NBA Stuff: Trades, Drafts, Etc

Want me to show you why they call me "Dick"?

Great. The Spurs just got another All-Star (Dick Jefferson) for nothing. Chances are Bowen and maybe even Kurt Thomas are going to end up back with the Spurs. Now Pipez and the Professional Filipinos Association of Greater Houston aren’t going to shut up about it.

The Wolves are also very active, trading two starters (Randy Foye and Mike Miller) for hopes, wishes, and prayers. Maybe Miller’s game has degenerated significantly in the past few years, but Foye is a very good player who has the misfortune of being the homonym of an All NBA player that he was also traded for. Maybe the Wolves make Etan Thomas a nice backup cog in their machine, but otherwise they just traded two starters for the #5 pick. Chances are very slim they get a better player than Foye at that spot. Apparently they’re trying to trade up to #2 to get Ewing Deke Roy Hibbbert Hasheem Thabeet. They’re trying trading 8 guys for one better guy, basically. It’s hard to argue against a strategy that every guy who plays Madden or NBA Live or 2K employs, but this typically doesn’t work out well in RL.

Enough regurgitation of the news. Let’s play Daryl Morey with ESPN’s Trade Machine…

McGrady & Scola for Boozer & Kirilinko. We’ve done variations of this one before. The Trade Machine says it is basically a wash, with the Jazz picking up an extra win and the Rockets losing one. The Trade Machine can’t factor in the McGrady intangibles, though. The Jazz would do it to get McGrady’s expiring contract and a tough power forward who would fit their system nicely. They also get rid of the Kirilinko headache. The Rockets would do it to have the T-Mac saga done forever, upgrade at the PF spot (a bit), and get Artest insurance in Kirilinko.

McGrady, Scola, & a future #1 pick for Chris Bosh and a contract. The Trade Machine takes it. The Raptors take it because they’re scared they can’t keep Bosh so they get a good PF in return, a pick, and the hope and prayer that McGrady takes his homecoming as a challenge to lose the potbelly and play for more than 2 games at a time. He might have burned his bridges in Toronto but the Canadians are forgiving folk, as well as being good-natured, funny, and self-deprecating. The Rockets have the best starting frontcourt in basketball and the size to compete with the Lakers. Plus Bosh is a funny dude.

McGrady and a future # 1 pick for David Lee and contract. This would be contingent on Lee doing a sign-and-trade at about $9MM/yr. Originally this had Cat Mobley but someone totally forgot he retired. The Knicks would be a team dumb enough to do this, or at least they used to be. It might make the Rockets a bit too heavy at PF, which really isn’t a pressing need, but I’m sure Morey could use Landry as trade bait for something else down the road.

There are also rumors about the Rockets potentially trading for an Amare-type player and they are also looking to climb into the draft. Morey says between 25 and 35. I’d personally love for the Rox to trade in to the mid-20s and pick up Wayne Ellington.

Should be a very exciting few days. Don’t forget about our live draft coverage tomorrow evening.

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