i trade Smart in a second..think im only one who doesnt care for him
You absolutely are not - I'm right there with you lol
Ironically this is EXACTLY the idea I thought up this morning and brought up in one of the threads. Except that to my knowledge none of those three teams have cap space, so my idea was:
* Boston sends Gordon Hayward to Philly ($32,700,690)
* Philly sends Jimmy Butler to Houston in S&T
* Houston sends Clint Capella ($16,896,552) and PJ Tucker ($8,349,039) and Nene ($3,825,360) to Boston
Philly would be taking a gamble on Hayward - but if he proves healthy and returns to form, he'd be a PERFECT fit there.
His outside shooting ability is exactly what Philly needs, and he has a modest enough ego that he will probably have no problems taking a #3 role next to Embiid and Simmons. If it doesn't work out, then he becomes an expiring contract next season so the risk isn't THAT high.
Houston gets their man in Butler.
Boston picks up a young starting calibre center who is locked in to a bargain contract for the next 3-4 years, and a serviceable and versatile role player in Tucker.
Boston could then move forward with a starting 5 of:
Clint Capella
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Kemba Walker
That's godawful for the Sixers. The Sixers would be much better off just losing Butler and using all that cap space that is freed up.
Are you saying it's awful for the Sixers if they get the 11 / 4 / 3 version of Hayward that Boston had last season?
Or do you feel it's awful for the Sixers even if they get the 20 / 5 / 3 version of Gordon Hayward that was playing for 3 years prior to him signing with Boston?
It seems pretty clear to me that thee Sixers are highly motivated to try and win RIGHT NOW. They do not look to me like a team that is happy with making slow gradual progress over the next 3-4 years.
If they are able to retain Tobias Harris and JJ Reddick, then they have a starting 5 of Simmons, Reddick, Harris and Embiid. That starting lineup plus some random role player is absolutely NOT going to keep up with teams like Milwaukee or Toronto in the East.
If they want to compete, they need to replace Butler with a wing who is at least borderline All-Star level. If you strike out Kawhi and Durant (neither of whom likely have any interest in Philly) then the list gets pretty thin. Kris Middleton is one name that comes to mind, but why leave Bucks to go to 76ers? It's a sideways move at best.
Hayward might be a bit of a gamble due to health, but when he is healthy he is a proven All-Star caliber player, which is exactly what Philly needs. And a trio of Reddick, Hayward and Harris gives enough outside shooting to create space for Simmons and Embiid to work in the paint. And it's only a short term commitment, so it's not like they are trying themselves up with bad cap money for years to come.
Personally, I don't feel it's a terrible move for them - especially in a year where the league is so wide open.
Curious to hear why you think it would be so bad for them?