Free Agency: Boom or Bust(realistic scenario)

If you really believe it is either both or neither than you are in for a disappointment my friend.

 

A max offer from Houston is not that much of a pay cut since Texas has no state income tax. Plus if you are Dwight Howard, do you want to play with a 23 year old superstar in James Harden or Pau Gasol, 35 year old Kobe, and 40 year old Nash.

 

Actually this has been discussed on numerous other threads.
You are right so far as...

1) your assumptions on sign and trade. It is impossible to do this under the new CBA rules for Dwight and Paul.

2) It is possible to get both Dwight and Paul but requires blowing up the roster, most difficult part being trading Lin, Asik, T-Rob and others for picks and no salary back.

3) Don't understand why you say its both Dwight and Paul or neither. It a possibility that just Dwight comes and we trade Asik for a PF like J.Smith, or get a mid-level PF like Milsap.

 

I'm not denying the factor money plays. But Houston is in a unique position since our state has no income tax. 115 million in LA compared to 88 million here is much less than a 27 million dollar gap.

 

This argument gets used all the time but no one can point to one example of the tax being a factor in a single player's decision.

Harden was so determined to make every penny that he was willing to leave championship contender OKC and go to a potential top 5 worst team in the league in Houston.

 

Well money becomes the most important thing unless you already got so much of it, then legacy can become more important.

Both Dwight and Paul have had Mega huge contracts and are loaded. They are in their prime and would probably desire a championship ring more than an extra year at $20m. Didn't the Miami big 3 show this?

Harden on the other hand was coming off his rookie contract and hadn't made the big bucks yet so his first max contract is very important for him to secure his financial future.

 

No one is going to say, I signed with a team that offered me less money because there's no state income tax. But these multi million dollar athletes have financial advisers on top of their agents. They know the deal. Plus, Dwight is clearly unhappy in LA.

 

So find an example of where a player left a team for less money in a state where there was no income tax without using the super team up situation in Miami.

 

Neither guy has to take a pay cut if they want to come here. Morey would clear out the cap and sign them.

 

I'll just stick with the team we have and save the money for next year to sign Kevin Love.

 

Truth be told, I think Dwight is staying in LA, with Kobe possibly retiring in the next couple of seasons, and the extra 30 million, there are just way to many incentives to stay in LA. Same for Chris Paul.

 

Both LeBron and Bosh committed to the Heat without any knowledge of a S&T. The first round draft picks were and are irrelevant, and Miami knew it. There's a case to be made that picks in the late 20s actually have negative value, given the very low likelihood of success combined with the guaranteed contracts. Besides that, LeBron and Bosh knew the Miami roster would be filled out with ring-chasing, battle-tested veterans (Miller, Allen, Lewis, Howard, etc.), not green rookies.

Now, all things being equal, would they take the extra year? Of course. Cleveland and Toronto were willing to do trades at the last minute because they'd get something rather than nothing. And the cost to Miami (a few #29 picks) was next to nothing, so they may as well give LeBron/Bosh the perk. But it absolutely did not drive the decision. LeBron and Bosh were more than willing to go to Miami without the extra year, and each committed without that knowledge.

 

Kevin Love won't be a free agent until July 2016.

 

Just some insight ~

If CP3 ever does leave the Clips, it will be to play at Madison Square Garden, or to wear the purple and gold of Showtime.

This is the "only realistic scenario"