Suns trade Robin Lopez to Hornets; recieve 1st rd pick, Johnson in 3 team trade

[Folster]

Hilton Armstrong is still bouncing around. I saw him in a summer league game a few days ago, but I can't remember which team he was on.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/hilton_armstrong/career_stats.html

Clippers. He averaged 7.2 pts, 6.4 rbs, and 2.2 blks in 25.6 minutes. I'd take him over Siler who barely sniffed the court on the Wizards summer league team.

 

[Phrazbit]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--t...ead-to-t-wolves-signing-andrei-kirilenko.html

WoJo with a full write up on it. Hanging on Lopez taking a physical and agreeing to the deal (3 years 15 million). Totally fine with not having to shell out that stupid money.

 

[binkar]

So Miller's contract will be coming to the Suns, though just temporarily until he retires or is waived. That makes more sense considering it was against the CBA for Miller to be traded back to the TWolves.

 

[carey]

Do you guys think Bernard James will stick on Dallas' roster? He was a 2nd round pick they acquired from Cleveland. They currently have 15 players after signing Delonte West.

 

[Phrazbit]

Do you guys think Bernard James will stick on Dallas' roster? He was a 2nd round pick they acquired from Cleveland. They currently have 15 players after signing Delonte West.

I'd imagine he goes to the D-league.

 

[KloD]

Yeah, not sure where now, but I read the 2nd round picks going to Minn. are from the Suns. I'll try and find the story again.

 

[Evil Ash]

Yeah, not sure where now, but I read the 2nd round picks going to Minn. are from the Suns. I'll try and find the story again.

Wojnarowski says that the 2nd rounders are from NO. Even still I would trade a couple of 2nd rounders for a 1st rounder

 

[sunsfan88]

Who's Green? Did you mean Garcia?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--t...ead-to-t-wolves-signing-andrei-kirilenko.html

WoJo with a full write up on it. Hanging on Lopez taking a physical and agreeing to the deal (3 years 15 million). Totally fine with not having to shell out that stupid money.

If I was the owner of a team, I wouldn't pay Lopez more than $10 to be honest. That's all he's worth imo.

 

[gordon]

[...]
In four or five years, it's fairly likely that this trade will end up being that the Suns gave Lopez away for nothing. That could end up biting them.

And if Lopez signed a 3 years/15+ mil offer sheet we would have to let him go for nothing without even getting a crappy pick or match and be stuck with an overpaid backup C.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yeah, not sure where now, but I read the 2nd round picks going to Minn. are from the Suns. I'll try and find the story again.

It's in the article linked below. It talks about a possible Suns second round pick but who knows.

The key to making this trade attractive to the Suns is losing Warrick's remaining year of salary and Lopez' new contract demands for a higher salary. Plus the Suns get a first round pick and a chance to look at Wesley Johnson. When everything is factored together, the Suns save money long term and get a first round pick. There is a lot to like.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...hornets-robin-lopez-sign-and-trade-talks.html

 

[Griffin]

$15/3-years is not that unreasonable for a 24-year old center. If he somehow becomes a consistent starter in the league then this is a bargain.

For comparison, Wes Johnson is a 25-year old wing who will be drawing basically the same yearly salary over the next two years should the Suns pick up his 4th year option ($10M/2-years).

At $5M a year, would you rather have an underachieving 24-year old 7-footer, or an underachieving 25-year old 6-7 wing? Why do other teams' busts always seem more likely to turn their careers around than our own? Both have been given plenty of opportunities, Lopez more, but he's younger.

So this trade is not about Wes Johnson. The Suns would be incredibly foolish to pick his 4th year option before they even see him play one game with the team, so Johnson will almost certainly be an unrestricted free agent next year, for better or worse depending on how he performs. Salary wise, he and Warrick is a wash next year. And with Warrick's expiring contract, the Suns really gain nothing and lose nothing salary cap-wise in 2013. But for this season, Johnson will provide some depth at SG/SF while the Suns logjam at PF will be reduced. Warrick wasn't going to play anyway.

