Ryanwb said:
Jamaal Magloire.... I guess the Bucks are desperate to trade him
I've thought about this a lot, and a Kurt Thomas for Magloire trade kind of makes sense for both teams. Kind of.
The Bucks have Bogut and Gadzuric at center with two soft 4s in Villanueva and Joe Smith. Thomas would solidify the 4 for them allowing Villanueva to play a big 3. That would be a pretty dynamite front line. I bet Thomas would be happy playing his natural position on a team that plays more to his pace. None of the three Bucks centers -- Bogut, Gadz, or Magloire look very good at the 4, and Villanueva at the 4 creates matchup problems for them defensively.
Defensively, Magloire would be a fine get for the Suns, probably better than Thomas, and he's not an offensive liability.
HOWEVER, two problems on Magloire. First and foremost, he's in the final year of his contract, one in which a strong argument could be made he was vastly underpaid compared to what much lesser centers received. What would he command on the open market now? $12 million per? $14 million per? It's kind of scary to think what he could reasonably expect NEXT YEAR.
A second lesser problem is Magloire is a back-to-the-basket player. He's probably a little more versatile than we think of him, but his strength is not playing the elbow or high post. I think it's a lesser problem, though, because the Suns figured out how to use KT, too, and all the other great things Magloire brings -- size! -- would probably outweight the minor problem of getting him adjust to the offense. Like KT, he's not going to be a guy finishing on the break. But he's definitely a guy who can start one with a defensive rebound or a block, and no defender want's to be on the receiving end of a Magloire pick.
I do think it's a potential win-win for both teams for ONE SEASON, even assuming the Bucks would want KT and pick (and nothing else) in exchange. But now we're back to giving up value for renting players, gambling that a move like this would put the team over the top.
And I write all this knowing D'Antoni would never go for it, because Magloire just isn't a D'Antoni kind of center. I just felt it was something that needed to be said.
