Team Needs...What are they, what do fans think?

[pardon_my_interruption]

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

This won't be quite as complex as the others.

It's clear we are rebuilding and are trying to figure out what pieces we want to retain going forward.

I would say off limits right now in any trade scenarios would be the following:

Mike Conley, Jr.
Rudy Gay
O.J. Mayo
Marc Gasol

Close to untradeable for various reasons:

Kyle Lowry - Unsure if he or Conley will be the PG we want to retain now that Mayo is in the mix.
Darrell Arthur/Hamed Haddadi - Don't know what we have.
Antoine Walker - His expiring is key to our economic strategy at this point. If he is traded, then we also must get an expiring of some kind in return to maintain our capspace.

Can be had:

Hakim Warrick
Javaris Crittenton
Marko Jaric
Darko Milicic
Greg Buckner

Not a lot to work with but as stated we are going young.

Would only want future picks or players under the age of 30 in any deals.

Positions of need are without a doubt rebounding/defending PF.

Backup SF. Hopefully one that can defend and isn't a liability from deep.

Any deal must not affect long-term cap flexibility.

That's pretty much it.

Edited - 10/30/08

Add a bench shooter to the position of need. Also add Kyle Lowry to the list of players that 'can be had'.

At this point (after preseason and last night's opener), it might be more beneficial for Memphis to see what Javaris Crittenton can do playing with the ball. We already know he's a better scorer and bigger than Lowry.

[Downtown]

Good analysis on the Grizzlies. In an interview earlier this week I read where Jerry West said that as he sees it Memphis' plan is to build with the young core and add that one key free agent at some point along the way. Josh Smith would have made so much sense. West probably keeps in touch with Heisley a little and should have some insight. So until this team looks like it's ready to go to the next level don't expect any big moves. This could take a couple of years. I've already got my sights on Blake Griffin to Memphis for next years draft.

As pardon my interuption said, taking on sizeable longterm salary isn't going to happen in a trade unless it's for that future cornerstone and no other team will give that up for what the Grizzlies have to offer. That or perhaps if they have an opportunity to do what Seattle did last year and get a first round pick in exchange for helping out a team with luxury tax problems the trigger might be pulled as long as it's an expiring contract. Therefore expect to see the current young roster get a chance to gel and make the mistakes that a veteran team wouldn't allow in a playoff chase.

As far as what piece the team should add this season I would think that it is as straight forward as pardon the interuption said. A mid level, strong, rebounding, hustling, young power forward that puts out a high effort every night like a Kris Humphries would be a good fit. But don't expect anything until the trade deadline.

[pardon_my_interruption]

I like Kris Humphries as an option Downtown.

Anderson Varejao would be the perfect MLE'ish big you are referring to though for Memphis.

[chrbal]

Charlotte
1: Low post scoring. A team whose frontcourt history includes the likes of Jahidi White, Primoz Brezec, Theron Smith, and countless other forgetables...this team still needs someone to step up in the post and help Emeka out. It got so bad that two expirings for Nazr Mohammed and nothing else was a good trade.

2: Depth up front. Notice a trend. This franchises first year, they really only carried three "4/5s" that were in the rotation; Primoz Brezec, Melvin Ely, and Emeka Okafor. Year two injuries happened. Year 3 Sean May was lost for the season while Ely and Brezec showed their "true ability", and in year 4 Mohammed happened.

3: Team has a strong interest in offering money to restricted free agents to ease it for the RFAs current team (Carl Landry and Anderson Varejao). It would be nice to see a more active front office during free agent season (this one netted Charlotte Shannon Brown. Teams sure were lining up for him). * this didn't really apply but I did want to put it out there*

Tradeables:
Really everyone but the two rookies, Richardson, Okafor, and possibly Dudley. Everyone else can be acquried for the right price. Draft picks are minimal. Denver, I think its them, is owed a first for the Alexis trade. New Orleans, yippee, owes a 2009 2nd round pick.

[nba_addict]

Phoenix Suns

Obviously the Suns is still aiming to contend for the next two seasons and then join the 2010 free agency bandwagon. That said, Nash, Stoudamire, Bell, Hill and Shaq are nearly untouchables unless the returns are ectastic from PHXs point of view.

