The general consensus about the Kevin Garnett trade I proposed yesterday was that the Bulls were giving up way too much and that they wouldn’t part ways with Kirk Hinrich.  In my near tunnel vision for the T-Wolves, I hadnt’ realized that Hinrich had become such a valuable commodity.  So here’s the trade, changed up a bit. 

Maybe this one’s a bit more realistic…

This is the general logic behind this trade: 

We’re rebuilding. Which means that draft picks are a hot commodity. 

Avoid a log jam.  The Wolves need to take back 3-4 players just to match KG’s salary.  The Wolves already have major issues with distributing playing time.  Add 3 more players into the fray and you have chaos.  We need to send out almost as many players as we take in.

Here’s the breakdown:

Minnesota Trades:  Kevin Garnett, Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Trenton Hassell

Minnesota Receives:  Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, P.J. Brown, Travis Outlaw, Raef La Frenz, Knicks 2007 1st Round Pick, Bulls 2008 1st Round Pick, Trailblazers 2008 Protected 1st Round Pick.

Chicago Trades:  Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, P.J. Brown, Mike Sweetney, Malik Allen, Knicks 2007 1st Round Pick, Bulls 2008 1st Round Pick

Chicago Receives:  Kevin Garnett, Troy Hudson

Portland Trades:  Travis Outlaw, Raef LaFrenz, Trailblazers 2008 Protected 1st Round Pick

Portland Receives:  Trenton Hassell, Marko Jaric, Mike Sweetney, Malik Allen

Why Chicago Trades:  They get Kevin Garnett, who would flourish next to Ben Wallace and Kirk Hinrich.  They still have Nocioni and Duhon as solid contributors. The loss of Deng and Thomas is minimized by the fact that they now have the NBA’s premiere front court.  They’d only really feel the loss of Ben Gordon. 

Why Chicago Doesn’t Trade: Again, they’re losing a lot of players.  But there’s just no other way with KG’s massive salary.  At least this way they’re keeping Hinrich and just losing Sweetney and Allen who aren’t really contributing much anyway. 

Why Portland Trades: Raef LaFrenz is getting paid a ton to basically do nothing.  At least by getting Hassell and Jaric, they’re getting players who will actually play.  While it’s true that Hassell and Jaric’s contracts are due up in 4 years and LaFrenz’s deal is up in 3 years, with Darius Miles and Zach Randolph’s deals lasting 4 and 5 years respectively, the Blazers couldn’t get under the cap in less than four years anyway.  They are giving up a pick, as well as a young prospect, but the pick is protected and the Blazers are up to their eyeballs in young prospects.  Plus, with Sweetney and Allen’s deals expiring this year, they can save about 3.5 million and not have to spend to keep Outlaw. 

Why Portland Doesn’t Trade:  It’s not a move that is going to make them a whole lot better. 

Why Minnesota Trades:  They receive three draft picks, four nice young players, and consolidate three bad contracts into one really, really bad contract that’s for less total money. 

Why Minnesota Doesn’t Trade:  They want to keep Garnett.

Basically, the Bulls get the player they covet who can take them to the next level.  The Trailblazers improve slightly, while also reaping moderate financial benefits.  And the Wolves get the picks and young players that they need to rebuild while still maintaining a manageable roster. 

What do you guys think? Comment on the post, or talk it over in the Forum and let me know!

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