2012 NBA Draft

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

He shot 42% from the field and 33% from 3. He's not terrible, he's just not worth what he's being paid, which is why NO wants to move him. And of course since they're over the cap he's effectively costing them a lot more than what his salary actually is.

If you're a team under the cap, I don't see the big deal in taking him on. He averaged 11/5/3 with a PER of 14.23 and is still a quality defender -- that level of production is far from terrible and he's still 26 so it's not like it's going to drop off significantly in the next year to two. But it's also not worth 7mm. I would say at that level of production he's worth about 3-4mm. The excess is in essence what you're paying for the pick. Is 3.5-7mm worth a top 10 pick in the deepest draft in ten years? What's a pick like that typically worth? I've tried finding info on what picks have been sold for but didn't come up with much. I remember Phoenix sold a non-lotto 1st rounder a few years back and I want to say 3mm?

Anyway, if I was a team with financial flexibility I would do it. If you get lucky he's doesn't pick up his option and is only there one year. At worst he's an expiring K in year 2. I wouldn't do it for Okafor. He's just too expensive.

I've looked too and can't find it, but that is what my memory says is some late first round picks have been sold off for $3 M.

[DrumNFeather]

I've looked too and can't find it, but that is what my memory says is some late first round picks have been sold off for $3 M.

The Wizards bought the Bulls first rounder (18) for $3 mil a few years ago.

[smokymountainrain]

The Wizards bought the Bulls first rounder (18) for $3 mil a few years ago.

Was that when they took Nick Young?

[Jacob]

He shot 42% from the field and 33% from 3. He's not terrible, he's just not worth what he's being paid, which is why NO wants to move him. And of course since they're over the cap he's effectively costing them a lot more than what his salary actually is.

I suppose I exaggerated slightly by using his stats from last year. But 42% for a low volume shooter is awful, and 33% is below average 3 point shooting. His being on the roster means that somebody else is not on the roster. That's why I say that a team would be better off paying the Hornets cash, rather than taking him on. Say a team offers the Hornets next year's first round pick, a lanky euro and $4m. Now the Hornets can keep Ariza at a more reasonable price. Unless they just want to get rid of him.

[DrumNFeather]

Was that when they took Nick Young?

No, Young was their own pick...16 I think. That was Kevin Seraphin, who actually had a decent year this year by Wizards standards.

[smokymountainrain]

No, Young was their own pick...16 I think. That was Kevin Seraphin, who actually had a decent year this year by Wizards standards.

I agree about Seraphin and he will only get better. Money well spent, IMO.

[MarkGrace]

I suppose I exaggerated slightly by using his stats from last year. But 42% for a low volume shooter is awful, and 33% is below average 3 point shooting. His being on the roster means that somebody else is not on the roster. That's why I say that a team would be better off paying the Hornets cash, rather than taking him on. Say a team offers the Hornets next year's first round pick, a lanky euro and $4m. Now the Hornets can keep Ariza at a more reasonable price. Unless they just want to get rid of him.

Say you're the Jazz are the other wings on your roster this year were Josh Howard, Roger Bell and CJ Miles. Is this really a problem? He outproduced those guys by a solid margin. Of course those guys make a lot less, but the real question is whether his real value and the #10 pick is worth his total salary. If you're under the cap and have some flexibility, I think it is.

Offering NO $4m doesn't help them much. Ariza is due 14m over the next two years. If they move him, they save 28mm. If they take 4m, they save 4mm.

[Jacob]

Say you're the Jazz are the other wings on your roster this year were Josh Howard, Roger Bell and CJ Miles. Is this really a problem? He outproduced those guys by a solid margin. Of course those guys make a lot less, but the real question is whether his real value and the #10 pick is worth his total salary. If you're under the cap and have some flexibility, I think it is.

Offering NO $4m doesn't help them much. Ariza is due 14m over the next two years. If they move him, they save 28mm. If they take 4m, they save 4mm.

If he's owed 14m, they save 14m. Where do you get 28m? So $4m is substantial savings. Then NO could either keep him at the now more reasonable price of $5m per year, or amnesty him and let some other team pick him up for a couple million, saving you a few more million. Or NO could agree to a buyout. Or the team that got him in the trade could agree to a buyout.