Currently Suns depth chart is as follows:

PG - Nash / Drajic / Singletary
SG - Bell / Barbosa / Tucker
SF - Hill / Barnes / Diaw
PF - Stoudamire / Diaw / Amundson
C - Shaq / Lopez / Diaw

Based on two preseason games (Atlanta and Utah) the glaring weakness so far is the back-up center. Robin Lopez is foul phrone and it will take a while for him to learn how to defend the interior without fouling at a rate faster than Amare Stoudamire.

Barnes has so far been valuable to the Suns and this early should be considered as long-term fix in SF position. Depending on how Barnes will perform this season, he will most likely command portion or full MLE next season for Suns to retain his services.

Drajic is decent. More like a high-risk high-reward type of gamble as Nash's back-up this season. After two preseason games he is not as explosive but nevertheless decent enough not hurt Suns offense so far under Porter's system.

Barbosa's fit in Porter's system is yet to be seen. But looking at the current Suns' depth chart he is so far the most valuable trading piece for the Suns to fill the gaps.

Team Needs:
1. Immediate need. Back-up C/PF. A veteran defender. Scoring will be a plus. Preferrably an expiring or soon to be expiring.
2. Secondary. Veteran back-up PG.

[eyriq]

Orlando Magic

Starting Roster for 2008/09

PG: Jameer Nelson
SG: Mickael Pietrus
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Rashard Lewis
C: Dwight Howard

Comments: The starting 5 are pretty much set for this coming year. With the addition of Pietrus the Magic are a much more balanced unit overall. Pietrus brings rebounding, size, and defense to the guard spot, three things desperately needed by a team that uses a combo forward in Shard full time at the 4.

While it's true that this lineup will be improved over last years, there are still some questions that need to be answered. Can Nelson carry over his stellar play from last years post season? Will the Magic re-sign Hedo? And on a related note, is Lewis the Magic's power forward of the future? Time will only tell us the answers to these questions.

The Bench

C Adonal Foyle
F/C Tony Battie
F/C Marcin Gortat
F Brian Cook
Sg Keith Bogans
Sg Courtney Lee
Sg JJ Redick
Pg Anthony Johnson

Comments: The Magic lost 3 notable players over the summer in Arroyo, Dooling, and Evans, though none of them should be missed. Arroyo was a Nelson clone and no longer needed as Otis finally feels that it is time to take the training wheels off of Nelson. Dooling brought a spark off the bench with his offense and defense, but this is something that Otis feels Lee will do, in time. For now it is shaping up to be Redick's offense that fills the void that loosing Dooling creates. With Evans, well Pietrus is just plain better, and we did not need another year of both Evans and Bogans, so one of them had to go.

Batties returning this year allows the Magic to play a more traditional lineup against bigger teams, something they were unable to do last year. This is an important role for the Magic, and while Battie is sufficient to fill it for now, he will not be around much longer. So this leads us to the Magics first real need, a young, true PF to come in off the bench and give the Magic some added toughness up front. This can be done via trade this pre-season or it can be put off till next summer.

Anthony Johnson was signed to bring size and veteran leadership to the guard position behind Jameer. Again, Johnson should be able to fill this role quite nicely, but he is a short term solution. This then is the Magics 2cd greatest need, a big, past first point guard to back up Nelson.

If the Magic look to fill either of these needs through a trade, look for a package of Cook and Bogans to get it done.

[loserX]

Just want to say I think this thread is turning out very well. We have some well thought-out, balanced responses...no outrageous homerism or pie-eyed optimism. I hope reps from all teams contribute!

[OtisThorpe]

Houston Rockets

this year, morey has done wonders. with the addition of artest, we are deep at each position. with Mutombo's return pending, the lineup looks like this

C Yao / Dorsey
PF Scola / Landry / Hayes
SF Artest / Battier
SG Tmac / Barry / Head
PG Alston / Brooks / Francis

with

Harris, DJ Strawberry, and Von Wafer fighting for the last spot

we are obviously set at the wing positions. although a lot of us want Head gone. Barry should be a nice addition, but not certain how much he has left in the tank. the management seems pretty set with Alston getting the majority of minutes at the 1. Mac, Artest and Battier will handle the wing positions with Yao and either Scola and Landry in the post with Hayes backing them all up.

