Raptors-Nuggets strike a deal

[RaptorsGM]

Raptors Trade:

SF Luke Jackson
PG Mike Evans
Raptors 2016 First
Raptors 2017 First

to the Denver Nuggets, for:

PG Alphonse Butler
C Zaza Pachulia

[WizardsGM]

Raptors Trade:

SF Luke Jackson
PG Mike Evans
Raptors 2016 First
Raptors 2017 First

to the Denver Nuggets, for:

PG Alphonse Butler
C Zaza Pachulia

I accept. Let the rebuilding begin.

[RaptorsGM]

I wasn't sure about it for a long time. Evans has the potential to go places. Jackson was very, very solid and for me it is alot about winning now.

However, I just couldn't pass it up.

Of course moving Butler to SG and Chills to SF, I have this lineup, with age in brackets

Swift (27) / Garcia (26)
Boykins (28) / Pachulia (29)
Chills (30) / Iba (20)
Butler (27) / Hunter (27)
Max (25) / Sura (28)


Hell yeah.

[PacersGM]

what a bad trade for both teams. butler is a great shooting PG but only a solid SG.
And Nuggets did get for their self-proclaimed untouchable player 2 late first(guess raptors will be a PO team in the next years) and expirings? Can´t see the plan behind it.

[CelticsGM]

I agree this is a bad move for the Nuggets who get very very little for a star. The picks are a joke, Luke is worse and much older than Butler and Evans is a PG with B- handling (does that mean he turns it over in bunches or that he can't pass), too small for SG.

But I disagree on the Raptors side. Last season the cpu had Butler play SG and while 14/5/4  doesn't look overwhelming he did it on 51% from the floor and 50% from 3pt land. Now he's A+ offense too, so that's a good one.

But of course it also kills them Raptors financially. Paying 79mio to six guys is overkill, with all contract running at least 3 more years. Garcia is coming up for an extension too, and Dickau has officially reached "untradeable" status (which means the 79mio are in fact paid to 5 starters and Mr. 2.5min backup). Since they will also lose Iba for nothing after next season the time frame for the Raptors to win it all with the current group is a very short one.

But again, skillwise the Raptors are getting better and they were good before.
 

[WizardsGM]

Luke is a big time expiring, which helps me a lot. I will be well under the cap next season and have no intentions of keeping him. And I never said Butler was untouchable, just harder to get than most of the other players on my roster. If everyone is mad that the Raptors got better with Butler maybe they should have made better offers

[PacersGM]

or maybe you should have waited and asked for more.

[CelticsGM]

no, i'm not mad they got him, but you should be mad for not waiting on a better offer. Now, at midpoint there is ZERO need to act prematurely or take the first best (worst) offer.

Hint: just look at the Raptors trade strategy. The announce availability and then post at least 5 times what the best offer is about, what more it would take to better that, then that their guy will be gone soon, then that their guy will be good VERY soon and finally that they are just about to accept the best deal on the table if no better offer comes within the next 12 hours.
 

(... and even then they often keep their guy afterwards ...)
 

[RaptorsGM]

Haha yes, but it works too.

I'm not sure this is quite a fleecing like some seem to think. Evans is already able to score ALOT, C+ A- is usually good for at least 16 a game (like Butler). And he's got the potential to become a better ballhandler...if he is a C+ A- B A- pg, that's pretty nice, and that's just minimal improvement.

As for that finance of it all, thank god for GM points which will allow me to get Dickau off the books shortly. It is of course unfortunate about losing Iba for nothing (really wish I would have thought to get the 3rd year etension). But a resigned (to a much smaller contract) Dickau will continue to be my backup after Iba has jetted. And Iba may be extened using GM points...but it's doubtful as I will need 300 to reduce Dickau.

Garcia up for a contract doesn't really mean anything....he is a very replaceable player (although if you want him, you're welcome to make an offer )

I think people are over valuing Butler a bit, and I'm trying not to. He is what he is, a 16ppg scorer playing out of position with me.

[SpursGM-old]

Only thing I find puzzling is that Nuggets told me he wasn't interested in expirings.   

[RaptorsGM]

Well, the main part of the deal is Evans and the picks. I'm not sure how much Jackson was valued in this deal.

[SpursGM-old]

Luke is a big time expiring, which helps me a lot.

Sounds like the expiring played a big part of it.  And thinking that a Evans/Butler trade is a good deal even tossing in two late, late first rounders is delusional.

[NetsGM]

all this fuss over alphonse butler?  People say "oh, well evans only has a B- handles".  Who's to say he an't get to a B+ handles with A- defense very quickly?  If he ends up C+ A- B+ A-, is that not comparable to Butler?  Or even C+ A- A- A- is possible.  At a whole lot cheaper.  And a whole lot younger.

[RaptorsGM]

Butler is a guy that can shoot from the outside. He is an average at best ball hhandler, doesn't play exceptional defense...anyway, I'm putting him right back on the block.

[RaptorsGM]

all this fuss over alphonse butler?  People say "oh, well evans only has a B- handles".  Who's to say he an't get to a B+ handles with A- defense very quickly?  If he ends up C+ A- B+ A-, is that not comparable to Butler?  Or even C+ A- A- A- is possible.  At a whole lot cheaper.  And a whole lot younger.

Exactly what I've been trying to say. For once, we agree.