Trade Machine Fun
2012-12-23
Those uniformss look a little strange, somehow...
With a couple of slow days for the Cavs coming up, let’s have some fun with the ESPN Trade Machine! I spent some time kibitzing around with the Machine, and came up with a few potential trades.
Trade #1
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ajxmwrf
Anderson Varejao and Jon Leuer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb and Toronto’s lottery pick. (Explanation of the pick’s protection)
This trade has a real shot at happening. While it’s unclear if the Thunder have directly expressed interest in Varejao, we all know Sam Presti is willing to do the unexpected. Andy would be a perfect fit in OKC, and Perkins has become an offensive liability and slowed on defense. As for the Cavs, this might be one of the few trades that could really tempt Chris Grant into trading Andy. Jeremy Lamb is an extremely talented offensive player, and everyone knows we need more offensive play-making off the bench. Perkins is a decent stop-gap option at center, and that Toronto pick is immensely valuable. Obviously, this would hurt us short term. But Jeremy Lamb and a lottery pick is nothing to sneeze at, and Kendrick Perkins is a decent starting center.
Trade #2
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=d4rs4h6
Anderson Varejao and Omri Casspi to the Houston Rockets for Carlos Delfino, Terrence Jones, and Chandler Parsons.
If the Rockets are fighting for a low playoff seed near the trade deadline, Daryl Morey may feel the need to pull the trigger on a deal to get them closer. An Asik-Varejao front-line would be devastating on the boards. The Cavs would be snagging one of the brightest young small forwards in the league in Chandler Parsons, a player averaging 15, 5 and 4 in only his second year in the NBA. He also has a reputation as a great team player with a ton of heart. Terrence Jones was a lottery pick last year, and could slot in nicely as a backup to Tristan Thompson with a dash of star potential. Carlos Delfino is, well… Carlos Delfino. This is a wild-card in the Varejao-trade scenarios, as an option most people haven’t been talking about. But everyone in the NBA loves Parsons, and Andy (#alliteration) is exactly the type of looks-even-better-in-advanced-stats player that Morey loves. I actually prefer this to the OKC trade. Parsons wasn’t a lottery pick, but he’s producing like a future star. (Watch this.)
Trade #3
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bt4zztm
Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller for Demarcus Cousins.
Keith Smart and Boogie Cousins are not looking like a healthy partnership right now, and Sacramento needs a culture overhaul. A trade seems to be necessary. If the most recent incident isn’t going to cause a move, the next one will. Zeller and Thompson are both high-character guys that could provide some mental stability in an organization that needs just that. Meanwhile, the Cavs could be just what Cousins needs. Byron Scott’s tough but fair (sometimes), and Kyrie Irving is a young superstar who leads by example. If that isn’t enough, Anderson Varejao exemplifies what every young center should aspire to. The hardest part about this trade would be condemning Tristan and Tyler to the black hole of sorrow, despair and Maloofian greed. But when it comes down to it, Demarcus Cousins is a star. He’s putting up 17 and 10 despite all the fighting. He’s putting up 17 and 10, basically without a point guard. These are the kinds of moves that make championship teams. High risk, high reward.
Let me know what you think, or tell me how stupid I am!
Comment below, or yell at me @DanSoch
Jon – There is no way that Sacramento gives up both Tyreke and Cousins for Varejao and Caspi (who they already let go in a trade once.) I also don’t see Denver giving up Iguodala (a proven commodity, particularly defensively) for Tyreke and Jon Leuer.
Rich – Did you ever think that the problem with Tyreke isn’t Cousins but the Sac-Town FO? When’s the last time that they had something going good for them? There is no stability there. Who is the last young player they managed to develop?
The cousins trade has disaster written all over it. It’s a risk for any team, but for THIS team? A team with zero veteran leadership that would be trading it’s most valuable asset to boot? No no no. And understand it isn’t just a case where if he continues to be a problem we can simply move on. Look at the damage he’s done in sac. Evans was a ROY who is now a nearly forgotten player. Don’t for two seconds think he couldn’t drag down our young guys with him. Especially considering there would utterly be no veterans to… Read more »
sorry about that guys. Here’s were we get Iggy and Cousins.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cqqpek8
Jon – you didn’t give us the right link in the trade that obtains both Cousins and Iguodala
Jag – you bring up a lot of great points concerning OKC. I didn’t do the math to figure out the rough figures, but yeah, I can see why OKC would balk at trading for Andy.
