12218085 bestfour wrote:@ESPNSteinLine: Cavs know it'll cost Wiggins/Bennett/future first to get Love. If Wolves insist on moving Kevin Martin with Love, more pieces must be added
Thanks for posting. I'm not sure why Flip would be so intent on trading Kevin Martin as part of the Love deal unless we are getting Waiters in return. And I just don't see the Cavs including Waiters. Nor do I see the Wolves insisting on Waiters. I don't see why Flip would be so intent on including JJ Barea in our outgoing package since his salary isn't that big and, more importantly, his contract expires the end of this season. The guys I'd be shopping just to get rid of their contracts would be Martin, Luc MM, Brewer and Budinger.
Martin has the worst contract of these four, but he may be the most valuable to us given our lack of three-point shooting, especially if we trade Love for a Wiggins/Bennet package. And seeing the contracts being given around the League this summer, Martin's contract doesn't looks quite as bad as it did. I also think a guy like Martin is very tradeable around the Feb. trade deadline when teams in the mix try to add a missing piece they believe they need to fill to compete down the stretch. A veteran shooting specialist like Martin would be that type of player.
I like Corey a lot, but he just wouldn't fit well on a team like the post-Love Wolves who are seriously deficient in the 3-point shooting department. Moreover, while I like Corey's energy and ability to disrupt the opposing team's offense and generate turnover, he's not a good on-ball defender and often gets overpowered by opposing SFs or out-quicked by opposing SGs.
Moute is a very good multi-position defender, but he's an absolute zero on the offensive end. His complete ineptitude on the offensive end makes him a net liability and not worth a roster spot.
Budinger's value really hinges on the health of his sugerically repaired knee. If sound, he's the guy I'd most like to keep. His annual salary isn't terrible and he's still young. While not a good defender, he's not a terrible defender like Martin. He's a good, not great, 3-point shooter who also excels at moving without the ball and cutting to the basket. He's also a very good athlete with nice hops. But if there are any lingering questions about his knee, then I'd want to move him.
Bottom line is that all these guys are expendable as part of reshaping the roster in the post-Love era. If we do end up getting Wiggins, Bennett and change, the team will likely be built around Wiggins, LaVine, and Rubio at the core with Shabazz and Bennett as candidates to fill out the core.