I think we're still a legitimate point guard away from a championship, but then again boston won with rondo.

we're over the luxury tax so i'm sure the management would like to cut some salary so i can see us cutting cost and or going with the team we have now.

still looking for an upgrade at the 1 spot, and also backup C unless Deke signs.

[KingInExile]

There have been a lot of good write-ups posted here. We have at lease one report for just over half of the teams. Here are the teams that we are still looking for initial reports:

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat
Washington Wizards
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Hornets
San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Sacramento Kings

I will try to do one for the Kings when I get a little more time (if any other Kings fan wants to take on the challenge...go for it).

We are eagerly awaiting ideas from fans of other teams.

[ecuhus1981]

Alright, I'm going to start calling out names.

Some of the most well-represented teams on this forum do not yet have a team breakdown. For what it's worth, I would like to see some more, and hereby nominate these posters:

BBallFreak - Miami
JES12 - Dallas
Cliff Levinston - Chicago
Smills - Sacramento

[JES12]

Okay ecuhus1981....

Dampier / Diop
Nowitzki / Bass / Singleton
Howard / Green / Williams
Wright / Stack / George
Kidd / Terry / Barea

I'm sure 20 different Maverick fans will give you 20 different answers because we are sort of in limbo and strapped by the picks Cuban "gave" away in the Harris trade (I still refuse to call it the Kidd trade because the best player in the deal was Harris). We have a bell curve of expectancy with a couple thinking we won't make the playoffs and are ready to trade all our best players for high lotto picks, Rose and Beasley. The day of the Harris trade, I was one of them, but we don't have our 2010 pick, making losing no fun. A few are all pumped this season and thinking championship, but the majority are expecting a 1st or 2nd round exit.

My take is we have nothing to offer teams so most all trades are either "Dallas passes" or "Dallas steals"....

Talent
-We don't want to downgrade or water down talent this year or next year since we are actually still trying to compete.

Draft Picks
-We don't have any picks (1st or 2nd) we can trade until 2011 (2nd rounder) and 2012 (1st rounder). We will probably not trade those either because those can be high picks seeing our outlook 2 years from now.

Solid young players
-Bass is off limits pretty much only because we see that the dude is starter material, but stuck behing a perrineal All-NBA and all-star PF. Other team fans don't see how great he is. Even if they did, that team would not give too much value because Bass would be a "rental."

Young players with potential
-Williams, Wright, and Green all have a little something to prove before they have any trade value and if any of them prove anything, our only glaring hole, the other swing player, gets filled by that person....thus, no trade. Barea is on a good contract, but he is a career backup. ReyShawn Terry was cut today. Singleton...well Clipper fans know more about him than we do.

Assuming salary
-We can't add anymore salary...yes, even Cuban has a limit. We are the 2nd highest payroll in the NBA right behind New York. We will be spending 24 mil in lux tax. All those 20 mil trades where Dallas assumes that extra 25% + 100K are a thing of the past unless it is a HUGE talent upgrade (like Damp for Carter type huge). Last year he was too cheap to spend the MLE on players like Posey, Pietrus, Barnes, MoPete, etc. With Finley's amnesty salary coming off, he decided to sign Diop with the MLE this year. Dallas is set to be players for one, possibly 2 good signings summer 2010, but can forgo that at the right price (middle of the pack talent like Shaggy & Crawford or constantly injured players like Nene are not what we are looking for).

Risky players
-Any team can only have so many before the amount of talanted but mentally questionable players outweighs the good ones. We already have Kidd, Howard, Stackhouse and Williams. Even if Kidd's & Stack's are in the past, I still think we are at the limit.

In summary, we have plenty of needs with no way to fix them unless another GM has a complete brainfart.

