There's been too much of this kind of trading, getting rid of assets for the sake of it, in the past couple years imo. Not the way to transition a team with Finals pedigree.
the problem isn't moving an asset in that kind of situation. The problem is having an environment where players don't want to be there.
You need to get rid of assets for the sake of it if that asset doesn't want to be part of the organization. You don't just keep them and have them hurt the overall team chemistry and locker room.
That was the problem with both Luongo and Kesler. Neither player wanted to be here and it just hurt the team overall keeping such assets around when they wanted out.
I like the fact that Benning didn't fall into that same trap that Gillis did. Wait it out to get the best possible deal, and in the meantime see the team's chemistry just fall apart. If a player doesn't want to be here - like Luongo indicated two years before he was moved - then move his ass out, and get whatever return you can. Even a marginal or nothing return helps the team because you've subtracted a negative influence from the team.
Luongo should have been traded when he first requested it. If he had been - regardless of the return, we'd still have Schneider around. Hell you could have waived him 2 years ago and let some other team deal with it, and then kept a quality young starter for many years moving forward in Schneider. And who knows maybe the team would be playing much better and Kesler wouldn't want out still being part of a team that was contending. But letting the situation fester for so long just hurt the organization.
Personally, I'd rather have nothing in return for Luongo and Schneider still here, then the mess we've had to go through since.
