[OhCanada-Participant]

In a three team trade with Lilliard going to Miami where do you see Portland trading Tyler Herro.

Utah is an interesting option. Tons of picks young players and cap flexibility.

Atlanta recently got that John Collins trade exception. Bogdanovic and Griffin plus picks could work.

Orlando has been looking for a perimeter scoring option. Drafted Jett Howard but wasn’t able to recruit Gary Trent Jr.

I’d assume there would be alot of interest. The finals would have been different if Herro were healthy. Prob Nuggets in 7.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

If I had to guess, I think Brooklyn could be a player. I think Miami holds Herro higher than his actual market value. Portland doesn’t want him. If I’m Atlanta, I keep AJ Griffin. I don’t think Herro makes that team any better. And getting more wings in Miami isn’t necessarily the answer either. Orlando could be a destination – seems like they can do better than Herro. Maybe though, it could make sense.
Brooklyn seems to be the right timeline and fit for Herro, not sure anyone budges for Herro though honestly. He’s pretty steep in price for a guy I wouldn’t quite want in a “big 3” or anything. If I’m any team in the league, I’d play hardball with the Heat. They just made Herro a disgruntled player on the block.

[HitsterParticipant]

Brooklyn have the Suns picks so would seem an option. I started looking at the teams with surplus picks and cap space, not sure if Spurs or Jazz would like Herro plus their front offices drive a hard bargain.

Charlotte if they could move Hayward in the deal might be interested. Embeast will need a running mate if Harden moves so could Herro land with 76ers and the Beard and Dame trades be linked between multiple teams?

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

It’s possible Harden and Lillard are traded in the same transaction, doubt it. The Harden situation is a bit worse for the 76ers. He’s been a pre madonna for a few years now. Damian Lillard on the other hand is a loyal stand up basketball player that’s viewed as good for a team. 76ers need a haul of picks for Harden, don’t know if they’ll get that. If they got equal value for Harden, that would be hard to pull off. But I think Lillard’s traded first because he has more value atm. Herro wouldn’t do it for the 76ers either I don’t think. I have a feeling Harden might stay at least til mid-season. Lillard will probably be moved sooner rather than later.

[kobyzParticipant]

4 team trade(works in trade machine):
Miami get: Lillard, Hardaway jr
Dallas get: Herro, Caleb Martin
Portland get: Lowry, Bullock, Birch, McGee, Jovic, 4 first round picks(3 from Miami, 1 from Dallas)
Spurs get: Nurkic, first round pick, 3 second round picks, from Miami

[HitsterParticipant]

Dame is under that huge contract but you get a guaranteed three years which IMO teams would value more as it gives them that certain 3 seasons of Dame.

Nice trade idea Kobyz – Miami get Dame and a proven veteran in Hardaway Jnr, Dallas get Herro to be a long term running mate for Luka and gives them 3 guard option. Lowry to mentor Scoot would be perfect plus Portland get their picks haul and move Nurkic too. The Spurs get a decent big in Nurkic who can be the enforcer if Wemby plays 4 and gives them that frontcourt veteran around Wemby and Sochan plus they get some mre pick options.

[HitsterParticipant]

Bol Bol has been waived by the Magic as they haven’t picked up his $2.2 million option, I’d think his size and shot blocking would get some interest from a contender looking for a rim protecting mobile big.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

While I have not seen them mentioned, I think Indiana could be a possibility given how they have reshaped their team. Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, and Myles Turner figure to get their frontcourt minutes at the 4 and 5. Haliburton is their point guard. They added Bruce Brown. They also have Benedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Would they want another creator who can create for himself who is locked in contractually for four years? I don’t love the defensive outlook with Haliburton and Herro playing at the same time, but if they want to take a step forward it is an opportunity. Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith seem likely to be out of the frontcourt picture, but Jackson is still rookie scale and Jalen Smith is close to rookie-ish scale for another year or two. Buddy Hield could probably sustain trade value for a half-season in Portland as even if they want to play Scoot/Simons/Sharpe 35 minutes each as they don’t have depth in the backcourt unless you think Keon Johnson can offer something or are a believer in Jeenathan Williams.

Miami gets Lillard, McConnell to back him up, and Jordan Nwora
Portland gets Lowry, Hield, Jovic, Smith, Jackson, and draft capital of some kind
Indiana gets Herro, Nurkic

Haliburton, Nembhard
Herro, Mathurin, Sheppard, Wong (TW)
B. Brown, Nesmith, K. Brown
Toppin, Jar. Walker
Turner, Nurkic, Theis, Tshiebwe (TW)

Lillard, McConnell, Bouyea (TW)
Richardson, Jaquez, D. Smith (TW)
Martin, D. Robinson, Nwora, Cain
Butler, Love, Highsmith
Adebayo, Bryant, O. Robinson

Henderson, Lowry (though likely bought out)
Simons, Hield, , J. Williams, K. Johnson
Sharpe, Little, Jovic
Grant, Murray, Jab. Walker
Smith, I. Jackson, Badji (TW)

[HitsterParticipant]

Nice trade BTPH, the Blazers would like Hield as he’s an expiring deal plus would have trade value as season goes on if a contender wants a proven shooter for their bench.