[NZB2323]

Team needs for the Chicago Bulls
1. A good young center. The goal of the Chicago Bulls is to have a contending team by the time Rose is in his prime. This means that we aren't interested in Brad Miller so much as Andrew Bogut. Also, the Bulls need a big man who is good on both sides of the Ball- we don't want an Eddy Curry or a Ben Wallace. We want someone who has a decent post game, and a solid player all around.

2. A young tall shooting guard who can shoot the 3 and play good defense. We just need someone who can hit a lot of wide open 3s that Rose creates, and who can adequately guard other 2s. Brandon Rush would be perfect. Others would be Deshawn Stevenson, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ime Udoka.

3. Cap space for 2010. Word has it that Bosh and Amare will be leaving their teams in 2010 and both would be perfect for the Bulls. We're a big market city, and by then Rose would be tempting to play with.

The order in which we'd be willing to trade players

1. Kirk Hinrich
2. Andres Nocioni
3. Larry Hughes
4. Drew Gooden
5. Cedric Simmons
6. Demetris Nichols
7. Aaron Gray
8. Thabo Selfolosha
9. Ben Gordon
10. Joakim Noah
11. Luol Deng
12. Tyrus Thomas
13. Derrick Rose

[Mufasa]

I noticed the Raptors write-up could use a little more, than just the scoring 2/3 pipedream listed.

We need a backup PG. Can be almost any playable scrub, our current choices are Will Solomon and Roko Ukic aka guys who wouldn't be in the league if this position wasn't open

We also need ANY back-up 2, not just one who can score or slash. Again, the guy filling the position is Hassan Adams. Looking for an actual NBA player.

Those are the two I would look at first and foremost in a trade, as to get a scoring wing we'd be giving up Bargnani... which I don't think would be a bad idea. But in that case, we'd need at least one big body back, as we're thin up on players who can play center, considering JO's injury history.

If Bargnani stays, Kris Humphries is the most expendable player. If it is possible to move him for a merely playable PG, that would help a LOT.

[TheNewEra]

L.A. Clippers

I'll do a quick hit rather than go into depth which someone else can do.

*A low-post offensive player off the bench: The Clippers really don't have anyone who can post up inside and get to the basket outside of Chris Kaman and potentially (in the mid-range to close range game with) Paul Davis. With that the team has a a strong frontcourt in terms of defensive effort from the "Bigs". However in close games or in slower tempo when Kaman is resting it is better to have a go to guy that can get in the block make some moves and get to the basket.

*Health: This can't really be looked at as a need but with this franchise and with some of the new acquired talent health is something that "needs" to stay consistent throughtout the season. The team has had quite a few scares already with the new roster ranging from Baron Davis to Tim Thomas. The teams season pretty much determines on health of it's players, I know this can be said about every team but it means much more to a franchise trying to rebuild it's attitude and image.


*Building With Young Talent: We have a solid group of young guys that can be built toward the future with another offensive PF/C being the last missing piece (to complement defensive minded DeAndre Jordan). Moving forward with Mike Taylor, Eric Gordon, Al Thorton (I know the age already he still has some years) and DeAndre Jordan this season and beyond will be key in rebuilding the franchise as they develop and hopefully can help contribute past expectations this season.

*Maintaing Chemistry: As it stands the team has become familiar with each other off the court and from reports and interviews are enjoying each others company. We are seeing flashes of maturity and veteran leadership in certain players like Ricky Davis who are helping the young players. The team has had a peek of the good and bad starting the preseaon 3-0 the losing 4 straight to NBA teams (winning the international game vs F.C. Barcelona (sp.)). They have to learn there will be ups and downs this season and move past them to have a playoff spot at the end of the season.


*2010: Pretty much the focus by then is to get a PF and potentially a SG if Eric Gordon can't really handle starting on the team. Fellow Clip fans hope through the friendship with Baron Davis we can lure Chris Bosh to a deal, I don't know if that really has a chance of working. To throw in personal pick trying to steal Joe Johnson would be a high choice personally and maybe a little more realistic. With the new Clipper Training Facility hopefully it will help make the transition to the L.A. Clippers more attractive and trust me the place looks top five in the league good.


That's about it I think someone else could have gone deeper and better into it but I did a decent job I believe.

