to defend on the perimeter.

[wco81]

It also helps that Curry is 34 and likely will hit a real decline soon, at best he has 2 more years at being a high level player and even that is pushing the limit.

The main issue is injuries, with more brittle older bodies.

But Curry has built up core and upper body strength at the expense of lateral quickness.

He used to be able to break down defenders off the dribble with lateral quickness on his crossover moves. Now he relies more on ball screens, handoffs and step back jumpers.

During the regular season he got off to a great start and he had games where he was cooking defenders. But in the latter part of the season, especially with that 3-pointer record chase, his efficiency went way down and he had trouble getting good looks.

In his prime, he'd catch and launch in one motion, with no hesitation. This season he was hesitating more and it wasn't helping.

So his game 4 performance at Boston was a big surprise, he hit a lot of contested jumpers off the dribble.

But Kerr's not going to let him have that kind of usage in the regular season so he'll shelve those one-on-one moves for the postseason, assuming he can still be effective going forward.


Before the Suns melted down, people were marveling at how CP3 was still so effective at age 37. They were talking up his diet and such. He even had one game where he was like 12 for 12.

So even for these smaller guards, who don't have elite bounce and quickness, they may be able to produce as they approach their mid 30s and even beyond.

But I think they're going to be more prone to injuries so the load management has to be aggressive.

In fact, Curry missed the last 2-3 weeks of the season when Smart rolled into his feet so that may have saved his legs for the playoffs.


I wonder if the performance of older players like Curry and CP3 would influence other teams decision making when it comes to questions like whether to extend and keep Dame.