Official Trade Thread -- Part XL

[DCZards]

I caught a little of Zach Lowe's recent podcast when he discussed the LA Clippers. He pointed out that the Clippers have lost 8 of their last 13 and they're struggling because they've got nobody who can get to the rim or generate free throws. All they do is take jumpers. They also don't have many options because they don't have the chips to acquire a dynamic playmaker. They'd like Lonzo Ball, but it's not gonna happen. Kawhi can leave this summer and Ibaka isn't getting any younger. They might be getting a little desperate.

The one thing they do have is deep pockets. And we happen to have a dynamic playmaker who is definitely a difference maker, but is woefully expensive. Would the Clippers be interested in having a Big Three in LA? How is this trade?

Washington trades: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner
Washington receives: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, $12M TPE

LA Clippers trade: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris
LA Clippers receive: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner

Boston trades: TPE
Boston receives: Marcus Morris

If you take Wagner and Zubac out, it works cap wise but there are problems with LA exceeding the hard cap. They need to unload an additional $4.5M, so I swapped Zubac for Wagner. The Clippers probably aren't thrilled about that, but I couldn't think of another way to unload salary. I guess we could take Kabangele and Patrick Patterson, but then they're sending out 5 guys and only getting back 1.

Obviously, the motivation for us is to dump Westbrook. Zubac is good and cheap. Williams is expiring. And Beverley is useful, has one more year left, and could probably be unloaded in the offseason if need be. That big TPE will be very useful, especially since, without Westbrook, we will have lot's of luxtax flexibility.

I don’t think the Zards would (or should) move Westbrook in a deal that diminishes the team’s talent level and doesn't bring a high draft pick. Beal likes playing with Russ, who is playing well most nights, and I’m sure BB would be pissed if the Zards traded him solely for monetary reasons.

Makes more sense to wait until the end of the season to see what, if any, changes are made in the FO and head coach…and where the Zards are drafting.

[Dat2U]

I caught a little of Zach Lowe's recent podcast when he discussed the LA Clippers. He pointed out that the Clippers have lost 8 of their last 13 and they're struggling because they've got nobody who can get to the rim or generate free throws. All they do is take jumpers. They also don't have many options because they don't have the chips to acquire a dynamic playmaker. They'd like Lonzo Ball, but it's not gonna happen. Kawhi can leave this summer and Ibaka isn't getting any younger. They might be getting a little desperate.

The one thing they do have is deep pockets. And we happen to have a dynamic playmaker who is definitely a difference maker, but is woefully expensive. Would the Clippers be interested in having a Big Three in LA? How is this trade?

Washington trades: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner
Washington receives: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, $12M TPE

LA Clippers trade: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris
LA Clippers receive: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner

Boston trades: TPE
Boston receives: Marcus Morris

If you take Wagner and Zubac out, it works cap wise but there are problems with LA exceeding the hard cap. They need to unload an additional $4.5M, so I swapped Zubac for Wagner. The Clippers probably aren't thrilled about that, but I couldn't think of another way to unload salary. I guess we could take Kabangele and Patrick Patterson, but then they're sending out 5 guys and only getting back 1.

Obviously, the motivation for us is to dump Westbrook. Zubac is good and cheap. Williams is expiring. And Beverley is useful, has one more year left, and could probably be unloaded in the offseason if need be. That big TPE will be very useful, especially since, without Westbrook, we will have lot's of luxtax flexibility.

I don’t think the Zards would (or should) move Westbrook in a deal that diminishes the team’s talent level and doesn't bring a high draft pick. Beal likes playing with Russ, who is playing well most nights, and I’m sure BB would be pissed if the Zards traded him solely for monetary reasons.

Makes more sense to wait until the end of the season to see what, if any, changes are made in the FO and head coach…and where the Zards are drafting.

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

[pcbothwel]

I caught a little of Zach Lowe's recent podcast when he discussed the LA Clippers. He pointed out that the Clippers have lost 8 of their last 13 and they're struggling because they've got nobody who can get to the rim or generate free throws. All they do is take jumpers. They also don't have many options because they don't have the chips to acquire a dynamic playmaker. They'd like Lonzo Ball, but it's not gonna happen. Kawhi can leave this summer and Ibaka isn't getting any younger. They might be getting a little desperate.

