No what you are doing is trading away one near All-Star, and one near ccancer, all in the same body, before he either blows up and destroys his trade value, or leaves you with nothing.
And in return you are getting, not three scrubs, but rather 1) one starting SF on last year's title team, who is more importantly an ending contract to let us pursue a major free agent at above the MLE; 2) a kid who just turned 21 a month ago who's averaged a respectable 9pts 7rebs 2ast 1stl 1blk in 29mpg this season as a starter, and then 3) one pick likely just out of the lottery in a very deep draft. Which might still nab you a Josh McRoberts this year, or which could be valubale in moving up a few spots in the draft to nab somebody we really want (not Oden or Durant presumably).
The concentration of talent theory is absolutely valid on the way up -- very few trades where you trade one stud for a bunch of middling vets for instance make you better. But on the way down the rules change. Now you are accumulating liquid assets, and want to get cap room and take as many flyers as you can on young talent that might blossom. And so you go take your cap room and sign Darko for instance, then you draft McRoberts and see if he really is a less athletic version of Chris Webber, then you take Wright and see if he is the next Gerald Wallace. And you get 3 guys in their early 20's who are going to be around for a long time and just migbht blossom into one or more special pieces. Then go after the centerpiece with the high draft pick (which may have gotten a little higher without Ron). And of course cross your fingers.
And in return you are getting, not three scrubs, but rather 1) one starting SF on last year's title team, who is more importantly an ending contract to let us pursue a major free agent at above the MLE; 2) a kid who just turned 21 a month ago who's averaged a respectable 9pts 7rebs 2ast 1stl 1blk in 29mpg this season as a starter, and then 3) one pick likely just out of the lottery in a very deep draft. Which might still nab you a Josh McRoberts this year, or which could be valubale in moving up a few spots in the draft to nab somebody we really want (not Oden or Durant presumably).
The concentration of talent theory is absolutely valid on the way up -- very few trades where you trade one stud for a bunch of middling vets for instance make you better. But on the way down the rules change. Now you are accumulating liquid assets, and want to get cap room and take as many flyers as you can on young talent that might blossom. And so you go take your cap room and sign Darko for instance, then you draft McRoberts and see if he really is a less athletic version of Chris Webber, then you take Wright and see if he is the next Gerald Wallace. And you get 3 guys in their early 20's who are going to be around for a long time and just migbht blossom into one or more special pieces. Then go after the centerpiece with the high draft pick (which may have gotten a little higher without Ron). And of course cross your fingers.
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