The Official Washington Wizards Thread

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Taking a SG in the top-3 in today's NBA is like taking a RB in the top-5 in today's NFL. You can find value later on in the draft and I think it owuld be a waste

If they are even thinking of taking Beal, they should drop back and take Lamb or Rivers. I just don't think any franchise can justify taking guards in the top three in two out of three years. One of them would have to be named Derrick Rose for that to make sense.

[stevemcqueen1]

But I do like to hear that TRob and Barnes are two of our favorite picks. Those two are probably the ones who make the most sense for the organization with the roster as is.

I doubt Drummond even becomes an issue for us in this draft. I assume he'll go second. If not, then I assume Charlotte will want to build around a guy like MKG. Either way, they'll want a young franchise type player with a lot of upside to be their centerpiece.

Point being, TRob should be there for us at 3. He's the pick that makes the most sense and I hope he's the one we'll take.

Unless we go out and do something foolish like trade for Boozer. Ugh. TRob plus cap space is better than Boozer plus Barnes.

[No Excuses]

I just talked to a good friend who works at the arena. He said he is hearing rumors of a Rashard Lewis for Boozer deal. Chicago wants out of his contract. Offensively and on the glass thats a huge pickup if it happens.

Also said he has talked to bball FO members casually and they love Barnes and TRob.

I'd honestly rather go for Amare. Amare still has a chance to turn it around. He's been battling a lot of off court issues lately and maybe a change in scenery will help him.

Bring in Amare and save the amnesty. If he sucks, just amnesty him. But it's worth the risk imo.

[StillUnknown]

I just talked to a good friend who works at the arena. He said he is hearing rumors of a Rashard Lewis for Boozer deal. Chicago wants out of his contract. Offensively and on the glass thats a huge pickup if it happens.

Also said he has talked to bball FO members casually and they love Barnes and TRob.

Doesn't make much sense to swap Rashard for Boozer. It would be cheaper and more productive to just buyout Lewis.

[stevemcqueen1]

Boozer + Barnes + Nene + Wall is a team whose ceiling is probably about a fourth or fifth seed in the East and we'd have very limited avenues for improvement.

If we're making a deal with Shard's contract, we need to swing big. It's 23 million dollars in cap space. That's almost half your cap! We need to get a star back like Bosh, Pau, or Dwight. Or we need get a couple of valuable smaller pieces back in return for such a valuable chip.

Or we need to cash it in ourselves and use all of our payroll to take a risk on a gifted up and coming player like Eric Gordonm or make a run at someone like James Harden where their current team can't afford to match a big deal.

[No Excuses]

It will be interesting if NO is willing to match a big contract offer to Eric Gordon. I think they will.

[stevemcqueen1]

I'd honestly rather go for Amare. Amare still has a chance to turn it around. He's been battling a lot of off court issues lately and maybe a change in scenery will help him.

Bring in Amare and save the amnesty. If he sucks, just amnesty him. But it's worth the risk imo.

That could be smart. But the only way I'd take Amare off of New York's hands would be if they took Blatche in return.

We'd be doing them a huge favor in a Shard for Amare swap. We'd be majorly letting them off the hook for their dumb ass cap management, giving Amare his deal and then amnestying Chauncey Billups when he only had two years on his deal... They'd owe something better in return.

---------- Post added June-4th-2012 at 10:29 AM ----------

It will be interesting if NO is willing to match a big contract offer to Eric Gordon. I think they will.

Their old offer of an extension in January was for 4 years and 12.5 million per. I have a hard time seeing anyone beat that offer for Gordon. If that deal is still on the table, then I don't really see NO getting any competition for him.

[RonArtest15]

I'd honestly rather go for Amare. Amare still has a chance to turn it around. He's been battling a lot of off court issues lately and maybe a change in scenery will help him.

Bring in Amare and save the amnesty. If he sucks, just amnesty him. But it's worth the risk imo.

NO!!!!

Amare is WASHED. On top of it all, his contract will be viewed as the WORST in the NBA as soon as Shard's is off the books.

I'd also say No to boozer as well. I don't get why we'd take on close to 30+ mil in salary JUST to dump Rashard (who expires 2 years earlier).

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Bring in Amare and save the amnesty. If he sucks, just amnesty him. But it's worth the risk imo.

Can't do that. You can't trade for a player and then amnesty him.

[No Excuses]

That could be smart. But the only way I'd take Amare off of New York's hands would be if they took Blatche in return.