The one thing they do have is deep pockets. And we happen to have a dynamic playmaker who is definitely a difference maker, but is woefully expensive. Would the Clippers be interested in having a Big Three in LA? How is this trade?

Washington trades: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner
Washington receives: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, $12M TPE

LA Clippers trade: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris
LA Clippers receive: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner

Boston trades: TPE
Boston receives: Marcus Morris

If you take Wagner and Zubac out, it works cap wise but there are problems with LA exceeding the hard cap. They need to unload an additional $4.5M, so I swapped Zubac for Wagner. The Clippers probably aren't thrilled about that, but I couldn't think of another way to unload salary. I guess we could take Kabangele and Patrick Patterson, but then they're sending out 5 guys and only getting back 1.

Obviously, the motivation for us is to dump Westbrook. Zubac is good and cheap. Williams is expiring. And Beverley is useful, has one more year left, and could probably be unloaded in the offseason if need be. That big TPE will be very useful, especially since, without Westbrook, we will have lot's of luxtax flexibility.

I don’t think the Zards would (or should) move Westbrook in a deal that diminishes the team’s talent level and doesn't bring a high draft pick. Beal likes playing with Russ, who is playing well most nights, and I’m sure BB would be pissed if the Zards traded him solely for monetary reasons.

Makes more sense to wait until the end of the season to see what, if any, changes are made in the FO and head coach…and where the Zards are drafting.

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

Dat, I think you are missing the point. Its not about chasing the last playoff spot, its about the day after the trade...
It may feel good to do "something", and this would be a big something. But what does it do?

Does it make us better?
Does it give us youngs assets/draft picks?
Does it open up a max spot?

To me the answer ends up being no across the board. If Russ was a negative on the court then this would be an easy yes, but things have simply changed over the last month. We talk all day about good vs bad russ, but right now he is a net positive on the court, Beal loves him, the young guys love him, and he is a great guy to have in the mundane dog days as his energy never waivers.

[JAR69]

I caught a little of Zach Lowe's recent podcast when he discussed the LA Clippers. He pointed out that the Clippers have lost 8 of their last 13 and they're struggling because they've got nobody who can get to the rim or generate free throws. All they do is take jumpers. They also don't have many options because they don't have the chips to acquire a dynamic playmaker. They'd like Lonzo Ball, but it's not gonna happen. Kawhi can leave this summer and Ibaka isn't getting any younger. They might be getting a little desperate.

The one thing they do have is deep pockets. And we happen to have a dynamic playmaker who is definitely a difference maker, but is woefully expensive. Would the Clippers be interested in having a Big Three in LA? How is this trade?

Washington trades: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner
Washington receives: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, $12M TPE

LA Clippers trade: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris
LA Clippers receive: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner

Boston trades: TPE
Boston receives: Marcus Morris

If you take Wagner and Zubac out, it works cap wise but there are problems with LA exceeding the hard cap. They need to unload an additional $4.5M, so I swapped Zubac for Wagner. The Clippers probably aren't thrilled about that, but I couldn't think of another way to unload salary. I guess we could take Kabangele and Patrick Patterson, but then they're sending out 5 guys and only getting back 1.

Obviously, the motivation for us is to dump Westbrook. Zubac is good and cheap. Williams is expiring. And Beverley is useful, has one more year left, and could probably be unloaded in the offseason if need be. That big TPE will be very useful, especially since, without Westbrook, we will have lot's of luxtax flexibility.

I don’t think the Zards would (or should) move Westbrook in a deal that diminishes the team’s talent level and doesn't bring a high draft pick. Beal likes playing with Russ, who is playing well most nights, and I’m sure BB would be pissed if the Zards traded him solely for monetary reasons.

Makes more sense to wait until the end of the season to see what, if any, changes are made in the FO and head coach…and where the Zards are drafting.

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

I like the idea, but I don't think the Clips would do it. They are giving up too much depth and PT. Those four players play about 90 minutes/game and score around 40 pts/game - about 1/3 of the Clips' time/scoring. Westbrook/Wagner bring back about 60-75% of that (50 mins/game and 29 pts/game). The Clips don't have players obviously ready to pick up the slack.

