by Matt Rooney
Despite all of the rumors swirling since draft night, there has only been one deal made: Hano Garcia for Andrew Dorval. Yesterday, we were close to another - a Cian for Kenny swap - but Kenny apparently venmoed Yagev 10$ to kill the deal.
As is the case with every NSL season: players will ask out and deals will be made. Let's take a look at some potential options the captains should consider.
Peirce Boys flipped
Roses receive: Will Brown; Jackals receive: Paul Rodriguez
The Roses might struggle a bit on defense this year. Henri has notoriously deferred defensive duties to his teammates (hey Zach), Diego is 6 years younger than the rest of the league, Eli is solid on the defensive end, but isn't particularly athletic, and nobody knows what to expect from Paul. Will Brown can be a bit chaotic at times, but is a proven defender who can guard the majority of players in the league. With Henri, Eli and Diego as the other three players, Will wouldn't be asked to score the ball and instead, he would be tasked with trying to defend the opponents best player and bring energy and toughness to the squad - which are some of his obvious strengths.
On the other hand, I don't think Will is the best fit on the Jackals with how they are currently constructed. Him and Nate are probably the least efficient high (ish) usage players in the league, and I don't think that is how you want to surround Lucas Nathanson and Hano Garcia. Will brings a lot of positives to the table, but I know multiple captains had him on their do not draft list due to his turbulent play. His defense, energy and occasional microwave offense will not be needed on a team that already employs Nathan Greenstein. Max should instead make a move for the less risky, less likely to be a net-negative in Paul Rodriguez, even if he doesn't offer the same upside that Will Brown possesses. This move would reunite Paul with his twin, assistant GM of the Jackals, David Rodriguez.
More likely to say no? The Roses. Sam probably should have drafted Will Brown at 21 but went with Paul instead, so I am not sure he makes the deal.
Aidan and Zach Blockbuster 2.0
Bears receive: Matt Rooney, Kenny Brown; Tropics receive: Steven Campbell, John Ross
Blockbuster 1.0 was during the fantasy football season when Zach traded with Aidan for Zeke. 2.0 might be even bigger than that.
The Tropics are a solid team at the moment, but I'm not sure they possess enough upside and scoring punch to win the championship. Matt is a great NSL player, but can he go toe-to-toe with Spider, DHS/Will T, Soup/Thomas? Here, Aidan would raise his squads ceiling by acquiring Soup and John Ross, and ultimately pairing them with Nov Levi and Andrew Dorval. This new team would have insane length, size, scoring and defense. However, this trade would lower the floor for the Tropics. Matt was regarded as a safe selection in the NSL Draft and mostly guarantees your team a top 4 seed: having your star be the one player who never misses a game is a huge thing. However, the potential upside should be too much for Aidan to pass up.
Viewed by many as a legit contender, the Bears shouldn't rush to make a deal. However, Soup and Thomas is an interesting fit. They are both shoot first wings who can get buckets, but they don't do much in terms of moving the ball and raising the play of their teammates. Matt is the best pure point guard in the league, and would be a better fit next to Thomas than Soup would be, even though Soup is a more dominant player. Zach is undoubtedly interested in acquiring Rooney, but is he willing to move Soup to make it happen? Kenny is an NSL champion who has a lot to prove this year. He is putting in a ton of work in the gym, and Zach would be getting him when his trade value is only likely to go up.
First, the Bears should offer Thomas and John Ross for Matt and Kenny, but when Aidan declines that, Zach should counter with Soup and JR.
More likely to say no? The Tropics. Will Aidan really trade Rooney?
Chickami Big 3
Monarchs receive: Nathan Greenstein, Will Brown; Jackals receive: Josh Cooke and Charlie Lewis
Here, the Monarchs would be getting the better players. The Jackals would be getting the better fits.
The Monarchs would be adding Nathan Greenstein and Will Brown to the core of Will Thompson and David Hamel-Sellmen, which would make them the consensus favorite to win the championship (if they aren't already). David, Will T and Nate would create the most talented big three in NSL history, and Will Brown could focus on the dirty work. Also, there have been rumblings about Josh being unhappy on the Monarchs and many think it's only a matter of time before he asks out. To be able to get Nate for a role player who potentially wants out is an easy win for Jack.
