The cap wouldn't be an issue. With Butler and PG at 18.7M and 19.3M and our nearly 30M cap space, matching salaries to make the trades work wouldn't be difficult. It would take both Brooklyn picks and quite a bit more to actually get them assuming they are even available.
Yeah, if you're talking about trades, teams generally end up about even salary-wise. The bigger issue is that we don't have the assets to bring in two stars.
You don't think BK 18 is coveted?
I think BK 17 can land us Jimmy or George.
I think Crowder and filler can get Us Melo if we want him.
Thomas, Butler, Melo, PF, Horford
One route.
If George wants out and his price is reasonable, BK 18 and Jaylen.
We could also sign a FA like Blake or Hayward, and then trade for another.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves.
I think everybody knows that Fultz is the top talent in this draft, and the next couple of guys after him are a significant drop off.
The Brooklyn pick might well drop in value from now until the time trades open up again. If lottery doesn't go our way and that pick falls to #2 or worse, then it's value drops significantly.
There's also the fact that three of the top 5 prospects are point guards. Any team out there who doesn't have a desperate need for a PG might not be all that willing to give up star talent for that pick.
Lucky for us Chicago is one team that is desperate for a PG - regardless of whether they want to compete or rebuilt, that pick could be very valuable to them. However unless they decide it's time to go full rebuild mode, it's not going to make much sense for them to trade Butler to get it.
He's a young star on a pretty friendly contract, it's a big gamble trading him for a potential star, especially given how often high picks fail to work out (e.g. Jabari Parker and Dante Exum - no way you'd trade Butler for either of those two guys).
So I think for Chicago to trade Butler for that pick, it probably needs to fall top 2. They would need to know that they can get either Fultz or (at the very least) Ball with that pick, otherwise I doubt they'd be willing to move Butler.
The same is probably true for Indiana, as George is still young and has quite a bit of star power around the league, so unless you can get a top 2 pick I'm not sure you trade a guy of that calibre.
Personally I would try knocking on the Pelican's door and see if I can get either Cousins or Davis back in return for that pick. Cousins / Davis has the potential to be one of the top front-courts in the history of the NBA, but it's still uncertain if they will be able to play well together.
Considering that AD is only 24 years old, and that they didn't have to give up that much to get him in the first place, it might be a smart move for the Pelicans to trade Cousins to the Celtics if that pick falls in the top 2.
Cousins would offer Boston the size, strength, post scoring, rebounding and "Perkins-like" toughness that they so desperately need...while his passing ability and ability to stretch the floor make him a perfect fit in Brad's system.
Finally, if there is ANY player in this league who can be a positive influence on Cousins it is Al Horford. He must be one of the nicest guys in the NBA, and he's a multi-time all star, so there's a good chance Cousins would listen to him.
It's a long stretch, but with the latest AD injury it's also possible the Pelicans might decided to take a pass on Davis and move forward with Cousins as their franchise big. I doubt they'd move him lightly, but an offer starting with a #1 / #2 pick might make them at least hear Ainge out.
Topic: Is adding 2 impact players possible this summer? (Read 3772 times)