Trade Drawer - June 25th

Now that the 2010 NBA Draft is officially over, we have a slightly clearer picture of what the Blazers roster will look like next year.  However, there are still issues to be addressed and I don't think anyone expects the current lineup to be the same lineup that arrives at the start of training camp.  The following scenario is what I would like to see happen this off-season - just a couple minor trades, not a blockbuster, but a couple changes that I think will put the Blazers in a better position to be title contenders next year without breaking up our core group of players.  Please use this trade drawer to suggest your own trade ideas, too.  Thanks!    

Trade A: Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez for Darren Collison and Julian Wright

Why the Hornets do it: The Hornets are not trading Chris Paul.  However, Collison emerged this last year as a legit PG and they might as well try to get something back for him as it's not ideal to keep both players.  Julian Wright would be thrown into the mix to make the salaries match, but I doubt that New Orleans would miss him much as he's been rotting on their bench and has stated that he's unhappy with his playing time.  Bayless would be good for the Hornets as could play backup PG, but could also probably play alongside Chris Paul.  Rudy could replace the recently traded Mo Pete and could share the position with Marcus Thornton.  

Why the Blazers do it: Andre Miller has been great for the team, but he's old and has value as an expiring contract, so I could see him getting traded at some point before the trade deadline.  Even if he's not traded, we need to find another PG soon and I think it's clear that Bayless is not the answer.  I actually like Armon Johnson a lot, but he's probably at least a couple years out from even being considered a possible starter.  Darren Collison could fill in well as our team's starting PG, instead.  He's young, quick, a good defender, and a good shooter.  I wanted the Blazers to draft him last year and was extremely disappointed when the Hornets got him with the pick right before ours.  Also, Rudy has got to go.  I hate the idea of trading him because I love Rudy and I think he would immediately make an impact on their team, but there's bad blood now between him and the Blazers and we need to fix the situation as soon as possible.  Trading Bayless would be hard, too, because I love his work ethic and attitude, but I just don't see a long-term fit on this team for him, especially now that we have Elliot Williams and Armon Johnson.

Trade B: Ryan Gomes for Michael Beasley

Why the Heat do it: The Heat are trying to open up more cap space in the hopes of being able to sign 3 max players, probably Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.  The idea is they would trade Beasley for Gomes just for the cap space that would become available by then cutting him.  

Why the Blazers do it: I highly doubt that Gomes was included in the draft night deal so that he could play in a Blazers uniform next year.  It's much more likely that it was just to make the salaries equal and so we could have another trade bargaining chip in this crazy free agent off-season.  Beasley has had some character issues in the past, but I don't believe it's been anything too serious (please correct me if I am wrong) and he's still very young and will hopefully mature as he gets older.  Most importantly, he could be a very promising backup to LaMarcus and would provide some much needed offense in our second unit. 

All this being said and done, this is what the 2010-2011 team roster would look like:

PG: Miller / Collison / Johnson

SG: Roy / Williams

SF: Batum / Babbitt / Wright

PF: Aldridge / Beasley / Cunningham

C:   Oden / Camby / Pryzbilla

What are your ideas?  I would love to hear some proposed trades for Tony Parker!