Let’s Make A Deal! **Updated**

Posted on May 31, 2012 | 7 Comments

**UPDATE**

With a couple of recent trades (Corey Maggette for Ben Gordon, as well as Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza for Rashard Lewis, I’ve updated the trades with Charlotte (who is apparently looking to trade down) and Washington (there really is no point in updating New Orleans, since they aren’t moving the pick).

**

With the Raptors now selecting 8th, and the likelihood of finding a franchise altering player there pretty small, the team is in real danger of becoming perennially mediocre.  Again.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been through 18 years of that and am not anxious for more of the same.

So I’m going to use my blog as a soapbox to suggest a few options the Raptors might have to improve their lot. Please feel free to forward this to Bryan Colangelo.

I am not a fan of trading out of the draft, especially for a veteran. If your goal is simply to make the playoffs, but not actually build a contender, then packaging the pick for Rudy Gay or Andre Iguodala is fine. But we know what their ceiling is, and neither are franchise players. Neither are even perennial All Stars.

My feeling is that Colangelo should make available ANY player on the current roster to move up in the draft. There isn’t a player on the roster who isn’t expendable, as far as I’m concerned.

NEW ORLEANS

They have the first pick in the draft and the ability to draft Anthony Davis, who I think is the best big man prospect since Tim Duncan. If, for some strange reason, they are willing to trade the pick, here are a couple of options…

Option 1:

Andrea Bargnani
DeMar DeRozan
8th Pick
Top 10 protected pick next year, top 5 after that

for

Emeka Okafor
1st pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7pfrrhw

New Orleans gets an influx of talent, a lottery pick that could net them an All-Star, another possible lottery pick and gets rid of Okafor’s contract.

Option 2:

Ed Davis
DeMar DeRozan
8th pick
Top 10 protected pick next year, top 5 after that

for

Emeka Okafor
1st pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7g2ovkz

Similar to the above trade, but save much more money and look more towards the future with two young prospects.

Likelihood of dealing for the 1st pick: Infinitesimal, but what do the Raptors have to lose making the offer?

CHARLOTTE

Option 1: **Updated**

Andrea Bargnani
8th pick

for

Tyrus Thomas
2nd pick

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7heda6r

The Bobcats get rid of Thomas’ bad contract, while netting a very good scoring big man to play beside the defensive and rebounding machine, Bismack Biyombo. The Bobcats are apparently looking to trade down and are looking to upgrade their three point shooting. With this trade, they get both. With the rumour they are looking to move the pick, this trade suddenly becomes much more likely.

Option 2: **Updated**

Ed Davis
8th pick

for

Tyrus Thomas
2nd pick

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=82xp4nw

Use Davis’ North Carolina’s roots to entice Michael Jordan, and the prospect of saving him cash. Of the two deals, this one would probably be more likely, although I’m not a fan of losing Davis basically clearing the way for Bargnani to remain the starting PF for the Raptors.

Likelihood of dealing for the 2nd pick: **Updated** Fair. If the rumours are true that the Bobcats are looking to trade down and want 3 point shooting, then they might be ripe to be trading partners with the Raptors. Bargnani would provide the 3 point shooting, and would give them some sorely needed front court scoring. The question is whether they would trade as far down as the 8th pick.

WASHINGTON

Option 1: **Updated**

Andrea Bargnani

for

Andray Blatche
3rd pick

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=89xfr4v

With the trade for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, Washington desperately need Bargnani’s outside shooting and his scoring. Bargnani would benefit from John Wall‘s penetration and visa versa. By trading Blatche, instead of amnestying him, they use their money more wisely. And I’m guessing they’re not anxious to add another young player to the roster. They want to win now.

Option 2:

Andrea Bargnani
Gary Forbes
Raptors trade exception from the Barbosa trade

for

Rashard Lewis
Andray Blatche
3rd pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8a8m89l

Washington dumps their two bad contracts in one fell swoop, save a ton of cash, have the ability to sign a max free agent, get a $7 million trade exception and acquire a 20+ ppg scoring big man who can draw the defense out.

Option 3:

Jose Calderon
DeMar DeRozan
8th pick
37th pick

for

Rashard Lewis
3rd pick
32nd pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ctvrssr

Again, Washington saves money this season but with this deal doesn’t take back a long contract in return. Calderon gives them a steady PG to backup Wall and mentor him. DeRozan gives them another athlete that would benefit from the running game.  The Raptors would also move up a bit to the 2nd pick in the 2nd round.

