Walker - Trade Idea

[Moranis]

I'm not ready to just salary dump Walker, but if that time comes, I was trying to think of some interesting trades to do so and I came up with this 3-team trade, which I think would on some level work for all 3 teams.

Boston - Rubio, Payton, Burks, Layman
New York - Walker, Ojeleye, Green
Minnesota - Ntkilina, Bullock, Brazdeikis, Edwards

No picks going anywhere except maybe a 2nd rounder or two 

Rubio is signed through the end of next year but makes about half of what Walker does.  He isn't a scorer, but is still a solid playmaker.  Payton is currently starting for the Knicks, so between him and Rubio, Boston has at least a respectable PG rotation (Smart moves over to SG full time).  Burks provides some much needed wing shooting off the bench (40.7% on 4.8 attempts this year) and Layman is a youngish SF that can play in the rotation if needed.  Boston also adds a bunch of salary cap room, making it easier to use the TPE before approaching the tax or the apron and also adds another 8-9 million TPE as well (for more flexibility this year).  Boston is probably worse this year, but not appreciably worse unless Walker really turns it around, but the trade provides a lot more long term flexibility and a lot more options for using the big TPE this year.

New York gets a, when healthy, legit lead guard to further their playoff push, and gets to keep Randle and all their prime players/assets to do it.  They have to believe Walker will get better as he gets healthy to take on the salary, but I think it is something they would do.  New York has about 17 million in cap space, which is why they can take on all that extra salary this year and why the trade works just fine under the rules.

Minnesota drops a ton of salary getting below the tax this year and shaving a bunch off the future and gets some players to look at as potential long term rotation players.  Though this is a pure salary dump for them. 

So Boston post-trade
PG - Rubio, Payton, Pritchard, Teague
SG - Smart, Burks, Langford
SF - Brown, Nesmith, Laymon
PF - Tatum, Theis, G. Williams
C - Thompson, R. Williams
TW - Waters, Fall

Again a team that is probably a bit worse this year (but we aren't winning the title anyway), but you do the trade for the long term flexibility it provides and the more options opened for using the TPE (and the new TPE just created). 

[NKY fan]

You can try running this idea by Knicks fans but something tells me you wont get satisfying feedback. Knicks can be a player in free agency next year or the year after. Why sacrifice that ? especially if no sweeteners picks are going to them. Danny Ainge and maybe one or two more GMs value second rounders highly but I doubt Knicks do.

[slamtheking]

this is definitely a pure dump of Kemba that's taking back pennies on the dollar. 

On the plus side, I think Rubio and Payton would provide better ballhandling and passing over what Kemba provides but both are really backup level PGs at this point and really aren't going to provide any meaningful offense themselves.  if the goal is to drop the team into the lottery to get a better pick, this would be the deal to do it.

[NKY fan]

this is definitely a pure dump of Kemba that's taking back pennies on the dollar. 

On the plus side, I think Rubio and Payton would provide better ballhandling and passing over what Kemba provides but both are really backup level PGs at this point and really aren't going to provide any meaningful offense themselves.  if the goal is to drop the team into the lottery to get a better pick, this would be the deal to do it.

No we are dropping towards the lottery the more Kemba plays lol

[Goldstar88]

Id rather have Walker over Rubio and I’m not someone who thinks highly of Kemba, as a player..

[Moranis]

You can try running this idea by Knicks fans but something tells me you wont get satisfying feedback. Knicks can be a player in free agency next year or the year after. Why sacrifice that ? especially if no sweeteners picks are going to them. Danny Ainge and maybe one or two more GMs value second rounders highly but I doubt Knicks do.

Ah yes, so they can sign cast offs like Randle because no one ever wants to go there.  I actually think Walker could help their free agency position in that they already have an all star level player signed there, assuming of course his health returns.

[PhoSita]

I don't really think adding two non-shooting point guards is what this roster needs right now.


If I were gonna dump Kemba (and I wouldn't, because I think if you're dumping him you're giving up on the season anyway, so you may as well wait until the summer and hope he has some more value by then), my thought would be this:


Kemba Walker

for

Josh Richardson
Tim Hardaway Jr


The Mavs are also having an up and down start to the year.  Richardson isn't really working out there like they hoped.  Tim Hardaway is an expiring.

The Celts would probably have to throw in assets to move off Kemba, but it would save money long term, Hardaway gives you a bench scorer in the meantime, and maybe Josh Richardson looks better in the Celts' system.

For the Mavs, it would be an upside gamble hoping that Kemba looks better playing off an offensive playmaking force like Luka, whereas in Boston the problem for Kemba is that he needs to be a penetrator / playmaker but his knee doesnt' really let him do it anymore.

[Moranis]

I don't really think adding two non-shooting point guards is what this roster needs right now.


