A Happy Hornet Trade

by David Polega on May 13, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Ok so last time I came up with a trade scenario that was at least plausible for the 3 teams in some sort of perspective, and if I'm gonna limb out for Paul/Howard to LA, I can do the same for Howard/Paul to the Hornets.

http://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/5886159

New Orleans trades every asset they have besides Paul to get back Howard and Arenas. The Hornets have very little use for Arenas, but since thats the only way they are getting Howard and Jarret Jack is heading to Lakers, he at least serves the purpose of a back up combo guard, possibly even starting 2. New Orleans agrees because even with tripe in between them, Dwight and Paul will have a cake walk most nights. And at the very least in 3 years they have Gilbert coming off the books to clear cap space and add a third star.

Orlando picks up Bynum, Gasol, Quincy Poindexter- loses bass, arenas, Howard

Orlando does this trade for cap relief. They also get 2 big men that can walk or extend later, putting them in the same situation as with Dwight, but without the obstacle of Gilbert Arenas' Contract. To please the Lakers Bass is shipped out to give them a replacement in the Rotation at the 4- which Orlando doesn't mind because then it keeps the cheaper Ryan Anderson as a back up behind Gasol.

Lakers pick up Brandon Bass, Jarret Jack, Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor, David Anderson

The lakers get a Decent starting point guard at the cost of having to rely more on Lamar Odom while Bass comes off the bench and the man center spot is manned by Okafor. The Lakers do this for wing help. They cannot defend the wings, and 33 year old kobe guarding pg's is never going to get them out of the west- Not this west laden with speedy scoring point guards. So they get defense at every position on the wing and a respectable starting line up:

Jack, Kobe, Ariza, Odom, Okafor: maybe switch Odom and Okafor here, but in either event its a solid squad with amazing defenders at every position but Okafor's. What it takes to push this trade is an unhappy bynum, and a following through of the Lakers management to rebuilding the team around Kobe. And the lakers still have scoring off the bench with Bass, Brown, Blake(New Killer B's?)

Long shot? sure, but lets have our fun.

Poll

As a Hornets fan- clean house for Howard?

Yay

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Nay

9 votes

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Comments

Hey David

Would the trade change after the season has ended? That is would the players contracts be under next seasons or this seasons?

Because if they’re under next seasons then some of those players would be expired contracts.

Still an interesting trade and about as realistic as any trade scenario out there that has Paul and Howard going to Orlando/New York or LA.

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by Grayson on May 14, 2011 7:30 PM CDT reply actions

No matter the adjustment it seems it has to work out with New Orleans Giving up every asset it has besides Paul to get Howard and Arenas.

This serves to show how extreme the lengths would be to get Howard here. Personally as a Howard fan, I like it. I want to see a Chris Paul/Dwight Howard pick and roll late game.

The sad thing is getting Chris Paul to Orlando to play with Howard is harder to do than this.

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by David Polega on May 15, 2011 2:20 AM CDT up reply actions

Yay, except

for the fact that the Lakers wouldn’t do that. I don’t think they’re quite ready to lose that much and actually get worse.

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by 504life on May 16, 2011 8:21 AM CDT reply actions

Well it puts the team squarely back in Kobe’s hands, which is what the lakers are saying they want. I think your underestimating the value of Ariza, Jack, Bass.

I don’t know that the lakers get worse by moving Odom into the starting rotation and replacing Fisher with Jack. Kobe runs the Triangle with Odom/Jack or Okafor/Odom or any combo of these since they can all shoot and pass out of their positions, score if they get where they like(like Okafor on deep low block) and are all Solid basketball players. And it still leaves on the opposite side of the triangle a great slasher in Ariza, or a 3 point threat in Jack. And the defense would still be special, a top 3 defensive team.

I like to day dream alot about what these teams would be like after these trades and maybe that romanticizes things a bit for me. But I don’t think you can definitively say the Lakers get worse- unless you assume Kobe isn’t all that great: which is not what the Lakers management believe. Honestly I believe he’s an inefficient scorer with overrated clutch. But if the Laker’s still think Kobe is the pieces to build around, here’s the team that fits that bill.

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by David Polega on May 19, 2011 12:55 AM CDT up reply actions