One way to even it out would be to add in Matthews. As a two-way player, I don't think he counts at all in salary cap/trade calculus. That's another 17 mins/6.7 pts. You could even take out Zubac and substitute Kagbengele and Patterson, if you add in Matthews, making it a 5 for 2 trade. (I think that keeps them under the hard cap, but I didn't do the math.)

Maybe Matthews is more than you want to give to dump Westbrook's contract, and we wouldn't get Zubac. But I'd still do it (for Dat's mollywhop reasons, among others).

[nate33]

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

Dat, I think you are missing the point. Its not about chasing the last playoff spot, its about the day after the trade...
It may feel good to do "something", and this would be a big something. But what does it do?

Does it make us better?
Does it give us youngs assets/draft picks?
Does it open up a max spot?

To me the answer ends up being no across the board. If Russ was a negative on the court then this would be an easy yes, but things have simply changed over the last month. We talk all day about good vs bad russ, but right now he is a net positive on the court, Beal loves him, the young guys love him, and he is a great guy to have in the mundane dog days as his energy never waivers.

It gets our cap figure next year down to $98M. If we unload Beverley, it's $85M. Make it $88M if we resign Mathews.

$88M for the following lineup:
PG
SG Beal/Mathews
SF Avdija/Brown
PF Hachimura/Bertans
C Zubak/Bryant

We would add a top 6 draft pick and about $24M in cap room. How about Jalen Suggs and Lonzo Ball to fill the hole at PG?

[TGW]

The Wizards shouldn't be making or not making trades based off the feelings, emotions, or the personal relationships of the players on the team. That line of thinking is what got them here.

If it were possible to move Westbrook at the deadline for expirings, of course you do that. Don't be ridiculous.

[pcbothwel]

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

Dat, I think you are missing the point. Its not about chasing the last playoff spot, its about the day after the trade...
It may feel good to do "something", and this would be a big something. But what does it do?

Does it make us better?
Does it give us youngs assets/draft picks?
Does it open up a max spot?

To me the answer ends up being no across the board. If Russ was a negative on the court then this would be an easy yes, but things have simply changed over the last month. We talk all day about good vs bad russ, but right now he is a net positive on the court, Beal loves him, the young guys love him, and he is a great guy to have in the mundane dog days as his energy never waivers.

It gets our cap figure next year down to $98M. If we unload Beverley, it's $85M. Make it $88M if we resign Mathews.

$88M for the following lineup:
PG
SG Beal/Mathews
SF Avdija/Brown
PF Hachimura/Bertans
C Zubak/Bryant

We would add a top 6 draft pick and about $24M in cap room. How about Jalen Suggs and Lonzo Ball to fill the hole at PG?

The 7 players you listed plus Suggs would be 90M. That doesnt include any holds.
That said, I dont see how we get Ball when he definitely wants to go to NY and is still a RFA for NOP.

Id rather do nothing except move Bertans for expirings and a pick, pick Mobley, and use the Full MLE. I dont see how that team is worse than the one you listed.

[DCZards]

The Wizards shouldn't be making or not making trades based off the feelings, emotions, or the personal relationships of the players on the team. That line of thinking is what got them here.

If it were possible to move Westbrook at the deadline for expirings, of course you do that. Don't be ridiculous.

That sounds great in theory but if your goal is to keep Beal long-term then I suggest you don't dismiss how he feels about the major trades and moves you make.

[TGW]

The Wizards shouldn't be making or not making trades based off the feelings, emotions, or the personal relationships of the players on the team. That line of thinking is what got them here.

If it were possible to move Westbrook at the deadline for expirings, of course you do that. Don't be ridiculous.

That sounds great in theory but if your goal is to keep Beal long-term then I suggest you don't dismiss how he feels about the major trades and moves you make.

Beal is the best player on a 15-25 team. His feedback on potential moves should be noted but shouldn't be the centerpiece of the team's moves going forward. He isn't Lebron.

[DCZards]

The Wizards shouldn't be making or not making trades based off the feelings, emotions, or the personal relationships of the players on the team. That line of thinking is what got them here.

