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The Trading Post
Posted on | February 16, 2010 | 1 Comment
When I worked at EA Sports a number of years ago, I was involved heavily in `Franchise Mode’. It was a natural fit for me and I loved it. Though gameplay was fun, it was managing the roster that I found the most fun. Making trades, drafting etc. What the game never achieved, however, was the hype surrounding this time of year in the NBA. I know I should probably take Doug Smith’s tact and hate this time of year because it’s not about the game, and involves innuendo and rumours, the bane of his existence, but I can’t help it. It’s fun.
Yes, it can be fun for the fan, but for the players it must be torture. Imagine you’re busy going about your job when you keep hearing your name popping up in rumoured transfers to other branches in different cities. It must be difficult.
So with all due respect to the players, this post is dedicated to discussing every rumoured deal, and maybe proposing a new one or two. There are simply too many deals to discuss every single one, so I’ll focus on a few that seem to have legs. First off, though, I’m going to look at Toronto’s situation.
TORONTO
For the first time in a while, the Raptors are virtually a non-entity on the trade rumour mill. It’s a good sign. Making a deal might end up backfiring for the Raptors, unless it seriously upgrades their talent level. Still, there are a couple of moves they could make that might improve them.
Andre Igoudala for Demar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Marcus Banks
In an earlier post, I proposed including Calderon in a trade for Iguodala, in this one, he’s not included, but Philly gets more salary relief. Banks’ contract isn’t great, but it’s 3 years less than Iguodala’s. Including Amir gives them another young prospect, as well as an expiring contract. Obviously Iguodala would be a great fit for the Raptors, and might be enough to entice Bosh to re-sign.
Andris Biedrins for Amir Johnson and Marcus Banks
While Amir Johnson is having a great season for the Raptors, and fills a need, the fact that he’s a free agent this summer makes it a real possibility he won’t be back. Why not use his expiring contract to try and get something in return. Biedrins is underutilized in Golden State and overpaid, but his rebounding, shot blocking and mobility would be a great replacement for Johnson, and the fact that he’s got a long term contract means that he’ll be around for a while. The biggest plus, though, would be that he would be a better insurance policy for Bosh than Johnson.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Antawn Jamison for J.J. Hickson and Z. Ilguaskas
Antawn Jamison is the perfect PF on the market to play with LeBron. He can score outside and inside, and would more than likely get them to the Finals. On the downside, he’s 33, so you’ve got to question how much longer he can play at such a high level. With LeBron not even being 25, the best way to keep him around is to surround him with guys who will be around for a while. Of course, Washington apparently doesn’t want to deal with Cleveland because of the history between them.
Amare Soudemire for J.J. Hickson, Z. Ilguaskas and Jamario Moon (or someone like him)
This would be the trade that would bring the best player, and since he’s indicated he won’t opt out, he’ll probably be with the team for at least another season and would be a huge enticement for LeBron to re-sign. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s a good fit, and I think he might not like to be LeBron’s second fiddle. On the court, the Cavs currently have LeBron and Shaq to play inside, and I don’t see there being much room down there. Add Stoudamire, and if these guys don’t bump into each other, I’d be surprised. There are also conflicting reports that he my not want to be traded to Cleveland.
Phoenix would be getting Hickson, who is a talented, young big man, as well as Iguaskas’ expiring contract. If I was Phoenix, I’d keep looking.
Troy Murphy for J.J. Hickson and Z. Ilguaskas
Troy Murphy might be the best PF for the Cavs to trade for. He’s younger than Jamison and a better outside shooter than Stoudemire. Plus he’s a better rebounder than either of them. I also think he might be cheaper to trade for. He’s the least sexy option, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is who they end up getting.
A salary dump for Indiana, plus they get a good young prospect in Hickson. This might be the best deal out there and the best chance to rid themselves of Murphy’s contract. On the plus side, it opens up playing time for rookie Tyler Hansbridge.
