Trade Idea Who would realistically be a suitor for Simons or Nurk?

Let's say we don't package the #3 with Simons or Nurk.

Let's say the plan is to go into next season with Shaedon at the 2.

Which teams would make the most sense for Simons and/or Nurk? Either together or separately.

What positions would you be targeting if you shopped Ant?

 

Same position as we are looking at now. The best forward available.
Although if we draft Miller then we need more of a PF. Would we even want to sign Grant if we draft Miller? I don't think so unless we intend to trade him at the deadline.

 

Phoenix makes sense for Nurk - they want to move on from Ayton and break up his salary slot to a few players. Maybe the Blazers would explore Simons and Nurk for Ayton - although I tend to think the Blazers would be better targeting a wing with that max salary slot. Maybe it would be a 3 team trade where Nurk goes to Phoenix and Ayton to a third team.

Overall I just don't see value coming back to the Blazers for Nurk - they either will get a worse contract or have to give up picks. Ant likely has some value, but it's a bit hard to know the ideal fits with the draft and free agency up in the air. Toronto makes sense for Ant - maybe in an OG trade with something else going to the raptors. With them giving up a 1st round pick for Poetl I bet they resign him and don't look at Nurk/Ayton.

I thought your idea of Nurk for Draymond could make sense - Golden State might want to start cutting salary, and move on from the punch incident. Probably more likely the look to move Poole and his overpaid contract - but that could have difficulty finding takers. Ant and Nurk for Poole and Draymond? Also these two front offices have a lot of bad blood.

DeRozen for Nurk and pick(s).

Nurk to the Spurs - plus they get 2nd round picks to take on his overpaid contract but allows Wemba to not have to bang.

 

Teams that clearly lack ballhandling scoring guards:

Brooklyn
Toronto if FVV is not coming back
Spurs?

Nurk would be great as a backup Center for contenders, but otherwise, can't really think of who needs a slow center like him as their #1 option at the 5 spot.

 

Nurk for Draymond makes sense. GS runs ton of screens and we need a banger. But personally, I wouldn't want Draymond (I think he's way overrated.)

 

Miller really strikes me as a power forward.

 

Trying to think of these scenarios is difficult - as you say a draft trade for a veteran will certainly have Nurk or Ant or both being shipped out.

So then your talking about scenarios where that trade bringing in a veteran does not happen. Well if it doesn't happen - isn't it possible Dame is traded away? That needs to be resolved before the direction of Nurk/Ant trades or resigning Grant. I guess in your hypothetical Dame is staying. So that would mean we keep the #3 pick - I guess Miller or Scoot is on the team then? Who we have drafted could determine trades as well - might be possible to keep Ant if its Miller - but thats unlikely if its Scoot.

Although if we haven't traded #3 for a veteran - its possible we have traded down for multiple picks but not included Nurk/Ant. I tend to think if Dame is traded we are more likely to keep Ant. Nurk would be more likely to keep his talent to win if we have Dame - without Dame we would be more likely to want to trade him for picks. But Nurk's contract has negative value - so we'd be more likely to eat that contract if rebuilding but prefer to trade for more productivity if we are winning with Dame.

Makes my head hurt just trying to think of the most likely scenarios this situation would apply where both Nurk and Ant are available in trades for the Blazers.

I'd say the Blazers priorities have to first be these;
1 Trading or keeping pick #3
2 If keeping pick 3 did the Blazers get Scoot or Miller?
3 Trading or keeping Dame
4 Resigning Grant
5 Trade or keep Ant
6 Trade or keep Nurk
7 Trade or keep Sharpe (last resort only for Embiid type trades)

Item 1 could impact what the Blazers do with Item 3. Item 3 could impact what the Blazers do with item 4. There become so many permutations of prior decisions that could happen with Ant or Nurk trades well after the draft that we really need to have these other items answered first before deciding what the Blazers would want back in Ant/Nurk trades.

 

Ant is a fantastic shooter, and can play anywhere scoring and potential elite shooting is needed. But i don't see him as a starting PG. It's his facilitating i don't buy. Too often he has blinders on to his open teammates. But as a 2 guard he could fit almost with any team. TOR, BKN, NYK , ORL, DAL, MIA , UTH , BOS, HOU, SAS all could use Ant . Many of those teams have assets the Blazers covet. Nurk i find fewer suitors for because he just doesn't bring enough motor consistently. And i think many teams would bench him for it. Dame feeds him the ball early in almost every game. In what i would consider point blank range, in stride , but it's been a crapshoot on him making his shots off passes. Too many times he flips the ball at the hoop carelessly, instead of going up strong through contact, and dunking. It's one reason i think he doesn't get call from the refs. He needs to battle through contact, and understand a tap on the wrist on a flip shot isn't respected whether it's a foul or not. I see many teams not wanting to take the chance. If he was Euros Nurk all the time, we wouldn't be talking about him in trades. I think Nurk would be an upgrade for about 50% of the teams . I put him in the 12 to 14 range of centers. I don't include guys like Siakam as a center ( he's a PF). But there are playoff teams that i feel would be better served by having Nurk because he does have skills. Like Anthony Davis , it's more about his health. Nurk was , again, playing pretty well, then he got that lower leg strain. Pain thresholds vary from player to player. But Nurk hasn't seemed like a guy who brushes a lot of little stuff off. Not talking his big injuries. Teams Nurk is an upgrade IMO are : DAL, LAC, CHA , NYK, LAL (Allowing AD to be a PF only) , MEM, BOS, SAS.

 

I guess if we consider Grant a PF then sure. And I guess it also depends on who our center is. As long as we have 2 members of the front line who can defend the rim, rebound and play physically. But other than Nurk we are a bit "light" weight-wise.

 

Like your post except Nurk for Drummond makes me want to puke.

 

In answer to the thread question:

Exactly!

 

I agree . I think the Blazers should have let them go out and find their best offer. Maybe they did, but i suspect they didn't. I do think Nurk did them a solid, and his contract was for shutting it down when he was playing some of his best ball. I don't think that was the case with Ant. That being said i think Ant's shooting will make him valuable to a trade partner.

 

the problem with Ant is he's not a PG but his size puts him in that position on most teams; and, he can't defend a chair. 25M a year it too much money for somebody who seems best suited, by far, to a 6th man role

 

Orlando seems like a natural partner for Ant. They need shooting, he's from the area and they have a glut of bigs.

 

Ant to Orlando or Toronto makes sense

 

The question is what kind of value is fair from Orlando.

Is this fair?