Dunn + Lavine + Markannen for Butler. No all-stars, but a few solid pieces.
Markannen is at least as good (and possibly even better) than Brown and Tatum. Whether you knew that at the time of the trade is an open question, but there's no denying it after the fact.
Also, Davis is a lot better than Butler.
Oladipo + Sabonis for George. Anyone think that Oladipo had more upside last year than Rozier does this year?
Just about everyone who paid attention. Oladipo was a 24-year-old former #2 overall pick on the tail end of three solid seasons. While no-one really expected him to turn into a do-it-all go-to guy, any comparison with Terry Three-Dash is laughable.
Moreover, George didn't exactly help his trade value by allowing those LA rumors to linger. Are we waiting for Davis to ask for a trade or something?
Hield, Evans (expiring), Galloway, a 1st, (mid-round) and a 2nd for Cousins. No all-stars.
No-one in the NBA really wants Cousins and his baggage. I'd bet you that a roll of the dice on 23yo Buddy Hield coming off of a breakout season (where he was a bit more productive than Jaylen Brown, albeit in the Sacramento purgatory) was the best that they could get.
Bradley (expiring), Harris, Boban, and a 1st (mid-round) for Griffin. No all-stars, but a few solid starters.
Blake Griffin has averaged fewer than 60 games a season since 2014. This deal is probably pennies on the dollar if he stays healthy.... but it's a considerable if.
In a neutral market, a team might be happy to get Rozier, Yabu, contract filler, and the Kings pick.
This is not happening. It isn't happening now, and it probably wouldn't be happening even if Davis had declared his intent to walk in free agency (if he weren't locked up by 2021, that is...).
Markanen as good as Brown and/or Tatum? Can't agree with you there.
I always like Oladipo, but it would be intellectually dishonest for anyone to say that they thought last year he'd be this good.
Quote from you on this page
http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=92213.255Victor Oladipo is better than anyone they could have gotten in exchange for a potential one-year George rental. He did manage to average 16ppg on a team that had Russell Westbrook. Sabonis is a decent young prospect.
The Pacers did alright here.
I can tell you thought better of Oladipo than most did, but I doubt you had any idea he would be this good. To say he is comparable to Rozier is not a stretch. Athleticism, length, and shooting are comparable.
Rozier's per 36 this season is 16, 6, 4, 1.5 on 40/39/77 shooting splits.
Oladipo's per 36 from his age 23 season were 17, 5, 4, 2 on 44/35/83 shooting splits
I don't disagree that the Griffin and Cousins situations were a bit unique, but they fall in line with the pattern from the other big trades.
The difference, as you noted, is the contract years remaining. That probably just means no trade will happen.
You can just say "this is not happening" all you want. Fact remains that Rozier, Yabu, and a high draft pick is a comparable value to these other trade packages for a star player. The difference is that we have more elite talent on the roster that other GMs will get greedy for.