The Blazers look very light at C if we assume Nurkic moves but I figure they add someone via an FA exception.

[OhCanada-Participant]

I don’t think Miami should trade Jovic. That guy is gonna be a real problem soon. He’s so much stronger already, him and Jaquez are going to develop so well in Miami. Jaquez was a pro 2 years ago.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Jaquez just signed too, meaning if they did actually trade him it would take 30 days. They’re planning on keeping him. They also don’t want to part ways with Caleb Martin.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

When would Jovic be helpful for the Heat? Jimmy Butler is going into year 13. Lillard will be going into year 12. Bam is already going into year 7, and undersized centers tend to decline once they get into double digits years. Jovic has the makeup of what NBA teams want, but wasn’t even all that good in the G-League. It was written in the cards that he was going to need time. He had less than 1,000 properly pro minutes before coming over when he played for a club known for giving young guys minutes in the Adriatic League where the teams don’t have a ton of money to overwhelm them. They are not really on the same timetable. Ultimately, the Heat can’t be half a contender. If they win a title, nobody is going to sweat Jovic no matter how he develops.

This is about allowing Portland the chance to save some face. Joe Cronin took over in less than ideal circumstances (though he was in the front office already), and is now left looking at a situation where after two bad years could be out in another two. They have been a poorly run franchise of late. The CJ McCollum trade looks brutal in hindsight. The fact that the one good player they got in return, Josh Hart, was dealt for Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, and what amounted to Kris Murray has to sting. Handing out a huge contract to Jerami Grant under these circumstances is not ideal. Even with the cap going up, Jusuf Nurkic’s extension doesn’t look good because he has missed half of all games over the past four years. The extension was struck after three of those years. I think he is a bit underrated when he is on the floor, especially how some people hate on him, but he isn’t there enough. These things don’t tend to improve as the player goes into double digit years in the NBA. I think Scoot could be really good, but Lillard already is, and the team is brutal. They are going to have a bone thrown their way.

[HitsterParticipant]

I don’t get the Grant extension. Sure he is a good player but if Dame wanted out why do they spend so much retaining him if they aren’t going to contend. I could see Dame maybe wanting to look after Grant but it has stung his team and is Dame the sort of player to do that to the team.

When Grant was extended I though oh Dame’s staying and with Scoot they will give it a whirl. Miami will play hardball and the Blazers have to try and salvage something or try to move Dame elsewhere. He has no control over where he goes too.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Dame made sure his guy got paid before leaving.

[HitsterParticipant]

Portland drafted Scoot so were either going to play a 3 guard unit next season with Dame, Simons and one of Sharpe or Scoot as the starters but don’t want to take Herro in a trade. They resign Jerami Grant and then say they were intending to do so regardless of what Dame was doing so there seems some contradictions?

I don’t think Dame would have been strongly indicating he would stay and pushing for them to keep Jerami and once that contract is agreed to then ask for a trade. I can understand Portland wanting to keep JJerami for if Dame does go and Nurkic too they need some veteran leadership and have to fill the cap. But Jabari’s contract seems long and excessive. He is a good player and if they offer him that contract he’ll take it but $160 million over 5 years is far too generous. If they had done $90 or $100 over 3 years or $120 over 4 years it makes the back end off the deal when he’ll be getting towards his mid 30’s.

[HitsterParticipant]

With Dame wanting out but the Blazers waiting to get the best offer. Does Billups hand the ballhandling duties to Scoot from day one or still leave them with Dame whilst he is on the team?

Logically they stay with Dame but Chauncy might want to bed in and mentor Scoot in that position from the off as he’ll get the keys to the franchise in due course?

[HitsterParticipant]

Stephen A Smith virtually pleading with Dame to join the Knicks on ESPN today. Dame has had enough early play off exits I’d have thought?

[HitsterParticipant]

As this seems to be about Dame’s destination then I felt I’d post it here. ESPN are saying the Raptors are now ahead in the Dame stakes. Apparently the Blazers like Gradey Dick as part of the trade but Hoopshype says Scottie Barnes is off limits. I’d assume Dame would want to play with Siakam so he’d not be part of the deal. Poeltl has just signed a new deal so he cannot be traded I assume.

That leaves OG Anunoby as the main piece in the trade with Gradey, I’d assume the Raps would be keen on keeping Gary Trent and if Blazers have traded him previously they wouldn’t logically want him back . So it would likely be a combo of Thad Young’s expiring deal, one of Boucher and Schroeder to balance out the salaries or both if Nurkic moves too.

So trade would be either :-

Portland get Anunoby, Dick, Young, Boucher/Schroeder and 2026, 28 first rounders min possibly 2030 as well if we assume the Raptors would convey 2024 to Spurs unlessthey have a very poor season or got lucky in the lottery.