Corey Maggette and Raja Bell for J.J. Hickson and Z. Ilguaskas
Now, I haven’t actually heard Bell’s name in any proposed deal, but it works and makes sense. Maggette is having possibly his best year as a pro, and he’s probably more what Cleveland needs. He’s that second scorer that Mo Williams and Shaq simply aren’t. With both him and LeBron on the floor together, opposing teams couldn’t have a weak defender defending Maggette, as they can with Parker. If I was Cleveland, this might be my first choice of the rumoured deals.
Another salary dump, and considering that no one wanted to touch Maggette a year ago, getting Hickson might be a huge bonus. Golden State has too many wing players, too many scorers and not enough healthy PFs. This is a no brainer, in my opinion.
Now, I have only heard Stoudemire’s name, and no one from Miami, so this is purely conjecture. It would completely kill any cap room they would have this summer, but the question is, would they be able to get anyone better than these two? A lineup of Amare, Beasley, Richardson (either Jason or Quentin) and Wade would be pretty offensively potent. The rim would certainly get a workout. I don’t know how good they’d be defensively, though. Possibly even worse than the Raptors.
The latest rumour is that Miami is looking for a third team to trade with, which makes sense, because I don’t see the above trade going down. Despite their desire for Stoudemire, the only thing they really have of any value they are apparently willing to trade is O’Neal and his expiring contract. I’d be surprised if Amare lands in Miami because apart from the above deal, where they get rid of all but Nash’s big contract, there’s nothing Miami has that the Suns would want.
Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert for Tracy McGrady
I don’t know who’s reluctant to make this deal, but it had better be Philadelphia. I know Houston would be taking back salary, and Dalembert would have to move to the bench when Yao returned, but how could you not do this deal? Adding Iguodala to Ariza and Battier would be potent, and having Dalembert would allow Yao to play limited minutes, possibly extending his career. Quite frankly, I think Philadelphia might be looking for a little more than McGrady for Iguodala, and so they should.
Jordan Hill, Jarred Jeffries and Larry Hughes for Tracy McGrady
This is the latest rumour and it makes a little more sense for both teams. Houston gets New Yorks 2009 lottery pick, Jordan Hill and Hughes’ expiring contract, so they still save money. New York gets more cap space and can try McGrady out for a couple of months. If I was Houston, though, I’d ask for a draft pick as well.
Marcus Camby for Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake
Injuries have really hurt Portland’s chances this year, and this trade highlights just how much. Outlaw and Blake are valuable, but they’re free agents this summer, and might not want to re-sign onto Portland’s loaded roster. Camby gives them a real center so they can remain competitive the rest of the season. The Clippers get a good backup for the rest of the season and maybe re-sign outlaw, who could end up starting for the Clippers, when healthy. Really, it’s a short term deal for both, but Portland has the chance to benefit the most. If I were the Clippers, I’d try and get more for Camby and his expiring contract.
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Those are the main rumoured trades around the league, at least ones that I see even remotely happening. Here are a few that I think make sense, but I haven’t heard mentioned.
Mike Miller and Fabricio Oberto for J.J. Hickson and Z. Ilguaskas
This is one I haven’t heard, and considering Washington’s feelings about dealing with Cleveland, probably wouldn’t happen. It is probably the best deal Cleveland could do, however. Miller is the outside shooter and scoring threat the Cavs need at the wing position, and while Oberto’s best days are behind him, and hasn’t been playing much in Washington, he’s got playoff experience with the Spurs, which looks good on anyone’s resume. Besides, he’d only be needed to play a few minutes here and there.
Mike Miller was traded for when it looked like the Wizards might be a playoff team. They are not. Getting Hickson would be a plus. In the end, it’s a low risk deal that makes sense for both teams.
Kirk Hinrich and Jannero Pargo for Sacha Vujacic, Adam Morrison and Jordan Farmar
The Bulls want to clear more cap room to try and get a big free agent, and the Lakers weakest position is PG. Hinrich is made for the triangle offense and would become their best PG. He doesn’t need to handle the ball to be effective but is a better passer than any of the present Laker PGs, is a very good defender and has lots of playoff experience. The Bulls clear cap room, but also get a couple of nice, young bench players.
