CJ McCollum to the Pelicans

[PhoSita]

Dame would be a player I’d be interested in. He’d look good on the C’s. Of course this assumes he’s gonna be healthy. Also his salary is extremely difficult to match.

Dame is 31 and is rapidly approaching 30k career minutes played including playoffs and regular season.

I would not relish the idea of having him at 45-50 million on the cap when he's 33-34 years old.

I think trading for Dame will make sense for a team that can immediately be a title favorite as soon as they complete the trade.  I don't think the Celtics would be in that kind of position, particularly because they would likely have to trade Brown to get Dame.

[liam]

Dame would be a player I’d be interested in. He’d look good on the C’s. Of course this assumes he’s gonna be healthy. Also his salary is extremely difficult to match.

Dame is 31 and is rapidly approaching 30k career minutes played including playoffs and regular season.

I would not relish the idea of having him at 45-50 million on the cap when he's 33-34 years old.

I think trading for Dame will make sense for a team that can immediately be a title favorite as soon as they complete the trade.  I don't think the Celtics would be in that kind of position, particularly because they would likely have to trade Brown to get Dame.

Yeah, It seems too late to build around Dame. Who knows how he'll come back from his current injury.

[RJ87]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491086586351882241?s=20&t=UDdSgjIAhgO1HbRPnAjzDA

Good luck with that plan lol

In a weak free agent class in a small market. Good thinking.

posturing plain and simple

I'm not sure why that's "plain and simple" posturing....

• Rumor mill has been pretty consistent for some time that POR does NOT intend to move Lillard
• Their team stinks -- a backcourt of Lillard and McCollum has been in question for some time, has been regressing, and is going nowhere
• Simons looks like a keeper in McCollum's place
• Josh Hart is still young, as are Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada. A flier on NAW is a reasonable risk / reward as a secondary trade piece
• Blazers were also able to clear Powell's money in an effort to create the flexibility described

Isn't this how teams rebuild on the fly? Get out in front of dealing soon declining guys by clearing cap room and acquiring assets in the process? Wouldn't it be "profoundly stupid' to keep McCollum and hope they magically stop heading down the lottery?

As for the small market bit, Woj specifically calls out the trade exception. And you don't have to sign players outright as UFAs to use your cap space.

Celtics fans should have firsthand knowledge that large TPE's aren't all they're made out to be.

They can get a player for sure, but they're not getting a 2nd star with it.

[Celtics2021]

My favorite tweet of the day comes from Mark Deeks:

The last time the Blazers had significant cap room, they gave out $400 million to McCollum, Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, Mo Harkless, Meyers Leonard and Festus Ezeli.

[johnnygreen]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491086586351882241?s=20&t=UDdSgjIAhgO1HbRPnAjzDA

Good luck with that plan lol

In a weak free agent class in a small market. Good thinking.

This makes me feel better, with the Celtics strategy of trying to get below the tax line at the trade deadline. At least Portland seems to have a plan, albeit a bad one. Being a borderline playoff team is the worst position to be in the NBA. And that is exactly where the Celtics have been that past two seasons.

[todd_days_41]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1491086586351882241?s=20&t=UDdSgjIAhgO1HbRPnAjzDA

Good luck with that plan lol

In a weak free agent class in a small market. Good thinking.

posturing plain and simple

I'm not sure why that's "plain and simple" posturing....

• Rumor mill has been pretty consistent for some time that POR does NOT intend to move Lillard
• Their team stinks -- a backcourt of Lillard and McCollum has been in question for some time, has been regressing, and is going nowhere
• Simons looks like a keeper in McCollum's place
• Josh Hart is still young, as are Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada. A flier on NAW is a reasonable risk / reward as a secondary trade piece
• Blazers were also able to clear Powell's money in an effort to create the flexibility described

Isn't this how teams rebuild on the fly? Get out in front of dealing soon declining guys by clearing cap room and acquiring assets in the process? Wouldn't it be "profoundly stupid' to keep McCollum and hope they magically stop heading down the lottery?

As for the small market bit, Woj specifically calls out the trade exception. And you don't have to sign players outright as UFAs to use your cap space.

Celtics fans should have firsthand knowledge that large TPE's aren't all they're made out to be.

