Nuggets Bulls BasketballThis is the second batch of simulated trade offers for Stephen Jackson.

If you haven’t read Part 1, read it here.

If you have read Part 1, you’ll remember that I copped to being a nerd who plays a lot of NBA Live, the EA Sports NBA video game. And that I pushed the boundaries of acceptable nerd behavior by starting a simulated season with the Warriors and putting Stephen Jackson on the simulated trade block to see what kind of simulated trade offers came in for him.

I feel compelled to explain again that these are not real trade offers. I don’t know if any of these teams are interested in Stephen Jackson or if they would be willing to offer the following players in exchange for him. This is just a look at some players who are in Jackson’s value range, taking into consideration the combination of talent and contracts.

Here are the rest of the simulated trade offers.

6. Jackson for C Marcin Gortat, Magic

Gortat’s 2009-10 stats: 4.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

Would it make the Warriors better? Gortat seems to be a talented center, but gets limited minutes backing up Dwight Howard in Orlando. He played well in the playoffs last season and has been an effective player when he’s in the game so far this season. His per-48 minute averages are OK, at 11.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He’d be a solid rotation player who could rebound and play some defense, plus he’d be good injury insurance for Biedrins. His contract (five years, $34 million) is a little rich for a backup center, but it’s palatable.

Could it happen? It’s not a terrible idea. I think the Warriors would have to consider it. To get a young center with a reasonable contract who can play defense and rebound seems like a score in a Jackson trade. The Magic might not want to give up their backup center, but Jackson would give them a lot of the same things Hedo Turkoglu did last season and that’s something they miss right now.

Note: This trade couldn’t happen until December, plus Gortat is a base-year compensation player until July 2010, which means his contract would count only about $3 million in this trade scenario. So it wouldn’t work straight up. To make the salaries match up, the Magic would have to include Mickael Pietrus, which I’m not sure they’d want to do. So, the trade simulator on NBA Live wasn’t very accurate on this offer. I don’t think it would ever happen in real life.

7. Jackson for PG Chris Duhon and G Toney Douglas, Knicks

Duhon’s 2009-10 stats: 6.7 points, 5.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds

Douglas’ 2009-10 stats: 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 9-for-22 on 3-pointers

Would it make the Warriors better? On the court, no. Duhon is a marginally talented point guard who wouldn’t see any more playing time than C.J. Watson, Acie Law or Speedy Claxton. From a business standpoint, maybe, because Duhon’s contract expires after this season. Douglas, drafted 29th overall last summer, has played well in limited minutes this season.

Could it happen? The Warriors might be interested in this trade because of Duhon’s expiring contract. I can’t see the Knicks taking on Jackson’s contract, though, and giving away one of their expiring ones. They still have plans to make a big splash in the 2010 free-agent market. Jackson’s contract would hinder those plans.

8. Jackson and Devean George for PG Travis Diener and C Jeff Foster, Pacers

Diener’s 2009-10 stats: 3.7 points, 2.2 assists

Foster’s 2009-10 stats: 1.0 points, 2.5 rebounds (in 2 games)

Would it make the Warriors better? I don’t see any benefit to the Warriors. Diener barely gets off the bench in Indiana, so I don’t think he’d have much of an impact with Golden State. Foster, and underrated, talented center for most of his career, isn’t playing much this season for the Pacers and at age 32, you wonder if his best years are behind him. Plus, his contract runs for this season and next for a little more than $6 million per year. It just doesn’t seem like a good trade for the Warriors.

Could it happen? Seriously? This offer was another harmful byproduct of the trade simulator. The Pacers? They wouldn’t touch Jackson with a 100-foot pole. And the Warriors wouldn’t be interested in this trade either.

9. Jackson for PG Luke Ridnour and PG Roko Ukic, Bucks

Ridnour’s 2009-10 stats: 7.3 points, 2.0 assists, 1.2 rebounds

Ukic 2009-10 stats: 1.2 points, 0.5 assists

Would it make the Warriors better? So, this trade would give the Warriors six point guards on their roster? Seven if you include Monta Ellis in the mix? Wow. Anyway, Ridnour is a decent point guard, but isn’t a better option than Curry or Ellis. Ukic is a salary throw-in. Both contracts expire after this season, so there’s value in that.

Could it happen? It wouldn’t shock me to see a trade like this happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors were happy to dump Jackson for expiring contracts. I think the Bucks might consider this deal as well. It would depend on whether they were willing to take on Jackson’s contract and absorb the initial PR hit of acquiring Jackson.

10. Jackson and Turiaf for Brad Miller, Chicago

Miller’s 2009-10 stats: 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists

Would it make the Warriors better? Maybe not, but Miller’s not a bad player to have on your team. He’s still a very skilled center, and would give the Warriors some much-needed veteran stability and leadership. Plus, Miller has a huge $12 million expiring contract. The Warriors would be giving up Turiaf, but I think this would be a good trade.

Could it happen? I question whether the Bulls would want to give up Miller’s expiring contract in this deal. I think they’d like Turiaf, and Jackson’s a good player, but where would he fit in on the Bulls’ roster? They already have Luol Deng and John Salmons at Jackson’s position, so where would Jackson get minutes. I think this would be a great trade for the Warriors, but would the Bulls bite? I’m not so sure.

Final thoughts: Again, I’m not sure any of these trades would ever happen, it was just a simulation. But, I think the kind of offers we’ve looked at here and in Part 1 are the kind of players we might see come to the Warriors in trade for Jackson. His trade value is not high right now, and if the Warriors could walk away from this Stephen Jackson fiasco with a player like Brad Miller, they’d hopefully be happy with the value exchange.

Again, feel free to comment on any of these simulated trade offers (like them? hate them?), or post trade ideas of your own.

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)