Amare Stoudemire for Tyrus Thomas and Brad Miller
I know the Bulls are hoping for Wade to sign, but that’s unlikely, and what they need more than anything is an inside scorer. They discussed trading for Amare last season, but nothing happened. He’s now healthy and would give the Bulls another scorer, which they have lacked. Tyrus Thomas has struggled in his time in Chicago, but he’s not made for that kind of ball. If anyone would benefit from playing with Nash, Thomas would. If the Suns do trade Amare, I think Thomas is the best prospect they could get for him. Miller’s expiring contract means it’s basically Amare for Thomas, which, considering the circumstances makes sense.
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Now, although Orlando has not really been mentioned in any trade talk, I think they need to make some sort of deal. The only reason they beat Cleveland last year is because they matched up well against them, but this year that isn’t so. Trading for Vince hasn’t worked out as well as they hoped, and could use a creative wing player who can do what Turkoglu did, which be the initiator. The player who would be absolutely perfect would have been Iguodala, but Orlando has absolutely no pieces that Philadelphia would want. That might mean bringing a third team into it, but I can’t see who.
Boston’s window is closing, if it isn’t already closed. Danny Ainge has to figure out if the team is still a contender, and may want to use Ray Allen’s expiring contract to get younger.
Minnesota is apparently interested in Tyrus Thomas, but I don’t know who they want to send back in return. The question is, why on earth would they want Thomas? Thinking about it, though, it makes perfect sense. They drafted two starting PGs in the last draft, so might as well deal for another PF when their two best players are PFs. They’re very big on redundancy in Minnesota, and if the GM continues to make moves that don’t quite make sense, he’s going to find himself redundant.
Does This Mean We Can Plan The Parade Route Again?
Posted on | February 4, 2010 | 18 Comments
Well, I guess all is right with the world since the Raptors won again. Whew!
The Raptors certainly didn’t look great against the Nets, but with three main players, including two starters, missing, I wouldn’t expect a perfect game. If it wasn’t for the Raptors vaunted depth, New Jersey might be riding high on win #5 right now. Despite the Raptors missing over 31 ppg, however, they still managed to score over a 100 points for their 15th straight game.
I was having a discussion with someone over at Raptors Republic about, of all things, the Raptors. This fan, after the loss to Indiana, jumped to point out all the problems with the Raptors, insisting that the loss was an indication of everything that was wrong with this team. A fact he at first dismissed and then grudgingly accepted was the fact that the Raptors are a young team. Regular readers know that I’ve discussed this before, but it’s worth going over again.
The ten players on the Raptors roster who play at least 10 minutes per game and have played in most of the games, so can be considered regular rotation players, have an average age of 24.6 years old. And only two rotation players are above the age of 26, Turkoglu and Calderon. That’s very young. It’s especially young when you look around the league a little…
Orlando: 27.8
Charlotte: 27
Miami: 27.2
Chicago: 26.4
Atlanta: 26
Even Atlanta, which has been discussed so much about being a young team, has a lot of older rotation players. Bibby and Joe smith are over 30, and Jamal Crawford is 29. Joe Johnson is 28.
And notice that the three teams the Raptors are currently battling for the 5th seed are all pretty veteran teams, even Chicago, who have Brad Miller, John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich all 29 or over.
It turns out that the Raptors have the fourth youngest rotation in the entire league.
Golden State: 24.9
Toronto: 24.6
Portland: 24.5
Memphis 24.4
Oklahoma City: 23
Interestingly, Toronto, Portland, Memphis and Oklahoma City all are within 1½ games of one another in the league standings.
So to get back to this discussion I was having, this fan felt that I should not be happy with where the Raptors are right now, and that, since it was obvious the Raptors would not be going deep into the playoffs, that the season was pretty much a failure.
Well, unlike this fan, I tend to look at the big picture. The Raptors are an extremely young team that has played .625 basketball since November, and look to have a bright future ahead. Hopefully Chris Bosh will view things the same way come the summer.
How To Fix The Raptors (Part 2)
Posted on | December 2, 2009 | 8 Comments
In the first part, I looked at (mostly) what could be done internally to help the Raptors. I came to conclusion that lineup and coaching changes don’t really fix was is fundamentally wrong with the Raptors and wouldn’t really have much of an effect, at least positively. Today, I looked at trades.