The Jackals are going as far as Lucas takes them. They should consider this deal to better surround their superstar with pieces that fit. Hano Garcia is going to be the primary ball handler (and rightfully so) and Lucas will be the go-to scorer, so I'm not really sure where Nathan fits - because he hasn't been a good off ball player in the past. Max would be wise to upgrade shooting around those two, and Josh Cooke is one of the best shooter that the league has to offer. In tourney 1 last season, Cooke made some huge triples in the NSL finals. In tourney 2, he averaged 18 PPG and led the league in 3pt %. Being able to surround Lucas with two elite shooters in Hano and Josh is way more important than having Nathan's isolation scoring ability and solid defense. Charlie would bring rebounding and would be more than willing to bang in the paint with the other NSL bigs.
More likely to say no? The Jackals. As a rookie GM, Max will be worried about the optics of giving up more talent in a deal, even if he wins it.
The 24 year olds pair up
Tropics receive: Idi Nsbuga and John Ross; Bears receive: Eric Zhang and Cian McCormack; Goodfellas receive: Andrew Dorval
Matt Rooney, Nov Levi, Andrew Dorval and Kenny Brown are all 5'10'' or under, so it's pretty obvious that the Tropics need size. Swapping out Dorval for John Ross and Idi would do just that. This would give the Tropics a variety of role players surrounding Matt Rooney that could work incredibly well. Nov brings elite scoring and shooting. Idi bring playmaking and toughness. John brings insane size and rebounding. Kenny brings veteran leadership and shooting. Losing Dorval and his defense would be tough, but adding Idi and John Ross could be worth it.
The Goodfellas would kill two birds with one stone here. First, they get rid of Cian who has been a headcase for Yagev to deal with while going from 5 players to 4 (a huge win). Second, they acquire a defensive stopper in Andrew Dorval, who is more suited to guard the superstars in this league than Eric Zhang - who mentioned yesterday that he is looking at summer internships in Florida or Texas - is. Dorval. Eric is a very solid player, but he doesn't bring much on offense and potentially gives teams an outlet to leave him and double Spider. Dorval has been inefficient at times, but he is a more respected offensive player and is capable of getting buckets. Basically, this move is about removing a headache and making life easier for Spider on both ends of the floor. Speidel, Matteo and Andrew would form one of the deepest starting lineups in the league.
This should be a quick yes for Zach Goldman. He acquires a good shooter in Cian who is close friends with Thomas and Soup, and an elite do-it-all role player in Eric Zhang. This is all about surrounding Thomas and Soup with better fits, as Cian could space the floor much better than either John or Idi could and Zhang will do all of the little things needed to win. There are many questions about John Ross' fit with Thomas and Steven, but there would be zero about Cian or Eric's.
Most likely to say no? The Goodfellas. I don't think Yagev wants to trade Eric Zhang, but this move could be worth it.
Eli/Lucas, Hano/Henri Team Up
Jackals receive: Eli Adler Cohen, Josh Cooke, Paul Rodriguez (or sign James Holland/Gabo Garcia); Roses receive: Hano Garcia, Nathan Greenstein; Monarchs receive: Will Brown
This is a probably a no-brainer for the Jackals. Acquiring Eli would make Max's superstar player - Lucas Nathanson - incredibly happy and getting Cooke would pair an elite three point shooter with that powerhouse scoring duo. That starting lineup would be impossible to defende. Paul has size and has some potential, and similar to the ideas mentioned earlier, he makes sense for Max and the Jackals.
Sam would be making an absolute power play here and would instantly have the deepest team in the league with no weaknesses. Henri Rousseau, Hano Garcia, Nathan Greenstein and Diego Zuniga is an elite 4-man roster, that has no scrub - which is one of the greatest advantages an NSL team can have.
This trade is something to think about for the Monarchs. Cooke is debating asking for a deal, and Will Brown is very well liked and respected by DHS. In 2017, Vood drafted Will 6th overall above players such as Nathan, Hano and Chris, which shows how much he values Willy B (I know that was 5 years ago but still). Furthermore, Will would instantly bring more energy and defense than Cooke would, and he has the Peirce connection with captain Jack Whalen.
Most likely to say no? The Monarchs. I feel like Jack would try to get more for Cooke, but Vood may push him to take this deal.
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