Not-So-Asinine Trade Post: 2010-11 Eastern Conference Edition

Part Two of the Not-So-Asinine Trade Post, for easier reading.

Note: Clicking on each teams logo will link to their salary cap information from shamsports.com. It opens in a new window.

Link to Part One: Western Conference Edition

Atlantic Division:

Source: Chuck McKenney, Red's Army

• Team Needs:

  "Healthy bodies. The return of Kendrick Perkins bolsters our front court depth. Now the Celtics can absorb the loss of Jermaine O'Neal (knee) and Shaq (hip). With Delonte West (wrist) weeks away, the Celtics bench will get its back-up point guard back and that allows Nate Robinson to shift to his more natural position - shooting guard."

• Who Would You Want:

  "I like Omri Casspi. He'd be a great back-up to Paul Pierce at small forward and is a guy who could ultimately succeed him as the starter. He's a good shooter and that's a skillset GM Danny Ainge has repeatedly said he'd like to upgrade on the second unit. I cannot imagine a scenario where Casspi would be traded to Boston... or any team for that matter. He's a talented young player with a cheap contract. "

• My Analysis:  This is an impressively deep team.  If they can stay healthy they're my favorites to win the championship.  Although they do tend to rely on the veterans a lot, they have a nice group of young guys led by Rajon Rondo, who might just be their most valuable player.  One young guy who I like though hasn't seen much time and that's Avery Bradley.  Bradley is a defensive minded guy who can also hit his open shots, and he just broke the D-League record for steals in a game with 9.
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us: I doubt it.  This is a team that is set in their ways and has everyone focused on the singular goal of winning a championship.  Bringing new blood that doesn't significantly improve them isn't ideal.  Plus, the Big 3 isn't going to be around forever, so trading away what little young talent they do have for a minor upgrade in the here and now seems senseless.  
  

Source: Devin Kharpertian, Nets Are Scorching

• Team Needs:

  "A better question: what don't the Nets need? In terms of efficiency, the team is 28th offensively and 21st defensively. Outside of Brook Lopez, there's no untouchable on the Nets, and even he's had a surprisingly down year. Two places that the Nets are especially weak in are forcing turnovers (last in the NBA) & shooting (3rd-last in effective FG%). The Nets could use anybody to help in these two areas."

• Who Would You Want:

  "The first guy I'd be interested in for the Nets is Omri Casspi. He can shoot the longball pretty well and helps a little bit on the glass. With Anthony Morrow out & Devin Harris being a poor shooter from deep, having a guy who can spread the floor is becoming increasingly important for this team. The second guy I'd take a crack at is Beno Udrih. In the past two years he's proven to be an efficient scorer in limited possessions and doesn't seem to be too bad at facilitating the offense in his smaller role."

• My Analysis: There's a few options I like here.  One would be to try to make a move for Devin Harris.  Harris isn't the ideal Tyreke backcourt mate (he's a poor three point shooter for one), but he's an excellent point guard.  He assists at a high rate and he can score the ball too.  He's almost like a younger version of Andre Miller, except quicker and more athletic.  New Jersey also has sharpshooter Anthony Morrow, who has shot 623 three pointers in his 2 and a half years, and hit an astonishing 45.1% of them.  He's a bit one dimensional but he also fits a huge need for Sacramento as a reliable outside shooter.
• Likelihood of a Trade between us: Acquiring Harris would probably be a little too expensive for Sacramento's tastes.  New Jersey would probably want a mixture of young talent like Casspi and Thompson, as well as taking Travis Outlaw's ridiculous contract.  Trading for Morrow seems like it'd be a much simpler affair, but its hard to find a deal that makes sense for both teams.  I don't see Sacramento trading with New Jersey, at least not without another team involved.

Source: Seth Rosenthal, Posting and Toasting

• Team Needs: 

  "Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, and a back-up point guard. The Knicks could probably also use another big-time scorer, but that's probably a separate endeavor."

• Who Would You Want:

  "Two Kings the Knicks would probably like: Samuel Dalembert or Jason Thompson. Both of those guys are solid rebounders, and Dalembert in particular is a legitimate defensive presence to pair with Amar'e Stoudemire."

