[BimaThug] Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update: 2018 Offseason Pre-Draft Edition

Not in June.

 

I think Wilson Chandler could be an interesting target with our MLE, wonder if he would take the taxpayers MLE at 5.3mill. Reddick, of course, is likely another target, but can't imagine him taking the taxpayers deal.

 

Excellent writeup @BimaThug! The most interesting part for me was the idea of being able to S&T Tarik Black. That salary could be very useful.

Also, can we confirm that LeBron's opt in is June 29? I heard June 26 before. I know Geroge's is June 29 like a lot of players, but for some reason June 26 stuck with me on LeBron.

 

I don't see Wilson leaving 13M on the table...pretty sure he's going to opt in also cause he has the starting spot in Denver, he can play for his next contract there.

 

Didn't know he had an option! Too bad he could have been a nice piece, I agree don't see him opting out of that.

 

I agree with you about him here, would be a good fit but yeah...

 

I just put on my tin foil hat so I could ask you this:

Luxury tax... does the referee union see any of that revenue on their paychecks? (ie do referees have a direct interest in keeping a high salary team like the Cavs or Warriors in the Finals)

 

So, basically CP3 and Ariza will get the memo that if they want to keep and improve this core, it's on them to take a discount. I think at their age they will.

Ryan Anderson, on the other hand, what to do with him? It'll be a good day the day we get rid of him.

 

Tyreke Evans would be nice for a MLE spec if we lose gordon

 

I'm not planning on lebron or PG, and we don't need them to win the championship next year anyway. here's what I see happening:

1. we will make good on CP3's choice to take less money to come here by giving him the max.
2. There will be a playoff team, or playoff hopefuls that offer ariza the non-taxpayer MLE. we will have to match that amount to keep him.
3. capela may not get a max offer from the suns, mavs, or hawks thanks to probably drafting centers. i'd be wary of the lakers going for him if they get george and miss on lebron. if they pass too, the sixers, pacers, and kings have no use for him... it will end up being the bulls or the nets with a modest $12-14M/yr offer that the rockets will gladly match, but will capela agree to that salary for 4 years? the best thing for capela AND the rockets is for him to accept the qualifying offer. he can probably make more money next summer, and the rockets can save a lot this year.
4. the rockets will use whatever assets they have to dump ryno's salary: picks, cash, draft rights (llull, etc...). my bet is the kings. they made him the same offer we did, but he chose to come here. they may still be interested if we add the aforementioned sweeteners. plus they also have no other real use of their cap space (last summer they had to grossly overpay randolph and hill just to attract nba level players in free agency).
5. I'd bet we luck into green and luc for the minimum again - i don't see either getting the MLE from another team. luc MAYYYBE but with the shoulders problem and how poorly he played in the playoffs its more likely he gets the LLE. at that point he probably decides to stay and go for a championship with his friends CP3 and Tucker at the vet minimum which isn't too much of a pay cut.
6. MLE - tyreke evans, will barton, KCP, gay, wilson chandler, thad young, illyasova, danny green, are my targets in that order. my predictions here is that chandler, young, gay, and green don't opt out. we probably have our pick of the rest and i'd bet we land tyreke evans. the grizzlies could choose to pay him more, but he doesn't want to stay on the worst team when he could join the best. he fills the need for an extra PG but can also play SF or even PF in small ball lineups with cp3, harden, and ego since he's a good rebounder and ball handler.
7. Vet minimum - Amir Johnson. great fit since he can spread the floor as a PF and protect the rim as a C. codman also hinted at this.
8. minimum deals - make good on hartenstein for playing in the G league last season, keep nanu since we're already paying him. the last spot will go to an undrafted/nongaranteed rookie who we can cut during buyout season.

we'd have the following roster and still be under the LT:

capela-amir-nene-nanu
tucker-luc-qi-hartnestein
ariza-tyreke-green
harden-ego
CP3

of course if capela costs the max this summer, we'd be over the LT and couldn't afford tyreke. maybe we'd switch him with illyasova for the tax-payer MLE. but the rest i'd bet works out that way.

 

Honestly. I am think that we might have to get something like the mid year trade Cleveland did.

I think we can get LeBron but it will cost us in personel and picks but also in receiving crap back

For Instance
LeBron and Trash (Tristan, Jr, etc etc )
for
Capela , Ego and Ryan( Maybe not Ryan but still) and Picks

Capela, Tristan/Love, Ego, #8 Pick -- could be a top 8 team in the East

Capela + Ego for LeBron
Esp since LeBron holds the keys . . ..
What better can they get

Teams mentions to be of interest to LeBron
Who would Philly Give Up? Lakers?
That is better than Ego and Capela?


Edit: just read that sign and Trade hard caps Cavs
Does it if the player being signed and traded to a different team?

Rocket River

 

I love this article just because I completely forgot that Sergio Llull existed.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the Rockets structure the Ariza contract to be "in line" with the PJ Tucker contract and how it ends, which now has 2 years left with a 3rd being a partial guarantee. Ariza's probably would start above current MLE level. Perhaps 10M/per.

@BimaThug what do you think the chances of that looking like?

 

@BimaThug thanks for the article.

Is there already a projection of how much the cap will rise in 2/3 years?

 

I think PG 13, Lebron and Chris Paul will join the Lakers.

 

Wow - excellent read Bima !

DD

 

I've been leaning more and more to this possibility in the past few days the more I look at it.

Rockets fans will freak out, but I don't necessarily think its the end of the world. Although it likely knocks the Rockets out of the running of contending with the Warriors next year, but they likely would be regardless with CP3's likely decline.

In this case, the Rockets & Morey are essentially a year away from again being able to rework the team around Harden who is still locked up for years. Basically the Rockets might have to settle for being a 50 win team instead of a 65 (likely a 60 win team) next year in order to contend a year from now again. They'll also be a better position to make trades such as if Toronto ever decides to blow up their backcourt, or with another trade scenario.

So long story short, I think this is actually looking more and more likely, but I won't freak out if it happens. The Lakers will be pretty freaking good for two years, but the Rockets will continue to live to fight another day in the Harden era and won't be completely locked in to the Harden/CP3 duo for the next five years.

It is what it is, and this is something only the Lakers could pull off, and only happens in the NBA.

 

They fake their way to a championship, yet again.