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Clippers that is...
The assumption for this trade is that Ujiri has decided to tear it down and do at least a mini-rebuild. Gay is currently the Raptors best player and is talented enough to get the Raptors some wins...which would no be the goal for 2013/2014.
When Mephis was shopping Gay, Zach Lowe had this to say about the Clippers as a possible destination:
The problems still exist from the Clipper perspective, but with the expiring deal to Odom it is less of an issue than it was just a few months ago. So here is the offer:
Toronto trades: Rudy Gay
LA Clippers trade: Eric Bledsoe, CaronButler, 2013 First Round Pick (#25)
Rationale for Clippers: Assuming that Chris Paul resigns with LA, this trade extends their championship aspirations. A lineup of Paul, Crawford, Gay, Griffin and Jordan would be a strong line-up. The challenge for the would be to fill out the bench.
Rationale for Raptors: Turn Gay's large contract into a decent SF defender who is an effective corner 3 shooter, and is an $8million expiring contract. He would be a good trade chip to a contending team. Saves the Raptors a fair bit of a money in the process. The real acquisition is Bledsoe who has the chace to be our future PG. This would open up trade options for Lowry, or simply make them compete for a year. This also moves the Raptors into the draft in a range that (according to Draft Express) would most likely include players like Dieng, Karasev, Mitchell, Hardaway Jr, Adetokunbo, etc.
Thoughts?
The assumption for this trade is that Ujiri has decided to tear it down and do at least a mini-rebuild. Gay is currently the Raptors best player and is talented enough to get the Raptors some wins...which would no be the goal for 2013/2014.
When Mephis was shopping Gay, Zach Lowe had this to say about the Clippers as a possible destination:
Los Angeles Clippers
Caron Butler hasn’t actually lit it up as the Clippers’ starting small forward, shooting 42 percent, barely getting to the line, and posting a PER around 11 — well below league-average. But he's shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range, and he's become a solid corner spot-up guy — an important skill in this offense.
Still, it’s tempting to think what the Clippers might become by flipping Butler, Chauncey Billups, and Eric Bledsoe to Memphis, and locking in Gay as their future small forward.
Problem No. 1: The Clips are only about $500,000 under the tax line, meaning any deal in which they absorb enough salary to get Memphis below the tax would take the Clips over it. They’d have to offload significant salary to one of the Phoenix/Houston/Cleveland group, and there’s a price for that.
Problem No. 2: Carrying four massive salaries, including an assumed new deal for Chris Paul, is essentially a no-go going forward. The Clips would be butting up against the tax, and likely exceeding it, every season just filling out the roster.
A Bledsoe deal feels inevitable, but it will probably come after this season (or later), and this isn’t it.
Caron Butler hasn’t actually lit it up as the Clippers’ starting small forward, shooting 42 percent, barely getting to the line, and posting a PER around 11 — well below league-average. But he's shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range, and he's become a solid corner spot-up guy — an important skill in this offense.
Still, it’s tempting to think what the Clippers might become by flipping Butler, Chauncey Billups, and Eric Bledsoe to Memphis, and locking in Gay as their future small forward.
Problem No. 1: The Clips are only about $500,000 under the tax line, meaning any deal in which they absorb enough salary to get Memphis below the tax would take the Clips over it. They’d have to offload significant salary to one of the Phoenix/Houston/Cleveland group, and there’s a price for that.
Problem No. 2: Carrying four massive salaries, including an assumed new deal for Chris Paul, is essentially a no-go going forward. The Clips would be butting up against the tax, and likely exceeding it, every season just filling out the roster.
A Bledsoe deal feels inevitable, but it will probably come after this season (or later), and this isn’t it.
Toronto trades: Rudy Gay
LA Clippers trade: Eric Bledsoe, CaronButler, 2013 First Round Pick (#25)
Rationale for Clippers: Assuming that Chris Paul resigns with LA, this trade extends their championship aspirations. A lineup of Paul, Crawford, Gay, Griffin and Jordan would be a strong line-up. The challenge for the would be to fill out the bench.
Rationale for Raptors: Turn Gay's large contract into a decent SF defender who is an effective corner 3 shooter, and is an $8million expiring contract. He would be a good trade chip to a contending team. Saves the Raptors a fair bit of a money in the process. The real acquisition is Bledsoe who has the chace to be our future PG. This would open up trade options for Lowry, or simply make them compete for a year. This also moves the Raptors into the draft in a range that (according to Draft Express) would most likely include players like Dieng, Karasev, Mitchell, Hardaway Jr, Adetokunbo, etc.
Thoughts?
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