Official Trade Thread VIII: 4/21/09 - 6/25/09

[LyricalRico]

This is the eighth incarnation of the popular "Official Washington Wizards Trade Thread". If you've got a few hours to kill, here are the links to the previous episodes...

- Official Wizards Trade Thread
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 2
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 3
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 4
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 5
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 6
- Official Wizards Trade Thread: Part 7

[LyricalRico]

An Atlanta fan on the trade board proposed this tweak:

Washington trades: Blatche, Crittenton, Songaila, Stevenson
Atlanta trades: Childress, Speedy Claxton

That's a tempting offer. Claxton's $5.2M contract expires next year. The deal saves us $7.7M minus Chill's salary next year, and it saves us $14.1M minus Chill's salary in 2011. If Childress can be signed for something around $6M a year, everything could work out fine.

The Wizards would need to acquire a quality backup big man somehow, either via the draft or by trading Nick Young and/or DMac. But other than that, this solves a lot of problems.

So in reality it gives us minimal savings next year but we almost totally solve our 2010-11 season's luxury tax problems. Maybe we can ask them to send us Solomon Jones for depth?

Another thought: if Atlanta is willing to take on salary to acquire Blatche and/or Crittenton, maybe we can explore options that don't involve Childress. For example, if we drafted Griffin and were desperate to shed salary, we might be able to simply give Blatche + Stevenson to Atlanta for nothing.

This is also a deal I would support. I'd like to get a second round pick back but it can be future. Or could we expand it to also dump Etan and maybe get a future first from ATL?

Wiz trade: Blatche, Young, Stevenson, and Etan
Hawks trade: Claxton and future first

[pancakes3]

a few hours? that's a full month's worth of free time spent reading half-baked ideas and self-repeating rants with the occasional funny being made.

[nate33]

This is also a deal I would support. I'd like to get a second round pick back but it can be future. Or could we expand it to also dump Etan and maybe get a future first from ATL?

Wiz trade: Blatche, Young, Stevenson, and Etan
Hawks trade: Claxton and future first

I don't see why we need to throw in Young. Take the initial deal of Blatche + Stevenson for cap relief, and Instead of Atlanta throwing in the 2nd as you suggest, have them accept an Etan for Claxton swap (we can throw in $2M cash to cover the salary differential if necessary). That makes it:

Wizards trade: Blatche, Stevenson, and Etan
Hawks trade: Claxton

That saves us $8.9M this year and $7.1M next year. Factor in luxtax savings and we're talking $34-38M in total savings over two years. Essentially, we sacrifice Blatche to save Abe $35M. This is definitely worth consideration if we land Griffin in the draft. It also frees up roster space (and luxtax room) to draft a player in the 2nd round.

[fishercob]

An Atlanta fan on the trade board proposed this tweak:

Washington trades: Blatche, Crittenton, Songaila, Stevenson
Atlanta trades: Childress, Speedy Claxton

That's a tempting offer. Claxton's $5.2M contract expires next year. The deal saves us $7.7M minus Chill's salary next year, and it saves us $14.1M minus Chill's salary in 2011. If Childress can be signed for something around $6M a year, everything could work out fine.

The Wizards would need to acquire a quality backup big man somehow, either via the draft or by trading Nick Young and/or DMac. But other than that, this solves a lot of problems.

I would do cartwheels if Ernie pulled that trade off. Childress is billionaire's Dom McGuire. I think he has the makings of a championship level role player. Listen, I love McGuire. But let's not get carried away overvaluing him. It would be wonderful if he could make himself into a reliable outside shooter, but we're not exactly betting on a sure thing here.

Look at this comparison of Childress and McGuire through their first two seasons: http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/ ... i?id=BTXRt

PER: 15.5 to 9.8 and TS% .580 to .462. That's a huge difference. Chill was markedly better from 3 and from the line. They're comparable in the boards. Dom's only advantage were in blocks and assists, and they weren't earth shattering. Chill is still young (still not 26) and has three years of improvement (and some playoff experience) under his belt.

To add him while still having both our picks and Nick Young and/or McGuire to play with would be nothing short of huge.

I'd be sorry to see some of those guys go on a certain level, but you gotta give something to get something. Chill would be a huge score.

