What does one do after investing $347 Million in salary over the summer in order to be 16-22 and sitting behind the dysfunctional Sacramento Kings in the race for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference? That is the question Neil Olshey faces right now. Swapping first round picks as part of the rumored Kyle Korver transaction doesn’t count as a solution. This blockbuster three-team trade does!
Let’s break it down for all three teams. In addition to what is included in the trade machine, the 76ers will send the Lakers’ 2017 top-3 protected pick to Atlanta.
For the Blazers, the outgoing pieces are C.J. McCollum, Festus Ezeli, and Ed Davis. The incoming pieces are Nerlens Noel, Thabo Sefolosha, Timothé Luwawu, and Sergio Rodríguez.
For the Hawks, the outgoing pieces are Paul Millsap and Sefolosha and the incoming pieces are Jahlil Okafor, Davis, Ezeli, Gerald Henderson, and the Lakers’ top-3 protected pick.
For the Sixers the outgoing pieces are Noel, Okafor, Rodríguez, Henderson, Luwawu, and the Lakers’ pick. Meanwhile, the incoming pieces are Millsap and McCollum. Now before we go any further into analyzing the outlook for the Blazers after this potential trade let’s confirm whether the other two teams would consider this proposal.
The Hawks have begun their rebuild with the unloading of Korver, and Millsap is the next domino to fall before the Trade Deadline. Paul is perhaps the most underrated superstar in the league, but his trade value is depleted due to being on the final year of his contract, turning 32 in a few weeks, and clearly being on the trade market, as the Hawks can’t afford to lose him for nothing. There will be plenty of contending teams circling the Hawks over the coming weeks trying to pry the versatile PF so they will have to settle on a return of greatest value. Okafor has been exposed on the defensive end in Philly and is a really poor fit with Joel Embiid, but I don’t expect the Hawks to receive a player with more upside than the 21-year-old former No. 3 overall pick.
The Lakers’ first round pick is the icing on the cake to get the Hawks to pull the trigger. Davis and Henderson are solid veterans on cheap contracts, with Ezeli as the lone risk due to his chronic knee injuries. The Laker pick forces the Hawks to think long and hard about adding a few players they might not otherwise have any interest in acquiring. As for the Sixers, Noel for C.J. is an absolute no-brainer, and at this point who knows if they can even get anything back for Okafor? Getting Millsap would be a huge coup even without a guarantee of an extension. The thought of a front-court pairing of Embiid and Millsap is absolutely terrifying on both ends of the floor, in a very very good way. Their skills compliment each other, and the Sixers would have a fantastic pitch of unlimited cap space and a fun young roster entering the 2017 NBA draft for Millsap to consider. Losing Henderson and Rodríguez will be minor collateral damage. Sacrificing Luwawu and the Lakers’ first round picks will not bother Bryan Colangelo, as he would dive through a hoop of fire to get this deal done.
So Mr. Neil Olshey, what have you to say? With Lillard out for five games due an ankle injury McCollum has been able to shine on the offensive end. His ability is undoubtable, but the simple truth of the matter is that the Blazers have one of the worst defenses in the NBA and will never have a top-tier defensive unit as long as their backcourt pairing is Lillard-McCollum. Stacking their playing time only further exposes their lack of backcourt depth, as Kris Dunn makes And-1 mixtape moves on Shabazz Napier, who is forced into action. Evan Turner has been a major disappointment and this roster as currently constituted has the ceiling of being a first round lunch meal for title contenders, and a floor just about as low as any other lottery team with a defense this porous.
The casual Oregonian basketball fan may see this move as sideways or backwards, but a progressive mind might see the forest for the trees. Luwawu is a nice young piece. Ezeli and Davis won’t be missed long term, especially if Ezeli’s knee issues persist. Consider their departures as some simple salary shaving. Rodríguez and Sefolosha are reliable veterans with defined roles and low-risk one-year deals. Rodríguez returns to his first NBA franchise and slides in perfectly as a capable backup PG. Sefolosha brings dependable perimeter defense on the court and valuable veteran locker room presence off of it. Nerlens Noel joins a situation where his incredible defensive versatility will be required, and his length and athleticism will potentially allow his offensive game to develop and flourish. At the very least he can follow DeAndre Jordan’s path with Lillard as his floor general instead of CP3.
In one fell swoop, one of the worst defensive teams in the league with little room for improvement and a roster full of puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit together, resolves all three of these issues. The rotation will be much more clearly defined with Lillard and Rodríguez at PG, Crabbe and Luwawu at SG, Sefolosha and Turner at SF, Aminu and Vonleh at PF, Mo Harkless capably occupying both forward spots, and Noel and Plumlee at C. Both the starting unit and bench will offer a complimentary blend of players that fit their roles. Although the roster still leans heavier in the offensive department than reliance on defense, at any point in time Terry Stotts can throw out a lineup that features Sefolosha, Aminu, and Noel. That trio can make up for poor defense by the guards. They won’t be scaring the Warriors or the Spurs this year, but that eighth playoff spot should be more attainable with improved defense, and if it takes more time for the pieces to mesh the “worst-case” scenario could actually be a huge blessing in disguise: a lottery pick in a stacked draft coupled with a younger and more flexible roster that also has better balance. When you have one of the best young talents in the league who is more than capable of dropping some bars on soundcloud, let’s give him something positive to sing about before his prime passes by.
Larry Bird is not walking through that door. Rasheed Wallace is not walking through that door. Bonzi Wells is not walking through that door. Damon Stoudemire is not walking through that door. Arvydas Sabonis is not walking through that door. Scottie Pippen is not walking through that door. Derek Anderson is not walking through that door, and it’s a little too late to invest in Zach Randolph. The sooner they realize it is ‘Lillard Time‘ to move forward the better this Blazers team will be for it.
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