Exploring a Warriors LaMarcus trade

[Draco]

First off I’ll disclose I’m not in favor of trading LaMarcus away at the moment. In the NBA its extremely hard to get a big man that can play the 4/5 with the skills he has on both ends. He may be the best PF in the game right now with the ability to slide to center. I’m curious to see how this group plays together to start the season, if they are playing well then we can explore sending out some draft picks or young players to add another starter and win now. When we acquired Camby and Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline the cost was fairly low, they both played extremely well for a year or two; if our roster exceeds expectations we may only be one key player away from contending.

But if in the meantime we get an offer that is too good to pass up, we do need to consider taking it. The team isn’t a contender right now so what is the best way to get there, perhaps its adding a veteran, trading away a veteran, or standing pat and letting our own players improve. Neil has done a great job of building this roster so it is a move away from rebuilding or a move away from contending. The Blazers can react to the market and capitalize on whatever they judge the most underrated asset.

My proposal is David Lee, Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson for LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews.

Their salaries are:
Lee 3 years totaling $44.4mil, Barnes 3years totaling $9.8mil Klay 2years totaling $5.4mil
LaMarcus 2 years totaling $30.4mil Wes 2years totaling $14.1mil
David Lee is the only bad contract of the bunch, in 2015/16 he is due $15.5 million.

If we are going to trade away LaMarcus there are very few teams that have young pieces to offer and a need for a veteran to win now. The warriors getting Iggy really puts them in a win now mode. He is an all-star talent today but will likely be losing athleticism every year going forward. Barnes and Thompson would be a great young pair, each has all-star potential. I imagine the Warriors will be very happy to shed the salary of Lee. This trade would give them a starting lineup of:
Curry, Wes, Iggy, LaMarcus, Bogut

That could be one of the best starting 5’s in the league. The Blazers would have
Damian
Klay/CJ
Barnes/Batum
Lee/Trob
Lopez/Meyers

The Lee salary is not a good value but he is a rotational player and his contract will end the summer that Damian is due for an extension to kick in. That group has a few solid vets in Batum/Lee/Lopez, but the exciting part is the quantity of high potential young players on rookie contracts. No those young guys will not all realize their potential but if two or three of the group does along with Damian the Blazers could be in a great spot to contend a few years down the road.

Would the warriors be interested in this trade? I could see an argument each way. It improves their starting lineup but costs them a pair of their best young talents. Well this is the type of deal I would want Neil to consider, if we trade away LaMarcus it should be to add youth and aim to win a few years from now, not add role players at their peak like Asik. Trading away LaMarcus makes our veterans such as Matthews less critical as well. If the Blazers can add a couple of possible future all-stars then it is worth considering. If not keeping Aldridge around is a great fallback option.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Interesting. I don't like it because I hate Lee, I think Barnes is WAY overrated, and we have Batum and CJ at the same positions as Barnes and Thompson. But it's certainly an interesting suggestion.

 

[magnifier661]

Interesting. I don't like it because I hate Lee, I think Barnes is WAY overrated, and we have Batum and CJ at the same positions as Barnes and Thompson. But it's certainly an interesting suggestion.

I hate lee too. Only reason why I don't like this. Barnes and Thompson would be nice. Then we could trade batum for Monroe and gooden immediately after.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Then we could trade batum for Monroe and gooden immediately after.

Boy, did Batum run over your dog? And who is this Gooden of whom you speak? Stuckey? Villenueva? You don't like Batum because he's overpaid...

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I hate lee too. Only reason why I don't like this. Barnes and Thompson would be nice. Then we could trade batum for Monroe and gooden immediately after.

Gooden you mean Gordon who isn't even in DET?

 

[Draco]

we have Batum and CJ at the same positions as Barnes and Thompson.

If all of Klay, CJ, Batum, Barnes are playing great we could give CJ backup minutes at both guard spots and Barnes minutes at both forward spots. There is a good chance one of the 4 misses extended time with an injury in which case there wouldn’t be any minute log jam. The team could also explore trading someone away without needing a replacement back at that position.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

If all of Klay, CJ, Batum, Barnes are playing great

How could they do that at the same time? I guess the Warriors think Barnes is a PF (because he doesn't really have the skills for SF, and because anything's better than Lee). I think the attractiveness of this depends on the fiction that CJ can play the point. Given that they had Will Barton play the point instead of him on summer league, I'd say that was a ways away. And who gets rebounds? Who "protects the paint"?

 

[magnifier661]

Gooden you mean Gordon who isn't even in DET?

Fuck I meant Charlie Villanueva! My mistake

 

[magnifier661]

Boy, did Batum run over your dog? And who is this Gooden of whom you speak? Stuckey? Villenueva? You don't like Batum because he's overpaid...

No batum didn't run over my dog; but I definitely think he's not even close to what his contract calls for. I meant Villanueva. My mistake...

 

[maxiep]

I think we're all beginning to see the difficulty in trading LA. It's really tough to get equivalent value for him.

