*Warning: Long post and not saying any of this will happen, just sharing thoughts*
What team can offer the NOH enough pieces and flexibility to bounce back from losing Paul. The last thing they would want is to be in a Toronto or Cleveland situation or, worse, a VC situation where they get crap for him. As they already have a young and promising PG they may not be as far away from competing as many might think.
IF I was Demps, this is what I would be looking for:
1) financial relief through off-loading bad contracts through expiring contracts and/or off-loading bad contracts and take nothing back,
2) a couple of young pieces that will not ruin future,
3) multiple draft picks that are not going to be in the high 20's,
4) still have enough left to be competitive this season and 4-5 down the road.
5) and be able to add more big name talent next year (i.e. Carmelo)
Paul has named NYK, Orlando, Dallas, and Portland (LaKers first reported and then not. Paul would not work in triangle anyways).
NYK:
1) Financial relief - yes, well, sort of.
Cap space - only $3.8 million.
Expiring contract - $11.3 million for Curry, $3.4 Azubuike
2) Young pieces or 'good' players:
Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph, Toney Douglas, Bill Walker
3) Draft picks: Bahahahhahahahaha, er, no.
4) Possible trade:
Paul for Chandler, Curry, Randolph, Azubuike, draft picks after 2012, cash.
NOH left with Okafor, Peja, Posey, no draft picks.
NY still needs a C, no cap space, Felton tying up $7M, no draft picks.
5) NYK unable to sign Anthony via free agency or other top FA.
Orlando:
1) Financial relief: No cap space, no TE, Vince Carter expiring contract.
2) Young/'good' pieces:
Gortat, Nelson, Pietrus
3) Any first or second round pick for the next number of years.
4) Possible trade:
Okafor/Paul for Gortat, Nelson, Carter, 2 first round picks (2011/2012), cash.
NOH with starter in C, quality PG, $32 million in expiring contracts, and draft picks.
ORL moves Lewis to SF, starts Bass at PF and has Okafor as first big off the bench. Would probably be able to sign Barnes back at $2M with this line up as well.
5) ORL unable to sign top FA but may not need to worry about that.
DAL:
1) Financial relief:
No cap space, some TE, Chandler $12.75M/Butler $10.6M/Stevenson $4.2M
2) Young/'good' pieces:
Barea, Beaubois, Jones, Terry
3) No draft picks owed.
4) Three separate trades to make this work:
Peja for Chandler
Okafor for Terry
Paul for Barea, Butler, Stevenson, Jones, 2 1st round draft picks, cash.
NOH get nearly $30M in expiring contracts, a back up PG, a SF, C, prolific scorer, promising player in Jones. They'd have a lot of guards.
DAL gets PG, has Beaubois to fill Terry's role, solid big in Okafor, shooter.
5) DAL unable to sign top FA but might have enough pieces to pull of S&T. Would NOH be willing to pull a TOR/NJ deal in same conference? I wouldn't.
Portland:
1) Financial relief:
No cap room or TE. Expiring contracts: Pryzbilla $7.4, Miller $7.3, rookies contracts.
2) Young/'good' pieces
Bayless, Batum, Ferrnandez
3) No first round picks owed.
4) Paul for Pryzbilla, Batum, Bayless, Miller, 2 first round picks, cash.
NOH gets another $14.5M in expiring contracts in addition to Peja, Batum and Bayless have potential but are stuck with Okafor's contract unless Oden or Camby are included.
I do not think this works for POR as both Roy and Paul need the ball to be effective - but what do I know.
5) POR is unable to land any other big FA.
I'm not sure which trade would be best. I know I would say 'No thank you!" to the Knicks. If ridding Okafor was desired, Portland would be out unless they included Camby or Oden. Dallas would certainly add depth, espeically at guard, and free up cap room but do you really want to face Paul 4 times a year and help a team in your division? Orlando might work plus it would be sending him to Eastern conference.
How would TOR stack up? IT would depend on if they could get rid of Calderon and what they got for him.
