First, I know someone out there is going to question a lot of this on the Trailblazers side...You're right. I think some picks would have to be shuffled to excuse this. The Blazers have a ton of salary on the books, they aren't really getting better, so this trade in just 2 years will free up almost 70 million in cap space, net them some young players and allow them to invest in young players they already have. Expiring veteran contracts are something of value for teams trying to she cap space to make free agency moves. It's possible Iguodala and Rubio (among others) could be moved to free up space now, and try and buy some talent from the free agent market or acquire more draft picks from playoff teams.
Why would the Heat do this:
Big 3...This gives them some legit options, in the East, this may be all they need to really start making a push at the Eastern Conference Title...There really isn't a consistently good team in the East right now.
This is a win now move. They invested in Butler, Hero is playing well, and Bam is a beast. You add the scoring punch of Lillard and you've got a special team. You add some cheap veteran talent, like Rudy Gay, and I think this team could be at the top of the East in their first year.
Why would the Wolves do it:
It's better than what they have. Let's face it, the Wolves are garbage. They can't seem to win even when they have talent. This gives them close to a serious big 3: Beasly, McCullom, and Towns...If they could swing Russell to another team for a true point guard or a 3 and D wing, then this team has some real talent and could make some waves.
They have no cap space. If the Wolves are going to improve they have to trade for upgrades. that means getting rid of talent to bring talent in. This trade does that.
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