predraft Yi Jianlian Trade
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Each year there are a flurry of phone calls toward the beginning of the draft and they do not end after the draft. Already a few huge deals have been finalized in the last few days, and one big one recently.
Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets takes his 22 points per game to the Milwaukee Bucks, while the New Jersey Nets acquire Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. If you just look at that trade from a talent standpoint, Milwaukee wins outright as Jianlian had a rough rookie season and may never reach a ceiling as high as Jefferson's currently is. Meanwhile Simmons was a decent player until injuries ruined his career, so his value is in his 10+ million dollar contract that comes off the books.
The idea for the Nets as has been rumored before, is to clear salary cap room but 2010 so that they have the ability to go after a free agent stud like LeBron James. LBJ is the obvious target being good friends with Jay Z, who is in control of the New Jersey Nets franchise and plans to move to Brooklyn in 2010.
That said the complication for the Nets is what if their short term is so bad that a superstar does not want to go there? LBJ has already went through one situation with little to no help in Cleveland so if he bolts he'd certainly want quality teammates around him, even if New Jersey / Brooklyn is a bigger market for him.
The hope is that Yi Jianlian can flourish on the basketball court with the change of scenery. Before being drafted, Yi had cities with high asian populations picked out as destinations, but of course one of the lowest ones the Milwaukee Bucks took him! Despite signing with the Bucks it was evident that his agent was still looking for a different culture to create a more ideal setting for Yi. Kiki Vandewhe in New Jersey loves his game and the Nets will need perimeter scoring now, but Yi is young so he still may be a few years away from his peak.
Richard Jefferson in Milwaukee cements their claim as a potential eastern conference playoff team (okay, everyone can claim that). But with the emergence of Scott Skiles as coach and a solid perimeter defender in Jefferson, the Bucks should be a bit more formidable in this area and likely will be up there going for the 7th or 8th seed. Losing Yi so early hurts but he never really wanted to be in Milwaukee in the first place, and as mentioned earlier it remains to be seen whether or not Yi reaches his potential anywhere (and more importantly if that potential can compare with Richard Jefferson who has been a borderline All Star throughout).
More to come tonight as the draft is 15 minutes away.