Gortat Traded to Wizards

[sunsfan88]

We did. A team to take Marshall, Brown and Lee who were tying up roster space.

Lee could have just as easily been cut by us. And then our roster would be at the maximum legal amount.

 

[TJ]

Not true.

Pacers pick is top 13 protected. They are a lock to be in the playoffs though so it doesn't matter.

T-Wolves pick is top 13 protected too. I doubt we get this one this year.

Jurecki reported today that the T-Wolves pick was only Top 10 protected.

I could be wrong on the Pacers, but as you said, it does not matter.

 

[SunsTzu]

Jurecki reported today that the T-Wolves pick was only Top 10 protected.

He's wrong. It's top 13 in '14 and top 12 protected in '15 and '16, if not conveyed by then it converts into 2 2nd round picks.

 

[Mainstreet]

SunsTzu, your pushing for the Suns to draft Steven Adams looks spot on right now.

 

[sunsfan88]

Zach Lowe tweeted this year and last year there had been ONE 1st round pick traded for a expiring contract. Suns did very well when looked at within context.

Even protected 1st rd picks are consider gold.

I suppose. I just feel like if we had waited, we could have gotten more from a team who maybe loses a big man due to injury or something.

 

[sunsfan88]

I think the reason I'm not super excited about this trade is be sure I expected us to get the kind of return that the Blazers got for Gerald Wallace. I honestly don't think Wallace is a much better NBA player than Gortat and both were on expiring contracts. Plus Gortat plays center which is seen as a more important position than SF. Blazers ended up getting the SIXTH pick of the draft with that trade because they waited to trade Wallace at the deadline. Teams get desperate at the deadline and imo we could have taken advantage of that.

Oh well.

 

[sunsfan88]

Slinslin's happy. He's wanted Gortat gone since the day he got traded here. Kinda like Phrazbit with Beasley and me with Marshall

He's probably partying like its 1934

 

[Phrazbit]

I think the reason I'm not super excited about this trade is be sure I expected us to get the kind of return that the Blazers got for Gerald Wallace. I honestly don't think Wallace is a much better NBA player than Gortat and both were on expiring contracts. Plus Gortat plays center which is seen as a more important position than SF. Blazers ended up getting the SIXTH pick of the draft with that trade because they waited to trade Wallace at the deadline. Teams get desperate at the deadline and imo we could have taken advantage of that.

Oh well.

That Blazer/Net trade would be a hard one to replicate. It was one of the absolute stupidest moves I've seen a team make on the Nets side of the deal. It made no sense, the Nets should not have been "desperate" to make that kind of move as they were well out of contention and it made their pursuit of Dwight Howard significantly more difficult. Then they compounded the stupidity by signing Wallace to a laughable contract extension. Billy King is damn lucky the Celtics decided to blow up their roster and he was able to worm out of Wallace's contract. He might be the worst exec currently in the league.

 

[PhxGametime]

I love all the deals McDonough has made (!!!) but I'd like to see Bledsoe/Dragic backcourt work out. I'm a bit worried about rumors Dragic could be next...

The days I don't read this site (at all) for first 5-7 hours of my day, results in a Trade nearly Every single time. lol

 

[Griffin]

An interesting move. People were speculating for a while now what Gortat could fetch in a trade. Turned out to be a single mid-first round draft pick. Could the Suns have done better? Who knows. It clears up the roster, although same could have been done by simply waiving players as was pointed out. It doesn't save money. It makes the Suns marginally worse, but you could have just as well waived Gortat too to accomplish the same result.

In other words, the only real benefit of this trade, the one that could not have been obtained otherwise, is the mid-first rounder that may or may not be next year. That alone may make the trade worth it, especially if it turns out to be a 2014 pick. Unfortunately, regardless of who the team's management is, any given team is still more likely to draft a Marshall, Morris or a Clark with a pick like that than a real difference maker. In fact, that pick probably has more value as a future trade asset than what it may actually fetch in a draft.

Well, this year's team will be a little more interesting to watch now as the new players will get more minutes. And it will be interesting to see if the Suns can rehab Okafor back into playing shape before the trade deadline.

 

[Michael]

I don't expect to see the pick next year, and I feel indifferent regarding the Gortat/ Okafor swap. But getting rid of Beasley and Brown within one offseason is brilliant!

While I do hope for many losses and a high pick, I do not wish Phoenix to break the all-time record for fewest wins in a season (I think it's 9-73 or something...). Rebuilding is one thing. Being the laughing stock of the league another - although the new jerseys might achieve that already.

 

[SunsTzu]

SunsTzu, your pushing for the Suns to draft Steven Adams looks spot on right now.

We'll see how it plays out. I was pretty much resigned to the fact the Suns weren't getting Adams once the Lakers made the playoffs. I'm just glad they didn't take Bennett or Noel.

 

[leclerc]

What a perfect trade.

On Dragic and/or Bledsoe, am I the only Dragic fan in here? What I've seen of Bledsoe doesn't impress me very much, but I've only watched two preseason games and some clips on yotub.

 

[Mainstreet]

We'll see how it plays out. I was pretty much resigned to the fact the Suns weren't getting Adams once the Lakers made the playoffs. I'm just glad they didn't take Bennett or Noel.

As I recall you would have taken Adams even at #5. I know your arguments had convinced me this would have been a good pick at this slot although I liked Len as well. Bennett was my top choice at #5. Anyway, I think you were right that Adams would have been a good selection for the Suns early in the draft. A safe pick. So far, he is looking the part.

