Let's start with few statements!
1) The jump in salary cap has made Paul George hugely underpaid. He is making roughly same money now as f ex Wesley Matthews , Ryan Anderson , Allen Crabbe , Luol Deng & Joakim Noah
2) That means there is no way he will honor his player option year. Instead, he will be an UFA in 1½ years time.
3) We are in no position to transform back into a contender at that timeframe () as we have nothing to trade to make improvements (outside PG13 & Myles).
4) Thus PG13 WILL LEAVE latest on Summer 2018!
So - while I don't like it - it is best to face reality and start looking the maximum pile of assets we can get for him now...
As I would hate him to come and bite us regularly for other uniform, I have only considered teams out of West. These are IMO the teams which a) would really have a spot for him, b) have a possibility to facilitate a trade, c) best realistic packages we could get in exchange :
PLEASE, DO NOT SUGGEST ANYTHING TOO GOOD! Only proposals you would 90% certainly grab in other team's shoes!!!
LA Lakers : PG13, Seraphin & Niang for Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black & Larry Nance Jr. (doable by Mid-January as Black's restriction expires)
Why for us :
1) In Clarkson, we get a solid lead guard good enough to be 3rd cog in a contender who is under a cheapish contract until 2020.
2) In Black, we get a blue-collar banger who takes quite a bit of physical toll off Turner. Another affordable contract albeit only 'til 2018.
3) In Nance Jr., we get an energetic 2-way player who may never be more than emergency filler as a starter, but is deffo a high-level reserve. Lockable for a long time and a certainty to be a fan favorite.
Why for Lakers :
PG13 offers them a shortest route back to play-off picture. Possibility of something great soon if DRuss/Randle/Ingram develop fast.
Why Seraphin/Niang :
Need to send something cheap to keep the salaries matching. Giving up Black necessitates getting a new back-up center for Lakers. Hence Seraphin...
Negatives :
No star or even a potential star received, no meaningful draft picks to add as Lakers can not trade a 1st-rounder before 2021. Some 2nd-rounders could be added, but they will be around #45 so won't move the needle...
Timberwolves : PG13 + a scrub (Xmas?) for Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins + 2018/2019 2nd-rounders
Why for us :
1) Wiggins is developing steadily each year and would be ours for 6-7 more seasons. He could be #1 scorer & #2 talent for a very good team.
2) Starting line-up of Rubio-CJ-Wiggins-?-Myles has all the possibility to become a STRONG defensive unit with three serious scoring options. Totally selfless Rubio would be a great player to get the usage rate of Myles upto where we want it to be...
Why for Wolves :
Rubio has been good, but for too few games a year. Their young talent is intriguing, but none of them has experience in winning. This gives the reins of the team to Lavine/Dunn while PG13 is an accomplished winner and especially play-offs leader.
Why Xmas :
Need someone to equal the numbers and prevent a necessity to waive people. He seems to be furthest from the court from our whole roster.
Negatives :
Rubio is injury-prone and makes Teague totally redundant (we would need to trade Teague for a defensive PF, hopefully packing Lavoy in to the same trade). Monta would work out adequately as a 6th man with Rubio-CJ starting pair.
And again - Minnesota is not in position to trade a 1st-rounder before 2022. I am not sure if it is even allowed to trade something so far in future, so no 1st-rounders available here.
Pelicans : PG13 + Teague (we waive Xmas 1st) for Jrue Holiday, E'Twaun Moore, Alexis Ajinca & two 1st-rounders (2017 + 2019)
Why for us :
1) 1st-rounders, 1st-rounders, 1st-rounders....
2) Holiday has had injury woes and is not THAT great to start with... Still, his current absence is not a worrisome one (except for his wife). His size enables using small SG and cross-match in defense. Thus it helps with trying to get something out of the sunset years of Monta.
3) Ajinca would (again) help us in physical match-ups while Myles "manlihoods"...
4) Moore is servicable shooting guard in both ends of the floor. Probably would be our best 2-way guard right now (as frightening as that notion is).
Why for Pels :
Pelicans are having one of the greatest stars in the game and still are a complete laughing-stock around the league for 2nd year running. This would be a bold move to have maybe the most fearsome double-punch in NBA (neck-to-neck with Curry-Durant - IMO ahead of Lebron-Kyrie/Kawhi-LMA/Lillard-McCollum). Something worth of selling your future for (multiple 1st-rounders)...
Having a P-n-R killer like Brow next to him would be a PERFECT spot for Teague as well...
Negatives :
None of the players we can get from Pelicans make you even a playoff team. So, we would be heavily accounting for those picks to turn up BIG. This year's one would surely be a good one, but they might be (likely to be) too good by 2019 for that one to really be a treasure. But, double lottery ticket next year (ours too) would be a way to start anew.
