Why Sacremento should trade with us - their 2017 1st rounder is owed to Chicago

[Quetzalcoatl]

I have not seen anyone else make this point and there is no "Trade for Cousins" thread, so I'm posting this here.

So look at this:

2017 first round draft pick to Chicago
Sacramento's 1st round pick to Chicago (via Cleveland) protected for selections 1-10 in 2017; if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then Sacramento will instead convey its 2017 2nd round pick to Chicago protected for selections 56-60 (if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then Sacramento's obligation to Chicago will be extinguished) [Cleveland-Sacramento, 6/30/2011; Chicago-Cleveland, 1/7/2014]

http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

So basically, they have every incentive to tank next year and it's a totally loaded draft.  They seem to be inexplicably lining themselves up for the 11th or 12th pick right now though!  If they just tank this year, they only give up a second rounder.

If we traded them Smart + Amir + 2017 BK, then they could roll something like this out to start 2018:

PG: Markelle Fultz / Temple
SG: Marcus Smart / McLemore
SF: Jonathan Issac / Matt Barnes
PF: WCS / Casspi / Tolliver
C: Georgios Papagiannis / Koufos

Now that's a real team, right?  This is also assuming that they trade Rudy Gay and get a pick back or something. They could even do better than that and get Jackson or Giles.  That team above is a conservative guess at what they'd end up with.  Isn't that better than keeping Cousins and not getting a draft pick?  What am I missing here?  They'd have cap space galore on top of that.

[RJ87]

The pick is Top 10 protected. They've landed in the top 10 just fine with him there.

[Quetzalcoatl]

The pick is Top 10 protected. They've landed in the top 10 just fine with him there.

They've picked 8-6-8 the last 3 years.  Then they added Afflalo.  I really can't believe how short sighted their moves are - they're totally playing with fire this season if they go forward as is.

The funniest part is that they owe the pick from this trade in 2011: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/06/cavs_may_trade_jj_hickson_to_k.html

Where they got Omri Casspi for JJ Hickson + this pick.  Granted, that was before Vivec, but man that team has such a history...

[jpotter33]

Philly also has the ability to switch picks with them next year if their pick is higher than Philly's pick.

So they're pretty much screwed all around. They'll either get a middling mid-lottery pick or not one at all. They should want our 2017 pick swap for that.

[saltlover]

Really, what else should they do at this point?  I think their best chance is to sneak into the playoffs this season, because hopefully they finally have a real coach whom they'll let do his job without interference.  And the hopefully they can convince Boogie after a successful season that things are finally going upwards, and get him to sign an extension next summer.

[arctic 3.0]

Redacted

[action781]

I just looked at their roster and what I can't understand is why they are hoarding so many big men.

Cousins ($17M), Koufos ($8M), Cauley-Stein ($3.5M), Papagiannis and Labissiere are all centers in the NBA today.  Plus Tolliver ($7.8 M) and Casspi ($3M) who I think of more as a PF and Rudy Gay who can also play the small-ball PF position.

Probably what other teams say when they look at the Celtics.  It's almost like these two teams would make great trade partners...

[jpotter33]

Really, what else should they do at this point?  I think their best chance is to sneak into the playoffs this season, because hopefully they finally have a real coach whom they'll let do his job without interference.  And the hopefully they can convince Boogie after a successful season that things are finally going upwards, and get him to sign an extension next summer.

I think the chances of that are extremely slim. Even the most optimistic fan wouldn't have them in the top 8 or even 9. They'd have to bank on injuries.