As for whether he wants to leave or not, he could squelch it in one tweet. He's been saying lots of the right things, but leaving himself wiggle room. If he really wanted to be here, he'd say it directly. What we're getting instead is LA saying he's looking forward to this season with the Blazers, but he'd be okay with a trade, while his representatives have sent direct messages about how he wants to be traded to Blazer brass.

 

[blue9]

I think we're all beginning to see the difficulty in trading LA. It's really tough to get equivalent value for him.

We need to stop thinking that we have to get equal value - it's not going to happen. What we need to do is maximize the value. I'd say the proposed trade does a very good job of maximizing LMA's value by netting us at least two players who, at worst, are decent trade chips to make further refinements. If you can get GSW to throw in a future 1st this trade is "golden"!
Much better than the CHI/HOU trades that people have been thinking up.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Lukewarm on this deal and presented. I would pull the trigger if they subbed Bogut for Lee but they have no incentive to do that and LMA wouldn't want to play Center for them.

 

[magnifier661]

I think we're all beginning to see the difficulty in trading LA. It's really tough to get equivalent value for him.

As for whether he wants to leave or not, he could squelch it in one tweet. He's been saying lots of the right things, but leaving himself wiggle room. If he really wanted to be here, he'd say it directly. What we're getting instead is LA saying he's looking forward to this season with the Blazers, but he'd be okay with a trade, while his representatives have sent direct messages about how he wants to be traded to Blazer brass.

In a perfect world, keeping Aldridge is the best scenario. I hope all the rumors are false. Also, there is the history that a small amount of all star players still with the team after their first extension.

 

[MAS RipCity]

This is the ideal and my favorite of all LaMarcus trades. Absolutely love it. We'd be loaded at the wing and I think Thompson and Barnes still have a lot of room for improvement. Not sure why many hate Lee, either. Statistically, he's just as productive as LA.

 

[RoyToy]

Getting Barnes might be enough for me to actually take on Lee (who I loathe). He'd be a great piece to add to Lillard as a nice young 1-2 going forward. The Blazers would still need that 3rd piece, though.

If Aldridge really wants to leave then do it.

 

[PapaG]

I think we're all beginning to see the difficulty in trading LA. It's really tough to get equivalent value for him.

As for whether he wants to leave or not, he could squelch it in one tweet. He's been saying lots of the right things, but leaving himself wiggle room. If he really wanted to be here, he'd say it directly. What we're getting instead is LA saying he's looking forward to this season with the Blazers, but he'd be okay with a trade, while his representatives have sent direct messages about how he wants to be traded to Blazer brass.

He said in Tweets that he loves the moves the team made and is excited for the season. What more do you want him to say?

 

[KingSpeed]

I would take your deal, Draco. Klay is the real deal. Lee is All Star. Barnes is future stud. Our team gets better with that deal. Not sure it helps GS though, honestly.

 

[Run BJM]

I would take your deal, Draco. Klay is the real deal. Lee is All Star. Barnes is future stud. Our team gets better with that deal. Not sure it helps GS though, honestly.

Yeah I wouldn't do it. The difference between Lee and LMA isn't enough to justify moving Barnes and Klay. Debatable whether its worth even one of them.

Wes is complete meh. You can keep your top 10 SG lol.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I like Lee, He's a hard nosed scrappy trash talking sun of a bitch. But he does get injured.

 

[magnifier661]

Yeah I wouldn't do it. The difference between Lee and LMA isn't enough to justify moving Barnes and Klay. Debatable whether its worth even one of them.

Wes is complete meh. You can keep your top 10 SG lol.

I agree on Matthews. I think he's a scrapper, but hardly a omg top ten guard like many in here believe. But let's be honest here. Lma is light years better and healthier than Lee. Lee has zero post game and his d is pretty weak.

Barnes and klay will be studs. But are they studs right now?

Your window is much shorter now with Iggy and the new group. Aldridge fits in your window.

Personally I wouldn't like this deal either; but if I was golden state; I would jump on it like flies on shit. You will become contenders.

Aldridge absolutely demands doubles and you still have plenty of shooters.

 

[magnifier661]

This is the ideal and my favorite of all LaMarcus trades. Absolutely love it. We'd be loaded at the wing and I think Thompson and Barnes still have a lot of room for improvement. Not sure why many hate Lee, either. Statistically, he's just as productive as LA.

Lee is fools gold. He plays zero defense, has no post game and gets injured a lot. He's older than Aldridge to boot. His contract is ridiculous too.

The blue chips are klay and Barnes. Lee is just to make contracts work.

 

[Draco]

Yeah I wouldn't do it. The difference between Lee and LMA isn't enough to justify moving Barnes and Klay. Debatable whether its worth even one of them.

Wes is complete meh. You can keep your top 10 SG lol.

Lee is only in the deal to match salaries and give the Warriors relief from his overpaid contract, that is a part of the consideration given along with Aldridge and Wes. Lee is worth less than nothing in this deal. You could think of this as two trades, first Lee being bundled with two picks for Portland to absorb his contract and then Portland sending those picks back with Aldridge and Wes to get Barnes and Klay. If you think Lee has value find a third team to absorb his contract or trade us different players such as Bogut.

Replace Wes with Batum if you prefer, although we then might need another contract from GS to get the salaries to match.