In 10 minutes I got it.... GM Hat on
Step 1:
First thing I would do is go talk to Mike Brown and say “Look Metta has to come out of the starting lineup.” Yes I want him playing with the starters, but not as a starter.. Make Jamison the starting 3 for now to see if it lights a fire under Metta’s ***.. As well as Jamison who needs the boost.. On the court with 4 Potential All Stars will be tremendous for him offensively. Our starters play 7-9 minutes a quarter. Jamison starts and plays 7 minutes with the starters. Second Quarter Metta plays 7-9mins with the starters… 3rd Quarter Jamison 7-9 mins with Starters.. 4th Quarter Metta 7-9 minutes with the starters. Also get Metta 7 minutes with the Second Unit. Ebanks plays the rest of the minutes at the 3 (Assuming there is 8-12 minutes left).. Jamison will get about 6 minutes at PF. Hill gets 18 minutes. Sacre garbage minutes.. Pau & Howard the rest
May look complicated but what I’m saying:
SF: Jamison 14-18/ Metta 24-25/ Ebanks 8-12
PF: Pau 22/ Jamison 8-10 / Hill 16-18
C: Howard 34/ Pau 12/ Sacre 2-4
Step 2:
It’s time to play odd man out.. Someone has to get cut.. DJO makes the least amount $473K. He had a spot lined up to play in Russia or or something…He also won't get playing time this year or next.. And if he’s available come next year considering his contract will have expired, we can get him without waiting the year period.
This opens up a roster space for signing Delonte West who will now be our primary backup. With Blake getting a few minutes in the second quarter. Also cut Nash’s minutes to 30.
Step 3:
We shop Duhon and we shop Blake (preferably Blake because he’s easier to trade based on skill).. Cavs desperately need a backup PG. We can actually trade Blake for a TPE because the Cavs have $10mil in cap space. But if need be we take back a Boobie Gibson or Omri Casspi. Casspi was supposed to be traded in the offseason, but they couldn’t find a taker. He’s currently 3rd on the depth chart for SF. He didn’t even play in the opener, when Luke got 12 mins of play.. Hell we could even take Luke who is expiring..
Step 4:
Assuming Casspi is the most likely, it leaves us at a good spot.. We’d have Morris, Duhon, Clark, Ebanks, Jamison, Casspi all technically 1 year deals.. Duhon is only $1.5mil guaranteed for next year... And we wait a few months. We look for teams who would want cap space, and are just out of the reach of the playoffs. In my mind the Wizards are a prime example.
Wall, Beal, Okafor & Nene will be $39mil in salary next year... About $12 mil more left in salaries that are all Team Options..And Wall would be in his last year before restricted FA in 2014-2015 where he will get a max deal based on every middle of the pack PG getting $9-10mil.
Trevor Ariza will be sitting on a player option next year. That he will likely take. At $7.7mil.
Keeping Ariza will put them at around $46-48 mil. Without the options on Vesely, Serapin, Singleton, Booker & Crawford. Vesely & Crawford would definitely be picked up. Which puts them at only $8mil of space on 7 players..
Getting rid of Ariza will allow them to get 1 solid starting piece through free agency, and some complimentary bench pieces. And have $10-20 mil in cap the year Wall becomes a RFA (after signing Wall)..
So you offer Casspi, Clark & Duhon (or any combination of the Lakers at $7mil of 1 year contracts) to the Wizards for Ariza come the trade deadline. And the Wizards save $6million next year and all they have to do is buy out Duhon for $1.5mil, or try to trade him before the deadline hits July 1, 2013. Or have Lakers pay part of it in the trade.
This is assuming the Wizards are outside of the playoffs come All Star Break.. Which is 50/50. They're still a year out. If they are looking to make the playoffs.. Look elsewhere for a backup 3.
Then you go into the playoffs with a bench of
West
Morris
Meeks
Ariza
Ebanks
Jamison
Hill
Sacre
GM Hat off