I love this trade:
CHI - Fernandez
POR - Calderon, J. Johnson
TOR - Bayless, Pryzbilla, CHI 1st round
I think given how much Roy has the ball in his hands, Calderon may be a cheaper and better fit for POR - but given the option of Calderon or Paul, I think I'd take Paul and make it work.
If this happened:
TPE and Jones/Dorsey* for Peja
Pryzbilla, Bayless, Banks, Evans, Bellinilli, Weems*, 2 or 3 1st round picks (TOR, CHI, MIA), cash for Okafor and Paul.
Pryzbilla is a serviceable big, Bayless/Bellinilli/Weems*/Dorsey* potential, draft picks, save $15M immediately from Peja and another approx. $3.5M from difference in contracts, and nearly $12.5M in expiring contracts or more depending if Bayless is picked up. Weems would be a RFA.
There are a lot of if's here but my point is I think Toronto could throw together a package that competes with other teams if they could get value for Calderon. It would all depend on what NOH are looking for. If they asked for Davis or DeRozan, I would say no and focus on Darren Collison.
BC would seriously be rolling the dice with this. What if Paul bolts in 2 years? However, if Barbosa re-worked his contract like Jefferson with Spurs (say 5 years, $30M), then Raps could go after any combinations of Carmelo Anthony or Thaddeus Young or Marc Gasol to name a few. Having Paul there and a max contract with an improved DeRozan, Bargnani, and solid C might change the outlook of Anthony and many other NBA players.
The other thing to keep in mind is NOH may wish to clear space to keep Paul and sign Carmelo. In this case, Darren Collison would not be a bad consolation prize and Raps would not have to give up as many draft picks (maybe just 1) and keep Weems/Dorsey.
PG: Paul/Jack/scrub
SG: DeRozan/Barbosa/
SF: Kleiza/Weems*/Peja
PF: Bargnani/Davis
C: Okafor/Alabi/Dorsey*
*Hopefully TOR would be able to keep Weems and Dorsey.
PERSONALLY, I'd rather keep some draft picks and take a risk on DC. Next summer (if no lockout) go after (and by go after I mean overpay) Gasol or Noah and Thaddeus Young.
If you've read this far, good for you! It was fun writing all this down.
What team can offer the NOH enough pieces and flexibility to bounce back from losing Paul. The last thing they would want is to be in a Toronto or Cleveland situation or, worse, a VC situation where they get crap for him. As they already have a young and promising PG they may not be as far away from competing as many might think.
IF I was Demps, this is what I would be looking for:
1) financial relief through off-loading bad contracts through expiring contracts and/or off-loading bad contracts and take nothing back,
2) a couple of young pieces that will not ruin future,
3) multiple draft picks that are not going to be in the high 20's,
4) still have enough left to be competitive this season and 4-5 down the road.
5) and be able to add more big name talent next year (i.e. Carmelo)
Paul has named NYK, Orlando, Dallas, and Portland (LaKers first reported and then not. Paul would not work in triangle anyways).
NYK:
1) Financial relief - yes, well, sort of.
Cap space - only $3.8 million.
Expiring contract - $11.3 million for Curry, $3.4 Azubuike
2) Young pieces or 'good' players:
Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph, Toney Douglas, Bill Walker
3) Draft picks: Bahahahhahahahaha, er, no.
4) Possible trade:
Paul for Chandler, Curry, Randolph, Azubuike, draft picks after 2012, cash.
NOH left with Okafor, Peja, Posey, no draft picks.
NY still needs a C, no cap space, Felton tying up $7M, no draft picks.
5) NYK unable to sign Anthony via free agency or other top FA.
Orlando:
1) Financial relief: No cap space, no TE, Vince Carter expiring contract.
2) Young/'good' pieces:
Gortat, Nelson, Pietrus
3) Any first or second round pick for the next number of years.
4) Possible trade:
Okafor/Paul for Gortat, Nelson, Carter, 2 first round picks (2011/2012), cash.
NOH with starter in C, quality PG, $32 million in expiring contracts, and draft picks.
ORL moves Lewis to SF, starts Bass at PF and has Okafor as first big off the bench. Would probably be able to sign Barnes back at $2M with this line up as well.
5) ORL unable to sign top FA but may not need to worry about that.
