Brian Windhorst @WindhorstESPN
2018 1st round pick Cavs are trading to Portland is top 10 protected for 2 years. Cavs also created new trade exception of $9.6M
OK so in summation of our ongoing discussion about Portland, they received a pick likely to be in the 20s 3 drafts from now for the right to pay Varajao like $12.5mil (unless I'm wrong about his money being guaranteed next year). And they still haven't reached the floor element, should they care to.
Objectively, I'd say that's somewhere in the middle of what we've been debating on who pays who for value. Anyway, what's done is done (unfortunately).
Don't have time to analyze it all, heading to a meeting now, to study the pros and cons... so I'll get back to it later.
Anyways, the main position of mine was when there's competition one can't assume you'll manage to trade what you dump at no cost, and getting further value on top of it.
Like in a vacuum, if it's only Boston and Portland negotiating then sure I'd see them trading a 2nd rounder to reach the floor. I mean, that was my position months ago when this idea first surfaced. But the mistake we were all doing, including me, is that we didn't factor the value other teams might gain from such trade and what they'd be willing to pay, if anything, to acquire that value (dump salary + TPE which can be traded at the draft).