Trading Flurries During Draft
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 2:30 pm
I love the beginning of the offseason. As soon as the Finals were completed, trade inquiries and speculation went 0-to-60 in a snap. As always, there’s a pause given before the lotto results come through, but just as always as soon as the results are posted and finalized the trades start posting up. There’s always a team or two that go all in or blows it completely up, and it can be fun tracking the end results of all the trades in such a short window. Let’s highlight some of the teams that have made multiple big moves who have already impacted the league, but may not even be done yet!
You can’t start an article like this without mentioning the Orlando Magic first. The franchise under GM false9 won their very first PBSL Championship this season, being pushed to 7 games in the second round, Eastern Conference Finals, and the Finals. It was a spectacular finish for the Magic, and after going deep into the tax with a ring to show for it, false9 decided to blow it up and start it all over again.
Referenced in the table above, we have seen Playoffs MVP James Harden shipped off to the Phoenix and Paul George pack his bags for San Antonio (send them East, Andy, smfh). Overall in return, the Magic get their 2021 pick back, which is important in a rebuild that shouldn’t be rushed, Dennis Schroder, the Suns and Nets 2021 firsts and 10 points. The biggest takeaway is that the Magic made an effort to collect 3 2021 picks, a smart strategy to gather future assets that can be realized or sold in a future trade. What’s odd about these moves is that the Magic didn’t receive one young rookie-contract type of player to build around or use as a building block moving forward. Schroeder is 25 and a good score-first type of PG, and I feel GM false9 has advised Dennis to not buy a home in Orlando, that rent may be a better option.
The Magic still have DeAndre Jordan that’s available to be traded before the moratorium, and Marcus Smart and Dario Saric will be eligible for trade after RFA is over. Will the Magic run this group into the season and attempt to compete, or is the writing on the wall that this is a complete rebuild and these four guys won’t be on the roster by the end of trade deadline?
Another playoff team that decided to blow up their core in a spectacular fashion. With the core 3 of Blake Griffin, Brandon Jennings and Damian Lilliard, the Pelicans and GM nickmalone could have brought this group back for another run at the playoffs. I suspect being trounced in sweep wiped away any hope that this team could bring the Pelicans back to the Finals. Out with the old and in with the new. Gone are Griffin, Lilliard and Jennings. The Pelicans received Buddy Hield as the core young piece to maybe build around and an assortment of role players: Babineauax, Fisher, and McCall as well as the #16 pick in this draft, the 76ers 2020, and Nuggets 2021 pick.
The market was not there for 3 really good players, but that was mainly attributable to the age and contracts of the players being moved for the Pelicans. Still, the Pelicans were able to bring in Buddy Hield and players who could potentially be serviceable or decent filler in trade negotiations. The picks acquired don’t seem as if they have much potential to be in the lotto, but you never know what could happen in two seasons. Lilliard and Jennings both head over to the Atlantic division, and Blake Griffin heads to Denver, giving thesyndicate a much needed frontcourt piece to pair with Jrue Holiday.
Speaking of the Denver Nuggets, GM thesyndicate once again decided to acquire assets through trade rather than the slower draft-then-grow method, a true staple of how the GM builds his teams. The Nuggets traded for Blake Griffin, Kent Bazemore, and moved up to the 13th pick by sending out a total of 27 points, Buddy Hield, the Nuggets 2021 pick and their #15 pick in this draft. The Nuggets only have a few million left in cap space and have Chet Dooley as an RFA, so what they are able to do with the new MLE will decide if this risky move pays off or just created another Nuggets team that makes the playoffs but is no real threat to go deep. Having Blake Griffin really helps, as the Nuggets were surprisingly able to push the Timberwolves to 6 games despite being outmatched in arguably every position. The main concern I have is if this was for a one year plan or if the Nuggets really feel the core of a 30-year-old Blake Griffin, Jrue Holiday and Chet Dooley is strong enough to last through Blake’s contract.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns updated their banks and publicly let the league know they are the true Iron Bank. Kevin Love has been a monster during his career with the Suns (a very, very, very, very long career in the eyes of this Pacific GM). GM Messi2.0 made a quick flurry of trades that ultimately brought in James Harden the the #21 pick for 28 points distributed, the #18 pick and Suns 2021. After the point update we knew points were going to fly, and what’s funny is the 28 points barely put a dent in the total. The biggest takeaway is that the Suns now have the most talented player next to Kevin Love they ever had. The best Suns teams during the Love dynasty was probably when they had Marcus Thornton and Steven Hunter, but to add the Playoffs MVP on the team of Kevin Love is going to be fun to watch. The Suns surprised everyone when they got to the Western Conference Finals and pushed the Timberwolves to an actual contest. They may be another year older, but the Love/Harden duo is a team I would not want to run into in the playoffs.
