Posted by TMS:

u ain't getting no 1st & 2nd round pick for taking Earl Watson's contract off their books... dude, they're set up to get a top 3 pick in both rounds of the draft this season, are u crazy? u could throw in Lee & Nate into that deal & they still would laugh in your face... would u give up a chance to take Blake Griffin just so u can have the cap space to make an offer to David Lee?

[Edited by - TMS on 01-18-2009 05:29 AM]

They have 6 picks in the next 2 years

2 2nd round picks might be the most you could ask for. I don't know anything about their 6 picks but if one of them is likely to be a very late 1st rd pick (28 to 30), they might give us that instead. If they were looking to give up anything more than that, they'd probably have 25 interested GMs competing with us to make the deal happen.

6 picks gives them extreme flexibility to make a draft night trade to move up if they don't win the top pick this year... my assumption is their sights are dead set on Griffin to be the face of their franchise for the future... i highly doubt they would give up that flexibility in order to dump what amounts to $6 mil off their cap when they're already slated to be under the cap after the season ends anyways... if they want D Lee they can simply offer him a contract after the year is over, they don't have to give up any picks in order to do it.

Posted by SupremeCommander:

hmmm... maybd they could get a pick next year, the more I think about it. They have Atkins now... so maybe Rose for Watson and a first rounder next year. That's fair, especially when you consider OKC team salary is $65.5 mil and who knows where the tax threshold will be with the economy and all

that doesn't make sense still... their salary would actually increase this season by a little if u made that deal u'r proposing... how does that help them get under the luxury tax threshold? they don't have a problem getting under next season, they're already under the cap in 2009 as it is.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by SupremeCommander:

hmmm... maybd they could get a pick next year, the more I think about it. They have Atkins now... so maybe Rose for Watson and a first rounder next year. That's fair, especially when you consider OKC team salary is $65.5 mil and who knows where the tax threshold will be with the economy and all

that doesn't make sense still... their salary would actually increase this season by a little if u made that deal u'r proposing... how does that help them get under the luxury tax threshold? they don't have a problem getting under next season, they're already under the cap in 2009 as it is.

Im talking about the salary cap rom for next year--they are at 39mm$ taking Watson off the books puts them at 32.5

Posted by TMS:

i get that BRIGGS, but again, they still have enough cap space to offer D Lee a contract & still be under the cap next season... i don't get how that trade helps them out at all other than saving $6 million like i said... if they're that desperate for the money then i guess u can maybe milk a 2nd rounder in the deal, but i have a hard time seeing them giving up any of their 1st round picks... i think they're gonna hold onto them & try to package them in a deal to get a franchise guy to build around if it comes down to them having to do so.

How about Ben Gordon and David Lee? Ben Gordon is likely to be better than anyone picked in the late teens early 20s.