P.S. Go Clipper Nation!!!!

[giberish]

Golden State Warriors

I'm rather surprised noone else has done this yet, so I'll go

Current Rotation:
Jackson/Nelson/Watson/Williams/Ellis - IR
Azibukie/Jackson/Belinelli
Maggette/Harrington/Randolf
Harrington/Wright/Maggette/Hendrix
Biedrins/Turiaf/Harrington

Right now there's uncertainty as to who's really making decisions in the Warriors front office. This makes it difficult to determine what the team direction would be: going cheap with some gimmicks to keep some fans and make money? win now, preferrably not playing post players drafted by Mullen? building a long-term winning team without looking too ugly in the meantime?

For the rest of the review I'll assume the last option is the guiding plan, even if that might not be realistic for a franchise whose new motto is, "Almost as F%$#@# up as the Raiders"

Core Players:
Andris Biedrins - Currently the best player on the team, young and signed to a relatively cheap 6 year deal. Shouldn't be going anywhere for a very long time.
Monta Ellis - Also young and signed for 6 more years. The question this year should have been how he adjusted to being a full-time PG, but now it's about his injury recovery. Should get back on the court sometime this year and hopefully is back to 100% for 09-10, but even that optimistic scenario leaves a PG gap for now. His presence limits the long-term committment GS would make to another starting quality (or starting salary level) PG brought in. Still likely to stay as the risk is too great for another team to trade for.
Brandon Wright - #8 pick from last year. Still very young. Has looked good when on the court. Limited by small nagging injuries and Nellie's general distaste for young bigmen.
Anthony Randolf - #14 pick this year. More preimiter skill than Wright. Hopefully can become the starting SF, although his PT will likely be very limited this year and almost certainly a couple of years away from starting.

Other Significant Players:
Corey Maggette - Current starting SF. Recently signed to a 5yr/$48M contract. New contract would suggest that he's part of the core. Some would like to see him featured in the offense early to increase his trade value, then deal him midseason. Given his new contract that would be surprising but not shocking - GS has other SF options (Jackson, Azibukie, long-term Randolf), he was reportedly isn't meshing quite as well as hoped, and GS's front office is a little inconsistant right now.
Stephen Jackson - Currently starting at SG, but playing 40 mpg at PG. Talk of giving him a contract extension, but no word that it got finalized - that would put him into the Core group. His versitility, defense and solid ballhandling for a wing player have been very handy for GS. They (along with a 2010 friendly contract) could also be useful to contending teams and GS might not want to risk his attitude turning on a rebuilding team.

Rotation Keepers:
Kelenna Azubuike,Ronny Turiaf - signed to ~$3M/yr and $4M/yr deals in the offseason. They fill needs and fit with the team. Not untouchable in a big deal, but clearly not on the block.

Trade Bait:
Al Harrington - Starting PF. Solid offensive game, including but not limited to 3-point shooting. Solid defender (better than given credit for). Weak rebounder. Apparently thinks he should be a star player and is being held back, when he's really a 4-7th man (low-end starter or very good reserve). 2yrs , ~$10M/yr on contract (has an option to be a FA next year that he should decline).
Marcus Williams - GS traded a future 1st for him to backup Monta. Was expected to fill-in as starter post-moped, but has instead moved into Nellie's doghouse. His 4th year option was declined so he'll be a FA next summer.
Marco Belinelli - was drafted as a guy who could contribute right away, but if he's not getting PT with the Warrior's current weak backcourt it's hard to see him ever getting it. His 3rd year option was picked up, so someone sees something (and he's pretty cheap as a late 1st round pick).

Filler:
DeMarcus Nelson,C.J. Watson,Richard Hendrix,Anthony Morrow - Technically Nelson's the starting PG (even if he's played less than 10 mpg) so he's unlikely to be moved. I like Hendrix a lot and feel he should be kept (and could even play some minutes effectively this year), but I don't think the team values him as much.