• My Analysis: The Knicks have made a pretty big improvement this year, and not all of it is Stoudemire.  Landry Fields has been the surprise of the year, and Felton has been great in D'Antoni's system.  There are a few guys that might be available though.  I used to like Toney Douglas for his defensive tenacity and ability to shoot, but he's become a bit of a chucker and is shooting at a much lower percentage this year.  Anthony Randolph still has loads of potential but you have to wonder how he hasn't managed to find success in two systems that he's tailor made for.
• Likelihood of a Trade between us:  Well if the Knicks decide they don't want to trade for Carmelo, they could try to bolster their defense and frontcourt by trading Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph for Dalembert.  I don't think the Kings have all that high an opinion of Randolph though or they simply would've drafted him instead of JT.
  

Source: Jordan Sams, Liberty Ballers

• Team Needs:

  "Backup point guard, Small forward who can consistently keep defenses honest with his three-point range, and isn't a complete liability on defense. And a defensive/rebound big man(s)."

• Who Would You Want:

  "Casspi, Garcia or Whiteside"

• My Analysis: The one guy I really want from Philadelphia is Jrue Holiday.  He can shoot, defend and pass.  He also is probably the only guy on the entire roster that Philadelphia wouldn't trade.  Andre Iguodala has also been rumored in various trades as well, but its uncertain whether he's actually available or not.  He'd definitely be a big upgrade in talent for the Kings, as he's a stellar defender and athlete, and a decent passer as well.  His biggest weakness however is shooting, and he's only a career 32.3% shooter from downtown.  The other guy that intrigues me is Jodie Meeks.  Meeks is a bit like a poor man's Anthony Morrow.
• Likelihood of a Trade Between us:  I could see it happening if the Kings were interested in Iguodala (which I don't think they are).  The Kings have assets that the Sixers would like, but besides Iguodala and Holiday (both of whom might be unavailable) I don't see anything that would interest the Kings here. 
  

Source:  Adam Francis, Raptors HQ

• Team Needs:

  "Everything. In all seriousness, the Raps are on pace for less than 25 wins at present so it's hard to say they're secure in any one area. The team does have some interesting prospects at the 4 spot but again, nothing rock solid. Right now this team is majorly lacking in talent, and could use upgrades everywhere."

• Who Would You Want:

  "To be honest, there's not a lot the Raps could use from the Kings once Evans and Cousins are taken out of the picture. Guys like Casspi, Green and Thompson are interesting, but not sure they're a huge upgrade over anything the Raptors have now. Toronto has a great bench, one of the best in the league by Hollinger's metrics. But they seriously lack starting caliber players, so the only King that might make sense in this regard is Samuel Dalembert. If the Raps continue to commit suicide by playing Andrea Bargnani 40 minutes a game, he needs to be surrounded by excellent rebounders and shot-blockers at the 3 and 5 spot, and Dalembert would fill one of those.

  The problem is, he's got a bit of a checkered past with certain folks around the Raptors, even colour-commentator and Canadian Men's National Team coach Leo Rautins, and he tends to think he's a much better offensive player than he is. Add on his giant contract that would have to be absorbed and the fact that unless Toronto was sure they could re-sign him, they would essentially be renting him for a few months, and it's not a slam-dunk trade idea by any means. And furthermore, is he that much of an upgrade over guys like Amir Johnson and Ed Davis?"

• My Analysis:  Now this is an interesting roster.  I know some people think Jose Calderon would be a good choice for a point guard with this team due to his excellent shooting and passing skills, but I'm a bit wary of his defense (terrible), contract (long and expensive) and injury history.  There is no doubt he's talented though.  One guy who I used to think would make a good frontcourt partner for Sacramento was Andrea Bargnani, but I've soured on him as of late.  He's averaging the most points of his career, but he's also doing it on his worst efficiency.  It doesn't help that he's a terrible rebounder and defender as well, or that his big contract lasts till 2014/15.  Ed Davis and Jerryd Bayless are the only other guys that pass the sniff test with me, and there is no way Toronto is giving up on Ed Davis yet.  As for Bayless, he's proven that he needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and also that he's pretty inefficient and streaky as a scorer too.
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us: Very low.  Calderon is the only guy I could see the Kings possibly inquiring after, but the only way I'd be for it is if Beno and Cisco were both sent to Toronto in the same deal.  I don't see that happening, do you?

Central Division:

Source:  Mark Deeks, ShamSports

• Team Needs:

  "Two guard, backup point guard, an extra shooter. Also arguably an extra big, but that's not an emergency, and we likely won't need one by the deadline nearly as much as we do now."

