if there's no way to do a big 3, forget it then. i usually dont track salary #s and such. sorry. but,,, how did miami do it back then? i know wade took a pay cut, but arent we paying harden a "cheap" contract right now?
Yes, if the team is willing to dump Dwight they could go after a max free agent. Of course, adding LMA and Chandler doesn't equal a big 3 and it would be hard to sell free agents on coming to Houston if after two years of Dwight we already dumping him. Well first, let me clarify. There ARE ways to do it, it's just not likely in my opinion As for Miami, they had a perfect storm situation. 1) All three superfriends were free agents at the same time 2) Two of the three wanted out of their current situations for different reasons (LBJ/Bosh) 3) Miami could add all 3 via cap space 4) Miami is a sexy name city (unlike Houston) 5) DWade had a lot of cache coming off a title win of his won and generally considered among the best players in the game Ultimately I think Bosh last year was our best shot at a big 3. That doesn't mean it's impossible that Durant would jump here, I just don't think it's likely. I really don't think it's likely for LMA, Love and especially Gasol who I don't think fits.
They had almost no one on the books that season and all 3 took pay cuts. Harden is amazing value at his number but Dwight is up around 22-23 mil.
I disagree. In 2016 we will likely be the hottest market for a star to land in. Harden/Howard, lots of young talent and cap space. One of Love/Durant/Horford/Aldridge will bite....crossing my fingers for Durant.
Love and Aldridge may very well be off the market for 2016 entirely. Aldridge almost assuredly so. Horford is just as likely to view ATL as his best option as he would Houston. Durant is the one guy that seems like a possibility, but even that is a longshot. Why would he choose Houston over staying in OKC? Over his hometown Wizards?
yeah... this is the problem, at least until next offseason. It's really too bad the player association nixed the smoothed cap increase concept in favor of the huge increase next offseason.... cause then the Rockets would have max money this year. Dwight's going to get paid about $6 million more than you'd want. By my math, Dwight, Harden, Ariza and Capela which are guys you'd want to keep for sure, make a combined $47.5 million next year. You'd probably want to keep DMo, too, thought that I guess depends on who you are trying to slot into that max spot. DMo would add another $2.3 bringing it up to $49.8 million, if you somehow found a way to get rid of all other guaranteed contracts without taking any salary back.... including teh 18th pick. If salary cap is $67 million that would leave about $17 million to work with, I think? I'm not sure how it might work with minimum cap holds eating into that space, or if once they did sign a player to fill up that amount they'd get their MLE or not - to say try and get Sergio Lull. The Rockets "trade-able assets" of the remaining portion includes: KPap Prigioni TJones Dorsey Nick Johnson Who make $9.5 million combined. One would assume the simplest way to think of freeing up that space would be to trade those players along with the #18 pick to the Sixers. Johnson and Jones have actual value KPap might have actual value, but also represents a $5 million expiring a team might want to use to trade further in the season. Dorsey and Prigioni are also expiring contracts. I think a detailed Bima write-up is required, but if say Kevin Love "demanded" a trade to Houston, and said he would opt-in for such a trade, would a three team trade make it possible, where the third team is someone like the Sixers (or similar team), that is under the cap and gets some kind of asset of value for being the facilitator??
so a player like dragic can be "looking for" a max, ~20 mils per type of contract now? i am still having hard times to adjust to this sort of reality...
Harden. They are good friends, apparently Durant was very upset when OKC traded him, and Jalen said to watch out for this very thing about a year or two ago....hinting that he heard something from Durant or his people. If things with OKC go south again this year, Durant could get traded for Ariza and our young talent (Capela, KJ McDaniels, player from NOP 1st, etc.). I don't expect it......more likely he just walks in free agency.
If Durant re-signs with OKC, he has no idea if Westbrook will stick around the following season. RW could be looking at LA. So I am sure that will go through Durant's mind. We'll see how his foot responds. But am minimum I wonder if he signs a 1+1 just go give himself an "out" if RW leaves.
If we trade for Rubio what does that do for our cap moving forward looking at next year and the year after.
I like DMo but unfortunately I don't think he will be big 3. Solid game but and can continue to grow. I hope I'm wrong but don't see it
If I can get ~75% of Dragic from the MLE I do it .... I'd still likely draft a combo guard and try to move Jones with other scraps for a veteran pf (even if Smith stays).
You are correct about McDaniels still being a RFA next summer (or even in 2017) if he takes the qualifying offer (or another one- or two-year deal). However, being a restricted free agent doesn't prevent him from being offered a sizable contract even now (albeit his Arenas Rule FA status keeps him from getting the full max salary in Year 1 of his new deal).