If it were possible to move Westbrook at the deadline for expirings, of course you do that. Don't be ridiculous.

That sounds great in theory but if your goal is to keep Beal long-term then I suggest you don't dismiss how he feels about the major trades and moves you make.

Beal is the best player on a 15-25 team. His feedback on potential moves should be noted but shouldn't be the centerpiece of the team's moves going forward. He isn't Lebron.

Then we basically agree...see what Beal has to say before trading Russ.

[DCZards]

I caught a little of Zach Lowe's recent podcast when he discussed the LA Clippers. He pointed out that the Clippers have lost 8 of their last 13 and they're struggling because they've got nobody who can get to the rim or generate free throws. All they do is take jumpers. They also don't have many options because they don't have the chips to acquire a dynamic playmaker. They'd like Lonzo Ball, but it's not gonna happen. Kawhi can leave this summer and Ibaka isn't getting any younger. They might be getting a little desperate.

The one thing they do have is deep pockets. And we happen to have a dynamic playmaker who is definitely a difference maker, but is woefully expensive. Would the Clippers be interested in having a Big Three in LA? How is this trade?

Washington trades: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner
Washington receives: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, $12M TPE

LA Clippers trade: Zubac, Lou Williams, Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris
LA Clippers receive: Russell Westbrook, Mo Wagner

Boston trades: TPE
Boston receives: Marcus Morris

If you take Wagner and Zubac out, it works cap wise but there are problems with LA exceeding the hard cap. They need to unload an additional $4.5M, so I swapped Zubac for Wagner. The Clippers probably aren't thrilled about that, but I couldn't think of another way to unload salary. I guess we could take Kabangele and Patrick Patterson, but then they're sending out 5 guys and only getting back 1.

Obviously, the motivation for us is to dump Westbrook. Zubac is good and cheap. Williams is expiring. And Beverley is useful, has one more year left, and could probably be unloaded in the offseason if need be. That big TPE will be very useful, especially since, without Westbrook, we will have lot's of luxtax flexibility.

I don’t think the Zards would (or should) move Westbrook in a deal that diminishes the team’s talent level and doesn't bring a high draft pick. Beal likes playing with Russ, who is playing well most nights, and I’m sure BB would be pissed if the Zards traded him solely for monetary reasons.

Makes more sense to wait until the end of the season to see what, if any, changes are made in the FO and head coach…and where the Zards are drafting.

If they could move Westbrook without attaching a pick, they should do so. Waiting till the end of the season may satisfy the empty calories of chasing the 8th seed but it doesn't really mean anything if a team has bigger aspirations than that. Getting mollywhopped by the Nets or Bucks in the 1st round isn't a feel good moment. It will just be a reminder of how big the gap actually is.

This is not about making the playoffs. (Although if the Zards made the playoffs the last thing I’d worry about is losing.) It’s about building a winning culture. The proposed trade with the Clippers would make the Zards worse than they are now.

Yes, it would be nice to have the cap space that would come from trading Westbrook for expiring contracts. But cap space is overrated, especially when you’re a lousy team that no top free agent would even think about signing with.

(Together, Brad and Russ are two of the most-respected, high character people/leaders in the NBA. The kind of guys another good player might want to play with.)

Any midseason trade of Westbrook should bring real assets in return, like a good young player or a high draft pick. Otherwise, I say wait until the end of the season…and a possible new Zards regime.

[Dark Faze]

That'd be a terrific trade for both teams imo. Lou Williams is a horrible playoff performer. So essentially in terms of the post season it'd be Russ for Zubac and Bev...easy upgrade. If the Clips have a bad post season result, idk, the only reason Kawhi would stay would be for LA. He certainly wouldn't be doing so based on the basketball.

As for us: lol. We're no where close to winning with this core. If we were sniffing .500 I'd at least kind of understand, but to be this woeful is a heavy indication that we have foundational level issues that quite frankly require a tear down. An example of a team needing a lucky acquisition to get over the hump is this era's Raptors, who played really great basketball and couldn't overcome LeBron's teams. We haven't even approached that.

[Dat2U]

That sounds great in theory but if your goal is to keep Beal long-term then I suggest you don't dismiss how he feels about the major trades and moves you make.