You can’t start an article like this without mentioning the Orlando Magic first. The franchise under GM false9 won their very first PBSL Championship this season, being pushed to 7 games in the second round, Eastern Conference Finals, and the Finals. It was a spectacular finish for the Magic, and after going deep into the tax with a ring to show for it, false9 decided to blow it up and start it all over again.
Referenced in the table above, we have seen Playoffs MVP James Harden shipped off to the Phoenix and Paul George pack his bags for San Antonio (send them East, Andy, smfh). Overall in return, the Magic get their 2021 pick back, which is important in a rebuild that shouldn’t be rushed, Dennis Schroder, the Suns and Nets 2021 firsts and 10 points. The biggest takeaway is that the Magic made an effort to collect 3 2021 picks, a smart strategy to gather future assets that can be realized or sold in a future trade. What’s odd about these moves is that the Magic didn’t receive one young rookie-contract type of player to build around or use as a building block moving forward. Schroeder is 25 and a good score-first type of PG, and I feel GM false9 has advised Dennis to not buy a home in Orlando, that rent may be a better option.
The Magic still have DeAndre Jordan that’s available to be traded before the moratorium, and Marcus Smart and Dario Saric will be eligible for trade after RFA is over. Will the Magic run this group into the season and attempt to compete, or is the writing on the wall that this is a complete rebuild and these four guys won’t be on the roster by the end of trade deadline?
Another playoff team that decided to blow up their core in a spectacular fashion. With the core 3 of Blake Griffin, Brandon Jennings and Damian Lilliard, the Pelicans and GM nickmalone could have brought this group back for another run at the playoffs. I suspect being trounced in sweep wiped away any hope that this team could bring the Pelicans back to the Finals. Out with the old and in with the new. Gone are Griffin, Lilliard and Jennings. The Pelicans received Buddy Hield as the core young piece to maybe build around and an assortment of role players: Babineauax, Fisher, and McCall as well as the #16 pick in this draft, the 76ers 2020, and Nuggets 2021 pick.
The market was not there for 3 really good players, but that was mainly attributable to the age and contracts of the players being moved for the Pelicans. Still, the Pelicans were able to bring in Buddy Hield and players who could potentially be serviceable or decent filler in trade negotiations. The picks acquired don’t seem as if they have much potential to be in the lotto, but you never know what could happen in two seasons. Lilliard and Jennings both head over to the Atlantic division, and Blake Griffin heads to Denver, giving thesyndicate a much needed frontcourt piece to pair with Jrue Holiday.
Speaking of the Denver Nuggets, GM thesyndicate once again decided to acquire assets through trade rather than the slower draft-then-grow method, a true staple of how the GM builds his teams. The Nuggets traded for Blake Griffin, Kent Bazemore, and moved up to the 13th pick by sending out a total of 27 points, Buddy Hield, the Nuggets 2021 pick and their #15 pick in this draft. The Nuggets only have a few million left in cap space and have Chet Dooley as an RFA, so what they are able to do with the new MLE will decide if this risky move pays off or just created another Nuggets team that makes the playoffs but is no real threat to go deep. Having Blake Griffin really helps, as the Nuggets were surprisingly able to push the Timberwolves to 6 games despite being outmatched in arguably every position. The main concern I have is if this was for a one year plan or if the Nuggets really feel the core of a 30-year-old Blake Griffin, Jrue Holiday and Chet Dooley is strong enough to last through Blake’s contract.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns updated their banks and publicly let the league know they are the true Iron Bank. Kevin Love has been a monster during his career with the Suns (a very, very, very, very long career in the eyes of this Pacific GM). GM Messi2.0 made a quick flurry of trades that ultimately brought in James Harden the the #21 pick for 28 points distributed, the #18 pick and Suns 2021. After the point update we knew points were going to fly, and what’s funny is the 28 points barely put a dent in the total. The biggest takeaway is that the Suns now have the most talented player next to Kevin Love they ever had. The best Suns teams during the Love dynasty was probably when they had Marcus Thornton and Steven Hunter, but to add the Playoffs MVP on the team of Kevin Love is going to be fun to watch. The Suns surprised everyone when they got to the Western Conference Finals and pushed the Timberwolves to an actual contest. They may be another year older, but the Love/Harden duo is a team I would not want to run into in the playoffs.