Take it for whats its worth... Rockets Believe They Can Clear Space For Dwight April 6 at 1:53pm CST By Chuck Myron The Rockets aren't currently in line to have the cap space necessary to offer Dwight Howard a maximum-salary contract this summer, but the team is confident it can swing trades to clear room for his max deal if he's willing to sign with Houston this summer, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sources tell Stein an "obvious option" would be to trade Thomas Robinson for a future draft pick. Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon this week broke down the Rockets' ability to make a run at Howard, pegging their available space for this summer at between $16.7MM to $18.2MM, depending on how high the league sets the salary cap in July. Opening up that much room without making a trade would require the team to decline its option on Francisco Garcia and waive seven others whose contracts aren't fully guaranteed for next season, including starting small forward Chandler Parsons, whose deal is partially guaranteed for $600K. Dwight Howard's maximum first-year salary would check in at $20,513,178, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors detailed. Howard's max is larger than any other free agent this summer because the collective bargaining agreement ensures a player can always sign for 105% of his previous salary, and Howard's $19,536,360 salary this season is the largest of anyone hitting the open market. In order to give Howard the max, the Rockets would have to make a trade. Giving up on Robinson, the 2012 No. 5 overall pick whom the team acquired at the trade deadline from the Kings, and Parsons, perhaps the NBA's best bargain, would be difficult to stomach, but I don't think the Rockets would hesitate to do so if they knew they were getting Howard. Stein also writes that, even as the play of James Harden is making Houston an increasingly attractive destination, the Mavericks have long been considered the greater threat to sign Howard. Coon looked at the Mavs' ability to land D12 as well, noting that they're set to have less cap space than the Rockets this summer. That means Dallas, too, would have to swing a trade to fit a max contract for Howard under the cap. Both the Mavs and Rockets could also try to work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for Howard, Coon adds, noting that while the CBA bars taxpaying teams like the Lakers from receiving a player via sign-and-trade, it doesn't preclude them from sending players out in such a deal.
Not sure why Parsons would need to be included to make cap room. It's not like a Robinson deal, or any Rockets deal, would be considered a "salary dump" requiring incentive.
This is from HoopsRumors.com, not HoopsWorld. Original story from Marc Stein of ESPN These are interesting times in Houston, with the Rockets headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09 as a high-scoring, lower-seeded upstart while planning behind the scenes for this summer's all-out pursuit of Dwight Howard in free agency. The Dallas Mavericks have long been regarded as the biggest threat in Texas to steal Howard away from the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Rockets' case looks increasingly strong thanks to the presence of James Harden, whose 25.9 points per game are the most we've ever seen from a player who switches teams after appearing for another team in the previous season's NBA Finals. The Rockets, furthermore, are unconcerned by the fact that, at present, they wouldn't be able to offer a four-year maximum contract to Howard. While true that Howard is eligible to earn $20,513,178 next season -- and that Houston's current ceiling for a Year 1 offer to Dwight is believed to be in the $18 million range -- sources close to the situation say the Rockets are confident that they can make the necessary trades to get to a full four-year max if Howard is willing to join them. The Heat did something similar in the summer of 2010, offloading Michael Beasley to Minnesota to create the requisite salary-cap space to flank Dwyane Wade with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. In Houston's case, sources said, one obvious option is trading Thomas Robinson for a future draft pick without taking any salary back if necessary, which shouldn't be as hard as finding a taker for Beasley was for the Heat. Robinson's rookie season has been underwhelming in the extreme, but much of that is widely believed to be circumstantial after the former Kansas star was taken No. 5 overall by Sacramento in the 2012 NBA draft when the Kings already had DeMarcus Cousins. No one is about to write Robinson off yet after he became just the fifth top-five pick to be traded as a rookie in the NBA's lottery era dating to 1985, stolen by the Rockets on the eve of the trade deadline in February in a deal that sent Patrick Patterson to the Kings.
Who are Stein's sources about trading Robinson. Bima was the first to bring that up via Twitter. Lets us know how special some of our posters are when they are getting ripped off by the best in the biz.
I suspect the source indeed was Bima. I know he was tweeting Coon about trading TRob for cap space and a future pick. I suspect Stein picked up the ball from there.
Stein is wrong. The "obvious choice" is to give up a 1st round pick so that a team would take Thomas Robinson off their hands. When teams know you are desperate to clear room, they take advantage of you (see Knicks at the 2010 deadline).
Agreed. We need a starting small forward. We'd have to let go of Delfino to make room. We're not going to find a starting caliber small forward for cheaper than Parsons. Why would we really dump him when guys like even Motiejunas and Royce White make more money? I'm sure, at the least, Motiejunas could be easily dumped for a 2nd round pick too.
It is not about Patterson. It is about how bad Robinson has been. He was bad even in the summer league, remember?
It's the same scenario and same motivation as trading Marcus Morris six weeks ago. If Morris doesn't have negative value after a terrible first season and mediocre second season, then neither will Robinson, Motiejunas or Jones. Sorry. The best example is our own Marcus Morris.
Morris and Beasley were at least in the rotation when traded. Also, they were "one owner used cars." If Robinson gets traded, he will have been dumped by 2 teams. Morey himself said that guys who were traded twice under rookie contracts have a much lower chance of becoming useful.
OK fine, then trade Motiejunas and/or Jones, if you want to pretend that arbitrary criteria is binding. I'd wager that both are perceived to have higher upside around the league than Morris. Point is, the Rockets can and will create the necessary space without giving up picks of their own.
Come on, you're seriously trolling now. To believe that the Rockets would have to give away a pick to unload Robinson is completely silly, even if you don't think we could get a first rounder for him. Most teams with cap space would take him for free (although no way the Rockets do that). We got a second rounder for Morris; we'll get at least a high second rounder for Robinson, at the worst, and still free up the cap space. Guaranteed.
Sucks, the obvious thing would be to trade Asik.. He is easily tradeable, I just dont want to lose him, I like him alot