That OKC has no chance because it kills OKC CAP-wise for 2013-4, forcing them to not re-sign Martin, while also trading away the two most logical assets they have to replace him with, in Lamb and the Toronto pick. As they now are positioned, they could either amnesty Perkins in order to keep Martin or replace Martin with Lamb plus whoever they acquire with that lottery pick. Amnestying Perkins is probably the better option because they have PJ3, Thabeet and that lottery pick in a draft full of bigs to replace him. They can develop those players behind Collison and… Read more »
@david I agree. Love isn’t getting moved this year. Next season is more probable and 2014 even more so if they aren’t making some serious noise in the West. They still have him under contract for two more seasons. Roy has been an utter bust, but AK47 has been a revelation. They have some nice pieces in Pekovic and Shved. Not sure that Rubio is anything more than a fancy passer. Those kind of guys get a little overrated because of SportsCenter. Love is a marketable guy who can seriously grow some facial hair. Best of all Love is a… Read more »
We get Iguodala and Cousins. This would be great
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine
Minnesota is not trading Love
I would be THRILLED to acquire Boogie Cousins. A young potential superstar at the nadir of his trade value… c’mon! We would take a huge leap in terms of talent. Get this done, Grant!
I agree, Ben- if the cavs are showing “little interest” in cousins, they’re still just as likely to want him. Also, “@probbasketballdraft” isn’t exactly a reliable source
C’mon…when it comes to trades, every team uses “double speak.” We show “little interest” to drive the bargain down. We say we have the structure in place to help the guy out (in the event that we pull the trade off.) Even the “he’s not ready to grow up” line can be fixed with an interview (We spoke with him regarding his conduct on and off the court and feel like he’s ready to take the next step forward.)
[quote]“@probballdraft: Sources tell pbd that the cavaliers have little interest in sacramento suspended c demarcus cousins. Can see no he’s not worth the risk.”[/quote]
“[quote]@probballdraft: Cavs feel they would have the structure in place to help cousins develop & mature but aren’t convinced he’s ready to grow up.”[/quote]
[quote]“@probballdraft: Other teams polled around the league seem reluctantly willing, at most, to pursue a trade for cousins with the kings because of his history.”[/quote]
Ben- THAT is the kind of thing I can get on board with.
Kyrie – Waiters – Parsons – Jones – Cousins….don’t know why I didn’t have Waiters in there. LOL
So, if we combine #2 and #3…we get:
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bwk7gmn
A core of Kyrie – Parsons – Jones – Cousins
I feel much better about trading Andy for Cousins unless you want Samardo and Leur playing 20 mins off the bench
No go on #1 and 3. The point of dealing Andy is to get better and Kendrick is not a better C for the Cavs at this stage. The protected pick will never become a reality. No way OKC gives up Lamb (under control for years) when Martin is gone after this year.
As for #3, headcases and extreme divas have never worked out for the Cavs. Ever.
Seriously though would anyone be upset if Cavs Dealt our 1 this year and Lakers 1 for Cousins? We could just take him off their hands? I know next years #1 is a lot easier to deal but …. add Cousins for 2 number 1 picks still is great value plus we know Cousins would be better than any player we draft this yr.
OKC doesn’t run the pick and roll because Perkins isn’t that good at it. Anderson Varejao has always guarded Dwight Howard just as well as Perkins has there is actually an interview on YouTube where they ask dwight why he gets so pissed off playing against AV. I’d link it but I’m on my phone. I never thought about cousins at all, we would definitely have to give up some picks to make that happen. I would be ok with the Parsons trade I guess. Either way let’s let Andy get his allstar game in a Cavs uniform.
So, you wanna go crazy on a trade? If you’re trading Andy you might as well shoot for the moon. Would Minnesota do this trade if we threw in some draft picks? No. But they would probably think about it long and hard.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cwqvnu9
Don’t know why Sac would do this trade but since we’re playing trade machine…. How would everyone feel about a straight AV for DMC swap (obviously any fillers not assets to make $ work)?
