The Other Shoe: Ricky and "RuPaul"
With the NBA draft behind us, the focus is now on free agency and trades. The draft left some unanswered questions and the blockbuster deals sent a message to contenders that they better up their game if they want to keep up. Clearly, the craziness of the NBA offseason is only just beginnning.
The Amar'e rumor and some of the other trades are going to force the issue. As I've said before, a number of the big name 2010 free agents could find themselves off the market before the end of this offseason so teams can't really sit around and just wait for the other shoe to drop. Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson could find new homes this offseason, the Hornets are desperately trying to cut cap space and the Wolves now have the Ricky Rubio situation to deal with. Teams that are proactive will get the better of these deals while the ones that wait around might find themselves left out in the cold.
So what might transpire?
The Mighty Bosh and the Mightier Dollar
I'm torn on this deal but I think it works for all three teams. The Hornets need to cut payroll in the future, the Heat need to keep Dwyane Wade happy, and the Raptors need to move Bosh so what could happen is:
The Heat acquire Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, and Peja Stojakovic
The Hornets get Michael Beasley, Jermaine O'Neal* and Mark Blount*
The Raptors receive David West, Udonis Haslem*
*denotes expiring deal
The biggest question for me is whether the Raptors would prefer West or Beasley. West would help the team win now which would keep people in the seats but Beasley has more potential and also is on a cheap rookie contract and will be a restricted free agent when that deal is up (whereas West could leave in a couple of years). Then again, there's something to be said for a known commodity like West as opposed to adding a tweener in Beasley alongside a question mark in Bargnani and a project like DeMar DeRozen. Also, the Hornets might prefer instant cap relief.
Still, I think Bosh to Miami is happening and the JO/Bosh frontcourt has already failed once so this deal could make sense for everyone involved.
Ricky's Lament
It seems pretty clear that Ricky Rubio has little interest in playing in Minnesota. But there is a light of hope for the 'Wolves. Reports are now surfacing that the Nets wanted Ricky Rubio and were willing to give up Devin Harris to get the #2 pick so they could draft him. That seems like a solid deal but since David Kahn seems to love Flynn, I'm not sure he'd want Harris. Enter the Portland Trailblazers. (The deal would have to wait until August so Etan Thomas can be in the deal and Devin's BYC status is up but the key elements of the deal would be...)
The Blazers get Devin Harris
The Nets get Ricky Rubio and Etan Thomas*
The Wolves get Rudy Fernandez, Steve Blake* and either Martell Webster or Travis Outlaw*.
The Wolves could take Webster to get someone who is under contract and won't bolt after the year or they could grab Outlaw and try to move him in another deal for a long term small forward. (Maybe make a run at Gerald Wallace if the Bobcats are trying to cut salary). The Blazers get an All-Star PG for Rudy and two guys who'll probably be backups at best next year for them. I don't like the deal for the Nets but they apparently seem committed to dumping salary and they like Rubio.
Next up in The Other Shoe could be Joe Johnson, the Dallas Mavericks, and the always interesting (but ultimately stagnant) Chicago Bulls.
