2018-19..The End of the Warriors' dominance!

[Revering4Blue]

Here's another Bucks trade idea, rather simple:

Bledsoe and Snell to Washington for Otto Porter.

With Oubre Jr. in tow, the Wiz get out of Porter's deal while strengthening their bench and retaining their first round pick, further strengthening the bench.

Bucks gain a poor-man's Kawhi Leonard for a non-prohibitive cost (Bledsoe will be a UFA after next season), who compliments Giannis. The Bucks also retain Brogdan, Maker and Wilson, with the opportunity to draft another playmaker - Holiday (Explosive with a long wingspan) or Jerome Robinson (I really like him).

[Revering4Blue]

Regardless of what LeBron does, I'd trade the pick for a real player. Could they ball it up with some other stuff for Kemba?

Happy to oblige:

Cavs go all in:

Hornets second round pick (#55) Dwight Howard, Nicolas Batum and...Kemba Walker

Hornets get a jump start on an inevitable rebuild without totally tanking:

Hill, TT, Smith, Clarkson - all have only two years left on deal - and....pick #8 overall


FWIW, both Howard and Walker are both UFAs at season's end, while Batum. versatile as he is, has three more years on his deal...Yuck! But the Cavs get to keep Love, while enticing LeBron to stay with a more versatile roster with better rim-protection.

[M2]

Bucks get:

Leonard and Mills

Spurs get:

Bledsoe, Snell, Maker and pick #17

or

Leonard and Derrick White and a future second round pick swap option (Bucks option) for Middleton, either Maker or D.J Wilson - who may be the better player than Maker in the long run - Brogdan and pick #17

Granted, I'd only be inclined to do so were I Milwaukee if I'm convinced Leonard will resign. But the opportunity to play with the Greek Freak, who can play virtually any position, and proceed to wreak havoc on the East - if not the NBA, given the Buck's ability (along with San Antonio and Utah) to develop young players with a versatile roster, may appeal to him.

Wondering if the Spurs like Jabari Parker.

[Revering4Blue]

Wondering if the Spurs like Jabari Parker.

Possibly, but he's a restricted free agent and doesn't exactly scream centerpiece to a deal for K.L, IMHO.

[Kingspoint]

Watched last year's draft and it was amazing how much movement there was during Free Agency along with Trades, buyouts, and releases. Very few teams resembled their October teams that were discussed about in detail by the three analysts doing the draft onve each team made its pick. Many weren't even close to resembling their teams.

There won't be as much movement this time because of the blockbuster moves many of them made last season, but there are still going to be playoff teams that won't resemble themselves in October when you look at their projected starting 5 and projected rotation players oncethe draft is over Thursday. The real impact to the new year will again take place after the draft, and not the players drafted themselves, though traded players will be involved in the swapping of picks.

[M2]

Possibly, but he's a restricted free agent and doesn't exactly scream centerpiece to a deal for K.L, IMHO.

No, but add him to Brogdon and maybe Snell and that might grab the Spurs' interest. My thinking on this is what's the Dipo/Sabonis package that could get their juices flowing?

[Cooper]

LBJ is going to LA.

[WVRed]

LBJ is going to LA.

I’m not calling it a lock yet, but it depends on what happens with Kawhi, and that doesn’t look too promising.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Dwight Howard is now being traded for Timothy Mosgov and some second round picks. Another 2018 headline I would have never believed in 2012.

[M2]

Dwight Howard is now being traded for Timothy Mosgov and some second round picks. Another 2018 headline I would have never believed in 2012.

Timofey

I'd accuse the Hornets of playing checkers at a chess game, but they're more like tic-tac-toe. The Nets free up a max contract slot next year while the Hornets save $7M this season, but still have Mozgov on the books for $16.7M for 2019-20. Charlootte has put out a "rip us off, please" sign.

[Revering4Blue]

Timofey

I'd accuse the Hornets of playing checkers at a chess game, but they're more like tic-tac-toe. The Nets free up a max contract slot next year while the Hornets save $7M this season, but still have Mozgov on the books for $16.7M for 2019-20. Charlootte has put out a "rip us off, please" sign.

Attempting to make sense of virtually anything the Hornets do - and it's been this way since the George Shinn days - is often an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, I will give it a try.

- Mitch Kupchak has made a decision to finally get this franchise off of the treadmill one way or another.

- This trade pushes the Hornets under the luxury tax.

- Kemba Walker will be dealt to the highest bidder, possibly on draft day.

- The Hornets really, really like Zeller and Hernangomez.

- The Hornets are gambling that Mozgov will retain his '15 - '16 form. Don't forget that, save for the minute or so that Bogut suited up for them, Mozgov was the only legit Cavs rim-protector during LeBron's recent run there.

- Given that Kupchak has a solid record of identifying talent in the second round, pick # 45 that the Hornets receive in this deal (along with a '21 second rounder) may prove to be valuable in a draft where #45 may well be as valuable as #22.

Brooklyn, at least on the surface, is the winner here. Gotta give props to Sean Marks - who seems to have the "it" factor - for assembling a decent core without initial draft pick assets, while treating the picks sent to Boston as a sunk cost.

[M2]

- Kemba Walker will be dealt to the highest bidder, possibly on draft day.

Kemba's a goner for sure, but I'm not sure he's going to fetch much. One year to free agency and the Hornets might give him to a team that's also willing/able to take Batum (who's a solid player).

[Revering4Blue]

Kemba's a goner for sure, but I'm not sure he's going to fetch much. One year to free agency and the Hornets might give him to a team that's also willing/able to take Batum (who's a solid player).

True.

But unfortunately, it's Batum's contract value that lowers the value of a Walker/Batum package. That's the dilemma of going that route. But you'd have to think the Nuggets would be all over that package, though, the Hornets most certainly would have to take back Kenneth Faried, but there's no denying the young assets at Denver's disposal.

[BuckeyeRed27]

True.

But unfortunately, it's Batum's contract value that lowers the value of a Walker/Batum package. That's the dilemma of going that route. But you'd have to think the Nuggets would be all over that package, though, the Hornets most certainly would have to take back Kenneth Faried, but there's no denying the young assets at Denver's disposal.

What about this:

Cavs get:
Kawhi
Batum

Spurs get:
Kemba
Osman
Cavs 8 pick

Hornets get:
Clarkson
Tristian Thompson
Nance
Zizic
Second rounder from Spurs

[Revering4Blue]

What about this:

Cavs get:
Kawhi
Batum

Spurs get:
Kemba
Osman
Cavs 8 pick

Hornets get:
Clarkson
Tristian Thompson
Nance
Zizic
Second rounder from Spurs

Cavs and Spurs make out like bandits. But the return for Charlotte is - no offense - appallingly bad; a group of role players (The Hornets have too many bigs already) and no young star or first round pick.

Base the Hornets return around Kevin Love and they may not hang up right away.

But I like your idea of Cleveland acquiring both Leonard and Batum and Kemba, either Zizic (The Spurs could use a young big) or Osman and #8 going to San Antonio.