Hey Hornets fans. This is part two of my wish list for this upcoming 2011-2012 offseason (if there is one). I will assume how the new CBA will impact the salary cap for the sake of the journal. *see pt. 1 for details*

It has been rumored that Rudy Gay is on the trading block. Regardless of how Memphis front office may feel about Gay keeping Rudy may not be viable financially. Currently (not counting Gasol’s contract) the Grizzs are under the cap 5mil. This won’t be enough to resign Marc or fill out the rosters, certainly not both.  So it may come down to a question of signing Marc under the new CBA which they would probably get a better deal or let Gasol go and keep Gay, who many feel is a slightly over paid guy from the last CBA. I feel like we could help Memphis out with this dilemma (this hopefully after Demps has worked every angle to get Superman). I purpose one of two idea’s one simple three team trade and one complex four team trade that will blow up our roster.

I’ll start with the simple.

Memphis

Acquire T. Ariza

Hornets

Acquire R. Gay

Denver

Acquire E. Okafor

This is pretty simple and easy. Ariza isn’t Gay by a long shot but neither is his price tag. Denver will need to spend a lot to reach the cap floor so Okafor’s contract shouldn’t scare them plus they’ll need to replace Nene who’s surely to leave.  Acquiring Gay may be all we need to convince Paul to stay. Lastly Memphis gets the cap space to re-sign Marc and fill out the roster on top of getting a damn good replacement for Gay.

Now on to the four team trade

This would involve Denver, but also Philly. Here goes!

Philly

Acquire C. Anderson, K. Koufos

Memphis

Acquire T. Ariza

NOH

Acquire R. Gay, D. Gallinari, M. Speights

Denver

Acquire A. Iguodala, E. Okafor, O.J. Mayo, D. Arthur

Philly would be at 38.8 mil. Leaving them 24.2 under the cap

Pro’s- Philly wants to be free of A.I. this trade gives them that option.  They get a riducolus amount of cap space this year and even more when Brand contract expires next year. Maybe they take a gamble on somebody like Greg Oden. They get two centers.

Con’s- With a floor cap they have to spend. The piece’s they get are role players.

Memphis would be at 41.1mil leaving them 21.9mil under the cap

Pro’s- They get plenty of cap space to re-sign Gasol. So much space they will be able to get championship level depth at almost every position. They get a solid replacement for Gay. Plus they can ship Mayo something they have wanted to do for a few season now.

Con’s- They trade away a young man with the potential to be a superstar in the league.

NOH would be at 48.2mil leaving us 14.8mil under the cap

Pro’s- Gallinari is a weapon and may end up being a steal if we can pull it off. Clearly Gay is the thing that makes this great for us. He will be CP3’s “Robin”.

Con’s- We are left without a center.

Denver would be at 50.3mil leaving them 12.7mil under the cap

Pro’s- Even after taking on 32mil in salaries the Nuggets would be under the cap floor by 2.7mil (this is assuming they can’t retain any of their FA’s*which will probably be the case*). They completely retool and are better after this trade then they were last year.

Con’s- They get two questionable contracts, but you know what they say about one man’s trash *I’m looking  @ you Emeka*

Philly – C- For some reason they feel the need to trade A.I.. They have some young players they can start grooming and will have more than enough cap space to over pay for the FA best big man or like I mentioned gamble on a Greg Oden. That cap space would be even more 2012-13.

Memphis- A They get a chance to keep the core team that was a game away from the WFC’s.  They trade away Mayo who they don’t want and Gay who some in the organization may feel is expandable and over paid. Get a solid replacement for Gay in Ariza. Here he can be the third and fourth scoring option like he should on top of being the lock down perimeter defender he is. If that isn’t enough they get enough cap space to aquire more depth.

NOH- B+ I don’t think this trade ensures Paul will stay (not like a D. Howard trade), but I think it gives us a damn good chance. If Gay continues to grow he and Paul are championship A and B players. Something we have never had here in NOLA #SORRYDWEST#. Even though Gallinari plays questionable defense he can flat out shoot and is becoming a more compete scorer.

Denver- A- Assuming they don’t sign their major FA’s, and assuming the CBA has a floor(that’s a lot of assuming) the Nuggets would have to spend the money anyways. They get solid “trash” from around the league. The only reason these player are trash is their salaries and since that’s not a concern for Denver this trade is great. They are a better team the minute this deal goes through and they give up nothing (depending on how they feel about Gallinari) in return.

The first and simplier trade I would say is an 8 out of 10 chance of happening. It’s simple and works for all parties. While I think the four team trade actually works out better for everybody the more teams and players the more difficult a trade becomes so I would say a 7 out of 10.

Both trades leave us with a common theme no center. Lucky for us we will have salary space either trade. I love DeAndre Jordan’s ability great hands, feet, and for his size he’s an athletic freak. I see a young Dwight Howard with this kid he has a great personality and will be a defensive anchor in the paint worst case scenario. I would say we make it a priority to sign him. As far as the SG spot we could go in two directions. More offense and purse a J. R. Smith, Nick Young or Shannon Brown. Then there’s the defensive route and go after Arron Afflalo or Kelenna Azubuike.