 

[SunsTzu]

As I recall you would have taken Adams even at #5. I know your arguments had convinced me this would have been a good pick at this slot although I liked Len as well. Bennett was my top choice at #5. Anyway, I think you were right that Adams would have been a good selection for the Suns early in the draft. A safe pick. So far, he is looking the part.

I definitely would have taken him at 5, I just knew it would never happen. Going into the draft I felt Oladipo, Adams and McLemore had the best upside.

I really feel that with his combination of size, agility and awareness Adams will be able to anchor a defense when he develops even if his offense never comes along. I also really like his rebounding. On the defensive glass he focuses more on keeping the opposition off the glass instead of chasing the ball. And on the offensive glass he had one of the highest rebound rates in the country last year.

 

[Chaz]

The value in this trade is what they got rid of. They turned Marshall, Brown, and Lee into a first round pick and it only cost them Gortat for Okafor.
McD getting it done!

 

[JS22]

What a perfect trade.

On Dragic and/or Bledsoe, am I the only Dragic fan in here? What I've seen of Bledsoe doesn't impress me very much, but I've only watched two preseason games and some clips on yotub.

Dragic is probably my favorite player on the roster. So I'm a little biased.

I'd really like to see them play together this year. I think Dragic could be really interesting in the "Ginobili" role. I think his scoring will definitely go up this year at the expense of a few assists. I'm hoping for an 18/5 type of season.

 

[CardsFan88]

Good trade. Perhaps even a great trade.

We could have held out for the trade deadline and MAYBE gotten more.

But we cemented a 1st round pick and now, if we want, we can trade EO at the deadline.

If he can play then perhaps as an actual player. Or as a player who can give some cap flexibility and yet a team can still retain him by signing someone else first.

Even if he's injured we could get a 1st round pick. We might have to take on some salary for an additional year or two, but this is the time to make such moves if possible. (at least with the shorter max contracts it'll never be take this guy for 4-5-6 years).

So if we can move EO then it might be that Gortat was the catalyst that netted us 2 first round picks. Or whatever.

I also don't mind keeping EO if we decide to.

What I'm sad about is that Gortat was hands down the best center the Suns have had since I've been alive and watching. Hell we've only had two...Mark West and Gortat. Mark West should not be on that list, no disrespect to him and his skills, but it's sad he is on that list of best Suns centers the last 30-35 years.

We finally get a good center, and we suck. Oh the irony. What could of been had he been on a KJ team, or a Kidd team, or Nash before $arver $old the farm team. Instead of the likes of Luc 'the Puke' Longley, or John 'Hot Wad' Williams.

Sad to see him go, but rebuilding was a must. Good trade with a potential for it being great.

Of course, we'll need to hit on our picks and/or trade them for a star.

 

[BC867]

Pacers pick is lotto protected and T-Wolves pick is top 13 protected. Best case scenario would be the Suns getting the 1st, 13th, 14th and 15th picks in next years draft.

Are you advocating that the D'backs start the 2014-15 season with four more rookies? Or, if we were to get 1/13/14/15, trade two of those picks.

 

[SunsTzu]

Are you advocating that the D'backs start the 2014-15 season with four more rookies? Or, if we were to get 1/13/14/15, trade two of those picks.

I'm not advocating anything. As it currently stands the Suns have potentially 4 first round draft picks and the best possible outcome for those picks are 1/13/14/15.

 

[BC867]

I'm not advocating anything. As it currently stands the Suns have potentially 4 first round draft picks and the best possible outcome for those picks are 1/13/14/15.

'Sorry, wrong word. I meant, what do you foresee the Suns doing with 1/13/14/15 if it prevails?

 

[SunsTzu]

'Sorry, wrong word. I meant, what do you foresee the Suns doing with 1/13/14/15 if it prevails?

Seems unlikely they would keep all 4 if it comes to that. I doubt any deal will come up during the season where it would make sense to include any of the picks though. I think they'll wait for the season to end and see what type of picks they have once the dust settles and what teams are sellers.

 

[KloD]

I've read others discussing the possibility of flipping Okafor at the deadline, but I don't see how that will come to be? He's got a cap hit of $14.5 million and any team looking to add to their front court for a playoff push will be capped out. That means they would have to send out as much as they take back. What playoff team has $14.5 million in contracts that it can afford to send away that won't at the same time weaken their team? I just don't see how Okafor would add more than any playoff team would have to send out. IMO the Suns will likely come to a buyout agreement with Okafor mid season and save some cap space, but I don't see him bringing anything back.

Of course there is the potential of trading Okafor as part of a deal with picks and such to get a good player from a team not making a playoff push. That is a real possibility, but I think the most likely option for the Suns is to come to a buyout agreement at some point and save some cash.

 

[JCSunsfan]

It would be great for the training staff to get Okafor right so that we could move him for something by the deadline.

 

[JCSunsfan]

That Blazer/Net trade would be a hard one to replicate. It was one of the absolute stupidest moves I've seen a team make on the Nets side of the deal. It made no sense, the Nets should not have been "desperate" to make that kind of move as they were well out of contention and it made their pursuit of Dwight Howard significantly more difficult. Then they compounded the stupidity by signing Wallace to a laughable contract extension. Billy King is damn lucky the Celtics decided to blow up their roster and he was able to worm out of Wallace's contract. He might be the worst exec currently in the league.

I totally agree with this. Don't pass on a good trade because someone, somewhere else got a better one. Insisting on a lopsided trade (they do happen sometimes) is the surest way to walk away with nothing in the end.

I love that McD has the willingness to pull the trigger when the moment seems right. I love that he wants to give our young guys playing time this year. I love that he is not even talking about the playoffs.