We'd be doing them a huge favor in a Shard for Amare swap. We'd be majorly letting them off the hook for their dumb ass cap management, giving Amare his deal and then amnestying Chauncey Billups when he only had two years on his deal... They'd owe something better in return.

Their old offer of an extension in January was for 4 years and 12.5 million per. I have a hard time seeing anyone beat that offer for Gordon. If that deal is still on the table, then I don't really see NO getting any competition for him.

That is possible.

Let's be honest, amnestying Blatche is a huge waste because he doesn't make a lot of money. It's really to just get him off the team. But the amnesty is meant for a contract that's destroying your cap freedom.

NY was dumb with their amnesty and used it on Billups. If we can pawn off Blatche and Lewis and take on Amare with the amnesty in hand, then we really have nothing to lose. I think Amare crumbled under the NY spot light.

---------- Post added June-4th-2012 at 10:33 AM ----------

Can't do that. You can't trade for a player and then amnesty him.

But NY did that with Billups?

And Orlando with Arenas?

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

But NY did that with Billups?

And Orlando with Arenas?

The player has to have been on the team during the 2011-2012 season.

First year of the new CBA.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_sal...Amnesty_clause

Each team is allowed to waive a player without having their salary count toward the salary cap or luxury tax. One player can be waived prior to the start of any season through 2015–16, but each team is restricted to one "amnestied" player during that time. Only players signed prior to 2011–12 are eligible

[No Excuses]

The player has to have been on the team during the 2011-2012 season.

First year of the new CBA.

Ah crap.

Well then amnesty Blatche. No one else on the roster from that season that deserves it more.

[stevemcqueen1]

The problem with an Amare deal is the Knicks really have no other tradable assets to work with to incentivize a deal for us. Like I said before, I'm not making that deal unless they take back Blatche because I'm not going to get stuck with two players I will probably need to amnesty.

But the Knicks hardly have a team under contract for next year and their draft picks are lousy. My math isn't certain, but I don't think they have enough players under contract for next season to make up the 4-6 million dollars in salary short fall to make an Amare for Shard + Blatche trade work.

Shard's contract is for 23,790,000 next season. Blatche's is for 7,118,502. That's 30,908,502 million in salary we're trying to get rid of next year which would put any team over the luxury tax. My math could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the 125% + 100,000 rule means we need to take back at least 23,281,376.5 in salary. Seems pathetic, but I don't know if the Knicks can get there without signing some people first. Even still, they're not really going to want to gut every decent young cheap piece (like Shumper) they have in the process.

An Amare deal would be very hard to make work right now. We can't take on the risk of having both him and Blatche under contract.

[Warhead36]

I wouldn't bother trading for Amare. Does Washington really seem like the place where stars can revive their careers? If anything it's where they go to destroy it. I'd rather maintain the cap flexibility. I think the goal is to be at least pretty good while having cap space, and then using that space to hit it big with some FAs to put you over the top. That, or get insanely lucky like OKC did and just draft like four straight all-star caliber players(Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka).

Really, the key to this franchise is John Wall. He HAS to be a superstar. History has proven that you have to have a superstar to win in the NBA and most teams get theres in the draft, usually at or near the #1 pick. If Wall can blossom into a star over the next couple of years, and we then go out and get someone of Harden's caliber with our cap space, we'd be in business.

[stevemcqueen1]

The player has to have been on the team during the 2011-2012 season.

First year of the new CBA.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_sal...Amnesty_clause

Son of a...

I thought you could do that since Cleveland amnestied Baron Davis. Didn't realize it had to be a player from last season.

So basically our amnesty clause is worthless. Shard's contract expires at the end of the year, Blatche's contract is too cheap to amnesty, and we don't want to amnesty Nene. At least not yet anyway.

We should have tried to work out a trade of Shard and Blatche for Amare last year then. Dammit.

---------- Post added June-4th-2012 at 10:58 AM ----------

Ah crap.

Well then amnesty Blatche. No one else on the roster from that season that deserves it more.

If we don't amnesty Blatche then it must mean we're keeping the trump card for Nene. There is no way we could still want him.

---------- Post added June-4th-2012 at 11:11 AM ----------

Seriously though, what about Shard for Pau straight up (or close to straight up)?

The salaries work on their own. It's one of two moves they could make to completely re-establish themselves as a powerhouse. Deal Bynum for Dwight straight up and sign Deron Williams or Chris Paul. Boom. The timing would be perfect for them.

We'd probably only be getting a two year rental out of Pau, but you never know. I'd sure as hell rather have two years of Pau than four years of Boozer.