Xavier Henry?

#1
source: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/68351/20100725/standoff_between_grizzlies_henry_continues/

(and many more)

It seems like after paying Rudy Gay 90 million +, the Grizzlies are unwilling to pay Henry the additional 300k(which is customary) to sign him :confused:

he hasn't requested a trade yet, but talk about starting things off on the wrong foot..

Henry could really potentially be a great fit next to Reke, good shooter with a lot of defensive potential...reminds me of a hybrid of Jimmy Jackson and Doug Christie

what are the thoughts of trading a future first(top 15,Top 10, Top 5 protected) for the kid?
 
#2
Off the top of my head this is what Memphis' roster looks like

Gasol / Thabeet

Randolph / Arthur

Rudy Gay / Sam Young

OJ Mayo / Tony Allen / Henry

Conley / Vasquez

A lot of talent at every position, with the weakest being at point guard. And since the Kings have no point guard to trade them it won't be easy to make a trade with them without going overboard and involving more teams.

So I actually had the same idea as you about trading a pick instead, which would probably be a steal. I just don't know if Memphis would do it.
 
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#3
Seems like a good idea, since he's the type of player we'd be looking for in next year's draft anyway. He was only the 12th pick, so if the Grizz want to hit the reset button, our pick could be sufficient. If they thought they had a major steal at 12, I can't see them screwing him around for that little money. The trick would be balancing how protected to make the pick so that it's acceptable risk for us and sufficient value for the Grizz.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#4
Off the top of my head this is what Memphis' roster looks like

Gasol / Thabeet

Randolph / Arthur

Rudy Gay / Sam Young

OJ Mayo / Henry

Conley / Vasquez

A lot of talent at every position, with the weakest being at point guard. And since the Kings have no point guard to trade them it won't be easy to make a trade with them without going overboard and involving more teams.

So I actually had the same idea as you about trading a pick instead, which would probably be a steal. I just don't know if Memphis would do it.
Just how much meaning this has is up for debate, but in summer league they had Mayo playing point guard. I know that right now Vasquez is injured and may require surgery. But maybe their long range plans is for a three man rotation of Mayo, Conley and Vasquez. With both Vasquez and Mayo spending time at the point. Henry is a 2/3 position player and has no ability to play the point, so he's pretty well defined. Losing Henry would leave them thin at the shooting guard position long term, but they do have Tony Allen, who would probably get minutes ahead of Henry anyway.

Bottom line, is that I would love to aquire him, but I would really be surprised if Memphis were to let him go. But then, they have been known to fly cheap..
 
#5
If we can somehow turn our #5 and #33 picks to coming out of this draft with DMC, HassanCHOP and XHenry then the next logical step is to have a small Petrie shrine in all Sac houses...
 
#7
I'd offer a top-10 protected first, and maybe throw in the 2nd we just got in the Brockman trade. Worth a shot.

Totally agree.

C: Dalembert, Cousins, Whiteside
PF: Landry, Thompson, Jackson
SF: Greene, Casspi, Wright
SG: Garcia, Henry, Sloan
PG: Evans, Beno, Jeter

Solid line-up. Don't know if Jackson or Sloan make the team, but that's a nice roster going into the season.
 
#8
I'd offer a top-10 protected first, and maybe throw in the 2nd we just got in the Brockman trade. Worth a shot.
That sounds like exactly the right offer from our perspective. It might not entice the Grizz, but he was only #12 so they aren't really losing value. No telling if the Kings like him, but his size, shooting and rebounding/defensive potential would all look good next to Tyreke. I don't remember, did the Kings even have him in for a workout?
 
#9
That sounds like exactly the right offer from our perspective. It might not entice the Grizz, but he was only #12 so they aren't really losing value. No telling if the Kings like him, but his size, shooting and rebounding/defensive potential would all look good next to Tyreke. I don't remember, did the Kings even have him in for a workout?
I'd even go as high as top 5 or 7 protected, just to entice. We shouldn't be drafting that high anyways unless we get lucky in the lotto.

I thought this was a longshot when I read the OP...but then it kind of struck me that Henry might have been just backup for Gay not resigning, and now that they've got Gay, May and a free agent Allen locked in for the forseeable future...they might like another high pick next year in what promises to be a much better PG draft.

Henry would be a really nice fit. He strikes me as someone who does not have great upside as a primary player, but who could be an elite level role player. Someone who averages an efficient 15-16 points per game and can be a go-to guy when he has the amtchup advantage.
 
#10
I wouldn't go overboard with offering a first round pick unless we know for sure that pick is at best late teens, which means I wouldn't offer a pick at all because not even God knows how the Kings will fare. That pick could be in the late lottery, at which point I would rather keep it.

Henry is a good player, I like him, but not sure of all the love that's showering him already. He hasn't proven a thing in the NBA and is not a sure-thing by any stretch of the imagination.