• Who Would You Want:

  "Pretty much all of them. The Kings make for a surprisingly good trade partner for us. Casspi, Garcia, Udrih, Dalembert, Landry, Jackson, Jeter, Head, Taylor and Thompson could all help us in various ways. But the most obvious candidates are Casspi (who would allow Deng to play less than his current 76 minutes per game) and Garcia (long term salary is a problem, however)."

• My Analysis: All the media in the East this year has seemingly focused on the Miami Heat or what a surprise the Knicks have been, but to me the Bulls have been the biggest surprise, currently 3rd place in the East and only 3.5 games out of first (.5 out of 2nd) place.  They've been doing it too while missing guys like Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for big chunks of time.  This is a formidable team.  As for guys the Kings might be interested in, I'm not too sure.  Taj Gibson is the only one that piques my interest, as he's shown to be a solid rebounder and defender.  But he's not markedly better than a guy like Jason Thompson.
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us:  I could see something happening if Chicago felt they had enough to contend this year by getting a better two guard.  Francisco Garcia could be involved in a salary dump style trade with Chicago for a guy like Ronnie Brewer or Kyle Korver.  But Francisco has been instrumental for a lot of the young guys on the team, so I don't know if the Kings would do this kind of trade unless the Maloofs really are hurting in the money department or if Geoff Petrie has a higher opinion of guys like Taj Gibson/James Johnson than I do.
  

Source: John Krolik, Cavs the Blog

• Team Needs:

  "In short, everything."

• Who Would You Want: 

  "At this point, the only things the Cavs should be looking at are cap relief, draft picks (which I don't imagine the Kings will be offering), and potential high-upside young players that cost the Cavaliers literally nothing of value. That's basically it."

• My Analysis:  If you want proof of how good LeBron James is, look at this roster and realize that basically this same team + LeBron won 66 games last year.  Still, there are a few guys the Kings could be interested in.  Mo Williams is one of them, but if you just said "Gross", I'm right there with you.  Daniel "Boobie" Gibson is a guy I do like however, mainly because of his excellent three point shooting ability.  He doesn't do much else well though, although this year his assist rate has seen a big jump.  J.J. Hickson has seen his stock fall a lot,  proving he can't carry a bad team by himself.  That doesn't mean he can't be a good player, especially when he isn't the focal point (LeBron proved that). 
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us:  Very low.  The Kings could help the Cavs out by taking back a contract like Mo's or Jamison's, but anything they could give the Kings as sweetener likely wouldn't be enough.  The Kings have made it clear through numerous reports that they don't want to take back money right now unless its a slam dunk deal.  Nothing the Cavaliers can offer is a slam dunk deal.
  

Source: Steve Kays, Detroit Basketball

• Team Needs:

  "Everything. Just kidding. Sort of. The Detroit Pistons are lacking in several departments, most notably at point guard and center. Rodney Stuckey has shown he’s not the answer at PG, although he might have a promising future at the two-guard. Rookie Greg Monroe has given the team some good minutes at the center position over the past few weeks, but it’s doubtful he’ll ever be known as a defensive big. In short, the Pistons need a "pure" (playmaking) point guard and a defensive big man down low."

• Who Would You Want:

  "I’ve written about this before actually when I said the Pistons should look into acquiring Jason Thompson. As I said in that post, Thompson is a good rebounder especially on the offensive end and would give Detroit a nice one-two punch in the frontcourt with Thompson and Monroe.

  Other than Thompson, I’d love the Pistons to look into acquiring Carl Landry, even though he’s a) taken a step back this season statistically, b) is undersized much like the Pistons’ Jason Maxiell, and c) is about to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. But still, this is a guy who’s just a year removed from averaging 16 ppg and 6 rpg on 55% shooting in just 27 mpg for the Rockets. "

• My Analysis:  I would love to see the Kings acquire Tayshaun Prince, if not at the deadline, than in the offseason.  Prince is an excellent defender, proven winner, and a good shooter.  He can play either the PF or SF position and he'd be a good veteran to have around our young players.  The Kings could also use a lights out shooter/scorer like Ben Gordon, but I think the Pistons are planning on keeping him and instead shopping Rip Hamilton.  Rip's contract is too big and long contract is too much for the Kings to consider though.
• Likelihood of a trade between us: If it was a simple swap of expirings, I could see it happening.  Samuel Dalembert for Tayshaun Prince and Chris Wilcox works on paper, and it gives both teams something they need.  The Pistons might be able to get more for Prince from a contender in need of a veteran wing like Prince though, like Dallas.  I don't see the Kings touching any other Piston though.
  

