Who Should Be Traded?

[G__Deane]

Sources have knicks interested in Oladipo, so stands to reason they may be interested in Powell as well. Dolan doesnt wanna trade with masai anymore but Powell seems like a thibs kinda guy. If we could get a first out of the deal I'm all for it. Masai never picks below 20 and it would be a great chance to

But as much as we don't want old guys who don't fit with the core (Siakam 26, FVV 27, OG 23 and maybe Norm 28, Boucher 28,
draft picks won't help much unless they mature extremely quickly since other than OG, our young core is not very young; they should be in win now mode .... but aren't.

[The Great One]

The point of trading Lowry is to add assets that can help them in the future. If Zubac is the best they can get then might as well keep Kyle.

Center is the least important position in basketball. Just sign someone like Theis in free agency and they're fine. And also, I don't see Masai ever making a deal with the Clippers anyway, there's just no way Kyle gets traded there.

I want a legit young player + a 1st round pick. If they can't get that then just keep Kyle. Simple.

[golden]

But as much as we don't want old guys who don't fit with the core (Siakam 26, FVV 27, OG 23 and maybe Norm 28, Boucher 28,
draft picks won't help much unless they mature extremely quickly since other than OG, our young core is not very young; they should be in win now mode .... but aren't.

In our championship season, we had Lowry (32), Gasol (34), Ibaka (29?) and Green (31). Pascal and Fred were in their 3rd seasons.

So if our 2021 draft picks take 3 years to mature, then Pascal/Fred/OG will still only be aged 30, 30 & 26, which is much younger than most of our championship roster core, except Kawhi, who was 27. And that's still the most important unknown here: who will be our 2024-25 Kawhi?

Even if we keep Norm & Boucher, they'll be almost the perfect age for a championship team, which is typically an older, more experienced group.

[JawsGT]

It's a big gamble.. because bringing in Dipo surely means no more Norm or Lowry and possibly Boucher depending on his asking price. I'm not really a fan of his. I think he's become overrated. He had one really great season but then that's it. And he's had an 8 year career. It's not like he's a rookie or anything.

Norm will be cheaper too because he doesn't have an all-star on his resume.

Our biggest need is at C anyway. If we're losing Norm and Lowry I'd get a big so that we don't have to rely on small ball all the time.

For real though, there arent many players in the league worth losing lowry, powell, and boucher for. Lebron, davis, curry, kawhi, doncic, jokic, durant, giannis, embiid, harden, maybe zion, beal, lillard, booker, mitchell, tatum, butler...i dont know but the list should be short with the way those 3 are playing.

[G__Deane]

In our championship season, we had Lowry (32), Gasol (34), Ibaka (29?) and Green (31). Pascal and Fred were in their 3rd seasons.

So if our 2021 draft picks take 3 years to mature, then Pascal/Fred/OG will still only be aged 30, 30 & 26, which is much younger than most of our championship roster core, except Kawhi, who was 27. And that's still the most important unknown here: who will be our 2024-25 Kawhi?

Even if we keep Norm & Boucher, they'll be almost the perfect age for a championship team, which is typically an older, more experienced group.

Good point. I just think if we trade Lowry it should be for picks and a young player that fits the core now. And the expiring(s) of course

[KeonClark]

But as much as we don't want old guys who don't fit with the core (Siakam 26, FVV 27, OG 23 and maybe Norm 28, Boucher 28,
draft picks won't help much unless they mature extremely quickly since other than OG, our young core is not very young; they should be in win now mode .... but aren't.

There is NEVER a point in any franchises development in any sport where more 1st round picks is a bad thing. The cupboards always need replenishing.

[grindhouse]

Who is the core I don’t think OG is core or Powell

fred, siakam and even then I would trade both those players. They both are top of the class for role players. And that’s it!!!

[Garbo]

For real though, there arent many players in the league worth losing lowry, powell, and boucher for. Lebron, davis, curry, kawhi, doncic, jokic, durant, giannis, embiid, harden, maybe zion, beal, lillard, booker, mitchell, tatum, butler...i dont know but the list should be short with the way those 3 are playing.

