Only if you know it is a top 5 pick at worst and Sac needs to throw in another future pick to make it even close to decent value.
They definitely need to change something. As bad as our loss to the Lakers was, Denver's was much much worse. I'm with you that they probably won't trade him but I'd offer anything they want outside of Amen and hopefully Jabari. All the picks and any other players they want. KD + Jokic + Amen is enough to win a championship. If they don't go the Jokic route then maybe they move on from Murray. If so I'd give them KD. Maybe KD and FVV for Murray and Braun or Cam Johnson for more roster balance.
yeah. My point of putting out that proposal is that it’s gonna take an extraordinary offer to get into the top of the 2026 draft. But it’s definitely a real avenue to get a franchise player. And I really think getting a franchise needs to be the goal given where we are, and where SA and OKC are. my thinking is that if you can build a package around Sengun, he does have premium value as an asset. Maybe u take back a bad contract. Sac has been trying to unload Sabonis for at least a year and a half. He only had two more years on that contract so it’s not that bad. It’s also been widely reported that Sac was very high on Reed. I just think it’s gonna take a baller offer to the right team. And I’m willing to pay the cost to take a swing on a young franchise player. I just don’t see a lot of other pathways to get that guy. I think we have to be aggressive. But I think we need a new regime making these decisions.
A wild one that just occurred to me, contingent on LeBron wanting to retire in Cleveland: HOU in Donovan Mitchell Evan Mobley Sam Merrill CLE in LeBron James Kevin Durant LAL in Fred VanVleet Jabari Smith Jr Do I think this would be a good trade for us? No. I don't believe in Donovan Mitchell as a #1A and Mobley is overpaid and nothing special. (Jabari is actually a better value on his contract IMO.) Would it be a wild scenario that at least shakes things up for a team stuck in the mud? Sure. I think I mostly just find the idea of LeBron, Harden, and KD teaming up for one last championship push kind of a fun narrative. Don't mind me.
Houston gets: Ty Jerome Jaylen Wells $3,000,000 Trade exemption Memphis gets: DFS Hou 2028 2nd round pick Both would come off the bench and provide spacing, ball movement and scoring. Both shoot the 3 consistently 36% for Wells, 38% for Jerome. Fred will be back and they should draft a true pg but Jerome is the combo pg/sg we're hoping Reed can be so he'll be interchangeable in lineups. Wells is a hooper and can be a solid scorer and he's young, he'd would mesh well with the core. This team needs depth building moves, not a massive shakeup.
I’ve been preaching Ty Jerome since last off season but I think you need a 1st with DFS to make it happen. Maybe 2nds with a Tari S&T. Probably the PHX27’ or HOU28’ 1st You can give MEM their 2nd round back.
All right, here's one with Miami that's probably more drastic than a lot of people are envisioning. Miami receives: Kevin Durant Reed Sheppard Houston receives: Andrew Wiggins Tyler Herro and as part of the deal, but officially done as a separate transaction: Miami receives: Tari Eason (sign-and-trade) Houston receives: Davion Mitchell So we end up with FVV/Mitchell Herro/Mitchell Wiggins/Jabari Amen/Jabari Sengun/Adams/Capela I think that's an interesting team that actually has a backcourt and doesn't have to put scrubs like Holiday and Tate on the court anymore, even if one of the starters gets injured. Mitchell is a very solid point guard, so you can survive something like the FVV injury last season. Only Amen and Sengun can't shoot it among the starters, so if one of them develops into a shooter, I think you're very competitive. You're not beating OKC or a healthy San Antonio Wembanyamas, but you're in the next rung of teams with every player being in his 20s except FVV and Adams. You can also still trade Sengun and try to get a stretch 5, but I think I might actually run it back and see how things go, at least up until the trade deadline.
Wiggins will be 32 next season. Mitchell will be 28 before next season. Herro will be 27 before the next playoffs. Capela is in his 30s as well. So 4 players over 30, with the two young players coming to the Rockets likely at their peak or slightly past peak. I'm not sure why the Rockets would do this. Maybe that team is slightly better next season, but I doubt it. Long-term, you are either messing up the aprons for guys on the downside of their careers with extensions or just letting them go at the cost of Tari and Reed. Cutting Durant would probably be better than this trade.
