Monday, June 25, 2007

The last Kobe trade scenarios?

These may all be moot soon if KG makes it to the Lakers, but a last few semi-plausible Kobe trade scenarios:

To Charlotte:
Kobe for a sign-and-traded Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton (or Brevin Knight), Adam Morrison (or Sean May, or both), and both the 2007 Draft #08 Pick and #22 Pick

Charlotte should easily be competitive in a weak East with Okafor/ May/ Brezec/ OHarrington/ Voskuhl up front, swingmen of Kobe/ WHermann/ MCarroll, and Brevin Knight running the show. The Lakers might throw in Turiaf and Vujacic to enhance depth. The Lakers get multiple pieces for rebuilding here. If the Lakers insisted on Okafor and Wallace and the picks, then even if Charlotte would still do it, I doubt Kobe would go to a team without a real center. It's dubious anyway, given Kobe's apparent preference for a major market.

Speaking of which:

Kobe to the Knicks:
Kobe plus Radmanovic for Channing Frye, Randolph Morris, Renaldo Balkman, Quentin Richardson, Jared Jeffries, David Lee, Nate Robinson, and the Knicks 1st rounder in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

The Laker rebuilding begins in earnest, taking every desirable young cheap Knick and future draft picks. I'm sure Isiah would do it - he'd be roasted alive if he turned it down if offered. And after all, the Knicks would still have a lot of big names left - Kobe and the Radman would join Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford - you get the idea. All the overpriced and overrated Knicks.

Or something that might actually make more sense for both teams:
To the Hawks-
Kobe plus Radmanovic for Tyronn Lue, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson and the #3 and 11 picks in the 2007 draft.

The Lakers would expedite their rebuilding and would even get back a stud at Kobe's position (Joe Johnson) to boot. If I'm the Lakers, I'd do this deal even if Kobe hadn't requested a trade! Meanwhile, the Hawks are desperate - their draft pick in 2008 is Phoenix's, and to avoid that being a high lottery pick and looking terrible, they need to win games - this season. Zaza Pachulia, Shelden Williams, Josh Smith, Kobe, and Speedy Claxton ... uh... is that enough to make the playoffs, even in the East? At least they'd sell some tickets, another major factor that would incline the Hawks to make this deal - if they only had a clear ownership sign-off to do so.... and while Atlanta is a top-10 market, its NBA profile is low enough that Kobe might veto the deal anyway.

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