Beal is the best player on a 15-25 team. His feedback on potential moves should be noted but shouldn't be the centerpiece of the team's moves going forward. He isn't Lebron.

Then we basically agree...see what Beal has to say before trading Russ.

Beal's input should be given and appreciated but the player is only going to be focused on this season as he should be. A player isn't going to have a long term focus. You let LeBron have more input because every single season, he expects to compete for a title. Nothing Beal suggests will get us a title this year so you consider his POV and you let him know ahead of time, what you will do out of respect but we shouldn't sacrifice or delay tomorrow so we can get run out of the building in the playoffs.

If there's an opportunity to reset cap wise and retool this offseason without costing picks then go for it. That presents a far better opportunity to put a team alongside Beal that can aim higher than just having 8th seed aspirations. If Beal doesn't want to be a part of it then his market value remains strong and the Wizards would be in a great position to jumpstart a rebuild with their own pick plus the assets from a Beal trade.

[nate33]

Beal is the best player on a 15-25 team. His feedback on potential moves should be noted but shouldn't be the centerpiece of the team's moves going forward. He isn't Lebron.

Then we basically agree...see what Beal has to say before trading Russ.

Beal's input should be given and appreciated but the player is only going to be focused on this season as he should be. A player isn't going to have a long term focus. You let LeBron have more input because every single season, he expects to compete for a title. Nothing Beal suggests will get us a title this year so you consider his POV and you let him know ahead of time, what you will do out of respect but we shouldn't sacrifice or delay tomorrow so we can get run out of the building in the playoffs.

If there's an opportunity to reset cap wise and retool this offseason without costing picks then go for it. That presents a far better opportunity to put a team alongside Beal that can aim higher than just having 8th seed aspirations. If Beal doesn't want to be a part of it then his market value remains strong and the Wizards would be in a great position to jumpstart a rebuild with their own pick plus the assets from a Beal trade.

Agree with all of this. Another thing is that there are so few willing sellers right now. With the flattening of the lottery odds and the addition of the play-in tournament, there are very few teams with motivation to punt on this season. That means it is a seller's market. Contending teams looking to add can't find any trade partners. We need to leverage this dynamic now and become the one team willing to sell. I really think we could get off of Westbrook's contract, which would be amazing. Such an opportunity would not exist in the offseason when teams are more sober-minded about long term cap ramifications. The end result would be that we dump John Wall's albatross contract at the cost of a heavily protected first (while also getting back a good, cost-controlled asset in return in Zubak).

Some argue that it's not critical to have cap room because there are no max caliber free agents, but that overlooks all of the other advantages of cap room. It allows you to buy picks. It allows you to sign good vets to overpriced one-year deals and then trade them at the Trade Deadline next year (like what New York did with Marcus Morris a year ago).

Finally, unloading Westbrook would force the offense to run through our youngsters more, and that would help them develop.

[Dat2U]

Then we basically agree...see what Beal has to say before trading Russ.

Beal's input should be given and appreciated but the player is only going to be focused on this season as he should be. A player isn't going to have a long term focus. You let LeBron have more input because every single season, he expects to compete for a title. Nothing Beal suggests will get us a title this year so you consider his POV and you let him know ahead of time, what you will do out of respect but we shouldn't sacrifice or delay tomorrow so we can get run out of the building in the playoffs.

If there's an opportunity to reset cap wise and retool this offseason without costing picks then go for it. That presents a far better opportunity to put a team alongside Beal that can aim higher than just having 8th seed aspirations. If Beal doesn't want to be a part of it then his market value remains strong and the Wizards would be in a great position to jumpstart a rebuild with their own pick plus the assets from a Beal trade.

Agree with all of this. Another thing is that there are so few willing sellers right now. With the flattening of the lottery odds and the addition of the play-in tournament, there are very few teams with motivation to punt on this season. That means it is a seller's market. Contending teams looking to add can't find any trade partners. We need to leverage this dynamic now and become the one team willing to sell. I really think we could get off of Westbrook's contract, which would be amazing. Such an opportunity would not exist in the offseason when teams are more sober-minded about long term cap ramifications. The end result would be that we dump John Wall's albatross contract at the cost of a heavily protected first (while also getting back a good, cost-controlled asset in return in Zubak).

