Rumor NBA Rumor - Okafor to Pistons

NOOOOOO NOT OKAFOR!

Anyway, this is just a rumour. I highly doubt that the Timberwolves are going to let go of Pekovic for overpaid Pau Gasol.

Pretty specific rumor. When does okafor expire?

Okafor's contract expires in 2014. Pistons would owe him $14.5 million this year.

Bad trade.

Agree...the Pistons should want no part of Okafor even if it means dumping CV

Huh. That's really specific and backed up by absolutely nothing else anywhere. Man, Mikhail, where did you dig up this fossil?

NBA Trade Machine - ESPN

As far as the trade, FWIW the Trade Machine says that the Pistons benefit the most from it... and would give them another power forward/center that we complain about Frank trying to shoehorn CV and JJ into playing. And it's not like English, Jerebko, and Villanueva form any sort of long-term core of the team, so they're not really giving up much real value. And they're also not improving anyone in the Eastern Conference, either, so that's a bonus.

It makes sense for the Lakers - adding JJ and Williams gives them a much more effective outside shooting team, which is all that I hear sports radio talk about with them.

It kind of makes sense for the Wolves and gives them a really good pair of big men to go with Rubio, but they're going all in on those three.

Who knows what Washington's doing - it seems like a sideways move for them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't do it.

Contractually it kind of ties the Pistons up a little bit more next year than I'd be comfortable with, but they'd still only be sitting on $47 million in contracts so it's not like it hamstrings them, either. Then in two years they're only looking at $21.4 million on the books, with Prince, Monroe, Knight, Drummond, Singler, and Middleton all signed.

I don't know... I kind of like it. I do think it's a bit of an upgrade for the team, and Okafor is definitely an improvement in personnel if you're thinking Defense first. Ain't nobody scoring inside with him and Drummond in there.

Player: 2013/ 2014/ 2015

Okafor: $13.5/ $14.5/ $0 = $28.0M

Villanu: $8.1/ $8.6/ $0
Jerebko: $4.5/ $4.5/ $4.5
English: $0.5/ $0.8/ $0
TOTAL: $13.1/ $13.9/ $4.5 = $31.5M


I really don't mind it that much. If English wasn't included in there I'd be all for it. It would sort of stink giving away another Afflalo. English is the type of player that I think could be a defensive nuisance while still contributing on offense, which is rare.

Okafor is having an unusually bad year, especially in terms of FG% (.404 vs career .515 average). But he's only played 270 minutes and he's had success recently. Also his block rate is really high and he's always going to be a strong post defender.


After watching tonight's game by Charlie V, I'm also wondering if we can't do better than this if we properly showcase him for another month or so.

I don't think anybody here thinks that CV is going to get a contract extension here and most think he's next to impossible to trade. So, if we have to bite the bullet and actually make a trade involving him, it may as well be for a defensively focused big man. After Okafor's contract expires, he's exactly the type of player that I'd like to see Joe resign at a more reasonable level.

I think the best free agent target for the Pistons this summer is OJ Mayo. Millsap is a good but not great target too, but not for the amount that he'll be asking for. And if we have $13M in cap room then that would be enough to sign Mayo. The next year Stuckey and Okafor fall off the books, and even though we'll have to re-sign GM, we should still have enough cap space to go after another free agent in the summer of 2014.

Frankly, I'd rather see them trade Tayshaun than CV, because they can amnesty CV and go max at Josh Smith (God, that would make this team awesome - can you imagine a lineup of Knight/Singler/Smith/Monroe/Drummond? And they'd have two years with it before they'd have to resign Monroe). I don't think either Frank or Dumars has that in them, though, and it's clear that Gores doesn't want to pay a guy not to play, so I don't see them using the amnesty clause. *sad face*

I wouldn't be surprised to see the linked trade happen, though hopefully CV playing and shooting like this more - like you say - would increase his value and bring in more than just a potentially over-the-hill and definitely overpaid backup center.

That would be a fun lineup to watch. It has size at every position.

You put J Smith on this team and between Smith/Drummond/Knight we will have the most devastating transition offense team in the league. Give Smith a shot at getting beyond the 1st round, and he will play real defense.

I first saw this rumor this morning in a spanish (from Spain, duh) sport internet site called "MARCA.com " .. now.. that page sucks big time, they are always making nonsense rumors and crappy articles.

I usually don't read to spanish or argentinian or any "spanish language" websites about NBA. I rather go to espn.com and nba.com and sometimes hoopshype or other pages. But this morning I read a tweet that send me in the direction of learning about that trade. Inmediatly after reading I didn't believe it.

I didn't expect to see a thread here created for that trade.

Anyway... It a do-able trade and it might be the reason why Jerebko and English are not playing and CV is playing a lot. to show the other teams he have something to give. But I repeat, I don't believe this trade it's going to happen

Seems like if the trade was on, we wouldn't want to run any risk of injuring the CV (the centerpiece to the trade).

I'm mainly just hoping to see some sort of shakeup because more usually follows once the seal is broken.

I don't like any trade that puts the Lakers in a position to win it all....basically this trades gives them something that they don't have right now....a bench

......and the Pistons just get another player that might be able to grab a few more boards than Max

We would also have $4.5M clearing the books a year early.

Thank you Max. I don't like any transfer that gives that little pipsqueak Lawarence Frank an excuses not to play Drummond.