With that said, Memphis has the Zach Randolph situation to deal with. Randolph still has one more year left but If I have to bet, I think Memphis is prepared to go on without him. So the Griz needs a PF, not now but soon. Maybe they'll take Carl Landry as a look-see and maybe re-sign him next season as Zach's replacement. Not sure if you want to trade Landry for Henry but somehow I dont see Landry as part of the Kings' future so he is expandable in my book.
 
#11
I wouldn't go overboard with offering a first round pick unless we know for sure that pick is at best late teens, which means I wouldn't offer a pick at all because not even God knows how the Kings will fare. That pick could be in the late lottery, at which point I would rather keep it.

Henry is a good player, I like him, but not sure of all the love that's showering him already. He hasn't proven a thing in the NBA and is not a sure-thing by any stretch of the imagination.
You know who else hasn't proven anything in the NBA and isn't a sure thing? Whoever is taken with our first round pick next year late lottery or not. That argument doesn't make sense.

The question is whether Xavier Henry is good and a good fit and whether a late lottery pick next year would be worth more. We need a role playing shooter who can defend and really, he's about as nice a prospect as you'll find like that.

BTW - He really is a pretty sure thing. He was a great high school player who had a great freshman year fitting in on a star laden team and has a game perfectly suited for the NBA. The question with him isn't will he make it as much as how high is the upside.
 
#12
Henry would be a really nice fit. He strikes me as someone who does not have great upside as a primary player, but who could be an elite level role player. Someone who averages an efficient 15-16 points per game and can be a go-to guy when he has the amtchup advantage.
His limitation from being a star is apparantly that he isn't great at creating his own shot, which is fine for us because that's not what we're looking for anyway. Catch and shoot, rebound, and defend works. He needs to work on his ballhandling and would ideally learn to take advantage of his size in the post, but he's super young.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#13
uhm he is a good 3pt shooter 41% commited to play defense good passer above average athetisism. Uhm Petrie should be knocking down the door in memphis. This could be the guy.
 
#15
Why does it matter that he isn't too effective off the dribble?

Tyreke needs the ball in his hands at all to be effective with his penetration which isn't necessarily a bad thing

The ideal guy is someone who can feed off tyreke's ability to draw doubles by stopping up and being able to hit the 3
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#16
Why does it matter that he isn't too effective off the dribble?

Tyreke needs the ball in his hands at all to be effective with his penetration which isn't necessarily a bad thing

The ideal guy is someone who can feed off tyreke's ability to draw doubles by stopping up and being able to hit the 3
I think its somewhat important for the shooting guard to be able to handle the ball at times to take some of the pressure off Evans. Henry handles the ball just fine. I think the criticism of his shot creativity is a little overblown. He played in a very rigid system at Kansas and really didn't have much opportunity to show off his game. He's going to be a very solid player. He might never be a star, but he's going to be a good starting SG that can also play a little SF on occasion. He already has an NBA body and isn't afraid of contact. If there was any way to pry him loose from Memphis at a reasonable cost, he's be a great addition.
 
#17
You know who else hasn't proven anything in the NBA and isn't a sure thing? Whoever is taken with our first round pick next year late lottery or not. That argument doesn't make sense.

People are throwing next year's first round pick as if it's cheap jewelry. As if there isn't a single good player to be had in next year's draft or perhaps assume that Henry is better than anyone available at whichever position the Kings pick next year.

That may well be true but to say it must be true, at this point in time, just smack of ignorance.

Henry is a potential solid role player who is probably not a star. That's the book on Henry. A solid guy, a future MLE type of guys. To go all out and give up a 1st round pick for a "solid guy not not a star" is not something I'd do. Especially for a guy who plays a position that is a dime a dozen in the NBA.

Doesn't mean I dont want him, but like bajaden said, the price has to be reasonable.
 
#18
The discussion is mostly acquiring a guy who was picked #12 for a pick that is no better than #11, so it's not exactly tossing around picks after magic beans. If we're talking about a player PLUS a pick for a kid that's never played a game, I'd agree that's getting excessive.

If Petrie felt Henry fit the type of player he'd be looking for in next year's draft anyway, it could be a reasonable move to essentially make the pick a year early. Of course, we don't know the F.O. assessment of either our future needs or of Henry, but we're just musing about a kid that could be available and who has an interesting package of skills given our apparent needs. I don't see anybody gungho over giving up the motherlode for him.
 
#19
I'd like to make the point that a given draft pick in Petrie's hands is more valuable than a given draft pick in any other GM's hands. He is the best drafter in the league. Unless he has the hots for X Henry for some reason, I say let him draft that guy with next year's first rounder.
 
#20
Why not a Henry for Whiteside trade. The Griz are pretty well set at center but not so much at PF.

