Game thread Utah v. Portland. 8pm MST.

[margodydek]

By beating a lottery team by 3 pts and needing a steal near the end to do so?
A good team would have beaten Portland by >10 and been coasting in the 4th quarter.

Aren't we a lottery team? And didn't OKC just LOSE to us?

 

[NUMBERICA]

At least acknowledging Millsap CAN play the 3 allows more time going forward (i.e. next year). Probably means there won't be an off-season trade of Jefferson (and certainly not Millsap). Besides, I think the true trade for Big AL and Devin Harris are their expiring contracts, and those become more valuable at the deadline.

Okay, so this is something I don't understand.

I understand the value of an expiring contract, in general. But the VALUE of an expiring contract is the bailing another team out of a junk contract. When a GOOD player is expiring, that DIMINISHES their value. You want to lock those guys up.

For a guy like Al (or Millsap), you're getting nothing extra - and maybe even less - because the contract is expiring. I mean... right? If you're trading for someone that you actually want, you don't want to bring them in with just enough time for them to just keep a foot out the door, right?

 

[Stifle Tower]

Okay, so this is something I don't understand.

I understand the value of an expiring contract, in general. But the VALUE of an expiring contract is the bailing another team out of a junk contract. When a GOOD player is expiring, that DIMINISHES their value. You want to lock those guys up.

For a guy like Al (or Millsap), you're getting nothing extra - and maybe even less - because the contract is expiring. I mean... right? If you're trading for someone that you actually want, you don't want to bring them in with just enough time for them to just keep a foot out the door, right?

But you also have the scenario of a team wanting to rebuild, or a team that is over the cap or tax threshold that wants to get rid of a good veteran. Or maybe a rookie is pushing a veteran and the team wants to move the veteran (like Minn did with Jefferson). Could we get a SF or PG with the same type of deal as Big Al...overpaid, yes, but with a few years remaining on his contract after the trade. So the other team gets salary relief and likely a couple of protected 1st's.

 

[margodydek]

What if OKC wanted to avoid the hassle of paying Harden (from what I hear, they won't be able to give Harden and Ibaka the $ they'll demand)? We could offer Millsap to ease the pain.

 

[NUMBERICA]

What if OKC wanted to avoid the hassle of paying Harden (from what I hear, they won't be able to give Harden and Ibaka the $ they'll demand)? We could offer Millsap to ease the pain.

Or Jefferson...

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

What if OKC wanted to avoid the hassle of paying Harden (from what I hear, they won't be able to give Harden and Ibaka the $ they'll demand)? We could offer Millsap to ease the pain.

I'm not even sure they would be able to afford Millsap. Two max contracts in Westbrook and Durant, then a pretty big one in Perkins, plus everyone else.

 

[margodydek]

I'm not even sure they would be able to afford Millsap. Two max contracts in Westbrook and Durant, then a pretty big one in Perkins, plus everyone else.

For some reason I thought Harden was due to re-up next year. He's still under contract next year, then becomes restricted at the end of the season. With that being the case it makes no sense to make this trade. However, we'll have oodles of cap space and can easily make him a "toxic" offer.

 

[Grandpa Jazz]

He shut Aldridge down in that final quarter.

What game were you watching? Nobody shut down Aldridge in the fourth quarter! They went to him time and again and he was scoring from 2-3 feet away.