TRADE CALDERON
He’s obviously been a weak link defensively, and on a team that is as bad defensively as the Raptors are, he’s an obvious target. If Calderon were on a better defensive team, his defensive deficiencies wouldn’t be such a problem but on the Raptors, he’s fully exposed. Teams can, and have, won with PG’s are are average, at best, defensively. Calderon can be a very good offensive player, and is a better PG than many Raptor fans seem to understand, but when opposing PG’s keep circling dates against the Raptors because they know they’ll play well, it’s a problem.
Unfortunately, there’s a difference between wanting to trade a player and being able to. Scott Carefoot, over at Raptorsblog, recently ran a contest of sorts. He, himself, couldn’t figure out a half decent trade involving Calderon, so he enlisted his readers. The best they apparently came up with was a very mediocre deal involving Detroit that I don’t think improves the Raptors much, if at all. I’m not willing to trade Calderon away for spare parts when improving the defense of the team around him would help more.
TRADE BOSH
With the season going down the toilet, the chance of re-signing Bosh seems to be getting slimmer and slimmer. Well, I might agree if it were later in the season, but since we’re barely into December, I’m not willing to lower the lifeboats just yet on the season. If the Raptors are still playing this way come February, then we can discuss trading Bosh.
TRADE BARGNANI
While teams can, and have, won with mediocre to below average defenders at PG, they rarely win with poor defenders in the middle, especially if the other front court player isn’t a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Boston has Garnett (and Perkins and Wallace), Orlando has Howard, Atlanta has Josh Smith, the Laker have Gasol and Bynum and Denver has Nene and Martin. While Bosh isn’t an elite defender, he’s been better this year, but it’s his scoring and rebounding that make him so invaluable. If he’s not a stopper, he’s at least keeping opposing teams off the boards because he’s grabbing them himself. The same cannot be said of Bargnani.
Going into the season, Bargnani was thought by many to be the strongest link defensively. He seemed to play pretty well last season, at least guarding his man, and was the team’s leading shot blocker. Well, watching him play this season, I have to say that of all the offenders on the defensive end, Bargnani may very well be the worst. While Calderon doesn’t have the footspeed to stay with quicker guards, he seems to put in effort, at the very least. Bargnani, for much of the time, seems completely disinterested in playing defense at all. His rotations are beyond horrible and he doesn’t seem to understand the simple principle of boxing his own man out (this after spending the summer with Moses Malone). In the game against Boston, Triano ended up benching Bargnani for much of the fourth quarter because he was so ineffective and probably should have done the same against Phoenix.
To me, the player most in need of being traded, and the player that will have the most positive effect on the team by being traded, is Bargnani. A blasphemous thought to many Raptor fans, it’s becoming more and more apparent that he’s not the player many hoped he would be and is an ill fit on a team so lacking on defense. It’s not that I don’t think he can be successful. I think he could prosper on a team like Chicago or Houston, that is already strong defensively, especially in the front court. On the Raptors, however, his lack of rebounding and defense consistently hurt the team.
So, as I stated with Calderon, there’s a difference between wanting to trade a player and actually finding a deal. Well, thanks to RealGM Trade Checker and ESPN’s Trade Machine, I’ve found a few possibilities. Now, I have no idea whether the other team would pull the trigger, but I think they’re good deals for both teams.
DEAL #1
Andrea Bargnani
Antoine Wright
for
Luol Deng
As I stated, I think Bargnani could fit in well in Chicago, because they are a good defensive and rebounding team, and would be able to mask his weaknesses well. They are, however, a horrible offensive team, especially from beyond the arc, and could desperately use Bargnani’s shooting. He’d be a favourite target on kickouts from Rose.
Luol Deng, despite being several inches shorter, is a better rebounder than Bargnani and a solid defender. He is a very good scorer, but not a great outside shooter. His rebounding would allow Turkoglu to move to PF and not have the rebounding suffer. While it wouldn’t give the Raptors a great defensive big man, it shores up the wing defense and the Raptors don’t lose any scoring.
The big problem with this trade is that Deng has been scoring in the 20’s lately, and Chicago would probably not be all that anxious to deal him right now. The only thing working in the Raptors favour is the Bulls record, which is not very good, so far.