I'm viewing Tari as a strong sign-and-trade candidate where we get back something like a couple 2nd rounders this offseason, so that may be part of the disconnect we're having here? My gut feeling is he's very unhappy with the organization and his role here and whatever the contract negotiation mess was last offseason. I'm also probably lower than you are on Reed's and KD's respective value levels. I think this is a deal where you get off of KD's contract, and get somewhat close on the production coming back with what Herro + Wiggins give you. I can see the argument that giving up Reed is too much though. Maybe if they kick in a first round pick?
Cutting Reed and KD and not matching whatever deal Tari gets would be a better move than doing that deal as it gives the Rockets another chance at winning the lottery. Even kicking in a 2030 or 2032 FRP is not enough to make that trade better than cutting Reed and KD, not matching Tari . The Rockets gutted would increase 2027 lottery odds to ~24% for 2027 1st overall pick for the current proposed draft lotteries. I pucker up anytime I think just cutting all the players in a trade is probably better than the proposed trade. Unless Miami is offering 2 FRPs, I'd probably cut Reed and KD over doing your deal. I just don't see much benefit in downgrading KD for expiring contracts. My valuations in KD and Reed is irrelevant when the players coming back to the Rockets make the Rockets worse short term (in this case, not good enough to win, not bad enough to tank) and long term.
Trading KD for expiring contracts is basically one path toward potentially getting our own pick back into the 2028 lottery, isn't it? As long as we actually let them expire and don't just try to run it back the year after next with extensions. Remember, next season is a pick swap with Brooklyn, and their pick is already probably high to mid lottery, so we don't need to worry about tanking then.
Cut KD helps as much as trading KD regarding tanking for 2028, but doesn't involve sending out Reed and Tari. The pick is only a swap if the Rockets want a swap. If the Rockets tank and win lotttery, they keep their pick and Brooklyn keeps their worse pick. Tanking changes the odds of 1st overall pick from ~16% to about ~24% in 2027. Cutting KD and Reed and not matching Tari is ridiculous in my opinion, and yet one season of Herro, Wiggins, and Mitchell are not worth 8% chance at the 1st overall pick even in a bad draft. Would you actually trade 8% at a 1st overall pick even in a bad draft for one year of those 3 players? I'm fine if one wants to rebuild. I just think one needs to be open to the idea that everyone on the team is open to trade. Also, trading KD should not put the Rockets in a worse position.
Yeah, the more I look at it the more significant draft capital needs to be coming our way in this scenario, even though I do like the idea of hedging bets and having the option to extend guys and run it back if surprising improvement happens from one player or another.
Why would the Lakers want a old overpaid VanVleet when they have Reaves? Do yall even think for a second before you propose these trades
He's expiring so I doubt they care too much that he's overpaid. The real prize for them is obviously Jabari in that deal, moving forward they need to add as many 3nD guys as they can around Luka and Reaves. Jabari isn't a bad piece to get back for an about-to-retire 41-year-old LeBron, who, in this scenario, I'm imagining wants to leave to retire in Cleveland. Fred is mainly for salary matching, but he's not a bad veteran roleplayer to have on a playoff team, even if he comes off the bench or in a lesser role; good locker room guy, lots of playoff experience, steady ballhandler, spaces the floor. Same reasons our front office (over) values him, basically. Also, any time I throw out a trade idea--and I feel like this is a good way to be thinking in general--I'm mainly trying to envision what players could go back and forth to make the salaries work and that would make some sense from an immediate roster construction perspective for each team. I think if the value level is imbalanced, that's where draft picks can come into play, so you can imagine whatever draft pick structure you think might make the deal make sense.
I believe KD will demand a S/T to a contender before the start of the new season. The Rockets need to get the best deal possible out of them. OKC’s lottery pick must be considered strongly, if it’s in play.
It’s not in play. Why would OKC want 38 year old KD after probably winning their 2nd championship in a row? They have to start planning for when they will have to let some of their players walk. They are in a perfect position to continue to add rookie contracts and slowly integrate them onto the team. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team in better position for a dynasty than the current OKC situation. SA is also well positioned, although I would still be a little worried about Wemby’s long-term health.
Still pisses me off we didn’t trade his sorry as to the Knicks last year. I’m convinced they would have given us a first round pick. Instead we sign one of the worst coaches in the league for another 6 years. It is the single most fireable offense Stone has ever made.
