FanPost

Draft Drawer 2012

With less than 10 days to go until the draft, as the build-up is becoming too much to handle, I thought it was as good a time as any to let go of some creative juices. As this is where we get to speculate like die hard fans I thought I would swing for the fences and offer up a complete overhaul that maintains the integrity of our "Moderately Large 3."

In doing so, I am striving to reach a balance between realism (this could happen) and fantasy (no GM is that crazy!).

So here goes it:

We trade Jamal Crawford for a mid to late first round pick #15-21. As we would likely need to take some salary back in the trade, it would be for a player that we could waive immediately.

Trade pick #15-21, Victor Claver, Nolan Smith, pick #41 and cash for #8 from Toronto and their pick #56 (or #37?).

We, meaning Paul, then buys a late first round pick from a team who needs money (Hawks would be great at # 23, Warriors at #30 is acceptable).

Offer Charlotte or Washington the following package: Pick #11, Pick #23-30, Pick #40, Elliot Williams, Luke Babbitt, money, our second round pick next year and Kurt Thomas if they want him.

We draft Michael Kidd Gilchrist at #2 or #3

We draft Andre Drummond at #6

We draft Dion Waiters at #8

We draft one of the following: Jae Crowder, Kyle O'Quinn, Scott Machado, Darius Johnson-Odom, Kevin Jones, Henry Sims (whoever is left as the contract is not guaranteed).

We have two guys in Drummond and Waiters with questionable motors but great levels of talent. We pair them with a third rookie who will push them, surround them with veterans, good coaches, and reap the benefits. We have a guy who can lock down the middle, a guy who can get to the hoop at will and distribute, and a guy who can guard LBJ / Durant and be a locker room leader.

We keep our veteran core of Batum, Mathews, and Aldridge.

We cleared roughly 6.8 million dollars via trades.

We pick up cap holds of 3.8 million for the #2 pick (3.4 million for the #3) and about 400 thousand dollars moving from pick #11 to #8.

So we gain roughly 2.6 million dollars in cap space leaving us at 14.9 million with JJ Hickson's hold of 4.3 million dollars and 19.2 million without his hold.

I vote we renounce his rights and if he would like to sign for less go ahead (remember, he was waived last year).

We go out and we sign Goran Dragic at 5 years 40 million dollars.

We resign Jonny Flynn to a 3 year 3.5 million dollar contract.

We resign Joel Pryzbilla at the veteran's minimum.

We bring in Joel Freeland at 2.5 million dollars per year (insert JJ here if you'd like).

We sign Jkidd to a little more than a veteran's minimum contract.

We sign Daniel Orton to a minimum contract.

We sign Reggie Evans to a contract around 1.2 million dollars per year.

We sign Michael Redd to a veteran's minimum contract.

We resign Nicolas Batum utilizing his Bird Rights.

This would bring us to about 17-19 million dollars total in free agent signings minus the resigning of Batum (again I am using rough estimates here). We then go over the cap by about 5 million dollars.

We then rock an opening day roster of the following ball players:

PG: Dragic / Flynn / Jkidd

SG: Mathews / Waiters / Redd

SF: Batum / MKG / Williams

PF: Aldridge / Freeland / Evans

C: Drummond / Pryzbilla / Orton

We would have talent, we would have a sturdy starting five, we would have veteran leadership, we would have future skill players, we would have a link to the past few years of Blazer Basketball, and we would get to usher in a fresh breath of life into the Rose City. Get on it NO.

Now only if I did not have to wake from my dream.

If you too would like to post creative ideas, commentary, feedback, nonsense, gibberish, reports, links, shoot anything, go right on ahead.