Option 4:

DeMar DeRozan
Ed Davis/Amir Johnson
37th pick

for

Andre Blatche
3rd pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=c46w5ut
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=89fuedt  

I don’t think the Raptors even need to throw in the 8th pick for this. Washington gets two athletic young players with upside, and get rid of Blatche, a major headache with 3 more years on his contract. Including Davis would give them more potential, whereas Amir would have a more immediate impact.

Likelihood of dealing for the 3rd pick: Even money. Washington desperately wants to make the playoffs and make a big improvement next season. Trading JaVale McGee for Nene showed they are willing to take a shortcut to immediate respectability, and really the last thing they need is another player that needs to be developed. They are probably the most likely trading partner for Bargnani because he is exactly the type of offensive player they need, and one could argue that he would benefit playing beside a center like Nene. The most valuable thing the Raptors have, though, is cap room, which would allow the Wizards to go after a veteran free agent, like Eric Gordon, Ersan Ilyasova, Gerald Wallace or Landry Fields. Or maybe use their cap room to absorb a bigger contract (Rudy Gay).

CLEVELAND

Option 1:

DeMar DeRozan
8th pick

for

Luke Walton
4th pick
24th pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6nu99w9

Cleveland obviously doesn’t need another PF, but desperately needs good wing players. DeRozan still can be a good player, and they still only move down four slots, so should be able to draft another good prospect.

Likelihood of dealing for the 4th pick: Fairly even. They have different priorities than the Raptors, who need high ceiling players, and DeRozan and the 8th pick might look better for them than the 4th and 24th pick. Plus they save a few million by getting rid of Walton’s contract. Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, wants to win now and might see the possibility of having two young potential starters better than one enticing.

SPEAKING OF CLEVELAND…

If the Raptors can’t move up in the draft, and want to trade out of the draft, here’s an option I would be happy with…

Andrea Bargnani
8th pick

for

Tristan Thompson
Luke Walton
24th pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6o889n8

I have no idea if the Cavs would even consider this, but if the Raptors do decide to trade their 8th pick and can’t move up, I’d want a young prospect, like Tristan Thompson, in return. The Cavs would have two top 10 picks and a 20+ppg scoring big man. They could select Bradley Beal at 4 and John Henson at 8, or Andre Drummond at 4 and Jeremy Lamb at 8. It certainly should be, at least tempting.

The Raptors finally solidify their PF position with a talented Canadian, who should become a better player than any of the current Raptor PFs.

That would free up the Raptors to trade Ed Davis, possibly in an effort to do a sign and trade for Nicolas Batum. Or perhaps to Denver for Wilson Chandler…

Ed Davis
James Johnson

for

Wilson Chandler
20th pick

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7qgkxkt

Denver has plenty of SFs, but are lacking PFs. Davis gets a chance to play a lot of minutes and develop more quickly. Johnson becomes expendable for the Raptors, with the addition of Chandler, but might be enough to get Denver to throw in their 20th pick.

Thoughts, opinions?

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Join the discussion: 7 Comments

Category: Blazers, Bobcats, Cavs, Draft, Free Agency, Hornets, NBA, Nuggets, Raptors, Trade Proposals, Wizards

Comments

  • Tinman

    If any of the proposed trade partners read your blog, there is no way they will take what you are offering.
    You know as well as I do scenario 1 and 2 are out of the question – so why state them?
    Corey Meggette? Rashard Lewis? Andre Blatche? We get hosed on any of the trades involving any of the trio.
    Luke Walton? Have you been smoking with his dad?
    Your Cleveland deals(even option 1)are the only ones worthy of thought.

  • http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.

    Well, if we can just keep the New Orleans, Charlotte, Washington and Cleveland management from reading my blog, then I guess we’re in business. Great. I’m guessing that won’t be too hard.

    And I do actually say that New Orleans and Charlotte are not at all likely to make any of the deals I propose. Why state them? For fun and discussion. Why do you think? Do you think Colangelo is really going to check out my blog for trade options?

    And the point I am making is that trading up is so important, I would use the Raptors cap room and take back bad contracts in order to do it. Corey Maggette is no worse than Bargnani, but at least isn’t a big man. Lewis only has one year left and can be bought out for $13 million, and while I would be loathe to trade for Blatche, I’d do it as a last resort to get the 3rd pick, but then would buy him out.

    As for Walton, I’m not suggesting I would actually want him. You do realize that, don’t you? I’m suggesting taking back his contract might make Cleveland bite on a deal.

    The whole point is that Toronto needs to do whatever it takes to move up, and if that means using it’s cap space, which would probably just be used for an overpriced veteran, anyway, then so be it.

