Could (Should) The Wizards Go After Elton Brand?

There's been a couple comments on Truth About It and on Bullets Forever pertaining to the Wizards attempting to acquire Elton Brand, who has the choice to opt of the last year of his contract just like Gilbert Arenas. Well, let's explore some hypothetical scenarios.

5 months ago Truth About It Comment 7 comments 0 recs |

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Compelling Case...

... that it won’t happen this summer.

Someone needs to check me on this, math-wise, but if EB doesn’t opt out this summer (totally reasonable if he wants out and wants to be playing in his contract year) then scenario #2 might work NEXT summer – Etan’s contract (and body) will be more valuable to the Clips and we might actually be a destination for a title-seeking Brand.

by RamVA on May 16, 2008 12:55 PM EDT 0 recs

can't happen if arenas opts out, right?

this trade is only plausible if both arenas and brand are under contract and the wiz and clips decide to swap ‘em, right? so if gil opts out, then the point is moot because no way he accepts a sign and trade to the clips (minus elton brand), right? he’d know that team isn’t going to win anytime in the near future in that conference.

i suppose this discounts the possibility that the clips could make other additional moves to entice gilbert to LA, i.e., somehow sign jamison or some other free agent AND sign corey maggette too, but the clips would have to work all this out before the wiz signed gil and AJ, and i can’t reasonably see this happening. (nor can i see a GA and AJ for EB and CM joint sign and trade, b/c why would GA and AJ okay a move to LA in that case? they’d have a much better chance at winning in DC.)

as for the next year scenario: if brand is going to walk and his contract is coming off the books, why would the clips take etan’s contract on? so they could get it off the books the following season? that doesn’t make sense to me.

to me such a trade could arguably have improved the team, but it seems that the window has closed and the timing isn’t going to work.

by DarrellWalkerFan on May 16, 2008 1:43 PM EDT 0 recs

nevermind

about my question about the next year scenario. i’ve figured out my point of confusion: brand would be under a long term deal already at that point.

i’m not even going to try to speculate about things that far in the future.

by DarrellWalkerFan on May 16, 2008 1:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

As I understand it....

If Arenas opt-outs, he is essentially an unrestricted free agent.

1) not a lot of teams will have enough money to sign him outright

2) and if they do, they can only offer Gil a 5-year contract at 8% annual increases (as opposed to 6-years, 10.5% annual increases if Gil signs with the team holding his Larry Bird rights (the Wizards).

3) if for some reason, Gilbert is intent on leaving DC, it would behove him to investigate a sign and trade.

4) why? because sign and trade players can get the contract years and increases just as if they were re-signing with their current team…..plus, it opens up destination options as the team he would be going to could clear up cap space via the trade

....that’s as I understand it.

Is this whole possibility pretty unreasonable? For sure…...but with so many people wanting to blow up the Wizards, and Elton Brand’s name usually being at the top of the list as a superstar replacement for Arenas, I had to investigate.

by Truth About It on May 16, 2008 1:53 PM EDT 0 recs

makes sense

but the argument hinges on gilbert wanting to get out of DC and accepting a sign and trade to the clippers, which i just don’t see happening. others may disagree.

is there a scenario where brand opts out and becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer? then the wiz could choose to pursue brand and let gil and AJ walk, right? somehow i forgot to think of this possibility.

if i was brand, i’d take a hard look at playing in a front court with CB and BTH on a team with cap room to sign a good point guard.

by DarrellWalkerFan on May 16, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'd definitely try

But I doubt any possibility really works.

That’s unfortunate, because I think Elton would work really well here. Like Jamison, he’s the type of player who moves well without the ball, so he’s adept for all the quick cuts necessary in the Princeton. He’s not really the type of guy who you’d just throw the ball to on the block and let him go to work, but I think that’s a good thing.

Jamison has more range, but Brand is a better rebounder and shot blocker, and he scores far more efficiently.

I agree with DWF that Gilbert would never go to the Clippers, though, and realistically, we don’t have anything they want, except for Butler, and we’re not trading him. There’s no way we can convince them to take on Thomas.

One possibility might be Daniels, actually. He’s got two years left on his contract, but they could use a stop-gap replacement in case Livingston doesn’t pan out. At the very least, Daniels is as good a player as any mid-level point guard not named Calderon that’s available this summer.

Even so, I’m stumped as to what possibility LA might even accept.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on May 16, 2008 2:11 PM EDT 0 recs

I’d love to, its just not happening. Abe has his hands all over this one. He’s not letting Gilbert go even for Elton Brand. Like it also because it would cement Caron and Elton as two keys and completely change the chemistry. That would be an attractive position for any young guard to step into. Jamison can handle being sixth man because he’d be playing some with Brand, making room for him with jump shots. Since brand spent very little time at Dook compared to Laettner, that should work out too.

I like the idea that this could happen next year.
-Both players would have more time to show they’re healthy.
-Arenas new contract would be similar to the last year of Elton’s.
-Etan would be more valuable having played some and being closer to the end of his deal.

I don’t see why the Clippers make this deal for a hobbled Gilbert, maybe at all.

by Jheiser3 on May 16, 2008 2:57 PM EDT 0 recs