Evaluate the Ming trade from all sides ...

People seemed to be quite wrapped up in the "what can we get for Ming" discussion. That's interesting and all, but it only addresses half of the potential of a trade.

Based on the speculative value of a prospect like Ming, we definitely have the potential to pick up an elite, battle-proven front court player. At some point, most teams will settle on what they believe the "fair market value" is for Ming, and that assessment will likely come in at or near the same level for teams interested in a trade. So, I would say that this is the fixed component associated with any trade. Things start to get more interesting, however, when we examine the possibility of unloading some of our 'riper' vets.

Drawing a rather protracted analogy ...

Let's assume that you have two cars : X and Y. X is an expensive sports car you picked up last year that you probably overpaid for; it breaks down a lot and is a big disappointment. Y, on the other hand, is a brand new car that is coming in to the dealer next month. Only one model is coming in, and you are on the top of the list. The manufacturer has leaked some juicy specs, but the total package offered by the car is still a mystery.

Your friend, Larry, has two cars as well. A and B. They are both great cars, just like new, but old enough to prove that they have great performance and reliability as well.

Now, Larry would never trade A or B for X (your old car), that would be crazy - he doesn't want that broken down piece of crap. Likewise, you aren't too sure about trading Y for A or B, because Y might turn out to be one of the best cars ever. Throw X and Y together, however, and now Larry starts to think that X could be a great car if it got some new tires and an oil change. Likewise, you begin to question whether the potential for Y being one of the greatest is more valuable than getting two great cars right away.

This is the real value of a Ming trade. As an expression:

(Ming's Potential) - (Tired Veteran with Bloated Contract) < 2 * (Solid Veteran with Immediate Impact)