But Johnson took Beasley's starting spot last year (and didn't do much with it). Makes you wonder how those two will get along. Both were probably hoping to get away from each other.

So again, this trade comes down to Lopez at $15/3-years for a lottery-protected first-round pick. Are they more likely to draft someone with more upside than Lopez with a pick no higher than #15? Or can the Suns package that pick along with other assets to get someone who can actually be part of a core? For now, this trade looks OK to me only because Lopez wasn't going to do much anyway as long as Gortat is still here. But the Suns aren't really getting back anything to get excited about either.

 

[sunsfan88]

The Suns are FINALLY doing what all the other rebuilding teams (Jazz, Rockets, Hornets, Cavs, Blazers etc) have been doing....obtaining draft picks!

 

[sunsfan88]

Are they more likely to draft someone with more upside than Lopez with a pick no higher than #15? O

Is that a rhetorical question?

Pretty sure we can draft someone with higher upside than Lopez with a #59 pick.

 

[Griffin]

The key to making this trade attractive to the Suns is losing Warrick's remaining year of salary and Lopez' new contract demands for a higher salary.
...
the Suns save money long term

I have to ask again, how is losing Warrick's salary beneficial if he would have been gone next summer regardless? He makes the same amount as Johnson, who will also almost certainly be gone next summer unless the Suns re-sign him.

As for saving money long-term, that's only true if you consider not keeping Lopez which the Suns didn't have to do anyway. Other than that, right now I don't see where else the Suns saved money on this.

Pretty sure we can draft someone with higher upside than Lopez with a #59 pick.

Lopez may have very little upside left, but so do the majority of draft picks outside of the lottery. Statistically speaking, you are probably much more likely to draft a bust than a starter after the lottery. Just because it's possible, doesn't mean it's likely.

 

[Mainstreet]

$15/3-years is not that unreasonable for a 24-year old center. If he somehow becomes a consistent starter in the league then this is a bargain.

For comparison, Wes Johnson is a 25-year old wing who will be drawing basically the same yearly salary over the next two years should the Suns pick up his 4th year option ($10M/2-years).

At $5M a year, would you rather have an underachieving 24-year old 7-footer, or an underachieving 25-year old 6-7 wing? Why do other teams' busts always seem more likely to turn their careers around than our own? Both have been given plenty of opportunities, Lopez more, but he's younger.

So this trade is not about Wes Johnson. The Suns would be incredibly foolish to pick his 4th year option before they even see him play one game with the team, so Johnson will almost certainly be an unrestricted free agent next year, for better or worse depending on how he performs. Salary wise, he and Warrick is a wash next year. And with Warrick's expiring contract, the Suns really gain nothing and lose nothing salary cap-wise in 2013. But for this season, Johnson will provide some depth at SG/SF while the Suns logjam at PF will be reduced. Warrick wasn't going to play anyway.

But Johnson took Beasley's starting spot last year (and didn't do much with it). Makes you wonder how those two will get along. Both were probably hoping to get away from each other.

So again, this trade comes down to Lopez at $15/3-years for a lottery-protected first-round pick. Are they more likely to draft someone with more upside than Lopez with a pick no higher than #15? Or can the Suns package that pick along with other assets to get someone who can actually be part of a core? For now, this trade looks OK to me only because Lopez wasn't going to do much anyway as long as Gortat is still here. But the Suns aren't really getting back anything to get excited about either.

All good points. I think the bottom line is the Suns did not want to commit more salary to Robin Lopez. If that is the case I can see why the trade happens. Also I agree the Suns are unlikely to pick up the fourth year option on Wesley Johnson unless this is a player Blanks has targeted. I can't blame the Suns for not wanting to pay Warrick's salary.

 

[sunsfan88]

Poor Hornets fans...they actually think Lopez is gonna be good for them

http://www.hornetsreport.com/HRForu...Trying-to-Land-RFA-Lopez-from-the-Suns-merged

 

[leclerc]

I'm loving it

Paying a ton of money to Lopez is not a smart move, and to get another low risk/potentially high reward player on a one year deal, and a future first from Minnesota, while also getting rid of Warrick is great all around.

Very happy if it's the final trade.

