Forget Free Agent Centers, How About Bench Centers

[Quixotic]

Well for a team like Pheonix, that has Gortat and Frye quite capable of splitting 48 minutes between them at Center, I think it would be silly of them to not see what they could get for Lopez. Or if they plan on keeping Lopez, then the market for Frye, etc.

But if there is a need at a certain position, and you have excess at another, why not balance that out.
Now I'm not saying they'd be willing to just give him away, but I most certainly believe they are at least looking to see what the market is.

Lopez is the lonly one listed that works in that scenario, though. The rest are probably keepers for their respective clubs, OR I just don't think they are very good. haha Mostly the latter.

Yes, it makes sense that Phoenix would be open to offers for any of their centers (though if I was them, the one I'd be actively trying to move would be Frye), but as much as I like James Johnson, I wouldn't trade Robin Lopez for him straight-up, let alone give him away for free (mere cap relief, and not a whole lot of it) as the OP suggested.

As for "at least looking to see what the market is", I think quite honestly it's a given; all GMs in the league are constantly open to offers for any player, so I'm sure they already know what the market is. I may want to build my team around DeRozan and Davis, but that doesn't mean I'll hang up the moment anyone suggests a trade. :-p The whole concept of being untouchable/not on the trade block is only for public consumption. Teams don't want their players hearing about the team's lack of commitment to them.

[Quixotic]

It wouldnt surprise me if Phoenix gets impatient with Lopez's lack of development. At that point he could become available. Besides Hayes, the other guys mentioned are on reasonably cheap deals on teams that are near or above the cap. They would be unlikely to part with those guys unless someone equally cheap and effective (or with equal or greater potential) was coming back. I would like to see the Raps go after DeAndre Jordan, who I think is an RFA this summer (probably not going to happen). Alternatively I think the Raptors should sign a placeholder, a journeyman big man to hold down the position until we can draft or trade for a franchise centre.

Yup. All they really need to do is sign a center that can play responsible D, so that the youngsters on our team learn to play the right way.

[Papa Burgundy]

Greg Oden is a risk, but because of that he cold also end up being the bargain of free agency ... Imagine a healthy Oden running with our young crew! Someone's gonna take a risk on him, and it might not be Portland.

Kemba/Knight, DeMar, JJ, Bargs, Oden ... young, skilled and well-balanced lineup for the future.

[Quixotic]

Provided Portland probably knows Oden best, it's going to be a pretty big risk for any other team. Sign him to a reasonable offer sheet (salary starting at 6-7 mil) and Portland will likely match, unless they think he's too damaged for even that. We won't likely have more than 7 mil to spend on any one player, so that's the extent of what we can offer. Any team seeking to pry him away (especially when you have to wait for his offer sheet to be matched/declined before being able to use that money on someone else) will have to balance the risk with overpaying to ensure Portland doesn't match.