Extend the trade exception?

Neil Olshey and the Blazers are running out of time. As most of you know, Portland has until July 25th to use the trade exception they acquired in the Allen Crabbe trade last summer. The Blazers currently sit with a full roster of 15 players and everyone has come to the realization that the Blazers are not going to use the exception. My question is why? Some will say it’s because of the luxury tax. Others, will say it’s because they don’t have a roster spot. What do I say? Who gives a damn about the tax or the full roster right now. It’s time to start thinking ahead & not just about how this affects the books tomorrow.

Last month Neil Olshey said that the Blazers were looking at the $12.9 million trade exception as open salary cap space. If that’s truly the case, they should use it. Do you think if Portland had $12.9 in actual cap space that they wouldn’t use it? Of course not, they would use it on another player that has no business making that kind of money. (Turner, Meyers, ect)

If I’m Olshey, I’m looking to find a way to extend that trade exception for one more year. I know what you’re thinking, you can’t extend the exception but hear me out. The Blazers should look to acquire a player that’s making as close to $12.9 million as possible and use it as trade bait moving forward. The player Portland should be looking to acquire is Orlando center Nikola Vucevic, who has an expiring contract of $12.75 million.

Why Orlando does the trade:

Vucevic doesn’t fit into the Magic’s long term plans. They have a log jam of bigs and he’s the odd man out. Orlando just re-seigned Aaron Gordon to a 4 year $84 million deal this summer. They selected PF Jonathan Isaac with the 6th pick in last years draft and took center Mohamed Bamba with the 6th pick this years draft. They need to get those three young guys as many minutes as they can. Oh, and they have Timofey Mozgov as another center as well.

The $12.75 million trade exception would allow them to acquire a position of need over the next year. The Magic desperately need a point guard and the exception could get them what they’re looking for moving forward.

Why Portland does the deal:

First of all, Vucevic can play. He has a career average of nearly 15 points and 10 boards a night and is 27 years old. He would be an amazing backup to Nurkic. The Blazers could have Nurkic or Vucevic on the court at all times. As the roster is constructed today, it looks like Meyers Leonard is in line to get minutes and we have seen how that plays out. As good as that sounds, I’m thinking bigger with this type of move. Let’s say Cleveland officially makes Kevin Love available and the Blazers want to get in on that deal. How does Portland make an offer to Cleveland that they’re willing to sign off on with the roster they have today?

Kevin Love will make $24 million this season and with both the Cavs and Blazers over the cap, a trade has to have essentially even money switching hands in order to make a deal work. You have to think the Cavs are looking for young players in return along with expiring contracts and picks. We know the Blazers aren’t trading Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and it’s highly unlikely Olshey is going to part ways with Zach Collins who is only 20 years old and makes just $3.6 million a year. The Cavs won’t take back Evan Turner because he has 2 years left at nearly $36 million on his contract. Again, the Cavs would be looking to shed salary, not add salary. So who’s left for Portland to trade?

Al-Farouq Aminu has a $7 million expiring contract that I’m sure Cleveland would like. Moe Harkless is a guy that would have interest at 2 years & $10 mill a year but that only gets Portland to $17 million. The Blazers could throw in a draft pick but they still need to come up with $7 million to make the trade work. Meyers Leonard makes $10 million a year for the next two years which would bring Portland’s total up to $27 million. The Cavs could throw in a player to make the money work but why would Cleveland want any part of Leonard? They wouldn’t. The point is, I just don’t see how Portland becomes a real player for a guy like Love with the assets available at this time.

Now let’s look at a Love trade with Vucevic on the roster. The Blazers could offer Vucevic, Harkless and a pick for Love. The Cavs would get an expiring contract in Vucevic, a young defensive wing in Harkless and a draft pick. This trade has a real chance of happening. If I told you today that the Blazers could trade their trade exception along with Harkless and a pick for Kevin Love, would you do it? Of course you would. The problem is, you can’t attach a player to the trade exception. By using the exception on Vucevic, you’re essentially extending the trade exception to pull off a deal that could land you a player like Love. Now it’s up to Olshey and the Blazers to think ahead. Rip City.