Henry could certainly fit with the Kings need for an outside threat that can play some D.

Both of them probably wouldn't play much right away but could work out for both teams in the future.
 
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#21
Why not a Henry for Whiteside trade. The Griz are pretty well set at center but not so much at PF.

Henry could certainly fit with the Kings need for an outside threat that can play some D.

Both of them probably wouldn't play much right away but could work out for both teams in the future.
No way. The Kings think they have a steal and something special in Whiteside. Our need for another outside threat is not at all that desperate, and certainly not as great as our need for an elite shotblocker, which the Kings think Whiteside can become. This is giving away a need for a luxury.
 
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hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
#22
For what it's worth, next year's draft lottery is currently looking like it will contain a lot of forwards. Actually, if you look at who the top prospects are next year, there might not be a prototypical SG (right size, right skill set) in the whole first round. There will almost certainly be a few under-the-radar guys who come up over the course of next year, but as it currently stands our depth chart is pretty well stocked at every position except SG which makes it unlikely we luck into a BPA next year which fits our needs. That should probably be a factor here. I think a top 10 protected pick would be pretty fair in this case. We get another young talent a year sooner at the position we need it most and Memphis gets a shot at a re-do next year or, at best, a better pick some time down the line. I hate trading first round picks, but this case would be an exception. We'd be getting a solid first round talent in return. Hope for a top 10 pick next year and that pick we trade to Memphis probably drops down into the 20s the following year. :)
 
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#23
For what it's worth, next year's draft lottery is currently looking like it will contain a lot of forwards. Actually, if you look at who the top prospects are next year, there might not be a prototypical SG (right size, right skill set) in the whole first round.
That was part of my thinking. I only know next year's crop from summaries I've read, but so far most of the top wings are sounding more like 3's than 2's.
 
#24
People are throwing next year's first round pick as if it's cheap jewelry. As if there isn't a single good player to be had in next year's draft or perhaps assume that Henry is better than anyone available at whichever position the Kings pick next year.

That may well be true but to say it must be true, at this point in time, just smack of ignorance.

Henry is a potential solid role player who is probably not a star. That's the book on Henry. A solid guy, a future MLE type of guys. To go all out and give up a 1st round pick for a "solid guy not not a star" is not something I'd do. Especially for a guy who plays a position that is a dime a dozen in the NBA.

Doesn't mean I dont want him, but like bajaden said, the price has to be reasonable.
We're talking about trading next year's pick for a guy who was just the 12th pick in this year's draft. Somehow without even playing a minute you've decreased his value to a low teens pick in the 2011 draft.

He's got a ceiling is a borderline star and he's a good bet to be an above average starter. Which unless you're picking in the top 5 is actually a really good value for a first round pick.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#25
yeah Id say a top 5 protected would sound about right. Who knows we may get that 1st rounder back come trade deadline. Our building through draft is almost complete. A player like Henry is what it would take to complete it. We go our PG we got our C we got 2 great SF and 2 role playing PF and another role playing pf/c We got a veteran knows his role SG we got a veteran legit backup PG. Henry would be the next level role playing SG to fit right in with the rest. Time to grow and an upgrade here or there down the road. But after this season I think trying to stay with draftees will start to inhibit what we have built thus far. I just feel Henry could be the final piece then its game on and lets start growing together.
 
#27
Since I actually knew a little bit about this draft class as high schoolers, I myself had him rated right behind Demarcus as the number 2 high school senior before going to college.

He would be an AWESOME fit next to Tyreke. He's got way more talent and potential than he showed at Kansas. If the Kings had any shot at this kid I say do whatever it takes outside of the obvious in DMC and Reke to get him.
 
#28
exactly If Henry stayed for 1 more year at Kansas he would be a top 5 pick next year.
Yes, this is absolutely true, depending on his role of course. If you youtube up some of his highlights in high school you can see the various abilities Henry has. He's incredibly multi-faceted, but didn't get to show that on a very established Kansas team.
 
#30
I really like this idea for two huge reasons:

1. Look at how old DeMarcus, Tyreke and Hassan are. Donte Greene as well. You add Henry, and you have a future starting 5 that can grow into their games together.

2. We can't forget that we are only guaranteed 3 more years of Tyreke. It's crucial that we surround Tyreke with the right pieces of the puzzle to make sure he knows that his best situation would be to just resign with us. Putting Henry in a backcourt with Evans, along with 3 young bigs (Cousins, Whiteside and Thompson) and two young SF's in Greene and Casspi, and I think we lock down Reke to a long term deal.


Having said all of that, I'd prefer to offer them our No.1 pick (top 8 protected... at least) in the 2012 draft. They could end up with the 17th or 18th pick in 2012 from us, and I think Henry is definitely worth that.