(Updated 9/26)Submitted by jaceman, author of the blog Poor Man's GM, a trade proposal has Orlando sending J.J. Redick and Brian Cook to Oklahoma City for Nick Collison.
Jaceman explains the motivations:
For OKC, they like expiring contracts, right? It seems like they're moving toward youth and are getting rid of the older people; Collison still has three years on his contract, Redick and Cook both have expiring contracts. Thunder general manager) Sam Presti would also likely be able to somehow turn that into another 25 1st round picks over the next 3 years.
For Orlando, I know because they spent the full mid-level exception on him they have to start Mickael Pietrus. I actually like him better as a 6th man. Collison gives you a banger/garbage man next to Dwight Howard...he'd be like Kendrick Perkins to Kevin Garnett, or Fabricio Oberto to Tim Duncan. Anyways, you do this, you can shift Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis to the 2 and 3 respectively. I like this a lot more. Lewis, I think is better on defense than most people give him credit for.
My take: I like Collison a lot and I think he would be a quality addition to the Magic, though I'm not sure Orlando wants to commit to that kind of salary with Howard, Lewis and Jameer Nelson already locked into huge long-term deals and Turkoglu approaching free agency. Also, I doubt that Turkoglu could function as a full-time shooting guard; I think he would have to serve as a versatile sixth man who sees a lot of crunch-time minutes. As for OKC, it really amounts to their opinion of Collison: he either has the potential to be part of the team's core, or he's a drain on the payroll.
If Orlando is willing to accept Collison's contract, and Oklahoma City doesn't see him as a piece of its future, this trade makes a lot of sense as a salary dump for the Thunder and a missing piece deal for the Magic.
UPDATE: Magic blog Third Quarter Collapse responds: I, too, love this trade from the Magic's perspective. Unfortunately, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported last month that Magic sources told him that Collison is not on the team's radar.
The upshot: A very worthy proposal. I could see it happening.
3 comments:
It makes sense for the Magic, but I can't imagine Redick is what the Thunder need at SG. Durant already has a bit of a tendency to float outside and settle for jumpshots (shots that he makes, in his defense), so a slashing 2 might be a bit of a better fit.
I don't think Redick is a good fit much of anywhere, given what he's shown so far. But if the goal is salary relief rather than usable players, the deal makes sense to me.
I only really see Collison as something of a just-in-case a healthy Robert Swift does in actuality suck. Either way, I could see either him or Wilcox out the door any time in the near future. I would seriously think that OKC would want to eventually move Durant back to a more comfortable SF position and start Green at the 4.
Post a Comment