 

 

Big Boy Moves

Welcome back to my basketball mind RipCity. Well, last weeks idea(see below) doesn’t have a chance because Paul George re-signed with OKC and they’re in salary cap hell. That’s ok, today is a new day. As you have probably heard by now, Jimmy Butler isn’t happy in Minnesota and can opt out of his contract next year. Jimmy Butler is exactly the type of player the Blazers need. The guy plays hard every night, doesn’t take BS from anyone and wants to win. I would say Butler and Lillard are a lot a like that way. They both want to hoop and win games. That said, how do the Blazers land Butler?

The obvious choice is to say offer CJ McCollum. Normally, that would be fine, but there’s a major problem in that line of thinking. Butler, can opt out of his contract after next season. The Blazers can’t risk trading McCollum who’s under contract through 2021 only to see Butler opt out and leave after next season. No CJ, no Butler could easily lead to no Lillard. Lillard isn’t going to want to stick around and play by himself. That said, how do the Blazers get Butler without giving up CJ and Lillard? Well, that’s why you’re here.

Portland and Minnesota are both over the salary cap($102 million) but under the luxury tax ($124 million) meaning the salaries are going to have to practically match in order for a trade to be executed.

Trade Proposal:

Blazers send out Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless and Zach Collins. (roughly $21 Million)

Minnesota sends out Jimmy Butler. (Roughly $20 million)

Why Portland does the deal:

The Blazers finally land a star to play alongside Lillard and McCollum. Trading Collins isn’t going to be easy for Olshey. He loves the kid. He packaged two picks to move up and draft him but in order to land a guy like Butler, you’re going to have to give up something of value. The Blazers, a lot like OKC last year with Paul George, would then have one year to convince  Butler to stay with the team. If it doesn’t work out, you lose out on Collins but it was worth a shot. A player of Butler’s talent isn’t going to sign as a free agent in Portland. Plus, you show your star player, Lillard, that you’re trying to win at a high level.

Why Minnesota does the deal:

They land Zach Collins who was the 11th pick in last years draft and is on his rookie contract. The combination of Collins at power forward and Karl-Anthony Towns would be a dominating force in the post for years to come. Aminu would step in as the teams staring small forward, while Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague make up the back court. Aminu is on an expiring contract and Minnesota would own his bird rights. At a little over $7 million next year, you’re going to have a hard time finding a better value than Aminu. Harkless is a nice player off the bench and is still just 25 years old.

Why Minnesota might reject but counteroffer the deal:

Trading Jimmy Butler, although disgruntled isn’t something Minnesota is going to want to do. (similar to Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio) In order to trade Butler, Minnesota might want Portland to back a bad contract. That bad contract is Gorgui Dieng, who’s owed $48.5 million over the next three years. Taking back that contract and that kind of money isn’t going to be easy for Portland, but it’s possible.

How does Portland take on the Dieng contract:

Well, good news. The Blazers have a few bad contracts of their own. Again, the Blazers are going to have to send out a player making similar money per year to that of Dieng. In this case, the Blazers offer Evan Turner. Turner has two years left on his deal at nearly $37 million. This would save Minnesota $11.5 million over 3 years and remove the final year of his contract that is set for $17.2 million in 20/21.

For Portland, you take on an extra $11.5 million over the course of three years but you land your guy. Now you have a big three of Lillard-McCollum-Butler. That would be something to get excited about in RipCity.

You want more? Ok, I have more. With Collins, Aminu, Harkless and Turner all gone in this trade scenario, who’s going to start at power forward? It can’t be Meyers Leonard. Well, if we know anything about Neil Olshey, it’s that he loves young players that were lottery picks(or close) that are looking for a new home. Here’s a list of players Olshey has brought in over the years….

