TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[Dundalis]

I wouldn't do that trade, but for a somewhat-different reason that most might have.

I'm not excited by Hardy. I think he's JAG. Trading him while he has good GL stats and looks intriguing might even be a way to get more value than he's worth. 

But my disinterest in this trade is that you aren't getting anything in Hayward that is dependably useful. His body is breaking down -- he's on his 3rd different extended stay on the inactive list in this season -- and his production is slipping considerably for the same reason.

I think the odds would be much better on Bullock and McGee getting better and being helpful, than on Hayward being healthy enough to depend on for quality play when it counts. And with GH sitting so much and sucking when he doesn't, we wouldn't have found a way to get out from under the bad money to Bertans and McGee -- the wasted money is about the same either way.

I do like the idea of packaging Bertans and McGee, and maybe even THJ, to take a player some player whose team wants to get out from under. But imo this isn't an actual solution.

What's Hardy missing offensively besides elite athleticism? The decision making issues for a rookie with his aggressive offensive repertoire is pretty common. Maybe he's a JAG, but I've not seen any holes in his skillset that tells me he isn't a likely 20+ PPG guy down the line if he's allowed to figure out the NBA. The stroke is nice, and he looks better at creating separation for his shot than any rookie not named Luka to have come through for the Mavs that I've seen, including Brunson.