I don't really see that as fair at all. With the luxury tax change cap space is at even more of a premium. If we're providing them with all that space there's no need to include the pick. If it's Kleza+ed+calderon, then yeah you're probably including the pick. But Bayless+Davis? No way. Gay is a very good player, but one being payed an elite salary.
Cap space is premium, sure, but you don't just give away players like Gay. Memphis won't give him away, they'd have other suitors who would pay more than Kleiza + Davis + Calderon. The guy has averaged 19 points and 6(ish) boards for pretty much his entire career. Incredibly consistent. He's a damn good player, and even though cap space will be the primary motivating reason they are trading him, they won't give him away for nothing. He's not Hedo useless.
Not only, I believe with the proposed package, they actually on similar salary to what Gay is making. It doesn't work for them.
Any interest in pursuing RFA JJ Hickson? He was waived this past season and is an RFA with Portland. Now they may want to keep him due to Alridge's flesh eating bacteria issue, but if they don't, I think he'd be a nice player to get.
If we trade Davis(and it looks like he won't be a Raptor for too much longer), he could provide nice depth behind Bargs. Only 23, great offensive post player. Needs to work on his defense, but he's got some talent.
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I like Steve Nash too much to see him end his career without a ring. If he signs here, its for money/term/team canada duties.
I have my doubts Nash would consider us truth be told. He's said that he'd consider Miami if they came calling, if by chance the Celtics beat them in game 7, I could see them pursuing Nash and Nash accepting.
He'd be a great fit in Indiana, they have big men that can score in Hibbert and West, wings that can shoot in Granger and George and a solid bench. They just need better point guard play as Hill and Collison aren't great playmakers. Nash would be perfect for them.
Cap space is premium, sure, but you don't just give away players like Gay. Memphis won't give him away, they'd have other suitors who would pay more than Kleiza + Davis + Calderon. The guy has averaged 19 points and 6(ish) boards for pretty much his entire career. Incredibly consistent. He's a damn good player, and even though cap space will be the primary motivating reason they are trading him, they won't give him away for nothing. He's not Hedo useless.
Not only, I believe with the proposed package, they actually on similar salary to what Gay is making. It doesn't work for them.
Any interest in pursuing RFA JJ Hickson? He was waived this past season and is an RFA with Portland. Now they may want to keep him due to Alridge's flesh eating bacteria issue, but if they don't, I think he'd be a nice player to get.
If we trade Davis(and it looks like he won't be a Raptor for too much longer), he could provide nice depth behind Bargs. Only 23, great offensive post player. Needs to work on his defense, but he's got some talent.
It's just the nature of the nba now, you're going to get cap dumps of good (not great) players making the max or near it. Heisley has been pretty adamant that they won't be paying the luxury tax. That means one of the main three guys (Gay, Gasol, Randolph) has to go. It's more about next year anyway. If they don't trade any of those three (or Conley) they have about 60 million tied up into 4 guys next season. Calderon expires after this season so that's big savings there and fewer roster sports left to fill. It helps this year too, with them not having to fill out the roster with minimum guys.
Anyway, I'm not arguing that I think that's the deal Memphis should or would take (although it is very feasible), moreso that the Raptors shouldn't be giving up their pick unless they're returning some salary themselves. Either massive cap space or the pick. Not both. Because yes teams will be forced to give up good players making elite money.
Chad Ford talked up Andrew Nicholson in his last look at the draft combine. He thinks that his slotting of Nicholson at 22 in his last mock draft might represent the lowest he goes, not the highest.
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Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is denying reports that the team is looking to shop Rudy Gay.
Keep in mind though that Heisley is a lying, two-faced, unethical sack of crap. He could just as easily turn around tomorrow and ship Gay off for nothing and then shrug his shoulders at the Memphis fans and say "there's nothing else we could do." *******.
It's pretty clear to me that the target is Gay and we're saying "Well we could just get Iguodala instead then" as our leverage against them.
Gay is about to turn 26 and has 3 years of contract after this, at which point he'll be 29, still a solid age to extend him when our core is developed and ready. Iguodala is 28 and a half and will be 30 and a half in 2 years when his contract runs out. It leaves us in a spot where he either walks at 30 (not out of the question, lots of players at 30 want to go to contenders and we likely won't be one) or we have to pay him a huge contract, and Iguodala is exactly the type of player who don't want to pay big at 30, once his athleticism goes that'll be it for him. So we'd be dealing our pick for the value of Iguodala's next 2 years, at a max deal. Everything after that has no asset value to us, because he's both unsigned and even if we do resign him, it'll likely be at a negative value deal.
Trading our draft pick for Gay is probably an unwise move but defendable. Trading it for Iguodala would be awful, awful, awful. A lottery team trading their pick for a 28.5 year old who's a UFA in 2 years is almost a parody version of "Horrible move"
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is denying reports that the team is looking to shop Rudy Gay.
Keep in mind though that Heisley is a lying, two-faced, unethical sack of crap. He could just as easily turn around tomorrow and ship Gay off for nothing and then shrug his shoulders at the Memphis fans and say "there's nothing else we could do." *******.
Even the way he phrases the denial leaves a lot of wiggle room. They're not "looking" to trade Gay or shopping him, but teams are certainly free to make offers. That's what I get from it anyway.
And remember the Gasol to the Lakers trade? An exact quote:
"There’s no damn way that anybody is going to trade Pau Gasol,’ Heisley said, his voice booming through the telephone. ’I’m telling you that ain’t going to happen. That’s out the window.’"
Yeah, it was from quite a while before the trade, but the idea that Heisley is a snake and not to be trusted is the take away message here.
Actually I just checked and the quote was from further back then I thought. Point still stands though.
From what I've looked into it, admittedly I'm real green behind the ears but what's the problem with trading for Gay? Besides Jersey sales tanking, I can't see a downside with trading a pick that we'd probably be using the pick on Lilliard (The 6'4 SG I think?)
Davis has no real place here and Calderon is leaving anyway, if we can replace him wiht Nash then why not?
I'm tired of idiotic talking heads on ESPN, and ex-players trashing this team. People treat Toronto like it is a soviet gulag. It's just so frustrating.. we need some measure of success desperately.
The Nash rumours are ridiculous, he isn't coming here (he wants to finish his career with a contender). I'd rather not get a limited player like Iguodala (his value will depreciate quickly), nor do I think we can secure Rudy Gay. I'm so depressed/cynical about the franchise's future
Yeah its frustrating that people consider this team on the level of the Wizards or Bobcats (Charles Barkley) but with one second round appearance in over 15 years its not unwarranted. That's why I was big on Tank City which failed this year. Get some real young talent that will grow up here.
<-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
