[MikeDC]

I'm not usually a big proponent of giant, multi-team trades, but this might actually each teams' future brighter.

Cleveland trades:
PF Tyrone Hill (expiring contract)
SF Darius Miles

Cleveland receives:
SF Ryan Humphrey
C Stephen Hunter
C Andrew DeClercq
SG Jeryl Sasser
PG Jamal Crawford (7.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.1 apg in 20.3 minutes)
Bulls #1 Pick.

Cleveland's new lineup:
C - Z, DeClercq, Diop
PF - Hunter, Boozer, Mihm
SF - Davis, Jones, Humphrey
SG - Wagner, (Crawford), Sasser
PG - Crawford, Parker, (Sasser)

Cleveland does this trade for a couple of reasons: First and formost, Miles is the 3rd wheel on their team. He's got remendous talent, but with Davis, Wagner, and if Cleveland's wish comes true, LeBron James, it's difficult to see how all of these guys will fit at the 2 and 3. They'd be better off cashing in Miles for another ticket in the Lebron Lottery and Crawford, who be their starting PG, and if they don't get Lebron, he will, at 6'5", provide a good complement to Wagner, a short SG and Sasser, a guy who can play the point and defend either position at 6'7".

Trading Hill eliminates free agent room, but helps bring in a raft of younger players who might develop into decent role players in their own right. For Cleveland, that's a great plan because the young guys are relatively cheap and because no one of consequence is gonna come to Cleveland via free agency.

Cleveland is in a world of hurt right now, and their best chance is to do everything they can to get Lebron and build a young team around him and Davis. This trade gives them another shot at Lebron and it gives them a roster full of young guys in case they don't get him:

Orlando trades:
SF Ryan Humphrey
SG Mike Miller
C Steven Hunter (6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.0 apg in 13.0 minutes)
C Andrew DeClercq (4.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.7 apg in 15.8 minutes)
SG Jeryl Sasser (2.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.6 apg in 11.1 minutes)

Orlando receives:
PF Tyrone Hill
SG Trenton Hassell
C Dalibor Bagaric (2.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.7 apg in 3 games)
PF Marcus Fizer (10.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 apg in 30 games)

Orlando's new lineup:
C - Kemp, (Hill), Bagaric, Oyedeji
PF - Fizer, Hill
SF - Hill, (Fizer), (Hassell)
SG - McGrady, Hassell
PG - Armstrong, Vaughn

The Magic are desperate for help up front, but they're hamstrung by two problems. First, their most tradeable commodity for getting help up front, Miller, is extremely valuable to them given Grant Hill's ankle. Second, they're doing everything they can to be far enough under the cap to offer Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, Elton Brand, or maybe Michael Olowokandi a max contract. Currently, they don't have quite enough to offer anyone the max.

This trade would give them immediate help up front in the form of Fizer and Hill. Fizer doesn't fill Mike Miller's shoes as a one-on-one player, but he provides a guy who can score in bunches and also play the 3 in a pinch. Hassell gives them a good defender who shouldn't start but can play a nice role eventually as a 6th or 7th man.

Hill gives them a bruiser to control things in the paint, and they could definitely play him at center and "go small" in the Eastern Conference playoffs (similar to the way the Celts did last year with Rodney Rogers).

Most importantly though, Hill's expiring contract allows the Magic to clear up the rest of the cap room they'd need to offer the max to one of the bigs they're targeting next year.

Chicago trades:
SG Trenton Hassell
C Dalibor Bagaric
PG Jamal Crawford
PF Marcus Fizer (10.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 apg in 20.4 minutes)
#1 Draft Choice

Chicago receives:
SF Darius Miles
SG Mike Miller

Chicago's New Lineup:
C - Chandler, Curry
PF - Marshall, Blount, Baxter
SF - Miles, (Miller), ERob
SG - Rose, Miller, Hoiberg
PG - JWill, (Rose), Roger Mason, Rick Brunson

The Bulls currently have pretty much no one that's even adequate defensively, and of their backcourt players, Rose is the only one who can create his own shot and the only legit three point threat.

The coaches won't play Crawford and JWill at the same time and Fizer is a good excuse not to play Curry and Chandler, who are definitely the future of our frontcourt.

Miles is a good defender and Miller is an ok defender, which is still an upgrade for the Bulls. Miller can shoot the rock better than anyone we currently have. They're both young, can grow with the team, and best of all, they've got a decent amount of playing experience. While they're not grizzled vets, they're not clueless kids any more. They'd be better fits than Crawford and Fizer, now and in the future. We also have to give up our lottery pick, but we can afford to give up what will probably be the 8-12 pick if we're getting back two guys who will be long-term contributors.