Al-Farouq Aminu-8th pick, 2010

Ed Davis, 13th pick, 2010

Moe Harkless-15th pick, 2012

Wade Baldwin-17th pick, 2016

Georgios Papagiannis-13th pick, 2016

Nik Stauskas-8th pick, 2014

There’s a former number 2 pick that is a restricted free agent that Portland should snatch up and start at power forward. The player I’m talking about is Jabari Parker of Milwaukee.

Parker is only 22 years old and after the Bucks agreed to a 3 year, $21 million deal with Ersan Ilyasova this week, Parker looks to be the odd man out. Parker is currently a restricted free agent with a $7.3 million qualifying offer. As of today, he hasn’t received an offer on the open market. The fact that the Bucks don’t seem interested in bringing him back, Portland could seek a sign and trade for Parker. Instead of the Bucks taking back salary and a player in return, the Blazers could use their $13 million trade exception to land Parker. I’m not saying you pay Parker $13 million a year but how about $10 million a year for three years, with the 3rd year as a team option?

Why this works for both teams and Parker:

The Bucks would get a $10 million trade exception in exchange for Parker. They would then have one year to use it on a player that they think fits their needs better.

The Blazers have until July 25th to use the trade exception or they lose it. Why not use it on a 22 year old kid that has a ton of upside?

Parker gets a fresh start. He gets a nice contract at $10 million a year and a starting job on a playoff team.

This would give the Blazers a starting 5 of Lillard, McCollum, Butler, Parker and Nurkic. That’s a big time lineup that the city of Portland would love. Now it’s time for Olshey to put his big boy pants on and make it happen. RipCity!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let Me Help You

Dear Mr. Allen

I want to thank you for everything you have done as the owner of the Blazers. Without you, the city of Portland probably doesn’t have a team. In order to say thank you for everything you done, I would like to let you in on a little secret…Neil Olshey has no idea what he’s doing. I assume Olshey gets a paycheck every two weeks just like the rest of us, but I imagine he does it with a ski mask on because that guy is robbing you. The summer of 2016 was the worst summer in franchise history and the team is still paying for it two years later. Even worse, you’re going to be paying for it (literally) for two more years if you don’t take my advice. Before we move forward, let’s take a look back at the years and cash Olshey handed out in the summer of 2016.

Allen Crabbe 4 years-$75 million. Traded a year later

Moe Harkless- 4 years-$40 million

Meyers Leonard-4 years $40 million

Evan Turner- 4 years $70 million

Festus Ezeli 2 years- $15 million. You paid him $8 million total & he never played a game.

I’m not sure how Olshey still has a job today but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to help you get out of this mess. How would you like to shave nearly $40 million off your payroll at the end of next season instead of two seasons from now? How would you like the opportunity to offer a free agent a max salary next year? How you ask? Follow along.

Step 1.

Trade for Carmelo Anthony. As I’m sure you’re aware, Carmelo opted in to the final year of his contract with OKC worth $28 million. Yes, $28 million for Carmelo Anthony on the downside of his career is a lot of money but it’s not  nearly as much as the $56 million you’re on the hook for when it comes to Turner & Harkless the next two years.

Trade proposal 1:

Carmelo Anthony for Evan Turner & Moe Harkless.

Why OKC does the deal: The trade market for Carmelo at $28 million is going to be close to none. In the playoffs, he was benched in favor of Jerami Grant and when Carmelo was asked about the possibility of coming off the bench next season, he wasn’t having any of it. Carmelo needs to move on and OKC would be happy to move him. With the trade market being so small, a package of Turner and Harkless could be enough to land Carmelo. Turner would add another ball handler to a team that desperately needs one and Harkless would provide a defensive presence off the bench. Harkless and Turner both have 2 years reamining on their deals which would add an additional $28 million to the Thunder payroll, but they would be expiring contracts at that time. Nobody wants an unhappy player on their team and that’s the trade off in shipping him out.