So am I. Lopez had his chance here and he played well occasionally, but way too seldom to warrant any sizeable contract. Getting a young lotto guy like Wes Johnson and a 1st round pick for him sounds good to me.

I guess the rotation will be something like:

Gortat / Frye
Scola / Morris
Beasley / Duds
Johnson / Brown
Dragic / Telfair / Marshall

We need to sign another big to play backup center.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

That's the EXACT way I also want the starting lineup to look - of course, given that Johnson can step into a starter role....

 

[elindholm]

$15/3-years is not that unreasonable for a 24-year old center. If he somehow becomes a consistent starter in the league then this is a bargain.

Or even if he becomes a consistent backup. Lopez isn't worth $5 million a year at his current level of play, but he's not that far away.

At $5M a year, would you rather have an underachieving 24-year old 7-footer, or an underachieving 25-year old 6-7 wing? Why do other teams' busts always seem more likely to turn their careers around than our own? Both have been given plenty of opportunities, Lopez more, but he's younger.

Right, exactly.

So again, this trade comes down to Lopez at $15/3-years for a lottery-protected first-round pick. Are they more likely to draft someone with more upside than Lopez with a pick no higher than #15?

Which leads to the other rhetorical question: Why is a mid-round pick a year or two from now more attractive than a mid-round pick from a few years ago? It's not like Lopez has proved to be a terrible reach at the position where he was selected. Some players below him have turned out better, but some players above him have turned out worse. If you were to re-do the 2008 draft based on what we know now, Lopez would probably go in about the same spot, maybe a few places lower.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Ok. I am not all that excited about this. Lopez has all the makings of the classic late blooming big. He still has the potential to develop and without Gortat breathing down his neck, there is some chance of that.

The pick is a lotto protected 1st rounder from Minny. So when would we be able to collect on that? I don't see Minny making the playoffs any time soon. I would push for protection in year 1 and no protection after that.

We are moving Warrick but we are taking on Brad Millers contract. At least Warrick could play if we needed him to.

Its not a horrible trade, but not necessarily a steal. 3/$15 million for Lopez is about right.

 

[sunsfan88]

The pick is a lotto protected 1st rounder from Minny. So when would we be able to collect on that? I don't see Minny making the playoffs any time soon.

We are moving Warrick but we are taking on Brad Millers contract. At least Warrick could play if we needed him to.

That's not necessarily a good thing

And trading Warrick clears us cap space so we'll probably sign someone like Charles Garcia to replace Warrick, so don't worry about not having depth.

And the pick is actually lotto protected from Memphis. As for the protection details, here ya go

"As for the potential protected pick, Minnesota did trade its first-rounder to New Orleans via the Clippers last season, but the Wolves can deal a first-rounder this season because they are owed a lottery-protected Memphis pick. That pick from the Grizzlies via Houston is top-14 protected in each of the next four drafts, but considering how good Memphis is that should be out of the lottery this season. That pick would seem to make sense for the purpose of this trade."

http://valleyofthesuns.com/2012/07/...ohnson-pick-brilliant-maneuver/#ixzz21cY34jYo

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Sunsfan88 and Slinslin, can you guys show some more maturity than changing each others names?

 

[JCSunsfan]

That's not necessarily a good thing

And trading Warrick clears us cap space so we'll probably sign someone like Charles Garcia to replace Warrick, so don't worry about not having depth.

And the pick is actually lotto protected from Memphis. As for the protection details, here ya go

That quote is not detail, its pure speculation.

 

[Rab]

I have no problem with the deal. I actually am one of the few who prob like Fropez, but I am not willing to lock in him into a 3 year deal to be a backup C while rebuilding. Apparently, neither are the Suns. Plus, you rid yourself of Warrick's deal, and get a 1st round pick in return, plus suck bad enough to have a higher lottery pick. Wesley Johnson is an afterthought to me, much like VC was in the Gortat deal. That's fine to me. That's the start of a rebuild.

 

[sunsfan88]

Sunsfan88 and Slinslin, can you guys show some more maturity than changing each others names?

I apologize, I fell for the bait.