DAL:
1) Financial relief:
No cap space, some TE, Chandler $12.75M/Butler $10.6M/Stevenson $4.2M
2) Young/'good' pieces:
Barea, Beaubois, Jones, Terry
3) No draft picks owed.
4) Three separate trades to make this work:
Peja for Chandler
Okafor for Terry
Paul for Barea, Butler, Stevenson, Jones, 2 1st round draft picks, cash.
NOH get nearly $30M in expiring contracts, a back up PG, a SF, C, prolific scorer, promising player in Jones. They'd have a lot of guards.
DAL gets PG, has Beaubois to fill Terry's role, solid big in Okafor, shooter.
5) DAL unable to sign top FA but might have enough pieces to pull of S&T. Would NOH be willing to pull a TOR/NJ deal in same conference? I wouldn't.
Portland:
1) Financial relief:
No cap room or TE. Expiring contracts: Pryzbilla $7.4, Miller $7.3, rookies contracts.
2) Young/'good' pieces
Bayless, Batum, Ferrnandez
3) No first round picks owed.
4) Paul for Pryzbilla, Batum, Bayless, Miller, 2 first round picks, cash.
NOH gets another $14.5M in expiring contracts in addition to Peja, Batum and Bayless have potential but are stuck with Okafor's contract unless Oden or Camby are included.
I do not think this works for POR as both Roy and Paul need the ball to be effective - but what do I know.
5) POR is unable to land any other big FA.
I'm not sure which trade would be best. I know I would say 'No thank you!" to the Knicks. If ridding Okafor was desired, Portland would be out unless they included Camby or Oden. Dallas would certainly add depth, espeically at guard, and free up cap room but do you really want to face Paul 4 times a year and help a team in your division? Orlando might work plus it would be sending him to Eastern conference.
How would TOR stack up? IT would depend on if they could get rid of Calderon and what they got for him.
I love this trade:
CHI - Fernandez
POR - Calderon, J. Johnson
TOR - Bayless, Pryzbilla, CHI 1st round
I think given how much Roy has the ball in his hands, Calderon may be a cheaper and better fit for POR - but given the option of Calderon or Paul, I think I'd take Paul and make it work.
If this happened:
TPE and Jones/Dorsey* for Peja
Pryzbilla, Bayless, Banks, Evans, Bellinilli, Weems*, 2 or 3 1st round picks (TOR, CHI, MIA), cash for Okafor and Paul.
Pryzbilla is a serviceable big, Bayless/Bellinilli/Weems*/Dorsey* potential, draft picks, save $15M immediately from Peja and another approx. $3.5M from difference in contracts, and nearly $12.5M in expiring contracts or more depending if Bayless is picked up. Weems would be a RFA.
There are a lot of if's here but my point is I think Toronto could throw together a package that competes with other teams if they could get value for Calderon. It would all depend on what NOH are looking for. If they asked for Davis or DeRozan, I would say no and focus on Darren Collison.
BC would seriously be rolling the dice with this. What if Paul bolts in 2 years? However, if Barbosa re-worked his contract like Jefferson with Spurs (say 5 years, $30M), then Raps could go after any combinations of Carmelo Anthony or Thaddeus Young or Marc Gasol to name a few. Having Paul there and a max contract with an improved DeRozan, Bargnani, and solid C might change the outlook of Anthony and many other NBA players.
The other thing to keep in mind is NOH may wish to clear space to keep Paul and sign Carmelo. In this case, Darren Collison would not be a bad consolation prize and Raps would not have to give up as many draft picks (maybe just 1) and keep Weems/Dorsey.
PG: Paul/Jack/scrub
SG: DeRozan/Barbosa/
SF: Kleiza/Weems*/Peja
PF: Bargnani/Davis
C: Okafor/Alabi/Dorsey*
*Hopefully TOR would be able to keep Weems and Dorsey.
PERSONALLY, I'd rather keep some draft picks and take a risk on DC. Next summer (if no lockout) go after (and by go after I mean overpay) Gasol or Noah and Thaddeus Young.
If you've read this far, good for you! It was fun writing all this down.
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