Raptors get Lillard

or it would be the above with both Boucher and Schroeder moving and Nurkic going other way too.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

What a crazy conclusion to the Lillard sweepstakes…
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38505763/sources-blazers-trading-damian-lillard-bucks-3-team-deal

[HitsterParticipant]

The Blazers getting Ayton is a great move. I guess my Suns needed to save so salary and the rotation players may help with depth.
I guess Portland will look to move Jrue Holiday on as I doubt he wants to be on a rebuilding team but already has a title and is an outstanding running mate. Portland can take expiring contracts for Jrue and get good assets back. Woj says we cannot judge true value of Dame trade until we see what a potential Jrue return is.
The Bucks only give up one pick but pick swaps could hurt but if Giannis extends it is much less of an issue. Jrue and Dame are only a month age difference one is a borderline all star/high level defensive player/excellent team mate the other is a franchise player so it merits the upgrade.
Jrue is a potential FA next summer so the Bucks would have likely had to pay him to the same age they will pay Dame so that is pretty equal.
Portland with a core of Scoot, Simons, Sharpe, Thybulle, Grant and Ayton if we discount Jrue looks a half decent side with a lot of potential.

[HitsterParticipant]

I like the Holiday trade to Boston too for both teams. Boston give up some depth but keep all their own picks up to 2029 and have added an elite player in Holiday. The Blazers get an extra pick next year via GSW and are loaded already for 2029 draft. Seriously though those future picks may be very useful trade capital and give the team options.

Robert Williams gives them another good younger frontcourter and he can see good minutes around Ayton and Grant. Brogdon can be a good mentor to Scoot and their other young back courters and is an elite 6th man. Also he’ll always have trade value to a contender so could be bring in further draft capital.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

The Bucks are operating with a fearlessness and urgency that you have to love. It is not a big city, and historically not a big basketball town, but they are not afraid of the luxury tax and the bill down the road. I will have my eye on the development and standing of Marjon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson, because they need an athletic perimeter defender capable of being on the floor. Connaughton isn’t bad, but isn’t ideal for guarding Donovan Mitchell/Dejounte Murray/Zach LaVine/Jrue Holiday/Tyler Herro/Mikal Bridges in a playoff series. Crowder will probably step in, but is better with the bigger wings than the quicker guards. Beauchamp looked like his head was swimming last year. Can he step into the rotation? If not, I like Andre Jackson quite a bit. He is heady, athletic, and can help them defensively with the more athletic guards. He can’t shoot, or at least there is no evidence that he can yet. He would get the Isaac Okoro treatment if he gets into the rotation come playoff time. Still, if he is on the floor with Lillard, Middleton, Giannis, and Lopez/Portis, I am not sure he would kill them for 15-20 minutes.

For the Suns, I think they realized they couldn’t make things work with Ayton. For whatever reason, it went beyond a fallout with Monty Williams. If it was just a player-coach thing, it would have ended with Williams exiting. That said, I don’t love the return. I still like Nurkic when he is on the court, but that has been entirely too rare in recent years. If someone was to tell me that the Suns will have to plan on Eubanks or Metu being their starting center in a series with the Nuggets, Lakers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, or Pelicans because Nurkic gets hurt in March or April, I am not loving it. On paper their roster looks incredible at the top, but they have to cross their fingers that Durant, Beal, Nurkic, and throw in Eric Gordon -for mileage concerns- hold up until May and June. Grayson Allen is a nuisance as a person, but he will make an open shot. Also, as an expiring contract, he would be their one trade chip should they need to add a big man in mid-season. I have concerns over whether Nassir Little’s improved shooting numbers translate to games of increased intensity as opposed to what Portland was playing last year. I do think that they will need live bodies in support of their stars, so Little, Okogie, and KBD will be important in the regular season.

Portland is going sell hope for the next few years. Maybe it buys Cronin time. It certainly seems as though nobody covering the trades mentioned how he screwed up the return on the McCollum and Powell trades that put the Blazers in this spot with Lillard. I like Scoot, but he is a small guard. They just had one of the best small guards of his generation, and it wasn’t enough. Anfernee Simons is fine, but looks much more like a numbers on a bad team guy that a building block. If not, then why have the Blazers fallen so far off when they gave him CJ McCollum’s old role? We didn’t see a ton of Shaedon Sharpe. He looked fine for a rookie who didn’t play in college. Great, his athleticism was why he was a lottery pick despite not playing, but that is different from being a building block for a team that has been torn down. I don’t get overly impressed by guys being given huge minutes and numbers in tank games where the team is down 25 throughout. It is better than being bad in those spots, but it is such a far cry from being someone who help turn a team around. Am I a little concerned DeAndre Ayton is excited to be leaving a title contender for a bottom dweller? Yes. I know he can be a 20-25 and 12 guy on a 20 win team, but I wouldn’t be excited for him to do it.

[HitsterParticipant]

Portland I see being beyond a 20 win team if Scoot clicks. They won 25 games when Lillard didn’t play much in 21/22 and have developed since then. But even if they aren’t as bad as we think they might be given the depth out West we could see them and the Spurs very high in the lottery next year old default.

[Author]

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