Sports Guy’s Trade Machine

Bill Simmons hit the trade machine hard as we approach the 3 pm deadline. Here is what he came up with for the Sixers and Andre Miller.

TRADE 5: Philly trades Andre Miller, Reggie Evans, Calvin Booth and Kevin Ollie to Minnesota for Theo Ratliff’s Expiring Contract, Sebastian Telfair, Chris Richard and Craig Smith.

Why Philly does it: I know, I know … this trade looks insanely lopsided on paper. So allow me to explain. Philly would use Miller to dump Evans’ contract, shed some luxury tax dollars (they’d save $8 million with this trade), pick up a good bargain in Smith (one of my favorite undersized power forwards, although they’d have to re-sign him), take a flyer on Telfair (showing some promise lately), and shed as much as $14 million in expiring deals after this season, giving them extra money to re-sign Andre Iguodala and remain a major player in this summer’s free agent market. I like Miller, but he’s never going to be an All-Star, he’s always stuck on losing teams and he’s a free agent in 2009, so you know they’re dumping him next season, anyway. Why wait a year? The 2008 free agent class is loaded and only four teams will be under the cap this summer? What’s the sense in waiting nine months to deal him for an expiring contract and a crummy No. 1 pick.

Why Minnesota does it: Here’s what I don’t understand about the NBA. You’re the T-Wolves. Your fans are ready to drink the Jim Jones Kool-Aid. You have no hope of ever luring a free agent there, and beyond that, you have a GM who shouldn’t be allowed to sign free agents under any circumstances. You also haven’t had a good point guard since Sam Cassell. So why not roll the dice with Miller and build around him, Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, Randy Foye and 2008 Lottery Pick X? Not a bad foundation, right? I don’t see how it helps Minnesota to get absolutely nothing out of Theo Ratliff’s Expiring Contract. I really don’t.

(By the way, is anyone else getting sad that we only have 24 hours left with Theo Ratliff’s Expiring Contract? I miss it already. Or him. Whatever it is.)

My Take: 

Uhhh, I cant really grasp this trade, and I don’t think the Sixers front office would go for it either, but it is kind of intriguing cap wise. I do like Craig Smith, and consider him and upgrade over Reggie Evans, however, I don’t see how this really betters the team. Bassy Telfair is a mess, Theo Ratliff again. Ill tell ya one thing though, I sure wont miss Kevin Ollie. No thanks though.

NEXT.