When should we trade MoPete?

RealGM article entitled "Food Off MoPete's Dinner Table?, which, as the name suggests, talks about how the veteran Raptor's role might be changing. In the end, the author suggests that MoPete should be dealt before his value decreases too greatly, and I certainly couldn't agree more. Of course, now that he's injured, and with the potential emergence of the newly-inspired (and confident) Joey G, we may have just missed the opportunity to "sell high".

As much as MoPete has done for us over the years, there just is not a big enough role for him with Fred Jones (who is cheaper now, 3.1 mil. to 4.55 mil., and probably still will be after MoPete signs his contract in the summer, presumably to be valued somewhere in the vicinity of the full mid-level exception of 5 million-ish), Anthony Parker (who does a lot of the same things MoPete does, for about the same price, 4.15 to 4.55) and the aforementioned Joey G taking on bigger roles. It was becoming clear, even before this injury, that his future with the organization was looking more and more in doubt.

While I like MoPete, and respect all that he has done for this organization through thick and thin, this is a business and sometimes it requires making decisions that have nothing to do with sentiment or gratitude for past service. In the long run, MoPete just isn't going to be a big cog in the wheel when the Raps are finally contending for a championship. It is better to get some asset(s) while we still can than to lose him for nothing this summer. If Aaron Williams is worth two second-rounders, it's pretty conceivable that the bidding for him should begin there, at the very least.

The Spurs have been quite successful over the years at drafting Euro's, stashing them overseas while someone else foots the bill for their development, then bringing over ready-made talent to help the team (although, as we've seen with the Euro's, there is no guarantee, no matter how much experience they have, that they will have an immediate impact). Either way, it allows a team to develop from within while maintaining a well-balanced cap distribution. The Gherardini-factor certainly makes this strategy far more likely, and may be one of the motivations underlying his scouting trip home. Regardless of the strategy likely to be employed going forward, this savvy veteran became not only Assistant GM but de-facto Head European Scout when he signed on with his friend Colangelo, and as far as I can tell there isn't anybody in the world who has a better track record doing just that.