Thanksgiving Trade Idea

As I was pondering the right spices for the cornbread stuffing, I was also considering the plight of the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers. Currently, the Mavericks sit in a division with where Houston and New Orleans possess better 1-10 roster talent, and ever-dangerous San Antonio. With an aging Jason Kidd, a stagnating Dirk Nowitzki and a bunch of interesting, but not ready for primetime pieces, Dallas looks to max out this year at 45 wins, counting a playoff win or two before they bow out.

As for the Blazers, it is often stupefying to watch Nate McMillan try to cope with the bevy of young talent he has. But for as many times as he has looked outclassed early this season (certainly the opening game against the Lakers comes to mind, but also a couple of Suns games where he was badly outcoached by Terry Porter, who is often overmatched by between-quarter softball interviews on ESPN), McMillan has his team near the top of the Northwest Division. Still, Greg Oden is struggling to be an asset on the court, and some of the Blazers subs are grumbling about playing time, with one looking to make an international incident of it. Inevitably, GM Kevin Pritchard has to do more than saddle McMillan with buckets of "raw talent," labeled like the turkey parts destined for my mom's freezer. Pritchard has to evolve his approach, and shape the roster into a winner.

So here's what I'm thinking...

Jason Terry for Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and Sergio Rodriguez. (To make roster room, Dallas could cut James Singleton.)

Why it works for the Mavs

Getting out from under 4 years and $40 million of Terry's contract is no small feat. In the near term, it gives coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson some wiggle room to change their roster this coming off-season, since Frye and Outlaw are free agents. If owner Mark Cuban wants to get in on the 07/01/2010 action, this trade could also be one step closer to trying to land a big time free agent to pair with Dirk (or replace Dirk). Certainly, such a move would be an admission of defeat at some level, but it also re-engerizes the team with a young, fast PG and two athletic forwards who can shoot with range and defend multiple positions. With Carlisle looking to run a bit more, this trade gives him competent pieces for an up-tempo style.

Why it works for the Blazers

The genesis for this trade idea may have been this article. To quickly summarize, Brandon Roy handles the ball a lot, and should be complemented by players who do other things without pounding the rock. Jason Terry showed up on that short list, and is probably the most talented of the possibly available players. A Terry-Roy starting backcourt could improve spacing and take offensive pressure off of the other starters.

The Blazers also need to start cashing in some of the their talent depth for quality players. I was a big advocate of the proposed Devin Harris for Jarrett Jack-Outlaw-Frye portion of the nixed Kidd deal last year, for the same reason. No NBA coach can handle more than 9 rotation players, and the egos that go with it. Whether McMillan likes it or not, Frye and Outlaw have logged big minutes at points in their career, and Rodriguez certainly believes he should. Yet, none of these players figure into their future plans.

One final note: Terry is from Seattle, is a veteran who is not afraid to chat with reporters, and generally considered a good guy. For a franchise looking to change its image and maybe conquer the franchise-less Seattle and Vancouver markets, Terry could be useful. For a young team with a lot of pressure and media attention on it, Terry could be a godsend.

What could nix this trade

One problem with Terry is his age: 31 is kinda old for a small guard who relies on speed. Another is his declining FG and 3PT percentages. Put them together and the Blazers might not be so happy to play $11 million to Terry in 2011-2012. On the other hand, big extensions for centerpieces Roy, Aldridge and (hopefully) Oden are not far away, so I doubt Portland will be much of a participant in the LeBron Lottery. Terry is still a dangerous scorer, a clutch-y shooter, and a pesky defender with lots of playoff experience.

On the Dallas end, its a tricky business trying to sell your team as a winner. This trade might not go so well in a precarious economic climate: it would have to be sold as a long-term decision. Still, Cuban has always tried to blaze his own trail, so potential marketing problems don't necessarily make this trade a non-starter.

Feel free to share your thoughts below...