Source: Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds

• Team Needs:

  "They need a high-level player inside, preferably an athlete who can finish and rebound strongly. Roy Hibbert is expected to be the long-term option at center and they want to make him an offensive focus. But they could really use a good PF next to him who can take on some of the defensive and rebounding burden. If he could catch some lobs and dunk on people that would be really helpful. A backcourt scorer would help as well. I think Larry Bird hopes Paul George can be that guy but if he isn't that guy then they need someone who can be."

• Who Would You Want:

  "Can't say I'm a huge fan of this roster. I'm a big Omri Casspi fan and he could be a super backup for Danny Granger. He's probably better than that amount of minutes though so might be a little wasted on Indy. Not sure Larry Bird would be willing to give up any real assets for a guy who would just play the 12 minutes per night that Granger is out. Not sure who else honestly. In theory, the Pacers could use Beno Udrih as a backup PG or maybe Francisco Garcia to get a few buckets, but both their contracts are too high. Donte Greene could be useful."

• My Analysis:  I love Danny Granger. Love him.  Unfortunately for me, so do the Pacers.  Besides Granger, the only other guy I think the Kings would be interested in is Darren Collison, and something tells me that the Pacers aren't going to give up on him yet despite a bit of a sophomore slump.  Brandon Rush might be available, and he's a good shooter too (40% over 3 years from downtown) but that's about all he can do.
• Likelihood of a trade between us:  Personally, I'd send our unprotected 1st rounder and Donté to Indiana for Granger, but I doubt the Pacers would take that deal, considering Larry Bird just recently came out and said that Granger won't be traded.  Since Collison is also likely unavailable, I don't see any trade happening with the Pacers.
  

Source: Frank Madden, Brew Hoop

• Team Needs:

  "Unfortunately the Bucks' two biggest problems are a lack of superstar and perpetual bad health, which are tough to address via trade. Other than that, they could certainly use some more size up front to complement Andrew Bogut, especially given that a) Drew Gooden's plantar fasciitis may bother him all season and b) Drew Gooden isn't all that good to begin with."

• Who Would You Want:

  "The Bucks had previously coveted Carl Landry while he was in Houston, so he's probably the first name that comes to mind. While his numbers have fallen off this year and he doesn't have great size for a PF, Landry has always been a guy who could score in the post and finish around the hoop, so that alone would make him useful on an offensively-challenged team like the Bucks. The fact that he's a local kid would just be gravy, though his expiring contract means the Bucks would potentially be losing him immediately if they didn't shell out for a new deal.

  Positionally, Jason Thompson would arguably be even more useful since he can play both the 4/5 positions and center is a bigger position of need."

• My Analysis:  The Bucks are positively loaded with young Power Forwards that I'd be all for Sacramento getting, and no I'm not talking about Nessie (we had a good run).  No, I'm talking about Larry Sanders, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova.  Sanders has had a bit of an up and down Rookie season, especially on the offensive end, but defensively he has a huge propensity for blocking shots (He averages 1.3 blocks in only 13.8 minutes).  Mbah a Moute is a better overall defender, especially around the perimeter, but he's a non-factor on offense.  Finally there's Ilyasova, a guy I call the Turkish Lamar Odom.  Ilyasova can play either the 3 or the 4, and is an excellent rebounder.  His three point shot isn't great, but its good enough to keep defenses honest, and his own defense is pretty good.
• Likelihood of a trade between us:  Despite a terrible start to the season, Milwaukee is only a half game out of the 8th spot in the East.  Sacramento could offer a package of Samuel Dalembert and Carl Landry together for a guy like Sanders or Ilyasova as well as Michael Redd's $18 million corpse and $3 million cash to the Kings.  That'd give the Kings something for Landry and Dalembert's expiring contracts, and it'd also allow Milwaukee to make a stronger playoff push.  Also I'm not sure, but I think most of Redd's contract is being paid by the NBA due to his injury, but I could be mistaken.  If that's the case though, this has the added bonus of saving the Kings even more money and we know how much they love that.  There's also the possibility of swapping JT for Ilyasova straight up.

Southeast Division:

Source: Kris Willis, Peachtree Hoops

• Team Needs:

  "Perimeter Defense, Point Guard of the future, Upgrade at Center"

• Who Would You Want:

  "Jason Thompson - I am not sure if the rumored Jeff Teague for Jason Thompson trade was actually discussed but I think he would be very good for the Hawks off the bench. Primarily if in Atlanta he could be used along with Zaza Pachulia as a back up big and would be a far superior upgrade to Josh Powell. Another upside to Thompson is his affordable contract. 

