05-30-2021, 02:35 PM
(05-30-2021, 02:30 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I thought I’d entertain the idea of KP trades today. At least partially this is an attempt to influence the cosmos. Normally if I post a “trade Player X” deal, they will go off for 30/12 the next game (fingers crossed). I’ve largely ignored the KP situation outside the first week or so when the rumors broke in February. I don’t have a strong feeling about this, but have felt (until recently) the Mav’s would stand pat. Not so sure right this minute.
I tend to start either with money or with the needs of other teams. Not much point in starting with players I want if the other team isn’t going to want KP. I think you have to have a specific personnel mix to make KP work. He’s going to wine incessantly if you don’t play him at center and you can’t play him at all if you don’t have another big who can help with the boards and perimeter D.
I come up with five teams that fit:
Boston: Grant Williams or Tatum or both can play forward next to KP
Charlotte: P. J. Washington can play forward next to KP
Detroit: Grant can play forward next to KP
GS: Draymond can play forward next to KP
Toronto: Siakam or Boucher can play forward next to KP.
Everyone else either already has a center or the other big can’t be paired with KP. It does no good to wish for a Myles Turner for KP deal as there is no way of pairing KP with Sabonis. These KP for LaVine proposals sound nice in the fantasy realm until you realize in the real world that means KP and Vucevic are playing together. Yeah, right.
It probably pays to note financial before getting to deep into returning players. Boston gave away Theis to avoid LT this season. I think there are deals to be done here, but not if Dallas is throwing them well into the LT. The nice thing about Charlotte, Detroit and Toronto is they have significant financial flexibility this summer, so you don’t have to salary match. I don’t think Detroit is at the right place in its development to do a KP deal (it would be the ultimate in impatience IMHO). GS has been talked about before. The issue is someone has to want Wiggins (or pay Oubre $20 million in a deal that also includes Looney).
Starting with Boston, I see two paths and both include Robert Williams III. Either you go Smart/Thompson/RWIII or Kemba/RWIII. Note that Smart and Kemba are Excel guys and both Grant and Robert Williams are Duffy guys. My leaning is the former and Dallas can either keep or S/W Thompson. Boston is going to have to pay Smart in a year or lose him for nothing (which they’ve done a lot of in recent years). Fournier and the rookies can absorb the minutes that have traditionally gone to Smart.
Any Toronto deal probably involves a S&T for someone. Boucher has a year left and his agent is the same as the agent for Willie and Burke. Lowry is a Bartelstein guy as is THJ.
I’ve posted on Charlotte deals before. I think they have some nice pieces. It is probably Rozier and a younger player. Rozier has a year left and Charlotte has to make decisions about Graham and Monk right now. They will probably lose Monk now or Rozier later. So, why not cash in Rozier for their biggest need. PJ probably needs to stay to make KP work, so, it would probably need to be Bridges or maybe McDaniels. Monk and Zeller are Excel guys and McDaniels is a Duffy guy.
I’m not going to try to balance out with picks or other players. This also ignores another important element of the summer. Sending out KP for a player or two from either Boston, Toronto or Charlotte probably leaves significant cap room to fill in whatever holes are still left. Many of the names we often discuss would still be in the discussion for the remaining room. For instance, with Smart and RWIII, there would be a part to LM and THJ...or Collins to play next to RWIII. In a Charlotte deal, Holmes makes sense next to McDaniels/Maxi (or Maxi/McDaniels if you prefer).
Great stuff here, @"DanSchwartzgan"!