DEAL # 2
Andrea Bargnani
Marcus Banks
for
Andris Biedrins
Kelenna Azubuike or Brandan Wright
If anyone can use Bargnani, it’s Don Nelson. Nelson LOVES players like Bargnani and I’m guessing would go for this trade. Taking on Banks and his contract might be a bit of an issue, but there’s not really any other way to make this trade work.
While the Raptors would miss Bargnani’s scoring and ability to spread the floor with his outside shooting, Biedrins, who’s been underused under Don Nelson, is a very good rebounder and shotblocker who would bring a lot more energy to the center position. He takes high percentage shots and runs the court very well. He’s certainly not as talented offensively as Bargnani, but he knows how to play the other end of the court a lot better. He’s kind of like a Latvian version of Amir Johnson, but a little bigger.
If the Raptors could get Azubuike in the deal, it would go a long way to shoring up the wing position and would probably play the bulk of his minutes behind Turkoglu. Brandan Wright is injured and would be insurance in case Bosh end s up going.
DEAL # 3
Andrea Bargnani
for
Wilson Chandler
Jared Jeffries
Of all the teams that might be attracted by getting Bargnani, New York is near the top of the list. D’Antoni was a big Bargnani fan when he was drafted and should be amenable to taking him on. There is a big question with this trade with the Knicks not wanting to take on extra salary this summer, and with Bargnani’s extension kicking in I’m not sure whether the Knicks would be willing. Still, if they are, it gives the Knicks more scoring punch, which they lack right now.
While the trade doesn’t get back a big man in return, Wilson is a very good rebounder and defender. In fact, Wilson, in many ways, is very much like a (slightly) younger Trevor Ariza. If Wilson started at small forward, the Raptors could shift Turkoglu to PF and Bosh to Center. Wilson would immediately become the Raptors best defender, guarding the opposing teams’ top wing players and Turkoglu is big enough to guard most fours in the league. It would create just as many matchup problems as with Bargnani at center.
Jefferies is not a bad throw in who can play both PF and SF and is a good defender, although a below average rebounder.
DEAL #4
Andrea Bargnani
Antoine Wright
for
Shane Battier
Chuck Hayes
Now, again, I have no idea whether Houston would do this, but I think they certainly get something good out of this. They are a good, scrappy, defensive team that lacks good scorers (their best scorer is Ariza, who’s shooting an anemic 38%) and are below average from the field and from beyond the arc. They could use Bargnani, especially if Yao has trouble coming back or plays limited minutes upon his return.
I’ve always been a fan of Battier, who is the player that stats don’t tell the whole story about. He just knows how to play. With both he and Ariza, Houston’s two best players are small forwards and while Battier has been playing out of position at SG, with Tracy McGrady’s expected return soon, Battier will be the odd man out.
Battier could start at either SG (with either Johnson or Hayes stepping in at C/PF) or SF (moving Turkoglu to PF) and immediately give the Raptors a boost defensively. Hayes doesn’t have much offensive talent but is a banger who hard worker who is the type of player the Raptors lack.
The only issue I have with this trade is Battier’s age. He’s 31 and has already played the best ball of his career. Still, it’s not as if he relies on athleticism and has such a high IQ he should be able to adjust to age well.
TRADE OVERVIEW
However much I’d love to trade Bargnani for Joakim Noah, I just don’t see Chicago pulling the trigger on that one. Noah would give the Raptors exactly what they need (interior defense and rebounding) and while he’s not a good scorer, he’s a good passer with a high basketball IQ.
And while all the trades would benefit the Raptors in some way, none of the four are great and flawed in some way (either the Raptors don’t get an interior defender back or they lose scoring). Besides, I’m not sure whether Colangelo is ready to trade Bargnani just yet, and I might tend to agree.
November and December are usually bad times to try and make a trade. Teams playing badly aren’t quite ready to panic or give up on the season, and better teams still want to wait and see how good they’ll be.
If the Raptors do make a move, January or February is the time to make it. By that time, Colangelo will really know whether this team is working or not.
keep looking »
