Timberwolves signed Kevin Martin

[slinslin]

That is great news for us. If they can stay healthy they have a very solid lineup that should be in the mix for the 8th seed. Needless to say that we own their 2014 first round pick top 13 protected so we need them to finish 8th or 9th in the West.

Rubio/Ridnour
Martin/Shved
Budinger/Shabazz
Love/ Williams
Pekovic/Deng

Also OKC losing Martin makes it now Lamb and Adams for Harden, that does not sound better than Dudley and Gortat at all.

 

[sunsfan88]

They haven't resigned Pekovic yet have they?

 

[hcsilla]

They haven't but after Kirilenko's opting out it is even more likely that they will.

 

[JS22]

That is great news for us. If they can stay healthy they have a very solid lineup that should be in the mix for the 8th seed. Needless to say that we own their 2014 first round pick top 13 protected so we need them to finish 8th or 9th in the West.

Rubio/Ridnour
Martin/Shved
Budinger/Shabazz
Love/ Williams
Pekovic/Deng

Also OKC losing Martin makes it now Lamb and Adams for Harden, that does not sound better than Dudley and Gortat at all.

That turned out to be a pretty terrible trade.

I would have absolutely included an unprotected 1st this year. Dudley, Gortat, and (probably) McLemore is such a better deal.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That turned out to be a pretty terrible trade.

I would have absolutely included an unprotected 1st this year. Dudley, Gortat, and (probably) McLemore is such a better deal.

As far as I recall, I was the only one strongly against the proposed Harden to Phoenix deal but I would have made that trade too. Where I jumped off the bandwagon was mulitple unprotected picks, Dragic, Gortat and Dudley. Giving away that much would have left us with nothing to build upon but Harden. Take Dragic out of the deal and just make it Gortat, Dudley and our 2013 1st rounder and I'd have jumped on it too.

Steve

 

[JS22]

I don't recall ever hearing or reading anyone mentioning Dragic. (He was just signed.)

I often wonder if there was anything discussed between the Suns and Thunder. I can see OKC preferring Martin since he could provide scoring off the bench and easily slide into the Harden role. But long term, the Suns could have made a much better deal IMO.

 

[elindholm]

I thought the whole reason that the Thunder and Harden parted ways was that they didn't want to pay him. So Gortat/Dudley/pick really wouldn't have been a better deal for them, because it wouldn't ease their long-term financial obligations.

 

[95pro]

Thunder lost out big on harden and the trade of him. Martin quitely just moved on.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't recall ever hearing or reading anyone mentioning Dragic. (He was just signed.)

I often wonder if there was anything discussed between the Suns and Thunder. I can see OKC preferring Martin since he could provide scoring off the bench and easily slide into the Harden role. But long term, the Suns could have made a much better deal IMO.

I have no idea how to find it as this conversation popped up in several different threads but I'm quite certain it was one of the scenarios mentioned. There was another suggestion of 3 or 4 (unprotected or minimally protected) picks plus Gortat and Dudley which is also too steep. The most frequent suggestion was Gortat, Dudley and our unprotected pick. Early on, I was against that one too but it soon became obvious that passing on that would have been a huge mistake.

Unfortunately, OKC had no interest in whatever we offered. I know Babby confirmed that we had been in talks with them several times and no deal could be reached.

Steve

 

[slinslin]

I thought the whole reason that the Thunder and Harden parted ways was that they didn't want to pay him. So Gortat/Dudley/pick really wouldn't have been a better deal for them, because it wouldn't ease their long-term financial obligations.

they would have dumped Perkins on us in the process so yes..

But I would not have given up the pick and it still would have been better for them.

 

[Phrazbit]

The Raptor pick was something the Suns were going to have a difficult time matching, yes it ended up only being the 12th pick but I think most thought it would be quite a bit better. And we did not have a prospect to match Lamb.

I also dont think the Thunder had any interest in Gortat... given how much they avoid dealing with potential free agents and how much big men get overpaid... and that they dont need a scoring big, but a defensive one... I dont think we ever had the parts to realistically be part of the Harden talks.

The trade looks bad now, really bad, they really need Lamb to pan out. But it was still a package that at the time the Suns could not match.

 

[Suns_fan69]

I thought the whole reason that the Thunder and Harden parted ways was that they didn't want to pay him. So Gortat/Dudley/pick really wouldn't have been a better deal for them, because it wouldn't ease their long-term financial obligations.

I think the idea at the time was that they could dump perkins on us as we had cap space to absorb it.

 

[Joe Mama]

I suggested that Oklahoma City might trade Westbrook instead of James Harden and was strongly reviewed it here. Now those people were right, but even if Westbrook doesn't get injured I still think that was the right thing to do.

Joe

 

[AzStevenCal]

I suggested that Oklahoma City might trade Westbrook instead of James Harden and was strongly reviewed it here. Now those people were right, but even if Westbrook doesn't get injured I still think that was the right thing to do.

Joe

Even though I felt that Westbrook was a better player than Harden, I always thought that OKC would have been better off trading Russell and keeping James.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

They would have been better off trading Ibaka and keeping Durant, Westbrook, and Harden.

 

[sunsfan88]

They would have been better off trading Ibaka and keeping Durant, Westbrook, and Harden.

No they would have been better off amnestying Perkins and keeping Ibaka, Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

 

[Cheesebeef]

They would have been better off trading Ibaka and keeping Durant, Westbrook, and Harden.

they would have been better off amnestying Perkins. Never understood the decision to keep his salary at the detriment of losing Harden.

 

[elindholm]

I suggested that Oklahoma City might trade Westbrook instead of James Harden and was strongly reviewed it here. Now those people were right, but even if Westbrook doesn't get injured I still think that was the right thing to do.

Westbrook is a confirmed top-ten player in the league, in my opinion. Harden looked like one last year, but let's see if he can keep it going once he's on a roster with higher expectations.

 

[KloD]

Westbrook is a confirmed top-ten player in the league, in my opinion. Harden looked like one last year, but let's see if he can keep it going once he's on a roster with higher expectations.

I see little if any reason to doubt he will. He's performed his role to expectations in the past. Was a hell of a 6th man and last year was a superstar as a starter.