They can get a player for sure, but they're not getting a 2nd star with it.

Never understand the weird stigma on TPEs. The Blazers now have a $21M expiring contract, except the team that takes it in trade doesn't have to pay anyone anything. It's a simple, valuable asset.

And maybe the Blazers will do better that the Cs? The Celtics have been a transactionally awful team during the time of their recent real exceptions.

Specifically, the Cs have not traded meaningful assets with a TPE to get a real upgrade. Trading 2nd round picks to get Evan Throwaway last year ain't exactly the gold standard for TPE usage.

[Vermont Green]

It is fair to question whether trying to rebuild around Lillard is a good idea or not.  It is possible that with cap space, tradeable assets, and TPE, that they could quickly get a team around Lillard.  Get players like Jerami Grant for example, maybe they find a way to score Sabonis.  Maybe Brogdon.   Harden, Kyrie, Gordon, Harrison Barnes, Hield, there are players out there.  That is a pathway, at least potentially, in theory.

I guess their plan is to try that or at least try that first rather than trading Lillard.  There are no guarantees in either case.

[todd_days_41]

It is fair to question whether trying to rebuild around Lillard is a good idea or not.  It is possible that with cap space, tradeable assets, and TPE, that they could quickly get a team around Lillard.  Get players like Jerami Grant for example, maybe they find a way to score Sabonis.  Maybe Brogdon.   Harden, Kyrie, Gordon, Harrison Barnes, Hield, there are players out there.  That is a pathway, at least potentially, in theory.

I guess their plan is to try that or at least try that first rather than trading Lillard.  There are no guarantees in either case.

To this point, what if the Blazers turn around and trade the TPE, all the picks they're getting from NOP, an additional pick, and Keon Johnson, NAW, and / or Nassir Little In a separate smaller deal) for Sabonis?

Without getting too far into the weeds, that'd basically be McCollum, Powell, Larry Nance, and one pick of their own for Sabonis, Josh Hart, and Didi Louzada.

[Birdman]

New Orleans starting lineup:

Jonas V
Zion (if he ever play)
Brandon Ingram
C J McCollum
Devonta Graham

Larry Nance
Jaxon Hayes
Herb Jones
G. Hernangomez

Not bad but need more bench power

[liam]

New Orleans starting lineup:

Jonas V
Zion (if he ever play)
Brandon Ingram
C J McCollum
Devonta Graham

Larry Nance
Jaxon Hayes
Herb Jones
G. Hernangomez

Not bad but need more bench power

That's still not a playoff team.

[slamtheking]

New Orleans starting lineup:

Jonas V
Zion (if he ever play)
Brandon Ingram
C J McCollum
Devonta Graham

Larry Nance
Jaxon Hayes
Herb Jones
G. Hernangomez

Not bad but need more bench power

That's still not a playoff team.

if healthy, that's most definitely a playoff team -- especially if they keep the play-in format.  key for them is to get a good combo guard for the bench or better yet a better starting PG

[liam]

New Orleans starting lineup:

Jonas V
Zion (if he ever play)
Brandon Ingram
C J McCollum
Devonta Graham

Larry Nance
Jaxon Hayes
Herb Jones
G. Hernangomez

Not bad but need more bench power

That's still not a playoff team.

if healthy, that's most definitely a playoff team -- especially if they keep the play-in format.  key for them is to get a good combo guard for the bench or better yet a better starting PG

Yeah, Someone like Ball would be a good fit.  Yeah, maybe tenth... Mostly because of how awful the teams below them are. But not really good...

[Big333223]

Blazers going after Beal or Lavine this summer? If they wiff on those two, it's not going to be pretty in Portland next year.

[liam]

Blazers going after Beal or Lavine this summer? If they wiff on those two, it's not going to be pretty in Portland next year.

If they get one of those guys it won't be so pretty either. You still have to build a team.

[RJ87]

Blazers going after Beal or Lavine this summer? If they wiff on those two, it's not going to be pretty in Portland next year.

I think Lavine stays in Chicago and who knows what Beal is thinking. Even if you can add one of those guys, isn't that just a slightly better version of the Dame/CJ backcourt?

Portland needs a lot to be a real contender. Its not like they're one or two moves away. They have a ton of work to do and it's not like Dame is getting younger and healthier.