The Trail Blazers are reportedly open to discussing their three first-round picks in trades that would allow them to move salary, and it appears they’ve received interest from a pair of New York clubs. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, the Knicks and Nets have inquired about Portland’s first-round picks.
As Deveney details, talks between the Blazers and Knicks are “ongoing,” with New York having asked about some combination of the 15th, 20th, and 26th overall selections. While it’s possible the Knicks could move down from No. 8, it’s more likely that they’d want to pick up a second first-rounder to add to that lottery selection. We heard earlier this month that the Knicks had discussed the possibility of acquiring a second first-round pick in a trade.
Meanwhile, the Nets have also inquired about Portland’s picks, and could be an intriguing trade partner. Allen Crabbe, who has a $19.33MM cap hit for 2017/18, is one potential trade candidate for the Blazers as they look to clear salary, and it was Brooklyn that signed Crabbe to that pricey four-year offer sheet last summer. If the Nets still have interest in Crabbe and are willing to take on his substantial contract and trade kicker, there could be a match there. In that scenario, the two teams would have to wait until after the one-year anniversary of Crabbe’s 2016 signing, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post noted when he explored the subject.
The Blazers currently have more than $133MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2017/18, and that number would rise further if they use their draft picks and sign those players, which is why the team is open to moving a pick or two to clear some salary and perhaps get out of tax territory. As I noted on Wednesday, Crabbe, Evan Turner ($17.13MM), and Meyers Leonard ($9.9MM) are among the candidates for a salary dump. Maurice Harkless ($9.66MM) could also be on the block, though he’d have a little more value.
Turner Ezeli 15 and 26 to Knicks for 2 second rounders
Courtney Lee and O’Quinn would probably have to in that trade too to match salaries
That defeats the point of the trade.
It would cut about $4 million. Salaries need to be within $5 million in order for it to work. They can’t trade away a $19 million contract without bring back $14.
Would the Knicks even need to send salary back? Not too sure on their cap situation but I’m pretty sure that scenario only applies if the Knicks are over the cap post trade. And the Knicks, in theory, could renounce some cap holds to create some more space pre-trade.
With Rose gone, Knicks are under by 19M. The point of why Portland is willing to move #1’s is for someone to take salary.
There’s no way the Blazers would pick up Ezeli’s option. He will be a UFA, play salary matching. Why can’t Knicks fans understand salary matching?
Because they are Knicks fans and even though they haven’t won anything important simce Ewing they feel entitled like they are the Celtics or Lakers in pedigree
Maybe Crabbe and the 15 or 20 for Lopez and a second(if the Nets have one)
I don’t see them blocking Nurkic.
Blazers want to trade a player + their pick for salary relief. Not salary matching.
Allen Crabbe, Moe Harkless, Myers Leonard, Festus Ezilis cap hold and the 26th pick for Melo, Noah, Lance thomas, and Justin holliday’s cap hold…
Knicks could drop Ezili to open some more space, and they get the 26th pick to go with the 8th pick they already have. They also actually get rid of Noah by taking on the other money. If they draft Ntilikina with that pick, and add a PG in free agency, and a wing player with the extra cap room, its a pretty decent younger core that can go around Porzingis and Ntilikina. PG, Courtney Lee, Crabbe, Harkless, Porzingis. Ntilikina, FA wing, Leonard, Hernangomez, kuzmanaskas, 26th pick, etc. They could also theoretically make another trade involving Lee, Leonard/kuzminaskas/Hernangomez
Portland gets significantly better in the half court, with someone that can easily take the pressure off Lillard and McCollum. They also get better defensively, and if they can keep Holliday, they become a deeper team with a better bench. They don’t she’d salary, but they use it better, and then Melo comes off the books in 2 years. They unfortunately have to take on Noah to do it, bUT b/c they traded for him, they can bring him off the bench for defensive purposes, behind Nurkic and Vonleh. Meanwhile, they still have 2 picks at 15 and 20. Lillard, McCollum, Thomas, Melo, Nurkic. Turner, Aminu, Holliday, Vonleh, Noah, draft picks, etc off the bench
To be honest though, I haven’t looked into the cap holds or anything like that. But this just came to mind when I saw the report of interest between the 2 teams. It’s pretty complicated, which is why it won’t happen, but I think it would make sense, assuming the money lines up, and obviously if Melo would waive the NTC
That trade does what for the Blazers? Where is the cap relief? They want to dump not take on more. Melo is 30 M by himself w the trade kicker.
They literally shed all of their bad contracts except Turner so even though they add Melo and Noah they still would shed some salary and basically turn some role players and their worst 1st rd into a legitimate 3rd option and a potentially key role player/mentor if Noah can turn his career back around. The biggest issue with this is Melo’s NTC and I don’t know the rules on trading suspended players. These pieces could be changed but honestly this idea is better than most of the ones I see on these chats
That’s pretty much what the thinking was.
For taking on the long term deals on Crabbe and Harkless, and most importantly Leonard, and sending out Melo, the Knicks get the 1st round pick, they open up some money when they cut Ezili, and Portland takes Noah off their hands. Portland also gets another 2 rotation players to make it worthwhile to send out their younger pieces and the pick, while taking back Noah, and not shedding short term money
It doesn’t make Portland better, barely cuts salary, and makes them older. Their entire front office vision is to assemble a team with everyone in Lillard’s prime window (currently Turner is oldest guy on team). Now they want to shed salary in order to resign Nurkic and attempt to get under the luxury tax. If they were able to, they would send all those contracts out with two of the draft picks and take no one back in return.
Ya, but they aren’t able to, and I mentioned it doesn’t shed short term salary, but at least it utilizes that money they’re spending better. Theyll also have Melos money off the books in 2 years, as opposed to 4. You can’t really try to argue this wouldn’t make them a much better team. Both Crabbe and Harkless are somewhat inconsistent, and I don’t see Crabbe improving much from where he is, although he is still a solid wing. Meyers Leonard is really inconsistent and injury prone. It’s also been clear the last 2 years that they need a better option in the half court offense, which they get from Melo, as well as pressure taken off Lillard and McCollum. Their bench also gets deeper, which has been an issue as well. They do have to pay luxury tax for a couple of years in this scenario, but they’re a much better team than they were, and they have 1 of the richest owners in the league. And they’re already paying the tax. I don’t see how they’re going to shed salaries and get below, and still have the ability to add to their roster…I’m
…not saying it’s perfect, and it won’t happen anyway so it’s a moot point, but it definitely does make sense