Some argue that it's not critical to have cap room because there are no max caliber free agents, but that overlooks all of the other advantages of cap room. It allows you to buy picks. It allows you to sign good vets to overpriced one-year deals and then trade them at the Trade Deadline next year (like what New York did with Marcus Morris a year ago).

Finally, unloading Westbrook would force the offense to run through our youngsters more, and that would help them develop.

Getting the ball in Avdija's hands is major part of it as well. I see some point F skills and he needs to flesh it out in extended game settings. You also get to see Rui operate as a 2nd option to see if you've really got something with him.

[gambitx777]

Honestly I can see us trading westbrook with out blowing it all up. And we arnt doing that. I would like to see Bertans moved. I would like to see something for brown and mo. I would like to get under the tax so we can plan the buy out market and make a play for drummand and maybe bring up mathews or give RHJ a call.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

[nate33]

Honestly I can see us trading westbrook with out blowing it all up. And we arnt doing that. I would like to see Bertans moved. I would like to see something for brown and mo. I would like to get under the tax so we can plan the buy out market and make a play for drummand and maybe bring up mathews or give RHJ a call.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

Let it go.

It just doesn't make sense to dump Bertans and then add Drummond.

[gambitx777]

Naw man, I ain't letting that go! Drummand makes sense for this team the way it plays. And rui is primed to step up. I'm holding my ground on this one for sure! Plus if it makes beal happy.

Honestly I can see us trading westbrook with out blowing it all up. And we arnt doing that. I would like to see Bertans moved. I would like to see something for brown and mo. I would like to get under the tax so we can plan the buy out market and make a play for drummand and maybe bring up mathews or give RHJ a call.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

Let it go.

It just doesn't make sense to dump Bertans and then add Drummond.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

[payitforward]

This is not about making the playoffs. (Although if the Zards made the playoffs the last thing I’d worry about is losing.) It’s about building a winning culture. The proposed trade with the Clippers would make the Zards worse than they are now.

Yes, it would be nice to have the cap space that would come from trading Westbrook for expiring contracts. But cap space is overrated, especially when you’re a lousy team that no top free agent would even think about signing with.

(Together, Brad and Russ are two of the most-respected, high character people/leaders in the NBA. The kind of guys another good player might want to play with.)

Any midseason trade of Westbrook should bring real assets in return, like a good young player or a high draft pick. Otherwise, I say wait until the end of the season…and a possible new Zards regime.

Zards -- Zubac is a good player; don't underestimate the benefit he brings in this trade idea. Young too -- he's 1 year older than Rui.

We are 15-25 this year. We are 72-122 over the last 3 years. IMO, we have no choice but to bet on the development of Brown, Rui, Deni, Bonga & Bryant. Mathews too -- & maybe even Wagner should be added to the list. Winston too for that matter!

We have to double down on those guys -- & I write that even though, as you know, I'm skeptical about Rui. For that matter, I'm skeptical about all of them! But, if Russ becomes the player he was two years ago (not his peak but a gentle decline) & a good number of those guys work out -- we have the makings of a very good team.

We'll also have a high R1 pick from '21 &, if we're smart, we'll have bought a high R2 pick as well.

IOW, as far in as we are, & as best as I can see it, we kind of have to see this through. If we start shedding young assets in return for much less than we used to acquire them... that road heads downwards & takes us nowhere.

But, what that does mean, IMO, is that the guy who has to go is Davis Bertans. We have $117m+ committed to 7 players next year. 3/8 of that is Russ's salary. If the Clippers would give us Zubac & any expiring salary (Lou Williams would work) for Bertans, it would be a great trade for us.

We'd have two bets going in a sense -- one on Russ & the other on the crew of young players (i.e. that a good number of them work out).

I can't see a better alternative. Certainly there's no FA to add who is good enough, affordable enough, & interested enough in coming here that he'd be likely to be much of a help.

[payitforward]

Bertans & Gill for Zubac & Williams allows us to slide under the tax. The Clips have deep pockets as was written above. & their window is closing.

Would they view a gunner like Davis as giving them the chance to maybe grab a title before it's time to rebuild?