Needs:
PG - Ellis and Williams were supposed to be 1st and 2nd string pg's - now there's a big gaping void. Jackson can get by there some, but it's a lot better if he's doing it 10-20 mpg rather than 40 mpg. GS at least needs someone who can beat out rookie FA Nelson and play 20-30 mpg. With the hoped for return of Ellis it would be best if this player was either a veteran on a short contract or a player who could slide into a reserve role later (without being overpaid for it).
PF - If/when Harrington is moved, GS could use a veteran PF capable of 10-20 mpg on a non-playoff team. Wright, Hendrix and Randolf can see more minutes, Turiaf can play some next to Andris, and Nellie won't be shy about playing Maggette at PF if the team gets better perimiter options. Still GS would only have 4 true post players w/o Harrington two of them very young, so another veteran option would be useful.
SG - Improving the PG position so Jackson plays more SG is all the help really needed, but with most of GS's wings better at SF than SG, new wings would preferrably be better at SG. This is also the positon with no young, long-term starter option, but that's likely a 2009 draft pick issue.

Draft picks: Owe NJ a conditional 1st (between 2011 and 2013, lottery, then top 10 protected, defaulting to a 2nd if GS sucks all 3 years). Might owe someone a 2nd as well.

2010 Plans:
After Baron left, GS could have set up to be major players in the 2010 market. Signing Maggs, Bukie and Turiaf to contracts past then largely takes that away (and certainly makes it look like to front office isn't planning on it). Could take on some extra salary past 2010 in Harrington or Jackson (assuming no extension) deals. Given the premium some teams are putting on 2010 cap space should get some compensation for doing so.

[Friend_Of_Haley]

I feel the need to reply for the Bulls because I think the current one is off in some ways.

First of, this is Derrick Rose's team. Every move we make should be made with that in mind. That doesn't mean we can't trade for old players, as long as they are short term deals. So when NBZ said we are thinking more of Andrew Bogut than Brad Miller I disagree. Brad Miller(who represents any decent old player on a short, but large contract) would be a decent stopgap, and his deal will be an expiring at a time in which the Bulls could take advantage of the 2010 market. Which brings me to my main point.

I don't believe the Bulls are planning for a 2010 FA plan. I think realistically, the Bull's plan is to take advantage of teams dumping good players in an attempt to free cap space. So, yes the Bulls may look for 2010 expiring contracts, but I think it will be for trade chips.

As far as the players we need, I agree. I big true center, one who can anchor the defense a bit and isn't a liability on offense would be nice. An alternative would be one of each, a big center that specializes in defense, and another true post player (whether at PF or C).

We also need a big SG next to Rose. Gordon is our best fit right now, and I'd like to see him retained, but it would be as part of a three guard rotation, so hopefully that third guard can play some PG (since Gordon can't). This player might eventually be the sixth man, with Gordon as the starter, but it doesn't matter either way. Thabo has some potential to be this guy, but not so much so that you would turn down the chance to get him. Hinrich is the closest thing to this guy we have right now.

Now let's take a look at our assets:

Not Being Traded This Season. Not a Chance. Don't Include Them.
Derrick Rose- Since Lebron James, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard aren't being traded, neither is Rose.
Ben Gordon- He has to approve any trade, and doing so would cost him his bird rights. Not happening.

Really Not Likely to Be Traded
Luol Deng- He can't be traded until December 15. He's BYC the whole year. He just signed a new deal. He isn't going anywhere in all likelyhood. Even if a team was going to trade a star player, Deng's contract is not the type they'd be looking to add.
Kirk Hinrich- He is really our only good option at backup PG. He is an organizational favorite. The Bulls don't know what is going to happen with Gordon, and being left with only Thabo and Hughes to pair with Rose would be really unforunate (understatement).
Tyrus Thomas- The Bulls have shown already a commitment to develop Thomas. He is our best internal option other than Rose to become a star and a real difference maker. He only goes if a star player is coming back.

Probably Safe, But Not Off Limits
Joakim Noah- He is young, cheap, and a big. Also played well last year. No he isn't off limits, but he is cheap and can produce at PF and C.
Thabo Sefalosha- Same thing with Noah, minus the big part. Also has some potential to develop into that SG we desire. (okay, some very slim chances, but still).
Larry Hughes- Sure we'd like to get rid of him, but to dump him off on anyone and not take back a worse contract would involve us adding value, just to get rid of him. Might as well wait until he is an expiring contract and has value all on his own.