    Personally, I think Washington is a likely trade partner for the Raptors, if they want to move up. And I think my options are pretty realistic.

  • Rex

    I agree in that prying the 1st overall pick from New Orleans is pretty much impossible.

    The Washington scenario is probably realistic, but wouldn’t include the 8th pick, the Lewis contract is atrocious, and not sure if I like the 3rd pick THAT much, Davis will be gone, and it was pretty much Davis or bust the whole time, you saw how dejected Rich Cho looked when he found out he’d pick 2nd. I don’t think the dropoff from 3rd to 8th is a massive one, imo, at least not to do that kind of trade.

    That being said, I think the Bobcats still like the 2nd pick over much of what we have to offer, and wouldn’t give it away after that shitty of a season, as you’ve said.

    Washington does seem like a good fit as a trading partner though.

    Not interested in one of the Cleveland scenarios you mentioned, the 8th pick alone is worth more than Thompson, who is just a prospect, not a blue-chip prospect, in the mould of Ed Davis. Thompson would be a mid to late 1st rounder in this draft. Just not that convinced on Thompson, and won’t let one good but not great rookie season on a bad team convince me otherwise.

    I’ve also heard that the Kings are very much looking to trade their pick, but thats at 5th overall.

    A question, what was your draft order of preference for the Raps anyways? Say, top 10.

  • http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.

    Rashard Lewis’ contract is only for one more season, and he can actually be bought out for “just” $13 million, so it’s not as bad as it seems. I think the chance to grab Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Bradley Beal or, hell, even Andre Drummond (a guy I normally wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole) is worth taking on some bad contracts, quite frankly.

    Personally, I think Thompson looks much better than Davis, at this point. I had very high hopes for Davis, but I have seen so little improvement the past two seasons, I’m not quite sure what to think of him. I think Thompson has a chance to be a very good player and borderline All-Star. Quite frankly, it’s also a way to get rid of Bargnani and get something for him. I do see what you mean, though. It might be a little steep for Thompson.

    Depending on how the draft unfolds, the 5th pick might be exactly what the Raptors need. Who knows who’s going from 2 to 5? I certainly don’t.

    Do you mean my top ten player preference? That’s coming later.

  • Tinman

    My Spidey senses tell me the organization is leaning another way.
    Without crippling the organization financially, BC is going to swing for the fences. Whether it involves Nash coming(a huge if) making a move for AI with Philly or something unforseen halfway up Colangelo’s sleeve, buckle up your seatbelt.

    Whether it works ot for the better or not remains to be seen, all I know is this should be an interesting offseason.

  • chris

    “Corey Meggette? Rashard Lewis? Andre Blatche? We get hosed on any of the trades involving any of the them”

    Well Rashard’s contract is expiring so it’s officially not a bad contract anymore. Plus it can be bought out for about 50% of the sticker cost.
    I’m assuming the Wizards would do almost anything in order to get rid of that Blatche contract though.

    That said, Bargnani is exactly the kind of 3pt shooting that they don’t need. I can see them chasing a Ryan Anderson or Ilyasova who can provide some rebounding which they need almost as bad as 3pt shooting. They have a lot of young frontcourt talent and while none of it can shoot the 3, I still don’t see Bargnani has a good fit for the hardnosed defensive style they’re attempting to implement in the wake of the Thank-You-Jesus! Javale McGee trade.

    So yeah, as a Wizards fan, I’m not sure how I feel about those options.

  • http://www.braincolangelo.com Brain Colangelo

    All of these scenarios are ridiculous.

    I’d like to see Bargnani traded (with Bayless?) for Monta Ellis. The Raps get a nice scorer who can create off the dribble for others and can handle the point in limited bursts, get rid of Bargnani for a decent return and, most importantly, change the nature of the scoring attack so that they are reliant on legitimate shot-creation and offensive rebounding for scores. Casey would have an easier time hiding Monta on defence than Bargnani.

    This would push one or both of DeRozan and Calderon to the bench but that’s not a bad thing given that they both belong on the bench.

    If the raps could get another draft asset, great. If not, so be it. This does not adjust for a selection of Waiters, Lillard or Lamb (the likely picks in the 2012 draft) but you’d adjust for them by moving Ellis to more minutes at the point, DeRozan to SG, etc.

    PG: Calderon/player to be acquired
    SG: Ellis/DeRozan
    SF: James Johnson/Kleiza
    PF: Amir/Ed Davis
    C: Jonas V./Aaron Gray

    This would also set up either a situation where Calderon is traded for a rotation-calibre SF or DeRozan or Ed Davis is traded for a wing that can shoot and score.

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