For the record, if the phone rings and the offer is Zion for an expiring Lowry, an expiring Norm and a second string centre Boucher, your response would be “maybe”?

[Dvdvideo]

I think he's saying that list is who he would trade them for. Zion in a heartbeat.

[Kagemusha]

The point of trading Lowry is to add assets that can help them in the future. If Zubac is the best they can get then might as well keep Kyle.

Center is the least important position in basketball. Just sign someone like Theis in free agency and they're fine. And also, I don't see Masai ever making a deal with the Clippers anyway, there's just no way Kyle gets traded there.

I want a legit young player + a 1st round pick. If they can't get that then just keep Kyle. Simple.

Keep Kyle?
He just sold his house!
Masai can't afford to lose another asset for nothing.
Selling his house is enough proof that he's getting the f outta TO.
Gasol sent similar signals in the summer which Masai foolishly ignored.

Kyle for dumb MPJ and GHarris was explored by Raptorsrapture.
Murray seems to be pissed by that kid they might be willing to release him so they can get their big 3 in Denver.

[TheWaterboy]

Can we give the "Oh no Kyle just sold his house it is time to panic panic PANIC" thing a bit of a rest? I'd be a lot more concerned if it was happening at the end of the season.

Rudy Bargnani listed three teams with the cap space to make an offer on Kyle.

Dallas has attractive players right now, but is a franchise that continually remakes its roster without any long-term plan, and is not known for a commitment to tough play and team defense. If the money is the same, I think Kyle chooses us.

New York is rebuilding and is still owned by James Dolan. If the money is the same, I think Kyle chooses us.

Miami, on the other hand, is an attractive destination if they decide to sign Kyle, but they have to be willing to let Dragic walk to do so, which is not something they will take lightly (nor should they). But they should be (and reportedly are) interested in trading for Kyle before the deadline, and are one of the better teams in terms of their ability to offer assets, and there's also a possibility of a dual sign-and-trade which would allow us to sign Dragic to replace Kyle.

[DanH]

Lowry is a 35 year-old rental in a weird Covid year. How much value do you think you're going to get back? It's not like we're trading Luka here. If we wanted value back for Lowry, he should have been traded last year, but that wasn't possible because we hugely over-exceeded expectations after Kawhi left. All of the superstars on contenders (except Kawhi) are locked up long-term or contented, so there isn't really any pressure for them to overpay for Lowry. And a lot of contender draft assets are in the hands of young rebuilding teams whose timeline doesn't fit Lowry.

I get what you're saying.... the market for Lowry is soft, so hold on to the asset and "hope" to retain it in the off-season, or use the asset in a sign & trade. The question is what strategy is riskier: sell low now or hold & hope?

It's not even just that. This organization should not under any circumstances be selling low on an icon of the franchise. Simple as that. Get a great package or absolutely do not trade him. Hard stop.

They should only take calls if he wants to move anyway. And even then, you only make the deal if teams are willing to trade adequate value. Meaning at the very least an interesting prospect and a 1st, or two interesting prospects.

[DanH]

Hey Dan, how big is Norms cap hold assuming he opts out this offseason? Assuming Lowry turns into expirings and a rookie contract or two, could we keep Norm and Boucher while retaining any relavent cap space?

17.4M. Would eat all our cap space even if we cut Boucher.

There's no real path to real cap space without losing everyone who could be a FA this summer. It's either a FA signing or keeping guys, not both.

[DanH]

So basically enough for an elite player and no one left to play with

It's enough for a max RFA, but not a max UFA.

[LJ2]

It's not even just that. This organization should not under any circumstances be selling low on an icon of the franchise. Simple as that. Get a great package or absolutely do not trade him. Hard stop.

They should only take calls if he wants to move anyway. And even then, you only make the deal if teams are willing to trade adequate value. Meaning at the very least an interesting prospect and a 1st, or two interesting prospects.

I guess what's been lost in all the Lowry trade talk is finding out what Lowry wants. I assumed before the start of the season that he would want to be traded to a potential contender, but could there be a chance he wants to stick around? He certainly hasnt given any indication publicly that he wants out.