Available
Andres Nocioni- Decent/Smallish/Declining deal makes him somewhat attractive. He won't see a ton of time behind Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas. On the other hand his shooting range is a nice asset in a Derrick Rose led team.
Drew Gooden- Expiring deal. Good Rebounder. Solid Offense. No defense. He kind of fits as a C/PF, but we'd really prefer a real center to him, and preferably one who has some clue defensively (even if he doesn't have the athleticism.) We'll need to replace his production once he expires, so if we could just upgrade to a better/different big man with two or three years left, that would be nice. Saves us the trouble of overpaying some crap big man in a crap FA market.

Insignificant
Aaron Gray- Our truest post player on offense, and according to Del Negro, has the best understanding on defense. So kind of a nice player acutally. Wouldn't make or break any deal though,and using him as a filler represents an extra $889,396.25 that could be added to a deal. And expring!
Demetrius Nichols- Represents an extra $889,396.25 to add! And expring!
Michael Ruffin- $996,976.25 extra to add! And expring!
Cedric Simmons- Out of the insignifcant trade assets, he takes the cake. His $1,742,760 expiring salary represents an added $2,178,450 the Bulls could take back. Aka- The perfect filler.

[Rooster]

^If Aaron Gray's that insignificant, then I'll gladly toss you a 2nd or something for him if I'm any of the 29 other teams.

Raptors in-depth:

Un-$^%#ing-touchable
Chris Bosh - No, he's not leaving in 2010. He's never leaving. Hands off.
Jose Calderon - Not only do we love him dearly, but he's the only good PG we have. Unless someone ridiculous like Rose, Paul or Williams is coming back, he stays.
sub-category: it would reflect poorly on us to trade him and his salary is cumbersome
Jermaine O'Neal - What we need despite a poor start.

Probably staying, but could be pried
Jamario Moon - Best bargain in the league, and he plays defence!
Anthony Parker - Not our best player, but he's our only SG and he's deadly from the outside.
Andrea Bargnani - He's finally showing something... shame he can suddenly no longer start.

Available, but useful to us
Jason Kapono - He's a good player to have around Bosh but we'd definitely listen to offers.
Kris Humphries - Good rebounder, horrific at everything else. He's young and cheap though.

Cannon fodder
Will Solomon - He looks like he might be a capable backup PG. That doesn't vault him too high.
Roko Ukic - How do you get into a doghouse in about three games, all wins? I don't know. Roko does.
Joey Graham - Please, just take him! He's a juicy $2M expiring, so he could tip the balance of a deal.
Nathan Jawai - I want to see this guy, but he's not exactly the franchise.
Hassan Adams - I temporarily forgot he existed. That tells you all you need to know.

What we want for this mess:
As mentioned, a slashing SG/SF who can play some kind of defence would be nice. I'd also like the guy to be able to knock down shots though, especially if Parker and/or Kapono are traded for him. The backup PG issue depends on how well Solomon plays. I'd be willing to trade for a PG/SG who could play behind Calderon and Parker. A project centre might not hurt either, if only to learn from JO and foul people.

[eyriq]

Orlando Magic Addendum

You know how I mention that Anthony Johnson would be a nice short term solution to the Magic's back up pg duties? Well, that short term referred to the pre-season apparently. I'd now say that getting a back up point guard is priority #1, and rather urgent I might add.

Also, JJ is not working out offensively, leaving our bench lacking a punch. This will also need to be addressed.

[Rooster]

Orlando Magic Addendum

You know how I mention that Anthony Johnson would be a nice short term solution to the Magic's back up pg duties? Well, that short term referred to the pre-season apparently. I'd now say that getting a starting point guard is priority #1, and rather urgent I might add.

Also, JJ is not working out offensively, leaving our bench lacking a punch. This will also need to be addressed.

Fixed.

[eyriq]

Fixed.

Nelson will prove he belongs this season or he will prove Otis is a fool.