So Dani, I hate all these trades. Cousins? Really? Argh. No. We already went through crazy with Delonte. Cousins is a loser. I love TT and his attitude and his work ethic. No thank you on Cousins. As for the Thunder, as the sports guy has written many times, Perkins is Dwight Howard’s kyrptonite. Andy doesn’t have the size to play Perkins. Now would Andy make sense if Thunder got the finals? Yes, cause they have a hard time with the Heat’s athleticism. But if they’re playing the Knicks? They need Perkins. Also, OKC doesn’t run a ton of pick… Read more »
Bric- you watched Manny Harris and Donald Sloan start, but you wouldn’t watch Kyrie Irving and Demarcus cousins? That’s ridiculous.
Stuff from a Cavs front office guy http://www.dethurmondanalysis.com/2012/12/dtas-talk-with-cavs-front-office-member.html
I have missed watching one game in the last two seasons.
I will miss many more if they acquire Cousins or Perkins.
None of these trades is worthwhile.
@guys – yeah but Chris Grant is all about flexibility right? If they make that trade and it doesn’t work out – now what? His trade value will have plummeted if both Sacto (a team with a reputation for a circus front office) AND Cleveland ( a reputation for a solid front office) couldn’t channel him.
Yeah, that’s how I feel…I understand that type of move scares people, but it absolutely feels like the kind of thing people will look back at and say “Can you believe what the Cavs had to give up to get Boogie and win those championships? Barely anything!”
Also schmekel is the only way to say penis without it being gross or offending. I agree Dani that Kyrie and Boogie could be DYNOmite. It would be a ballsy move from a chemistry standpoint. I like Tristan and Zeller going forward to develop into solid players for a future playoff team. Boogie could be a superstar in the right hands. He could be what Derrick Coleman should have been…Or he could be Derrick Coleman 2.0 who was breast feed on gangster rap, Call of Duty and Funions. It would be a risky move either way. Considering that they have… Read more »
Huge fan of Yiddish. I don’t know how it ever went out of style. Part of my family is Jewish but they never spoke Yiddish. It is Ohio though and everything is kind of mutted (not 7th Floor Crew Mutted) down there. I currently bartend at the Kibitz Room in LA and get it all day from those know it all 80 year-old yenta waitresses. If this world ever does become one nation and we are all one race I highly endorse Yiddish being our universal language. Even when complaining it’s playful and fun. It’s tough to sound too angry… Read more »
@Corey – the one reason Martin/Varejao for Perkins/Harden isn’t quite SO bad is that like you said, Martin could be back at a discount, and Varejao’s contract IS a discount. So from a contract perspective it’s not a bad deal. But I agree with your premise in terms of overall talent
Cory’s been killing it in general lately.
Cory- I think Kyrie & Boogie could be an unbelievable inside-out duo, as well as a great name for a Comedy Central show. Also, you are KILLING IT with the Jewish jokes. I love ’em.
I don’t buy that the Thunder would deal away Lamb and the Toronto draft pick. Those are the two long term assets they got for dealing Harden. That would be like trading Harden and Perkins for Andy and Martin. I saw Lamb as the guy they would groom to fill the Harden role long term. Kevin Martin might be back there next year, but only at a discount. The luxury tax is the entire reason they dealt Harden in the first place. Maybe they would do Perry Jones, Toronto pick (not looking as good as it did) and Perkins.
OKC is obviously pretty damn good right now, and they probably don’t want to shake it off. But a five game losing streak around the deadline could do it. As for Parsons- that;s true, but I think Morey has shown he is more than happy to move his young assets for larger pieces.
The moment I saw that Boogie (love that nickname) was suspended indefinitely my interest peaked. The Cavs have been rumored to be part of other deals but haven’t pulled the trigger IMO because those deals would have handcuffed their flexibility going forward. This one really wouldn’t. There are a ton of possible scenarios with a Boogie trade to the Cavs. Would the Cavs eat John Salmons contract (2 years 16 million after this season) to get Boogie? The Maloof’s are broke as f^(%, so it’s possible they’d want a mulligan on that Salmons contract. You’d think Grant wouldn’t send both… Read more »
Well the third one is SUPER high risk high reward. I’m not totally comfortable with it. I’m not sure OKC would do that deal. They are probably the best team in the NBA right now – sometimes it’s hard to get teams to shake it up. The one caveat that might make them rethink that is that Perkins is sort of a Howard-kryptonite, and they might not need it with the way the Lakers are struggling. The Houston trade is intriguing, although teams generally don’t part with young players that they drafted late that are producing like stars. Most teams… Read more »