If it came down to it, and I wasn't too worried about the cap hit, I'd actually take him on for the #10 pick, but it would depend on what else NO got in the trade. If it were the Jazz, I'd prefer they work something out so that he is not bogging down the cap space, that's why I've mentioned these other possibilities. If the cap weren't an issue, then it wouldn't matter. But I'm looking toward building a team that is a contender in 3 years and I don't want to harm that with an expensive rental.

Example: Jazz trade the higher of next year's 2 1st round picks and Raja Bell for Ariza and the #10. That would be pretty great. Now you are only paying him $4m next year because you saved Raja's $3m. OTOH, I continue to think Ariza is pretty terrible on offense, and I want to avoid terrible players. OTOH, if you get 1 player to replace 2 (CJ and Bell) bad offensive players, maybe its not such a bad idea.

[Jacob]

From Chad Ford's chat today:

Lots of trade talk being reported, but nothing serious yet. I think the Bobcats at No. 2, the Kings at No. 5, the Blazers at 6 & 11, the Raptors at 8, the Hornets at 10 are all in play. Most of those teams are looking for either multiple assets (like the Bobcats) or a young veteran to help speed up the rebuilding process ...

KC (Tulsa)

If the Hornets are looking to trade Pick 10 for a young veteran, who are some of the potential targets?
Chad Ford (3:38 PM)

Darren Collison, Eric Bledsoe, Evan Turner I've heard a lot. Ditto for Paul Millsap of the Jazz.

By the way, I'm told the Blazers are looking at the same group of players at 11 if they decide to trade the pick.

I think Millsap should be worth a bit more than the 10th or 11th pick.

Ford's latest mock has Sullenger and Perry Jones at 19 and 20. That's a steal.

Chris (DC)

More likely to entice Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak for Pau Gasol: Rockets sending Scola + Lowry or Scola 14 and 16 picks in this year's draft?
Chad Ford (3:50 PM)

Might be the latter. It's time for the Lakers to add some young blood to the team and I think Rockets would give that up to land Gasol.

The latter is a better move for Hou than it is for LA. You don't trade Gasol for Scola and middling picks.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I guess it fits here.

Okafor and Ariza traded to Washington for Rashard Lewis and the #46 pick

[Jacob]

I guess it fits here.

Okafor and Ariza traded to Washington for Rashard Lewis and the #46 pick

Where are you seeing that? Makes sense for nobody. If that happens, none of those players can be amnestied. For NO, it gets the salaries off the books one year sooner, but for Washington?

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Where are you seeing that? Makes sense for nobody. If that happens, none of those players can be amnestied. For NO, it gets the salaries off the books one year sooner, but for Washington?

DraftExpress tweeted it. They also said Lewis has a clause in his contract that it can be bought out for $13 M. So for them, they get way under the cap next off-season since they won't be paying Okafor or Ariza, and they save a ton of money overall ($10 M off Lewis' contract if buyout is accurate, and another $20 M not having to pay final years of Okafor/Ariza).

But if the buyout clause is right on Lewis, why wouldn't Washington just do that? Makes sense from NO's end, but a real head scratcher for Washington.

Edit: What are the cap implications of a buyout? Does the contract not count against the cap? If so, this is a HUGE deal for NO. Draft Davis, another at #10, re-sign Gordon, and have huge amounts of cap space still left over for a max free agent. Would Deron go play in NO with Davis, Perry Jones, Aminu, Eric Gordon?

[DrumNFeather]

Where are you seeing that? Makes sense for nobody. If that happens, none of those players can be amnestied. For NO, it gets the salaries off the books one year sooner, but for Washington?

Yeah, doesn't make a ton of sense for the Wizards. Okafor has a bad contract, but is a big body...Ariza is alright I guess.

The Zards will Amnesty Andray Blatche.

[MarkGrace]

Steve Kyler @stevekylerNBA
Hearing Damian Lillard crushed in Sacramento, and while they need another guard like a hole in the head, they are strongly considering him.

I would laugh if the Kings took a PG the year after drafting Jimmer. I don't suspect they'd actually do it, though.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I would laugh if the Kings took a PG the year after drafting Jimmer. I don't suspect they'd actually do it, though.

Sounds like Sacramento is trying to get Portland to swap picks.