Why Portland does the deal: You’re committed to paying $28 million next year regardless of whether its Carmelo or a combination of Harkless and Turner. From a basketball standpoint, you’re talent level probably remains the same but you’re now committed to $28 million next year, instead of $56 million over two years. Also, you keep you star player, Damian Lillard happy. Remember when you guys sat down and he asked for help? Well, I’m guessing he wasn’t refering to a 19 year old rookie that didn’t go to college. (Anfernee Simons) Carmelo is a guy that Lillard actively recrutied last summer and someone he would love to have as the teams starting small forward. This is a win-win for you. You land the player Lillard wants and you save $28 million.

Step 2. 

Move on from Meyers Leonard.

Trade poposal 2.

Meyers Leonard and a first rd pick to anyone that will take him in exchange for nothing.

Why any NBA team does the deal: There are going to be a few teams that will need to add salary to hit the minimum salary floor. In this case, they take a chance on an athletic 7 footer that is still just 26 years old and add a first rd pick. These teams need as many assests as they can get and landing another 1st rd pick is exactly what they need.

Why Portland does the deal: You can’t be happy paying a guy $10 million a year to workout and tan. In order to trade Meyers, you’re going to have to attach something to him and a first round pick should do the trick. The pick might sound steep but you’re going to be picking somwehere in the area of 22-26 the next few years and this team doesn’t need to add another rookie. By sending out Meyers and not taking anyone in return, you would recieve a $10 million trade exception in the process and take $20 million off your books the next two years.

Now that I have saved you nearly $40 million, I’m sure you want to know how you’re going to have enough cap space to offer a max contract next year. Well, Jusuf Nurkic is going to do you a huge favor and take the $4 million qualifying offer this year and become a free agent again next year. Let me state, I don’t know this as a fact right now but all signs point to that being the case. You’re also not going to let Olshey throw $10 million a year at Ed Davis. Davis is a nice player, ripcity loves him, but you have to remember he’s a backup 4-5. Spend wisely. Lock him up for $6-7 million a year. If someone wants to pay him $10 million, let him walk.

Here’s a look at your books at the end of next season if you ignore Olshey and go with this plan.

Lillard-$29.8 million

CJ-$27.5 million

Zach Collins-$4.2 (team option that you will pick up)

Swanigan-$2.3 (team option)

Davis-$6-7 million

Simons-$2 million

Trent Jr- ???

That’s a total of $71.8 or $72.8 million with Davis, without him, you’re at only $65.8 million. The projected salary cap for 2019 is $108 million. You would have your three best players locked up in Lillard, CJ and Collins, plus enough cap space to offer a max salary. You would have a decision to make on Nurkic but you would still be able to sign him to a contract larger than any other team because you would own his bird rights. You would also have a $10 million trade exception to use from the Meyers Leonard deal. This is what you call a plan. I’m not sure what Neil is doing but it’s time to bifurcate from it. Thanks for your time and go Blazers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chip Kelly makes it fun again

Eagles 33-Redskins 27. That was the final score of former Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s first game in the NFL last night, and man was it fun. I loved the NFL as a kid but over the last 5 years or so I’ve become rather bored with the league. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch, but I prefer the college game to the NFL these days. The NFL has become way to predictable. How many times do you see a team punt on fourth and one from the other teams 37 yard line, only to have the punt go into the endzone and have it come out to the 20 yard line for a touchback? It happens all the time and it only saves yourself 17 yards. How about the classic fourth and one, try to draw the defense offsides to no avail, call time out and then try a half back dive up the middle and have him get stuffed for a loss of one. It’s maddening. The creativity in the NFL just isn’t there.

I like the wide open game of college football. I like the no huddle. I like the offense putting as much stress as possible on the defense. That’s why I loved what I saw from Chip Kelly and the Eagles last night. When Kelly took over in Philly, all you heard was “that system works in college but it can’t in the NFL”, “it’s a gimmick offense”, “he has to kick field goals, you can’t go for it on fourth down”. Well, Chip Kelly must not have got the memo because not only did he take his his high octane Oregon offense to Philly, his Oregon offense left Washington gasping for air and for answers after an opening week beat down. Yeah, the score says it was a six point game but anyone who watched it, saw how dominate the Eagles really were.