[Benjammin]

I am on the Childress bandwagon which is ironic because I was the originator of ABC (anyone but Childress) the year the pick was traded for Jamison. I think EG may have a connection as well through his son to Josh (both went to Stanford). I think Chill brings a lot to the table and for the proposed deal would be a good value (assuming around an MLE deal or so). I don't know that Atlanta would really be interested unless they really like Blatche.

[fishercob]

Chill isn't going back to the Hawks. So they're essentially getting something for nothing. Blatche, will all his faults is a 22 yr old veteran PF/C signed ultra cheap for three more years. With Zaza and Marvin Williams as UFAs (and Horford coming up in two years) they'd be foolish to not want Dray.

Stevenson and Songaila are some veteran depth that they sorely need on that team. And Critt's a local kid. Again, given that Chill is not going back to ATL, this trade would be like found money to them.

I forgot about (and love) the Dan Grunfeld connection.

The other thing is that if you read between the lines of whats been reported by Kevin Broom, Mike Lee, etc., I think Ernie's ready to cut bait on Blatche. I don't think he's worried he's trading away an all-star. Blatche may become a great and consistent role player in the this league, but he's clearly a few more years away from that.

[MJG]

A Blatche-for-Childress deal is the type of Blatche deal I can get behind. We aren't dumping the guy, but using him to get an equally good player at a position of greater need. If we can get salary relief in the package, then it's a two thumbs up proposition.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I am on the Childress bandwagon which is ironic because I was the originator of ABC (anyone but Childress) the year the pick was traded for Jamison. I think EG may have a connection as well through his son to Josh (both went to Stanford). I think Chill brings a lot to the table and for the proposed deal would be a good value (assuming around an MLE deal or so). I don't know that Atlanta would really be interested unless they really like Blatche.

I remember that you weren't alone on the ABC bandwagon! In fairness, you probably were among those high on Deng IIRC, who's good when he's healthy.

I wonder if ATL doesn't think to heck with Childress and lets him go, since they've got a good record this season.

[LyricalRico]

ABC?!?! Oh, the memories...

[spaceman_E]

Glad to see you guys coming on board, Chill has been my #1 target since last offseason.
Anywho, why not give them Etan instead of Songaila? Darius still serves a role on our team and isn't too overpriced. Etan would be more appealing to Atlanta in that they don't take on an extra year of salary even if ET is just dead weight on their roster.

Blatche, Etan, Critt, Deshawn
for
Speedy, Childress

I would then be looking for a PG in the draft(if we get pick 3-5) and deal our pick, James or Claxton(whichever Flip thinks is a worse fit) and maybe our 2nd rounder for something like a 10-18 pick and a first rounder next year. I would then look to draft any of the following PGs; Curry, Maynor, Lawson, Flynn, Teague, Mills, Collison to be our backup and insurance policy.

Gil/Curry/Speedy
Chill/Young/Dmac
Caron/Dmac
Jamison/Song/Pech
Haywood/Mcgee/Song

We would probably have to sign another vet C to play spot minutes but we'd be clear of some cap troubles and have an extra 1st for next year.

[pancakes3]

It's paining me to give up Blatche. Even if he never pans out to be KG lite, he's still the best backup big-man around.

[likwitdesi]

Assuming our pick is 3 to 5, what about the pick + Etan Thomas + Mike James for Milsap (S+T) + Harpring

Then we can also ship Blatche + Stevenson for Childress

PG: Arenas/James/Crit
SG: Childress/Nick Young
SF: Butler/Jamison
PF: Milsap/Songaila
C: Haywood/McGee

That is an excellent defensive team with an awesome second unit. The major weakness is the lack of a super-quick PG but we can solve that with Patty Mills in round 2

[AgentOvechkin08]

A Childress trade is HIGHLY unlikely. I would focus on more reasonable trade ideas people.
Not saying mine are reasonable at all LOL, but Childress is in Greece, getting paid good money and doubt he wants to come back right now.


I have been thinking of deals trading our pick if it is 3-5, but there could be better options.

There could be a good wing player on the board, but maybe we trade down while dumping stevenson's contract, or maybe with that pick 3-5 use it on a guy like Evans, who like someone said reminds me of a hughes type player to play along side GA. Derozan, is a guy that i really see serious potential in (who doesnt) and i know that "P" word, but drafting him, he can play SF and SG (needs perimeter skills developed and ball handling, even though both improved dramatically over the course of the season).

I think we try to dump Stevenson to a team, like Steve Francis was, like a 2014 conditional 2nd round pick. I mean something like that, just to get rid of him. He just puts us in a serious log jam at guard.

