Hornets Can Make More Noise
At the time I write this, the New Orleans Hornets are 12-5 after having just lost to the Dallas Mavericks. That record, and their .706 winning percentage, somehow have them only in fifth place in the West. While no one expects these hot starts to continue (last time more than one team out West was over .700: 2006-07), the Hornets can work toward staying as close to .700 as possible. Enter more trade wizardry!
I picture Andre Iguodala being a great fit in New Orleans, with visions of alley-oops like the ones that Chris Paul threw to Tyson Chandler once upon a time. He would replace Trevor Ariza, who isn’t really a boon to their offense. So yes, Philadelphia is one of the trade partners here, and I say one of because the salaries wouldn’t work in just a two-team deal.
Enter the Cleveland Cavaliers, who, at 7-9, are actually sitting in the eighth spot in the East. They could stand to beef up their offense a tad (95.1 per game, 27th in the L). Their starting shooting guard, Anthony Parker, is only scoring 7.8 per game more than I am. That’s eighth on the team. They could use a guy like Willie Green, which would in turn open up more playing time for Marcus Thornton. Remember him? Byron Scott apparently doesn’t.
These three guys are the only players involved in this deal, with Iguodala going to the Hornets, Green to the Cavs, and Ariza to the Sixers. The only thing the Cavs would need to toss in is a trade exception they received when that LeBron guy decided to take his talents elsewhere.
While the Sixers aren’t receiving equal value in this deal, they are 4-13, with only the Clippers having a worse record in the entire league. They aren’t really going anywhere, and moving Iguodala would allow Evan Turner more time on the court. The Hornets would need to throw some first-rounders or cash the Sixers’ way, but those aren’t exactly available on the Trade Machine.
Clippers Blockbuster, Los Angeles Doesn’t Care
Today, I donned my Neil Olshey hat. It worked to perfection.
At least, as close to perfection as one may come when discussing the Clippers.
The recent buzz surrounding Eric Bledsoe got me to thinking: what if the Clippers could move Baron Davis? OK, so I wasn’t the only one thinking this, but I digress. He’s signed for $13 million this season, which means we would have lots of big numbers to play with. And play with big numbers I shall. Sadly, I played with these numbers for over two hours. Yes, for a fake trade that will likely never happen, but it’s the thought that counts.
Starting point: getting Baron Davis off the Clippers. The Sports Guy, as much as many throughout the blogging and Twitter communities loathe the guy, raised a salient point in one of his articles which I am too lazy to find at the moment. He mentioned Baron going to the Knicks, where he would be rejuvenated by the great fans, spotlights, and general Madison Square Garden-awesomeness. So, Baron Davis to the Knicks.
But wait. The Knicks have Raymond (Ray? Did we settle on Raymond?) Felton, you might point out. Not when we’re done! He gets on the first plane to Dallas. Yes, the Mavericks. Oh Mark Cuban, you’re swell. So far, we have Baron Davis to New York, and Raymond Felton to Dallas. Worry not about the numbers at this point.
Need to get a few guys off the Knicks, but who? With Felton out of the way, they don’t need to clear much cap space. Throwing in Anthony Randolph and Roger Mason should do it. But Anthony Randolph has POTENTIAL! Through 13 games, he’s DNP’ed five of them, and played three, seven, and eight minutes in three others. Yeah. Roger Mason? Eight DNPs. Send them on their way. I’m sure Mike D’Antoni would take Baron, even at the loss of Felton and, oh yeah, two guys who don’t play.
So, what are the Mavericks doing here? Well, they’re getting rid of Caron Butler. But why? They have Shawn Marion wasting away on the bench; why not start him again? This is fun, isn’t it?
As @NickFlynt has mentioned to me a time or five, Chris Kaman is probably gone from Clipperland as soon as his contract is up. (I’ll save you the time: after the lockout 2011-12 season.) If he’s as good as gone, why not replace him?
Oh hi, Brendan Haywood. Glad you could join us. In LA, I mean.
Now we’ve got the base of the deal set, but the Mavericks would have 17 players. The NBA doesn’t care for that very much, so they can send JJ Barea and Ian Mahinmi to wear blue and orange instead of blue and white. Blue and gray? Whatever the Mavs wear. Barea would be replaced by Felton on the bench, and Mahinmi would be replaced by Randolph. They get a bonus in Roger Mason.
I can see it now…
“ESPN.com’s Ric Bucher reports a three-way deal between the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks. The Clippers are set to receive Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler. Dallas will get Chris Kaman, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, and Roger Mason. Sent to the Knicks would be Baron Davis, JJ Barea, and Ian Mahinmi.”
Just LOOKS fun, doesn’t it?
How the numbers work: Dallas and New York are both over the salary cap, therefore can only receive as much as 125% plus an additional $100,000 of the amount traded out.
Dallas trades Butler ($10,561,960), Haywood ($6,900,000), Barea ($1,815,000), and Mahinmi ($885,120), for a total value of $20,162,080 flying out American Airlines Center. 125% of that, plus an additional $100,000 brings us to $25,302,600. They bring in Kaman, Felton, Randolph, and Mason, totaling $21,665,720. Ding!
The Knicks give up Felton ($7,000,000), Randolph ($1,965,720), and Mason ($1,400,000), for $10,365,720. 125%, another hundred grand, we get $13,057,150. They get Davis, Barea, and Mahinmi, at a cost of $15,700,120. But that’s too much! Using the awesome bit of the CBA that says teams can throw in an additional $3 million, fix the numbers and the Knicks are giving up $16,807,150, meaning they can absorb the nearly-$16 million incoming load.
The Clippers are under the salary cap. Not a shocker, considering Donald Sterling is their owner. Bringing in Butler ($10,561,960) and Haywood ($6,900,000) sets them back $17,461,960. Sending Baron to the other coast for an even $13 million, and Kaman to the Midwest for another $11.3 million means they actually save money.
Handshakes all around.
