The art of the three-team NBA Trade seems to be lost in recent years. But as the Cavaliers and Kings talk, can the entrance of Philadelphia 76ers facilitate a deal?
The Cleveland Cavaliers need help, and they are always willing to trade to find it. This year, their taste buds seem to be savoring over the Sacramento Kings point guard George Hill. And the names being tossed around so far are Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye. The Philadelphia 76ers would like to improve their team too. But there is no consumation so far, which indicates that the deal is not yet close enough. So either the teams up the ante, walk away or…..
Sacramento and Cleveland continue to discuss a deal for guard George Hill, league sources tell ESPN. Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye are primary players in ongoing conversations.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2018
Find a third team willing to help out on the deal. You see, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot of salary on payroll. And while the team is willing to give both Shumpert and Frye away, that deal still leaves them with a huge pickup in salary expense. And it also leaves a hole on their roster they must fill with even more salary expense.
Grease the wheels
The trick is that the Philadelphia 76ers could leverage this impasse to “grease the wheels” by adding pieces to help soften the blow to either team. So what could the Philadelphia 76ers offer to each team to entice them to sign on the dotted line?
Sir Charles In Charge
Well, the use of a third team in any trade scenario takes place for several reasons. The first and obvious role for a third team is to absorb excess salary cap dollars in the exchange. Two teams want to deal, but the salary differential prohibits the trade from happening. In comes a white knight team to eat up the excess, usually in exchange for draft pick(s).
Filling the trade “potholes”
But there is a second role as well. In an exchange between two teams, it’s very likely one team is far more interested in the players of another team. A third team acts as a buffer, contributing players to fill vacated lineup holes, and make the entire exchange more “palatable” for all teams concerned. Again, they do so with premium players or draft pick(s).
Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking at getting a point guard, but at the expense of a shooting guard AND a power forward. So the Philadelphia 76ers could offer to add Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to their package and that would give them a neutral salary cap impact plus the added bonus of a young defensive oriented prospect to add to fill the void vacated by Shumpert.
The pick and role play
Meanwhile, the team could take on Frye, and in exchange send Amir Johnson to the Sacramento Kings. His price tage, although higher, allows the Kings to add affordable talent next season. In exchange, the 76ers would be wise to look at picking up aging Vince Carter and Frank Mason. But there is more.
FanSided
TLC is a valuable commodity in this transaction. A 3-and-D who is affordable enough to the Cavaliers and who is under contract for three seasons. He is a former 24th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, and shows signs of excelling in the NBA, particularly on defense.
Cavs need D
Right now the Cavaliers need defense in the worst way. And that should be worth the Cavaliers first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, the Kings take Amir Johnson over Channing Frye. And while both are on one year deals, Amir Johnson is the better of the two players. To make the dollars work out, the Kings will need to push Vince Carter’s $8.0 million contract over to Philadelphia.
While the Cavaliers are focused on getting George Hill for the moment, they are too savvy to pass up an opportunity to improve that pourous team defense. And with the pair already engaged in serious talks, the Philadelphia 76ers can step up with valuable assets to both teams. So let’s see what a three-trade scenario might look like?
King me in the 2018 NBA Draft
There, now that has the dollars. In the end though, the Philadelphia 76ers send Amir Johnson to the Kings and take over Channing Frye, send Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Cavaliers for a late first round pick, and absorb the contract of Vince Carter. So the 76ers needs a touch more. So they should insist upon the right to swap the second round pick with the Sacramento Kings in 2018. That improves the 76ers pick in 2018, while ensure the Kings continue to maintain NBA Draft picks to continue to fuel their rebuilding.
So here are the packages per team starting with the Cavaliers 76ers exchange
King of the trade
Now for the Kings 76ers exchange
The Philadelphia 76ers are the perfect team to enter the trade talks and walk out of a successful three-team deal.
Best moves are unexpected
So in the end, the Philadelphia 76ers walk away having given up SG Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (3 years) and PF Amir Johnson (1 year). But in return the get SG Vince Carter (1 year), PF Channing Frye (1 year), PG Frank Mason III (3 years) plus the Cavaliers 2018 1st round pick (24) and swap rights for the Sacramento Kings 2018 2nd round pick (31 in exhange for 46).
And for the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to try “right-fitting” a roster around the likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and a soon-to-be-healthy-hopefully Markelle Fultz. The addition of veterans Carter and Frye, plus the suprising upside of Mason III, gives this roster more looks going forward. And while the departure of Luwawu-Cabarrot is not ideal, it pre-empts the wing logjam when the team gets Furkan Korkmaz healthy and adds wings in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Don’t hesitate
While many fans wisely insist that the Philadelphia 76ers wait on trading still-developing assets, there is a short window of discovery here. Embiid and Simmons are already on the court, and when Markelle Fultz joins them, the team will be set for their key players. It’s critical that the team adds the specialty players now. On one hand, who will lead the team in scoring off the bench? On the other hand, who can be counted on to score as the buzzer sounds? And finally, who gives this team a defensive boost to preserve the lead?
Next: The Philadelphia 76ers’ fourth quarter problems
This is a young team, but the infusion of veterans has had mixed results so far. And while those mixed results have tempered the Sixers performance so far, the team needn’t pull the plug on considering veterans for a playoff run. Bryan Colangelo’s job of giving head coach Brett Brown the best possible roster does not end. But with an approaching trade deadline, he and the entire staff must consider all possibilities and angles. This is the right time to consider shaking up the roster. They won’t get another chance until after the playoffs.