Arenas/Critt/James
Butler/Young
McGuire/Derozan (or vice versa)
Jamison/Blatche/Songaila
Haywood/McGee/Thomas

Derozan is listed at 6'7 and probably is still growing and has a long wingspan and has freakish "Lebron James/Kobe Bryant" athleticism. If he reaches his potential he can go down as an all star and a dominant player.

Just throwing him out there because i have just come to like him since the PAC 10 tourny and NCAAs and after that.

[fishercob]

A Childress trade is HIGHLY unlikely. I would focus on more reasonable trade ideas people.
Not saying mine are reasonable at all LOL, but Childress is in Greece, getting paid good money and doubt he wants to come back right now.

Nope. I recently read/saw something (trying to remember where) where he diplomatically said "it's very different over her," but what clearly implying he'd had his fill of EuroBall. His three year contract as an easy out after one season. I expect him back in the NBA next year. He made his point, some good scratch and had a unique experience. Considering his connection to Grunfeld, I don't see acquiring him -- especially given what we have to offer and what ATL needs -- to be any more far fetched than anything else we yammer about in these parts.

[LyricalRico]

It's paining me to give up Blatche. Even if he never pans out to be KG lite, he's still the best backup big-man around.

Let's see - KG in his prime was getting 25 and 12 as an MVP and DPOY. I would hope that a guy who's "KG lite" would be better than a backup big man. A poor man's Kevin Garnett should be getting something like 16 and 8 with and solid defense. I don't EVER see Blatche being that. Nor is he as intelligent/physical as Songaila.

This team has a 3 year window (assuming we keep Jamison). It might take Blatche that long to realize that solicitation might not be the best idea in the world. If we can move him to upgrade our SG situation I think we have to do it.

[fishercob]

Some nice Chill highlights mixed in here: http://euroleague2008.infrontams.biz/pu ... hp?id=2955

[nate33]

A Childress trade is HIGHLY unlikely. I would focus on more reasonable trade ideas people.
Not saying mine are reasonable at all LOL, but Childress is in Greece, getting paid good money and doubt he wants to come back right now.

Nope. I recently read/saw something (trying to remember where) where he diplomatically said "it's very different over her," but what clearly implying he'd had his fill of EuroBall. His three year contract as an easy out after one season. I expect him back in the NBA next year. He made his point, some good scratch and had a unique experience. Considering his connection to Grunfeld, I don't see acquiring him -- especially given what we have to offer and what ATL needs -- to be any more far fetched than anything else we yammer about in these parts.

A poster on the draft board (who sounded like he resides in Europe) claims that Childress is absolutely stinking up the joint in Europe. He says that the team is visibly worse worse with Childress on the floor and the Euro team is just dying to get rid of him and his contract.

[miller31time]

Whether he's a total detriment or not, the fact is that he isn't anything that the Euroleague thought he was going to be, and I'm sure Childress is surprised he couldn't step into an inferior league and become a superstar.

So yeah, I could certainly envision him coming back to the NBA as soon as humanly possible.

[nate33]

It's paining me to give up Blatche. Even if he never pans out to be KG lite, he's still the best backup big-man around.

Let's see - KG in his prime was getting 25 and 12 as an MVP and DPOY. I would hope that a guy who's "KG lite" would be better than a backup big man. A poor man's Kevin Garnett should be getting something like 16 and 8 with and solid defense. I don't EVER see Blatche being that. Nor is he as intelligent/physical as Songaila.

This team has a 3 year window (assuming we keep Jamison). It might take Blatche that long to realize that solicitation might not be the best idea in the world. If we can move him to upgrade our SG situation I think we have to do it.

As I've mentioned before, my biggest problem with the Childress acquisition is in how it impacts our salary situation. We really only have one pure deadweight contract that has a meaningful impact to our 2010 and 2011 salary situation. That's Stevenson's. If we package Stevenson with Blatche to acquire Childress, that'll be a salary-neutral trade. But it leaves us with no bad 2011 contracts that we can eliminate in order to cut salary (Songaila will be needed with Blatche gone).

The Childress acquisition will put Abe in a position where he'll save $8-10M in luxtax fees if he chooses to let Haywood walk. The decision to let Haywood walk could end up saving management a total of $16-18M in salary and fees. I don't have enough confidence in this organization's esteem of Haywood to give them that temptation. I'd rather just live with DMac and Young at SG next year.