  Before the season I might have mentioned Samuel Dalembert but I can't find a trade that would be feasible for both sides. I don't think Atlanta would want to give up Jamal Crawford's expiring for Dalembert and I think it would be hard to match salaries particularly when Sam is in the last year of his contract and if interested the Hawks could pursue him during the offseason. "

• My Analysis: The Joe Johnson signing confirmed a suspicion of mine that the Hawks ownership is perfectly fine with staying above average and getting to the 2nd round every year, because it killed any of their flexibility to improve for the future.  Next year the Hawks will have $50.6 million invested in just 4 players (Johnson, Josh Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams).  The Kings only have $44.6 million invested into this years roster.  While the main guy I'd prefer the Kings to go after is Josh Smith (not gonna happen), Atlanta will probably try to ship out Marvin Williams first.  I'm not a big fan of Williams myself.  He's a rich man's Donté Greene, capable of showing awesomeness, but plagued by inconsistency.  Jeff Teague is interesting in his own right, but I don't think he's an ideal pairing in the backcourt with Tyreke Evans.
• Likelihood of a trade between us: Well there has already been a rumored Thompson for Teague swap and perhaps that could be revisited, but I doubt it.  With Landry and Dalembert as FAs, the Kings could use Thompson's size more than they could a score-first, slashing PG.  I don't see anything happening with Atlanta.
  

Source: David Arnott, Rufus on Fire

• Team Needs:

  "Part of determining the "most correct" answer to this question involves modeling the Cats' revenue flow should they make the playoffs and their revenue should they miss the playoffs, and then putting a value on attempting to make the playoffs, but missing out. I don't know where to start with that, but my default answer to this sort of question is "anyone decent and cheap", because the Cats do not have a championship-caliber star to build around."

• Who Would You Want:

  "It's pretty clear that Omri Casspi is the next most valuable player on Sacramento for a team like Charlotte. Even though his position(s) is filled by guys key to the Cats's present and future -- Wallace, Stephen Jackson, Gerald Henderson -- and he hasn't exactly lit the league on fire in a year and a half, Casspi has the kind of athleticism and all-around skills that could, conceivably, bloom into something special, so if the Cats were to ask after anyone on the Kings other than their two crown jewels, he would be the one.

  Following much of that same logic, Jason Thompson is the other one. Sheer athleticism, plus reasonably solid skills, plus youth amounts to a player that a non-championship team should definitely seek out and give a chance to succeed."

• My Analysis: Shall I regale you once again with my love of Tyrus Thomas?  Before his knee injury, Thomas was having the best season of his career, and despite coming off the bench, might've been Charlotte's most valuable player.  The other guy I really like is D.J. Augustin.  Back in 2008 he was the guy I was hoping the Kings would draft.  He's developed pretty nicely, especially this year after he was given the reins with Raymond Felton leaving for New York.  But while the Bobcats and Michael Jordan were reportedly rumored to be shopping Augustin earlier in the season, new coach Paul Silas really likes him.
• Likelihood of a trade between us: I could see a trade happening if only because Charlotte is vastly overpaying for a roster that probably shouldn't make the playoffs, and even if they do will do so as the 8th seed with a below .500 record.  Augustin would probably be the biggest target for Sacramento, and they could look to acquire him as some sort of sweetener for taking on a bigger contract off Charlotte's hands to save them some money. 
  

Source: David Dwork, Peninsula is Mightier

• Team Needs:

  "If the Heat could upgrade at any position right now I’d say that it would be at the point. With all the new additions to the team over the summer, point guard is the only place where Miami is rolling with the same two guys that they used all of last season. Those guys are Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers.

  Arroyo has been the starter for most of the season because he is a veteran leader and rarely makes mistakes while Chalmers can do a lot more with the ball offensively but taking more chances can lead to turnovers. The main problem doesn’t come on the offensive side of the floor though. Neither of these guys is very good on the defensive end and at times that has really hurt the Heat.

  At least with Chalmers he is still very young and has shown signs of improvement, but Arroyo’s play has dropped off significantly since the beginning of the season and over the last couple weeks he has lost a lot of playing time to Chalmers. Still, it would be nice to be able to pencil in one guy as the clear cut starting point guard but with the inconsistency of these two it leads the Heat coaching staff to juggle the lineup to the point where LeBron James and Dwyane Wade carry the responsibility of that position. "

• Who Would You Want:

  "The only player that the Heat could really use is at the position that they need the most help. Beno Udrih would add some stability and a little more of a dynamic to the point, and having a guy who can mix up his game the way that Udrih can could be beneficial to the Heat because of how many different looks their offensive can give, depending on who is on the floor.

