The Brooklyn Nets are in a woeful state: old, talent-shy and without draft picks. Should the Raptors deal their pick in a complex trade?
We don’t do a lot of trade proposals at this time of year, largely because the NBA Finals have just wrapped up, and this week is the Draft. Those are a pair of pretty serious distractions for people in our business. However, a deal proposed by our FanSided affiliate www.nothinbutnets.com caught my eye.
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I’ve always liked the gritty Thaddeus Young, who’s going to waste in Brooklyn with the full-of-holes Nets. I wrote a trade proposal for him last year which looked like this:
Obviously that deal no longer has a pulse.
Jay Siskin in Brooklyn is pitching this deal:
The trade works in the ESPN Trade Machine, so let’s take it seriously.
From Brooklyn’s perspective, I can certainly understand the deal. They are desperate to work their way into the draft, and Thaddeus is going to be past his prime when this team is finally ready to compete again. I don’t think they will be relevant for three years.
With Delon they get a potential starting-grade point guard, plus the useful Patterson, plus a single-digit lottery pick.
The Raptors receive Young, an undersized small/power forward who’s managed to keep his head up despite playing for sad-sack teams his entire 8-year career. I suspect he’d be in shock at the idea of joining a 56-win team, and being penciled in as the starting power forward.
Thaddeus has been a consistent mid-teens scorer for years, and last year reached a career high in rebounds, averaging 9 per game. If he had a 3-point shot, he’d be a poor man’s Paul Millsap.
All those positives – but if I’m Masai Ujiri, I’m taking a pass.
I like Thaddeus, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But do I like him enough to give up Delon and 2-Pat, plus our #9 pick? The loss of Delon is manageable, as Cory Joseph is more than competent as the backup point guard. However, Delon intrigues me, and I want to see more. In his limited floor time last season, he displayed a decent handle and a respectable shot, plus the ability to take the ball to the basket. He’s a long defender for his position, and has the right body type to keep injuries to a minimum.
There’s no denying 2-Pat had a disappointing season shooting the ball. Yet who led the Raptors in plus-minus in 2015-16? Mr. Patterson, take a bow: plus_403, #21 in the NBA, 27 ahead of the next-best Raptor, Kyle Lowry. Patrick is a critical member of the second unit, with the ability to be a spot starter. He closes a lot of games for coach Dwane Casey, contributing mobility, rebounding and defensive awareness.
And they want our #9 pick, too? I’m not sure I’d do the deal for players; I surely won’t do it if they insist on our lottery selection.
Back over the transom we go. Brooklyn, don’t lose our number. Come back with a better “ask” and we’ll talk again. Bear in mind – you are the guys who need a deal. We don’t.