Say the Lakers end up with a Top 2 pick, but want to move it for a star. Would you deal Aldridge to the Lakers for said pick as the base of the deal? *Disclaimer* I'm not advocating moving LaMarcus. I just want to see what everyone thinks. I'm not sure I would, but to me, it wouldn't be the worst thing we could do.
It's a ballsy (potentially souring) move, but depending on who you get, it could pay dividends in 5 years. I'd want two unprotected firsts from L.A., which I think have to be non-consecutive... so 2014's and 2016's picks. And Pau. And whoever their best younger player is. If we're losing the best player in the deal, I want to fleece them.
It really depends on LA's choice. Does he want to be here for the rest of his career? Does he want a trade to a major market? I think he has earned the right to have the decision himself if he wants to be on this team or not. If he wants to be a Blazer and brake all the franchise records and lead this team as far as it could take him, I would say "no". If he has any inkling of wanting to be moved, quietly and out of the media, I'd probably do it in this draft.
Good point. I'm very very happy to have LaMarcus be a one-team player if he wants to be. I'd love to have him retire a Blazer at the top of the heap. The fans deserve one player like that. He deserves the records. But if he wants to move, I want the best possible deal for him. I want picks and players and more picks.
I just want one. A top pick. This draft is supposedly pretty awesome with multiple franchise type players, so a top 2 pick is probably worth it. From a franchise-morale level, probably not, but from a strictly "basketball reasons" viewpoint, it probably is.
Really? I don't see a single MVP-level player in this draft. All of the players at the top have glaring weaknesses.
All players have glaring weaknesses they eventually get over. Dunno, I don't follow college hoops. But Wiggins seems like the next explosive scoring wing. Embiid looks pretty solid.
Embid is raw, and Wiggins is a string bean. Parker is probably the best, but he's not exactly explosive athletically. Nobody in this draft is at the level of a Durant or LeBron James, and any of them can bust. Wiggins reminds me a bit of Harrison Barnes, which should be frightening for any team taking him.
I hate the idea, but if the offer is Wiggins + Cap space, I don't think we could pass that up, even though the Lakers are involved. Of course I don't think the Lakers offer both pick and cap space.
It's like paying $100 for a scratch off ticket that has a chance of winning $80. You want a #2 pick? LaMarcus was a #2 pick! Then we got lucky and he greatly exceeded his projections. Sheesh.
I wouldn't, but would for a young piece AND that pick. Again, my belief is that PG and wing position is the most important (yes there are exceptions) So would I trade Aldridge for someone like Favors and a top 5 pick? Probably, if Wiggins or Exum was there. Not that they would do it though. Again, this is NOT a crack against LA, but instead, a nod toward what I think is more important. Which is wing play. You'd also clear up a lot of cap room for a damn good bench and still have your arguably best player in Lillard
You're wrong, that is the worst thing we can do. Trading LaMarcus for a fucking draft pick is bad enough, but trading him to the fucking L*kers? That's heresy...
It's really tough to say. But if we drafted Jabari, slid Nic to the 2 and also traded Wes... I would consider it. We could have a ton of cap space to bring in a guy like Greg Monroe.
Just remember that Neil trades big pieces if he feels he can get a deal. These idle discussions might prove to be prescient.
The question you have to ask is this: How close is our team to actually contending for a championship? Are we a couple bench players away? Do we need a third star? If you think our team can contend with LA and Dame as the two centerpieces, then you keep LA and you try to add bench players. If you don't think LA and Dame is enough, you start to consider trades because LA will be 30 next summer. I'm sure Aldridge will be able to play effectively until his mid-to-late 30's, but will he be dominant? Can we win a championship in the next couple years while he's in his prime? That's the whole point of us talking about windows last summer. We are looking at maybe some cap space next summer, and then that's fucking it. Dame will get a big extension, LA will get a huge extension, Wes is due for a new contract, so is Rolo. We will not be able to add another major piece for a while unless we make a trade. Personally, I think we need a couple bench guys and we're good to go. Dame is only going to get better. I think he can be a superstar. He's on track to be a superstar statistically.
