One Trade That Every Team Should Do
Brooklyn gets: PF Carl Landry, PF Derrick Williams, PF Jason Thompson, C Ryan Hollins
Sacramento gets: PG Deron Williams, C Mason Plumlee, PF Mirza Teletovic
Finances: The financial motivations for both teams in this trade are HUGE, with roughly $45 million in total contracts just this year being exchanged. Brooklyn is trying to get rid of their major salary commitments over the coming years: Williams, as well as SG Joe Johnson and C Brook Lopez, all grossly overpaid, though Lopez not as much. Williams still has $63 million remaining over three years, while
Plumlee is on the ever-cheap rookie deal, and Teletovic has a $3.4 million expiring deal, and the latter two are necessary to add in order to get the Kings to take on Williams’ awful contract. The Nets, in exchange, must take on the unsightly deals of Thompson and Landry, both of which are due roughly $21 million apiece over the next three years. Williams and Hollins, on the other hand, give the Nets a break with expiring deals worth $6.7 and $1 million, respectively. Dumping Williams’ salary is more than nice, but taking on Landry and Thompson’s deals, as well as coughing up valuable assets in Plumlee and Teletovic, is what makes this deal fair.
The Fit: These four players, all big men, will likely actually play major minutes for Brooklyn this year, especially in the probable scenario where Lopez is traded. However, Brooklyn doesn’t actually want these players, as they are just contract fill-ins for evening out Williams’ massive salary. Once their deals are up, it is unlikely that they will ever play for the Nets again, as the team continues to rebuild by clearing cap space. Losing Plumlee and Teletovic obviously hurts, but it is well worth it to get rid of Williams’ unsightly contract.
Why the other team does it: You can certainly make the case that this is just another awful move by the Kings, as this is an overpaid, inefficient, injury-prone point guard, where Darren Collison has been putting together quite a season. First of all, Williams and Collison can co-exist, as Williams can play shooting guard occasionally. While Williams is a little injury-prone and certainly overpaid, look at what Sacramento is getting in this deal. They dump both Thompson and Landry’s deals, worth about a combined $13 million annually, meaning the Kings only net a negative $7 million per year over the next three years by doing this trade, as Williams is owed $20 million this year, if that makes any sense. Teletovic, and Plumlee in particular, can easily make up for that. Teletovic is a stretch-four, averaging 1.6 threes a game, which is something the Kings have been longing for to pair with superstar C DeMarcus Cousins. Plumlee, just 24, is already averaging 10 points on a ridiculous 59% shooting, to go with 7 rebounds and a block and a steal per game. In addition Williams does add some value to help close that $7 million gap, with averages of 13 points and 1.5 threes, though on a dismal 38.5% shooting, but adding 6 assists and a steal a game. Alineup featuring Williams, Collison, young SG’s Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas, SF Rudy Gay, Teletovic, Plumlee, and Cousins could legitimately compete for a playoff spot, even out West.
Brooklyn gets: PF Carl Landry, PF Derrick Williams, PF Jason Thompson, C Ryan Hollins
Sacramento gets: PG Deron Williams, C Mason Plumlee, PF Mirza Teletovic
Finances: The financial motivations for both teams in this trade are HUGE, with roughly $45 million in total contracts just this year being exchanged. Brooklyn is trying to get rid of their major salary commitments over the coming years: Williams, as well as SG Joe Johnson and C Brook Lopez, all grossly overpaid, though Lopez not as much. Williams still has $63 million remaining over three years, while
Plumlee is on the ever-cheap rookie deal, and Teletovic has a $3.4 million expiring deal, and the latter two are necessary to add in order to get the Kings to take on Williams’ awful contract. The Nets, in exchange, must take on the unsightly deals of Thompson and Landry, both of which are due roughly $21 million apiece over the next three years. Williams and Hollins, on the other hand, give the Nets a break with expiring deals worth $6.7 and $1 million, respectively. Dumping Williams’ salary is more than nice, but taking on Landry and Thompson’s deals, as well as coughing up valuable assets in Plumlee and Teletovic, is what makes this deal fair.
The Fit: These four players, all big men, will likely actually play major minutes for Brooklyn this year, especially in the probable scenario where Lopez is traded. However, Brooklyn doesn’t actually want these players, as they are just contract fill-ins for evening out Williams’ massive salary. Once their deals are up, it is unlikely that they will ever play for the Nets again, as the team continues to rebuild by clearing cap space. Losing Plumlee and Teletovic obviously hurts, but it is well worth it to get rid of Williams’ unsightly contract.
Why the other team does it: You can certainly make the case that this is just another awful move by the Kings, as this is an overpaid, inefficient, injury-prone point guard, where Darren Collison has been putting together quite a season. First of all, Williams and Collison can co-exist, as Williams can play shooting guard occasionally. While Williams is a little injury-prone and certainly overpaid, look at what Sacramento is getting in this deal. They dump both Thompson and Landry’s deals, worth about a combined $13 million annually, meaning the Kings only net a negative $7 million per year over the next three years by doing this trade, as Williams is owed $20 million this year, if that makes any sense. Teletovic, and Plumlee in particular, can easily make up for that. Teletovic is a stretch-four, averaging 1.6 threes a game, which is something the Kings have been longing for to pair with superstar C DeMarcus Cousins. Plumlee, just 24, is already averaging 10 points on a ridiculous 59% shooting, to go with 7 rebounds and a block and a steal per game. In addition Williams does add some value to help close that $7 million gap, with averages of 13 points and 1.5 threes, though on a dismal 38.5% shooting, but adding 6 assists and a steal a game. Alineup featuring Williams, Collison, young SG’s Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas, SF Rudy Gay, Teletovic, Plumlee, and Cousins could legitimately compete for a playoff spot, even out West.