CelticsBlog Challenge - Fix the Nets

[Csfan1984]

Get a new owner.

[PhoSita]

From a Net's perspective:  There is probably no possible way they will resume contention within Brook Lopez' contract horizon.   It doesn't make sense to try to 'build around' him because they have no tools with which to build.  So I'd try to unload him.

I would wait for the next period of time where Lopez has looked reasonably healthy for two weeks and then trade him for whatever first round draft pick package I can get.  Yes, I'd probably have to take on some matching crap salary in the form of a bad contract or two.  But that's okay.  You simply endure that salary for the same reason we took on Gerald Wallace' contract:  For the picks.

I just don't think anybody is gonna give them significant first round picks for Brook Lopez.  He's a lumbering post center in an era when that is very much out of style, plus he has serious long term injury concerns with his foot.  No two week stretch is going to change that.  He's a permanent red flag.


So yeah, the picks they've given up are a sunk cost at this point, so there's no sense in being decent just to prevent those picks from being too high in the draft.

At the same time, though, Brooklyn has nothing to gain by being bad, and very little way of getting talented young players via the draft.  For the next few years they're going to be stuck trying to find rotation players in the second round and among undrafted and veteran free agents.


What they could do, I suppose, is try and do basically what Portland is doing right now, except without any young star already in place.  Just buy low on youngish players with good physical tools and draft pedigree who for whatever reason haven't carved out a place in the league yet.

But why not just keep Brook Lopez and Thad Young and do that? 


It really seems to me that they've got no better option than to try and be as decent as possible until the 2018 off-season when they can finally look forward to having their own 1st round pick and Brook Lopez's current deal expires.


All of that said, if somebody is willing to send them a Gerald Wallace type contract plus a couple of future 1sts for Brook Lopez, then of course they should jump on that.

The only problem?

They can't exploit Billy King because he's THEIR GM. 

[Lucky17]

^ Co-sign.

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

I posted that earlier in the thread, and no one has offered any answers.

Lopez' injury history, coupled with his contract, likely requires the Nets to ADD a 1st rounder to unload him.

[sofutomygaha]

^ Co-sign.

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

I posted that earlier in the thread, and no one has offered any answers.

Lopez' injury history, coupled with his contract, likely requires the Nets to ADD a 1st rounder to unload him.

There are possibilities, but they depend on how close the team is to contending at the deadline. In the East, the Pacers and Wizards would be really good fits for Lopez Lopez. The Wizards, in particular, have had such a long and boring road to contention that I bet they are ready to trade future picks for today players.

In the west, Portland is the most obvious destination that I can see. If Lillard is good enough to keep that team over .500 through december, they might decide it's worth a mid-first to try for the playoffs.

[indeedproceed]

^ Co-sign.

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

I posted that earlier in the thread, and no one has offered any answers.

Lopez' injury history, coupled with his contract, likely requires the Nets to ADD a 1st rounder to unload him.

Disagree. I think Lopez, just speaking in terms of value, is worth two lotto-protected 1sts. It's what I'd set as my mental "fair deal" if I'm Billy King, and I am first exhausting all avenues to try to get unprotected or lightly protected firsts.

In terms of teams who would do it..the New Orleans Pelicans seem like a glaring example.

If not them, the Spurs would be a great destination, if they could manage to find the right contracts (which they don't have IIRC). The Pacers.

[crimson_stallion]

To the OP

When you say "fix the Nets", do you mean in the same way you "Fix a dog" when you don't want it to have babies?

If so I wouldn't worry too much, I think they will pretty much fix themselves haha

[crimson_stallion]

^ Co-sign.

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

I posted that earlier in the thread, and no one has offered any answers.

Lopez' injury history, coupled with his contract, likely requires the Nets to ADD a 1st rounder to unload him.

Disagree. I think Lopez, just speaking in terms of value, is worth two lotto-protected 1sts. It's what I'd set as my mental "fair deal" if I'm Billy King, and I am first exhausting all avenues to try to get unprotected or lightly protected firsts.

In terms of teams who would do it..the New Orleans Pelicans seem like a glaring example.

If not them, the Spurs would be a great destination, if they could manage to find the right contracts (which they don't have IIRC). The Pacers.

I somewhat agree about the two firsts for Lopez...but it would need to be a team that REALLY wants him, and a team that wants to compete right now, even if that means sacrificing the future.

While Spurs are in win now mode, i don't see how this move works for them.  With a roster that already has Aldrige, Duncan and West I don't see how they could possible find room for Lopez.  Even if they move Duncan to the bench to help preserve him, there just wouldn't be a lot of minutes to go around.

Plus Lopez really doesn't offer the Spurs anything of need.  Aldridge is a FAR superior offensive player, a better rebounder, less injury prone, and he's at least on par as a defender. 

Also how would the Spurs make the cap space?  I thought their cap was maxed out after the Leonard / Aldridge signings?

Likewise, I don't see how he'd fit in NO given that AD is clearly the #1 offensive guy on that team.  Can Lopez coexist as a #2 offensive option these days?

The Thunder would have been a nice fit, but then they got Kanter.

I guess Cleveland will always be one team that comes to mind.  They seem to never run out of desire to add stacks of talent, and they are deep enough that they could afford to gable on Lopez' health.  A front line of Love/Lopez would be dangerous when added to the Irving/Lebron mix - but it would also make for one horrible defensive team, given Lebron is about the only plus defender on that roster and he is infamous for taking plays off pretty much when he feels like it.   