The first half was classic Chip Kelly. The Eagles marched down the field on their opening drive and were faced with a fourth and one on the Redskins 21 yard line. Every other team in the NFL kicks the field goal in that situation, not Chip Kelly. The Eagles went for it, and picked it up with ease. When the Redskins picked up the backwards pass and ran it in for a touchdown, Chip Kelly didn’t panic. Instead, the Eagles ran up 33 straight points by spreading the ball around the field, opening holes for their running backs and attacking non stop.  The NFL, for the first time in a long time was fascinating to watch. It was something the NFL had never seen before.

It was only one game but it was a game that I won’t soon forget. Kelly goes against conventional NFL wisdom. It’s ok to go for it on fourth down. The NFL loves field goals, Kelly hates them. Last time I checked, touchdowns are worth six and field goals worth three. This might come as a shock to old NFL media guys or the NFL purest but what you saw last night was just the start. Wait til Chip Kelly goes for the two point conversion after an opening drive score, 8-0 will make your head spin. Justsayin.

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This is Yvonne Strahovski…she’s not bad huh?

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The time has come…LA wants out

Well, the worst kept secret in Portland finally came out today, LaMarcus Aldridge would like to be traded. Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald “broke” the story but everyone close to the team has known this for weeks. In fact, a local reporter learned that LaMarcus Aldridge asked for a trade during the teams exit interviews but was asked not to make it public by general manager Neil Olshey.

The team LaMarcus Aldridge wants to play for is Chicago and the Bulls are reportedly offering Luol Deng in  exchange for the two time all star but the Blazers want center Joakim Noah instead. I’m a big fan of LaMarcus Aldridge and would hate to see him leave Rip City but I can’t blame him for wanting out. Aldridge is 27 years old, in the prime of his career and Portland doesn’t look like a team that can win big in the near future. Aldridge has been in the league seven years now and still hasn’t been out of the first round of the playoffs. I don’t care how much money he has, that has to get old.

Where do the Blazers and Aldridge go from here? Hard to say. Aldridge is under contract for two more seasons so the Blazers don’t have to go out and trade him right away. Portland also doesn’t want this to turn into a situation where Aldridge is fielding questions every night on his future with the franchise, like we have seen with other stars around the league. In a perfect world, Olshey makes a move to show Aldridge he’s serious about building a winner in Portland and Aldridge has a change of heart. If Olshey swings and misses like he did last off season, then it’s time to trade Aldridge and thank him for his services. Justsayin.

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Blazers need to think big…as in all star.

We are a few days away from the NBA draft and everyone in Rip City wants to know if Neil Olshey can pull off a trade to land a center or sign one in free agency. It makes sense, the Blazers are in desperate need of a center and want to keep LaMarcus Aldridge happy, but when you hear the names Marcin Gortat, DeAndre Jordan or Nikola Pekovic that doesn’t exactly scream franchise altering player. Don’t get me wrong, all three are nice players but a starting line up of Damian Lillard, Wesley Mathews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and any one of those three centers won’t make the Blazers serious players in the western conference.

The Blazers need to think big and I’m not talking center. They need to acquire an all star, a guy that can play with LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard for years to come. The guy the Blazers should pursue is small forward Luol Deng. The Bulls shopped Deng at the draft last year and reports today say Chicago has had talks with Washington about Deng for the #3 pick but the Wizards are reportedly not interested. This is where the Blazers should step in. If I’m Neil Olshey I get on the phone and try to work a deal. The Blazers should offer Mathews, the #10 pick and filler for Luol Deng.

Why I like this deal for both teams.

