Nets Are Scorching

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Dennis kicked things off yesterday with some Danny Granger talk, so today, let’s continue our trading for a core player series by looking at a guy who has seemingly been on the trading block for years: Andre Iguodala.

For starters, I’m sure some of you are going to bristle at the idea that we’re including A.I. in a series about “core players.” By most definitions, Iduodala is not a core player – he’s never made an All-Star team, and despite showing flashes of great talent, he’s never been able to consistently get to that “next level” in the NBA, especially after the other A.I., Allen Iverson, left Philadelphia. But for the sake of argument, let’s consider a couple of things that should at least put Iguodala on our collective radars: with the drafting of Evan Turner, A.I. is certainly expendable for Philadelphia, especially if they can get in return young talent and/or salary cap relief; new Nets GM Billy King, drafted Iguodala, which gives him a peripheral connection to the player that could pique his interest if the stars aligned;  despite Iduodala’s shortcomings, if he was added to the Nets roster, he would instantly become their number one offensive option on the wing. He’s demonstrated durability and a versatile offensive game.

Let’s consult with ESPN’s Trade Machine for some ideas. Just looking at Philadelphia’s roster indicates that a deal would be difficult to make. The Nets three most tradeable assets (if you declare Brook Lopez off limits) are Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee. Since the Sixers just drafted a SG/SF in Turner, that’ll make Lee a tough sell for them. The same could be said for TWill if you share the mindset of Avery Johnson and think he plays better at the two. As for Harris, the Sixers actually have some decent depth at PG in Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday. Plus, if the Sixers primary concern was getting some salary cap flexibility, why would they take back Harris who still has three more years left on his contract?

These legitimate concerns aside, let’s take a look at a few scenarios regardless. First a straight-up Iguodala for Devin Harris deal, since the money is marginally close:

The Nets would gain three wins in the deal and the Sixers would lose 5. It would also give the Sixers a glut of PGs on the roster and the Nets too many SG/SFs. Not to mention there’s very little depth at PG on the Nets unless you think TWill can play the position.

So let’s take TWill and throw him out there straight-up for A.I.

While Nets fans tend to adore TWill, the end result is something a little too lopsided based on last year’s statistics. The Nets would have to entice this deal further with draft picks, something I can’t imagine them doing.

Let’s complicate things a bit and see what happens when we add more players to the mix. For example, the Nets could send Harris, Kris Humphries and TWill and in addition to A.I. take back Jrue Holiday for a little more PG depth behind Jordan Farmar and Jason Smith for another big body for PF.

The deal only gives the Nets +1 more win, so marginal improvement, while taking on some mediocre spare parts.

Bottom line is these teams match-up pretty poorly. But it’s interesting all the same to see what the possibilities are.