I think that's right. The olidepo trade had to be made with Fournier in mind. They have the cap space and there aren't any better FAs out there that do what he does. I thought it was insane when I heard a few weeks ago that he's looking for the max. Well, in a world with the new cap, where every team can basically dole out one max contract this yeAr, Fournier could be a max guy. Orlando will match. We don't have as many FA options as people are speculating. Guys like Fournier and Beal will probably get maxed out by shear default. This is why I can't stand the "we've got free agency to turn things around" framing. It's complete BS.
Payton/backup scrub-Napier Fournier/Hezonja Parsons/AG Ibaka/Dedmon? Vuci Not bad. Probably will make the playoffs if everyone healthy. And if they get rid of Payton.
There are options. They just aren't cheap. I dont' thnk we can turn things around in FA since we wont' get any star most likely and Durant didn't even give us the time of the day. Did we even get a meeting with Whiteside yet?
Tom Thibodeau on late-night visit when clock strikes 11: “Most players aren’t responding to that stuff. So our experience tells us just be prepared” Maybe the Rockets are taking a different approach this year, too.
Still don't know how to embed videos, but found Harrison Barnes draft workout from 2012. Something interesting to note is his handle in this video, he can dribble the rock! I can't help but feel he's been underutilised in Golden State (understandably so). Will we offer him the max? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOPteKYD96c whoever embeds I will rep.
You watch any decent nba player in a workout they're going to look very good. Harrison isn't a go to guy period...
Read the link. It's been reported by numerous sources that his free agency meetings will take place in NY. My embed was simply to show that he's already there.
I think we'll try to max out Barnes if we can't get Conley; he's only 24, an excellent shooter, and his floor is probably 18/6 in a MDA offense, with upside. That's what the max gets you in this market. It's not gonna make us contenders, but at least it doesn't kill our long term growth given his age. It also makes Ariza expendable; a decent trade chip.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SOPteKYD96c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Share -> Embed -> Copy Paste
Woj: Players like Jeremy Lin, Bismack Biyombo, Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe will be looking at deals in the $12M-$15M per year range. (Charlotte's players) Batum: $20M+ Marvin Williams: $14M-$15M Lee: Over $10M Durant is entering FA - is it wide open or strongly leaning one way? OKC is a strong front runner. We know it can change. Besides OKC, I reported Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Miami & LA Clippers. There could be some additions but that appears to be the group. Your head can always be turned when you get in the room. Could be the Golden State contingent. Could be the Spurs. There are a lot of teams coming in, on truth serum, that will tell you we're laying the groundwork for 2017 free agency when we know he'll really be on the market. But Presti isn't sleeping comfortably right now. He's not looking for a drawn out process. To say he's definitely going back, I'm not gonna say or report that because things change. Who are the free agents who are not free agents? Guys focused on re-signing with their own teams. What you're seeing is posturing between players/agents & the teams. Some guys make take a little less than the max in the end but will push & threaten to leave unless they get the full max. You'll hear a lot of that (Conley, Horford, Batum, DeRozan) I'm not sure any of them will get the full 5-year max. They may get something south of it. Batum in Charlotte, he liked playing there. He enjoyed playing for Clifford, playing with that group. Does he really want the pressure of taking a max deal elsewhere and being something he isn't? He's not the guy but economics dictate he'll get a max deal. This is a mature group of guys, level headed that like where they are. DeRozan - ECF; Horford - Atlanta - good success; Conley - Memphis - great success. They have good relationships with their organizations & teammates. The system was designed by the league to make it hard for guys like these to leave. If Conley does a 4 year deal elsewhere, when he's 33-34, he's not getting a new deal that starts in the 30s. He knows this is his best deal. They all know if it doesn't work out, whichever player it is, lets take the guaranteed money & years now and I can force a trade later. Al Horford, is there a limit with Atlanta? They're committed to keeping him. It's a dance, negotiation. They'd like to have something in place before midnight Thursday. Do they want Al to get romanced by the Blazers or Celtics or some other team? Al could get seduced by another place. It's a risk. They'll try to get him for as little as possible and allow them to keep putting pieces around. They want to keep him. They've been aggressive in initial