[mctyson]

They wrecked their team in the offseason. Should have kept Deron Williams & Teletovic & added quality bench players instead of the likes of Bargnani.

Agree here.  You don't cut Deron and let Teletovic go.  Billy King again making stupid moves.  Same thing he did with Pierce.

[fairweatherfan]

They wrecked their team in the offseason. Should have kept Deron Williams & Teletovic & added quality bench players instead of the likes of Bargnani.

Agree here.  You don't cut Deron and let Teletovic go.  Billy King again making stupid moves.  Same thing he did with Pierce.

I think he was ordered to cut salary ASAP.   He'd've traded Joe Johnson by now if anyone wanted to pay his salary.

[CelticsFan166]

Is "sell the team" an option?

[Moranis]

If Dallas thinks Parsons is going to leave, then a Lopez for Parsons swap makes some sense for both teams. 

[mef730]

I just don't think anybody is gonna give them significant first round picks for Brook Lopez.  He's a lumbering post center in an era when that is very much out of style, plus he has serious long term injury concerns with his foot.  No two week stretch is going to change that.  He's a permanent red flag.


So yeah, the picks they've given up are a sunk cost at this point, so there's no sense in being decent just to prevent those picks from being too high in the draft.

At the same time, though, Brooklyn has nothing to gain by being bad, and very little way of getting talented young players via the draft.  For the next few years they're going to be stuck trying to find rotation players in the second round and among undrafted and veteran free agents.


What they could do, I suppose, is try and do basically what Portland is doing right now, except without any young star already in place.  Just buy low on youngish players with good physical tools and draft pedigree who for whatever reason haven't carved out a place in the league yet.

But why not just keep Brook Lopez and Thad Young and do that? 


It really seems to me that they've got no better option than to try and be as decent as possible until the 2018 off-season when they can finally look forward to having their own 1st round pick and Brook Lopez's current deal expires.


All of that said, if somebody is willing to send them a Gerald Wallace type contract plus a couple of future 1sts for Brook Lopez, then of course they should jump on that.

The only problem?

They can't exploit Billy King because he's THEIR GM.

I don't necessarily disagree with you about Lopez's value, but keeping him means a huge bet on free agency, either this year or next. The Nets have money, as do a lot of teams, so they'll end up with someone in free agency, but it's going to be an overpay on a 3rd tier player.

If Lopez stays healthy, his value goes up as we get closer to the trade deadline. By that time, there will be at least a couple of teams who think that Lopez is enough to put them over the top. They'll never do to somebody else what we did to them in terms of the draft pick bonanza, but people get wacky around the trade deadline.

If I were Brooklyn, I'd ask for a first round pick in 2018, a mid-tier player and the right to swap picks in 2020. Rationale: I have no pick in 16, 17 or 18, so I'm unlikely to do much before then, anyway. And if I'm sending Lopez to a top team, their pick this year (or next, for that matter), probably isn't going to be a good one. So I have a pick in 18, mine in 19 and a wild card in 2020.

There are two issues with that philosophy, of course: First, do my fans and my owner have the patience to wait for a rebuild to begin 2.5 years from now? Second, what happens if Lopez gets hurt before the trade deadline?

That's all I can come up with. A rebuild that starts in the summer of 2018. Because the alternative, holding onto the Lopez/Young combo and hoping for the best, is even worse.

Mike

[PhoSita]

^ Co-sign.

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

I posted that earlier in the thread, and no one has offered any answers.

Lopez' injury history, coupled with his contract, likely requires the Nets to ADD a 1st rounder to unload him.

There are possibilities, but they depend on how close the team is to contending at the deadline. In the East, the Pacers and Wizards would be really good fits for Lopez Lopez. The Wizards, in particular, have had such a long and boring road to contention that I bet they are ready to trade future picks for today players.

In the west, Portland is the most obvious destination that I can see. If Lillard is good enough to keep that team over .500 through december, they might decide it's worth a mid-first to try for the playoffs.

I think I've already said this elsewhere, but if the Blazers traded for Brook Lopez and changed what they've got going there for the sake of integrating Lopez, I think ... well, I wouldn't actually cry, but man that would be sad.  Don't un-fun the Blazers!

The Wizards are an interesting idea, if only because you're right, that's a franchise that might be desperate to make a move to get past the second round.  Especially if making that move wouldn't prevent them from signing Durant next summer (not that I think that will happen, but they seem to think it's possible).

[PhoSita]

That's all I can come up with. A rebuild that starts in the summer of 2018. Because the alternative, holding onto the Lopez/Young combo and hoping for the best, is even worse.

Mike

How is it an alternative?  Lopez expires in the summer of 2018.

What I've said is basically that they should try and make value signings in free agency (similar to what the Celts did with Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko), and just try to be a borderline playoff team for the next couple of seasons until Lopez expires and they have their own picks again.

Then, they can rebuild.

[nickagneta]

Trade everyone worth anything for 2019 draft picks. Play only D Leage players for the next three years setting a futility record for most losses in a three year period. Then start rebuilding in 2019.

Definitely the path I would take but then again, I am a Celtics fan that wants three years of top 4 picks guaranteed coming to the Celtics.