It seems that Kobe Bryant’s ego will prevent the Lakers from winning another title. While Dwight Howard envisioned “forming a devastating one-two punch with Bryant,” Kobe had other plans, reportedly telling Howard he would play third fiddle behind himself (Kobe) and Pau Gasol. Dwight was, unsurprisingly, turned off by the idea.
Now begs the question where will Superman land? With one of his top destinations seemingly crossed off, sources close to Dwight say he will sign with either the Nets or the Magic. His reason for signing with the Nets? The opportunity to play with Deron Williams.
Lacking pieces to trade outright for Dwight, the Nets must somehow convince Deron to sign an extension with them AND hope Dwight comes to them. However, both are tall tasks since the Nets have stumbled hard this year.
Enter the Rockets. The Rockets are teetering in mediocrity. With no viable superstars or attractions, the Rockets seem inevitably destined to go nowhere. This is the perfect opportunity for them to pounce. Though they probably lack the pieces to trade for the Magic star, they have enough pieces to intrigue the Nets. Kyle Lowry has been playing the best ball of his career this year, garnering enough support among fans that there have been cries of foul over his All-Star “snub.” Kevin Martin is still young and playing well enough to be labeled a star of sorts. With the lack of a guaranty on Deron, the Nets will definitely have to think hard about this trade.
Rockets Receive:
Nets Receive:
1st Round Draft Pick (NY)
The Rockets will receive Deron Williams, whom they can hopefully convince to exercise his Player Option. They will also receive an old Mehmet Okur, who will become a free agent this year, and Sheldon Williams, whose contract also expires after this season. With $10MM (from Okur), $5MM (from Thabeet), and $3MM (from the trade) coming off the books, the Rockets have enough wiggle room to sign Dwight Howard this upcoming summer. Of course it is important to note that if Deron leaves, then the Rockets will have be rebuild, (probably something they should’ve started doing earlier).
The Nets will receive a great point guard, Kyle Lowry, a very good scorer, Kevin Martin, a good post player, Luis Scola, and some young guys they can potentially use as building blocks or trade pieces. This will allow them to decrease their risk of losing Deron for nothing. Both Lowry and Martin have manageable contracts, with the one sore point being Luis Scola’s contract. However, given their own first round pick this year, plus New York and Houston’s (from previous trade) first round picks, they can build their team through the draft with pieces to complement Lopez, Lowry, Martin, and Scola.
Right now, projected by current records, the Nets own the 4th pick, the Knicks own the 10th pick, and the Rockets own the 20th pick. The Nets could use these picks to pack for a higher pick for a shot at Anthony Davis (the consensus #1pick in the draft), or they could just draft 3 players. Right now based on Mock Drafts (1,2,3), it seems that these players are reasonable at their current spots:
4th pick – Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jared Sullinger
10th pick – Perry Jones, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, Tyler Zeller, Terrence Jones
20th pick – Fab Melo, Marquis Teague, Kris Joseph, Mason Plumlee, Austin Rivers
With a lot of depth in this upcoming draft, it makes sense for the Nets to capitalize on the wealth of picks that could be available to them.
This trade would allow the Rockets to potentially add 2 superstars and allow the Nets to rebuild in a way they couldn’t if they lost Deron through free agency. The risk reward factor of this trade is sky high for both teams.
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