1) The jump in salary cap has made Paul George hugely underpaid. He is making roughly same money now as f ex Wesley Matthews , Ryan Anderson , Allen Crabbe , Luol Deng & Joakim Noah
2) That means there is no way he will honor his player option year. Instead, he will be an UFA in 1½ years time.
3) We are in no position to transform back into a contender at that timeframe () as we have nothing to trade to make improvements (outside PG13 & Myles).
4) Thus PG13 WILL LEAVE latest on Summer 2018!
So - while I don't like it - it is best to face reality and start looking the maximum pile of assets we can get for him now...
As I would hate him to come and bite us regularly for other uniform, I have only considered teams out of West. These are IMO the teams which a) would really have a spot for him, b) have a possibility to facilitate a trade, c) best realistic packages we could get in exchange :
PLEASE, DO NOT SUGGEST ANYTHING TOO GOOD! Only proposals you would 90% certainly grab in other team's shoes!!!
LA Lakers : PG13, Seraphin & Niang for Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black & Larry Nance Jr. (doable by Mid-January as Black's restriction expires)
Why for us :
1) In Clarkson, we get a solid lead guard good enough to be 3rd cog in a contender who is under a cheapish contract until 2020.
2) In Black, we get a blue-collar banger who takes quite a bit of physical toll off Turner. Another affordable contract albeit only 'til 2018.
3) In Nance Jr., we get an energetic 2-way player who may never be more than emergency filler as a starter, but is deffo a high-level reserve. Lockable for a long time and a certainty to be a fan favorite.
Why for Lakers :
PG13 offers them a shortest route back to play-off picture. Possibility of something great soon if DRuss/Randle/Ingram develop fast.
Why Seraphin/Niang :
Need to send something cheap to keep the salaries matching. Giving up Black necessitates getting a new back-up center for Lakers. Hence Seraphin...
Negatives :
No star or even a potential star received, no meaningful draft picks to add as Lakers can not trade a 1st-rounder before 2021. Some 2nd-rounders could be added, but they will be around #45 so won't move the needle...
Timberwolves : PG13 + a scrub (Xmas?) for Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins + 2018/2019 2nd-rounders
Why for us :
1) Wiggins is developing steadily each year and would be ours for 6-7 more seasons. He could be #1 scorer & #2 talent for a very good team.
2) Starting line-up of Rubio-CJ-Wiggins-?-Myles has all the possibility to become a STRONG defensive unit with three serious scoring options. Totally selfless Rubio would be a great player to get the usage rate of Myles upto where we want it to be...
Why for Wolves :
Rubio has been good, but for too few games a year. Their young talent is intriguing, but none of them has experience in winning. This gives the reins of the team to Lavine/Dunn while PG13 is an accomplished winner and especially play-offs leader.
Why Xmas :
Need someone to equal the numbers and prevent a necessity to waive people. He seems to be furthest from the court from our whole roster.
Negatives :
Rubio is injury-prone and makes Teague totally redundant (we would need to trade Teague for a defensive PF, hopefully packing Lavoy in to the same trade). Monta would work out adequately as a 6th man with Rubio-CJ starting pair.
And again - Minnesota is not in position to trade a 1st-rounder before 2022. I am not sure if it is even allowed to trade something so far in future, so no 1st-rounders available here.
Pelicans : PG13 + Teague (we waive Xmas 1st) for Jrue Holiday, E'Twaun Moore, Alexis Ajinca & two 1st-rounders (2017 + 2019)
Why for us :
1) 1st-rounders, 1st-rounders, 1st-rounders....
2) Holiday has had injury woes and is not THAT great to start with... Still, his current absence is not a worrisome one (except for his wife). His size enables using small SG and cross-match in defense. Thus it helps with trying to get something out of the sunset years of Monta.
3) Ajinca would (again) help us in physical match-ups while Myles "manlihoods"...
4) Moore is servicable shooting guard in both ends of the floor. Probably would be our best 2-way guard right now (as frightening as that notion is).
Why for Pels :
Pelicans are having one of the greatest stars in the game and still are a complete laughing-stock around the league for 2nd year running. This would be a bold move to have maybe the most fearsome double-punch in NBA (neck-to-neck with Curry-Durant - IMO ahead of Lebron-Kyrie/Kawhi-LMA/Lillard-McCollum). Something worth of selling your future for (multiple 1st-rounders)...
Having a P-n-R killer like Brow next to him would be a PERFECT spot for Teague as well...
Negatives :
None of the players we can get from Pelicans make you even a playoff team. So, we would be heavily accounting for those picks to turn up BIG. This year's one would surely be a good one, but they might be (likely to be) too good by 2019 for that one to really be a treasure. But, double lottery ticket next year (ours too) would be a way to start anew.
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