  Defensively I know that Udrih isn’t going to make a huge difference, but he is always hustling and knows how to use his size to his advantage. The bottom line is that he wouldn’t be a major upgrade over anything the Heat already have on their roster and his salary is way too high, especially compared to the two point guards Miami already has."

• My Analysis: After you get around the untouchable Big Three, Miami does not have a lot to work with.  Just role players or aging veterans.  Nothing that entices me.  The only rookie they have is Dexter Pittman, and he makes DeMarcus Cousins look like an Abercrombie model by comparison.
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us: David is right that Beno would be a huge upgrade for Miami at the point, and a great fit too, but there isn't a deal that could work from Sacramento's perspective.  Salaries and talent levels just don't match up.  The Heat will be hard pressed to make any trade, not just with Sacramento.
  

Source: Evan Dunlap, Orlando Pinstriped Post

• Team Needs:

  "Orlando clearly needs another big man, a quality one who can play 20-25 minutes if needed, and the Kings indeed have a surplus of those."

• Who Would You Want:

  "I prefer Landry to Dalembert, but what the Magic need is interior D, and Dalembert provides more of that."

• My Analysis: The Magic have three guys I think that might be available and who I wouldn't mind seeing on the Kings: Ryan Anderson, J.J. Redick and Brandon Bass.  Anderson, while a middling rebounder for a PF, can shoot the ball from distance quite well, and is a solid defender.  Plus he's from the Sacramento area too, which is cool.  Redick has transformed himself from a one-dimensional shooter and added ball handling and defense to his game as well (the defense is what seperates him from a guy like Beno Udrih).  Bass is like a less efficient, better rebounding/defending Carl Landry.
• Likelihood of a Trade Between Us:  The Magic do need some big man depth rather desperately, especially with Brandon Bass sidelined with an injury for a while.  I doubt the Magic would go for Samuel Dalembert due to his $13 million contract, which would mean the Magic would have to trade a guy like Jason Richardson for him.  While I could see Sacramento doing that, especially if Orlando sent $3 million their way, I don't see the Magic doing it.  Dalembert would only get 10-12 minutes a night, while Richardson averages 34.4.  Richardson is more important to them.  Still, Evan suggests the possibility of a Dalembert and Garcia swap for Redick and Jason Richardson.  He also thinks this is unlikely because Redick is too important to the Magic, and the Kings might not want to give up the one mentor they have in Garcia.  

  Trading for a guy like Thompson or Landry would probably be a more realistic possibility.  Ryan Anderson is probably the least available, but perhaps a Landry for Bass trade would work as Orlando gets a bench upgrade and the Kings lock up a solid big man for two more years on the cheap.

Source: Mike Prada, Bullets Forever

• Team Needs:

  "Tough to say since we're so early in rebuilding, but if we're looking straight utility, small forward is a position of need, as is more help up front because Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee are question marks. In particular, I don't know how much longer Dray is sticking around, if it were up to the team. "

• Who Would You Want:

  "Omri Casspi definitely fills the small forward void, and while I'm not in love with him, I think his game as it stands now fits well. I also think it'll help for him to be alongside Paul Westphal now. Otherwise, probably Jason Thompson or Carl Landry comes to mind, though I worry both think they are a little better than they actually are."

• My Analysis:  Andray Blatche is a name that I'm sure intrigues some Kings fans.  So is Javale McGee.  Not for me though.  Blatche, despite his potential and relatively cheap contract, is possibly the least likeable player in the NBA, and not someone that I'd want around to help shape DeMarcus and Tyreke.  McGee is physically gifted and has a knack for blocking shots, but he also has a terrible basketball IQ and would always rather go for the "cool" play than the smart play.  There is a guy that I do like however, and that's Nick Young.  Young has benefited from Gilbert Arenas's departure, and is averaging a career high 17.3 points per game.  He's an excellent three point shooter and scorer.
  
• Likelihood of a trade between us:  While Blatche and McGee might be available for the right price, I don't think the Kings are looking to add more problem children to the fold at this moment.  DeMarcus is enough to be getting on with at the moment.  As for Young, the Wizards like what they see in him and the only way I see him getting moved is possibly as sweetener for anyone who wants to take Rashard Lewis's contract, which we know the Kings wouldn't want to do.