If I were gonna dump Kemba (and I wouldn't, because I think if you're dumping him you're giving up on the season anyway, so you may as well wait until the summer and hope he has some more value by then), my thought would be this:


Kemba Walker

for

Josh Richardson
Tim Hardaway Jr


The Mavs are also having an up and down start to the year.  Richardson isn't really working out there like they hoped.  Tim Hardaway is an expiring.

The Celts would probably have to throw in assets to move off Kemba, but it would save money long term, Hardaway gives you a bench scorer in the meantime, and maybe Josh Richardson looks better in the Celts' system.

For the Mavs, it would be an upside gamble hoping that Kemba looks better playing off an offensive playmaking force like Luka, whereas in Boston the problem for Kemba is that he needs to be a penetrator / playmaker but his knee doesnt' really let him do it anymore.

I would do that, but it will cost picks and I'm not sure I want to give up picks to move off Kemba as that really limits what you can acquire with the TPE.  The trade I proposed allows Boston to keep all of its picks.  And Burks is every bit the shooter as Hardaway (in fact Burks has been better this year).  I do like Richardson however, of course neither of those guys is a PG leaving Boston will a massive hole.  I really don't think Boston's problem is the lack of a 3rd scorer, I think it is more the lack of a playmaker.  Kemba isn't really a play maker.  He doesn't create well for others and with his shooting being so inconsistent (and it isn't like he was ever elite), I think he is actually doing more harm than good a lot of the time.  Getting someone steady in there like Rubio with a solid back-up like Payton, I think would steady the starting lineup and provide more stability to the bench.  You add Burks when you need shooting with the starters.

Again I'm not quite ready to give up on Kemba, but he does need to start looking like Kemba of old or that contract is going to be so hard to move off of.  I just see the merit in shaving the money off now, which allows for use of more of the big TPE giving way more options. 

[PhoSita]

Realistically, I think if you need to give up assets to move Kemba instead of getting assets back, the team is going to just keep him until summer 2022 and hope he's recovered enough by that point to opt out of his deal and hit UFA.

[jambr380]

At this point, I think it would be other GMs calling Ainge about Kemba rather than the other way around. The one thing Kemba has proven is that he looks good out there physically and that was [by far] the biggest question mark coming into the season. He has also proven that he can take over a game - obviously not consistently, but he can do it.

A team like NYK would be a perfect fit - I am not sure they are going to do any better in FA and what better way to ignite interest than to bring in a hometown All-Star. As a pure salary dump, this could be beneficial to both sides, but I am not sure Danny is ready to go in that direction quite yet, which goes back to my first sentence about GMs wanting to buy low on Kemba.

There will definitely be more options this summer in terms of cap space. NYK will still be there (I doubt they go all-in on Rose) and most of the top FAs have already signed extensions. I have not given up on Kemba, but, oof, last night doesn't help his defenders.

[Moranis]

At this point, I think it would be other GMs calling Ainge about Kemba rather than the other way around. The one thing Kemba has proven is that he looks good out there physically and that was [by far] the biggest question mark coming into the season. He has also proven that he can take over a game - obviously not consistently, but he can do it.

A team like NYK would be a perfect fit - I am not sure they are going to do any better in FA and what better way to ignite interest than to bring in a hometown All-Star. As a pure salary dump, this could be beneficial to both sides, but I am not sure Danny is ready to go in that direction quite yet, which goes back to my first sentence about GMs wanting to buy low on Kemba.

There will definitely be more options this summer in terms of cap space. NYK will still be there (I doubt they go all-in on Rose) and most of the top FAs have already signed extensions. I have not given up on Kemba, but, oof, last night doesn't help his defenders.

The reason to do a trade like what I proposed now, instead of the summer, is that it allows for basically full use of the big TPE without going over the apron and you get a pretty decent sized second TPE (you can take on someone close to the full MLE into that).  Plus it just resets the team which is floundering.  I'm not quite ready to make a move like this, but the longer the team limps along, the more likely I think this sort of trade will happen.  Walker is not a long term fit next to Tatum/Brown, so making moves that better set up the future, make some sense to me.  And that trade better sets up the future because it clears the cap a lot sooner and gives way more options this year.  Plus, I do really like Burks and think Rubio is more in line with what the team needs from a starting PG, i.e. a true play maker and not just a scorer.  The team does need more scoring, but they really need it off the bench not from the PG spot. 

[todd_days_41]

....the team is going to just keep him until summer 2022 and hope he's recovered enough by that point to opt out of his deal and hit UFA.

Never going to happen. This is why you admit your mistake now and trade Walker for whatever you can ASAP. Trade him for Otto Porter. Heck, I'd trade him for Blake Griffin (one year less on his equally lousy contract). Ainge is a premier transactional GM.... this is where he needs to shine, get creative, and find a way.