Portland: This shows LaMarcus Aldridge that you are serious about building a contender in Portland. This would instantly give the Blazers two all stars on the floor every night and with the way Lillard played last year, it could and should be three in the near future. With Deng playing the small forward position, you move Nicolas Batum over to the shooting guard spot. Depending on who the Blazers throw in as “filler” they could still be sitting with 7-10 million left to try and sign a free agent center or trade their cap space to land a center. You give me a line up of Lillard, Batum, Deng, Aldridge and a guy like Gortat, Pekovic or Jordan and now you have something to work with. Yes, you still need a bench but how fun would that starting five be to watch?

Chicago: It’s no secret the Bulls want to free up some money and add a young pieces at the same time. Chicago would love to hand the starting small forward position to Jimmy Butler who was huge for them in the playoffs. They can add a young player with the 10th pick and Wesley Mathews is a solid two guard that could go in and give them depth or possibly start because the only shooting guard they currently have on the roster is Kirk Hinrich.

I think it makes sense for both teams. Will it happen? I doubt it but isn’t that what this time of year is all about?

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This is Brooklyn Decker…she’s not bad huh?

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Thomas Tyner is heading….

Last night Aloha High School running back Thomas Tyner decommitted from Oregon and said that he has re-opened his recruitment, this of course sent college football fans into a frenzy. Duck fans were asking why he would decommit? Oregon State fans were asking if he could end up in Corvallis? While, California coach Jeff Tedford followed Tyner on twitter shortly after his announcement. If you haven’t heard, Tyner is pretty good at football. How good is he? Well, I’ve seen him play once in person and the kid ran for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns against Lakeridge. He looked like the real life Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson. Once he hit the second level of the defense, he was gone. The kid has special talent and now it’s a waiting game to see where he ends up playing football on the next level.  You’re going to read/hear a million things when it comes to Tyner and his decision to decommitt and where he might end up playing over the next few months, but it’s not like this is anything new. High School kids commit to a school and have a change of heart all the time. We are talking about 17-18 year old kids here. Of course Tyner might have second thoughts on Oregon. He hasn’t taken an official visit to Oregon or any other school yet. If I was Thomas Tyner, I would do the same thing. National letter of intent day isn’t until February and Tyner should take as much time as he needs to decide where he wants to spend the next 3-5 years attending school and playing ball.

I’ve seen the reports of why Tyner might be looking elsewhere just like you today. Some people say he wants to play in warm weather, some say he wants to play in a pro style offense and one report even  said a school might offer him extra benefits that he can’t refuse. My question is, why can’t it be the simple fact that he just doesn’t know if Oregon is the best fit yet? Let’s face it, the kid knows everything he needs to know about U of O. He knows the coaches, he’s been to Autzen stadium, he knows some of the players, maybe he just wants to take a couple visits to other schools just to make sure he isn’t missing anything before making a final decision on playing at Oregon.

A report that surfaced this afternoon says that if Tyner was to make a visit to UCLA that Chip Kelly and Oregon would pull his scholarship offer. I really hope that’s not the case. Not only does that look bad on Oregon’s part but it would go against what Chip Kelly always says and talks about. When a player gets in trouble with the law, Chip Kelly says “he wants to gather as much information as possible before making a decision”. He said the same thing when it came talking to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last off season. He went and met with Tampa Bay about their coaching position, gathered as much information as possible and decided Oregon was the best place for him. Why wouldn’t Chip Kelly and Oregon give Tyner the same opportunity? Tyner hasn’t said that he isn’t going to Oregon. He’s essentially doing exactly what Chip Kelly did not that long ago. He wants to go meet with other schools, hear what they have to say and then make a decision at that time. Oregon didn’t close the door on a Chip Kelly return when he met with Tampa Bay, and I think it would be a shame if  Tyner’s scholarship offer was pulled just because he wanted to meet with other schools. When it’s all said and done, I think Tyner will be wearing the green, yellow, black, silver and neon of Oregon. I don’t have “sources” telling me that, it’s just my gut feeling. Just sayin.

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