Sign and trade Nate to Memphis idea

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Say it with me everyone: sign-and-trades ONLY HAPPEN when the player being signed WANTS to go where they are being traded.  You can put together a million reasons why Memphis might want Nate, or why the Cs might want to move Nate, but until you put together an actual reason why Nate would want to play in Memphis, then you really don't have a leg to stand on.

In fact, Memphis tried to trade for Nate back in January.  They actually had an offer that the Knicks would accept--but Nate had a no-trade clause and he wouldn't waive it to go to Memphis.  Does anyone really think he's changed his mind since then?  

Yes, I do. He was on a contract year and wanted to play for a team to showcase his talent and ability to help a playoff team. After these playoffs he's due to make a better contract then if he finished out the season in Memphis. So it was a smart move on his part. Come this offseason, he will sign with the team that offers the most money.

How long did it take you to make that up?

I actually agree that this reasoning seems to be a bit of a stretch.  If he wanted to "showcase his talent" in a contract year, wouldn't he want to do it on a team where he can get lots of minutes?  Not on a team where he's buried on the bench?

In hindsight, yes, he's had some good postseason performances that might lead him to a good payday.  Just 3 weeks ago, nobody thought the same.  And you can't say for certain that he wouldn't have averaged 16ppg in Memphis and rang in a bigger contract there.  Just like you couldn't previously say for certain that he'd have big postseason performances upping his value this offseason.

I agree. Nate picked a horrible location if he wanted a good contract. Posey and Ariza was major contributors all season for their respective championship teams. Look at Eddie House.

Posey and House handpicked the Celtics and signed discounted short term contracts with hopes of landing the nice contract after big stage exposure. They both succeeded too: House got a 2 year deal worth $5 million and Posey got a 4 year full MLE.

Nate already proved he can put up great numbers on a terrible team. He and his agent (Goodwin) sought out a playoff team with his no trade clause in hopes of upping his marketability come this offseason.

I disagree, but you have an arguable point at the least.  I simply think that he would have sought out a playoff team where he could have showcased his skills more.  They must have known that Rondo would be playing 40 mpg come playoff time so Nate would get no more than 8 or so.  Wouldn't he want to go to a contending team like ATL, Cleveland, Portland, LA etc. where their starting pg isn't as important to them as Rondo is here therefore he could get more run?  Maybe he tried, I don't know...

But again, I see that your point is at least arguable.  I simply disagree and my thoughts if I were Nate or his agent would be more in fear that being buried on the bench would hurt Nate's marketability.

[JSD]

For me, this isn't a new position based on Robinson's solid playoff performance. I understood this to be the strategy from the moment Robinson and his agent announced that he would only approve a trade to the Celtics, Lakers or Magic. (link below)

I simply think that he would have sought out a playoff team where he could have showcased his skills more.

You have to realize that at the time of the trade, the closest thing we had to a backup PG (aside from Eddie House himself) was an injured Marquis Daniels. From Nate's perspective, playing time would be plentiful enough for him to establish a role.

I simply disagree and my thoughts if I were Nate or his agent would be more in fear that being buried on the bench would hurt Nate's marketability.

Nate was buried on the bench in NY and demanded a trade because of it:

Benched New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Monday after his agent made a trade request.Robinson has not played in the Knicks’ last 12 games. A two-time winner of the All-Star slam dunk contest, he has played in only 12 games this season and is averaging 11 points.

Agent Aaron Goodwin recently told reporters he’d asked the Knicks to move Robinson to another team. Robinson was fined for statements detrimental to the NBA.

“Players are not permitted to make trade requests publicly and are responsible for public statements relating to them made by their representatives,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.

Goodwin said the benching was personal, not basketball related. A day after Goodwin’s comments on Dec. 19, Knicks president Donnie Walsh said he would probably begin talks with the agent about a trade.

Goodwin didn’t immediately respond to telephone and e-mail messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Robinson averaged a career-high 17.2 points last season as the Knicks’ sixth man.


I believe that Robinson's gamble paid off and he's established himself as the type of player that can help real teams win. Was it about a ring too? Sure, it's a small part of it though. Nate is doing Nate, just like Posey was doing Posey.  If Memphis offers more money than the Celtics this offseason he will go there. Ring or no ring.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/64722/20100215/nate_would_only_approve_trade_to_lakers_celtics_or_magic

[guava_wrench]

I think the ring was the main reason for the teams he listed for trades. He gave up his Bird rights, which means he can't even work out a sign and trade for a decent NBA salary. If he was going to give up his Bird rights, might as well do it for something that would bring him great joy.

Nate had never even been to the playoffs before. He is a passionate guy. If he gets his ring, I see him doing the wise move and getting the best contract he can. I'm not sure what that contract could be at this point since his time with the Celtics make him seem a far more limited player than his time with the Knicks (when he was actually playing). If we are in his market, perhaps we use part of the MLE.

I am skeptical though of his interest in backing up Rondo for a whole season. Scoring typically translates to money, and the Celtics are killing his scoring.

[nickagneta]

Say it with me everyone: sign-and-trades ONLY HAPPEN when the player being signed WANTS to go where they are being traded.  You can put together a million reasons why Memphis might want Nate, or why the Cs might want to move Nate, but until you put together an actual reason why Nate would want to play in Memphis, then you really don't have a leg to stand on.

In fact, Memphis tried to trade for Nate back in January.  They actually had an offer that the Knicks would accept--but Nate had a no-trade clause and he wouldn't waive it to go to Memphis.  Does anyone really think he's changed his mind since then? 

Want a reason that that Nate signs and trades to Memphis? How about just like last year no one wants him or wants to pay him the price his over inflated opinion of himself thinks he is worth except Memphis. And that includes Boston. But Memphis needs to get rid of some people so they ask Boston to the sign and trade.

Say what you want about Nate Robinson, but he enjoys getting paid millions to play in the NBA and if his alternatives are the NBDL, Europe or the Grizzlies, he's choosing to go to Memphis.