[Dan Rosenbaum]

MikeDC:

We can swap our #1 pick, but we can't trade it outright, because of the Houston/Bryce Drew obligation. Even swapping it would require some contingencies that teams might not want to deal with.

http://www.basketballboards.net/foru...ton+obligation

[Louie]

Excellent trade- any deal that nets us Miller and Miles is more than alright by me. The key to this deal would be Cleveland's willigness to do it, but if they were willing it would make me a happy man.

[MikeDC]

Originally posted by NCBullsFan!
MikeDC:

We can swap our #1 pick, but we can't trade it outright, because of the Houston/Bryce Drew obligation. Even swapping it would require some contingencies that teams might not want to deal with.

http://www.basketballboards.net/foru...ton+obligation

Good point. I don't have time to look up all the contingencies at the moment, but would one alternative be to trade someone/something to Houston in order to get rid of our obligation to them? IE, could we send them Dillybar, Baxter, Blount, Hoiberg, or even a guaranteed pick at another point? In return, we get back the right to our #1 pick?

[The OUTLAW]

This trade sucks while an unrestricted #1 is very appealing (and its highly unlikely that Chicago would let it go). I am totally against any trade that nets the Cavs Crawford. I just don't think he is that good or even that much better than Smush. I think that he would be a short term point guard solution. I'd rather the Cavs get a good point guard and not another stop gap. In addition with this trade I'm pretty sure the Cavs would have like 16 guys under contract. Frankly if I were the Cavs I'd do the deal for the 1st round pick alone and maybe Fizer. Don't want any of the other guys, while they may make the deal doable they make it less attractive.

[MikeDC]

Originally posted by The OUTLAW!
This trade sucks while an unrestricted #1 is very appealing (and its highly unlikely that Chicago would let it go). I am totally against any trade that nets the Cavs Crawford. I just don't think he is that good or even that much better than Smush. I think that he would be a short term point guard solution. I'd rather the Cavs get a good point guard and not another stop gap. In addition with this trade I'm pretty sure the Cavs would have like 16 guys under contract. Frankly if I were the Cavs I'd do the deal for the 1st round pick alone and maybe Fizer. Don't want any of the other guys, while they may make the deal doable they make it less attractive.

Well, I would be willing to bet that the Bulls would trade Fizer and their #1 straight up for Miles and forget the Magic.

Or actually Fizer and Crawford could probably be switched and no one would mind. Fizer to the Cavs, Crawford to the Magic. The Magic also don't trade Steven Hunter or Humphrey (I think you're wrong about them though, they could turn into pretty nice players... unless you're happy with Chris Mihm right now ). Orlando would certainly not mind keeping Hunter though.

I can see where you're coming from in that the Cavs could use a guy like Fizer.

The Magic could use a guy like Crawford, actually. Darrell Armstrong is a zillion years old, and in the short term, the Magic would have Hill to help out up front.

Cleveland's new lineup:
C - Z, DeClercq, Diop
PF - Fizer, Boozer, Mihm
SF - Davis, Jones, Humphrey
SG - Wagner, Sasser
PG - Parker, Palacio, (Sasser)

Orlando's new lineup:
C - Kemp, Hunter, Bagaric
PF - Hill, Garrity, Oyedeji
SF - Hill, ?, (Hassell)
SG - McGrady, Hassell, (Crawford)
PG - Armstrong, Crawford, Vaughn

Still a decent looking trade, no?

[JoeF]

Unless I get a superstar, if I were the owner of a team that is lottery bound and my GM proposed trading this year's draft pick unprotected I would fire the GM on the spot effective immediately. If I were the owner of a team fighting for the playoffs I would warn the GM and consider firing him if I wasn't convinced the trade would get me a chance at the finals. If I had a legit chance at the finals I would consider the trade. If it would get the team over the top I would do it.

[Schilly]

While Clevleland and Orlando each endup with a smorgasborg of players it appears to me that Chicago really ends up getting the sweet end of the deal. That said I'm not sure it makes the deal unfair, necessarily. I doubt Orlando would give up 2 SF's cosidering their starting SF is out for the year, so they would need to recieve at least 1 in return.

[daboy]

Won't happen, the Cavs have too many players under contract. They are already eating Nick Anderson's salary this year. I'm sure they don't want to eat 4 or 5 contracts next year. Secondly, the Cavs already had Andrew Declerq and drafted Jamal Crawford. If they really wanted them that badly they wouldn't have traded them in the first place.

Also, I doubt the Cavs trade Miles. Ever since Keith Smart took over Miles has been playing well. I think John Lucas had a lot to do with the way Miles was playing horribly earlier in the year.

[MikeDC]

Originally posted by daboy!

Also, I doubt the Cavs trade Miles. Ever since Keith Smart took over Miles has been playing well. I think John Lucas had a lot to do with the way Miles was playing horribly earlier in the year.

It's certainly looking that way