talks. It's a dance. Given the group of guys we've been talking about, they're so invested in those places & want to win. They may give a little less. Boston's best chance of success on July 1st? They've been aggressive & have nothing to show for it. It's been two years of... With the cap going up, teams are able to project their payroll that you don't see teams handcuffed. "We can't pay this 2nd or 3rd guy." They haven't been able to turn those assets into a veteran star and haven't capitalized on their draft picks. It's one thing to have all these picks, it's another to make the right selection. Boston has a lot of work to do or they'll get stuck in the place they are now: first round at best. They can't get over the hump until they make another impactful move. Max deal for Harrison Barnes at 12:01? It is possible. The clock doesn't start until he signs it. Warriors wouldn't have to make a decision right away. There will be a big deal out there for him - Boston - Memphis. Dwight Howard? Can't wait for the Howard free agency. It only takes one team. He wants security. I've had a few teams tell me we'll maybe look at him on a one year deal at a big number but it'll be hard to find teams who will give 3 years and don't think he'll get 4 at a big number. 1. Health. 2. How he fits in. When you opt out, you usually know there is something else out there. I don't know where it is. He'll meet with teams. A 3/4-year max would shock me. He could get one year at a big number. The rest of Dwight's career may be one year here, one year there unless he goes somewhere and solidifies himself. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. If you're willing to pay him,...he was choosy with Houston. Warriors were in. Dallas. LA wanted to keep him. He won't have those options this time. It may not be a place you love, a team that's good, a place warm but if they pay him, that's where he's headed. Perception of Dwight out there? A negative influence in the locker room or one where he's not the old Dwight, doesn't fit what we want to do, big centers are going away. Both? Mix of both. Didn't work well with his teammates in LA and then in Houston it wasn't great. Those are strong personalities - Kobe & James Harden. At some point, he has to be responsible for how he's viewed. It's not just players. It's coaches & front office. I like Dwight. He tries to do the right thing. Sometimes he's either impulsive with what he says or does or doesn't think out the impact a certain thing is going to have. The guy was a great player & worked hard on his game. He was a dominant player in the league. He's not that guy anymore. The league has changed. It was funny when D'Antoni took over and said we want him to opt in and he fits. No he doesn't. Mike, he didn't in LA and doesn't here. They wanted to keep him. He was an asset, I get it. The league has changed around him. Dwight's body has changed, his health. In a perfect world, if he embraced a role. 2nd/3rd wheel, accept being a defender/post player, 12 shots a game. If Serge would be a defender & rim runner, they never trade him. Woj: Dwight still wants that offense to go through him. It's not. He's not an efficient offensive player. Never has. Still can't throw the ball to him late because he can't shoot FTs. High turnover player, low efficiency player. Stan Van Gundy found that balance with him in Orlando. He played well in the playoffs for Houston. He's had some good series in the postseason but he still wants to be that offensive center piece, with a bigger role than anyone wants to give him. If he embraced being a defender, physical presence, shot blocker, he'd have great value but if they know he's gonna complain about touches, mope, terrible body language, chirp in the media & locker room, they don't want to deal with it. Market for Hassan Whiteside? Max offers out there. In a perfect world, Miami would do a deal where he'd feel loyalty to them. You resurrected my career. He was bounced out of the league, overseas, D-League. They built his career back. In a perfect world, they'd hope that mean something. In a perfect world, Miami could have protections in a contract. If he goes off the rails, they're not liable for all the guaranteed money but that's not the real world. He'll have suitors who will go full max. Miami has an interesting situation there. You have Whiteside, Tyler Johnson as a RFA who teams are targeting, (Crabbe will be matched, Barnes will be matched if they don't get Durant), new deal for Wade, Whiteside, & Bosh's situation. There's no answer to whether he'll play for them again and whether that money will continue on the cap, until next February when insurance can kick in. Right now, hopefully a solution comes medically but there isn't right now. What is his future? If you're Wade, he has sacrificed in several scenarios. He brought in LeBron & Bosh and gave up money for them to do other things. If Riley comes to you and says we can get Durant, will you take less? Of course he will. But what if Riley says we want you to take less for the next level or two level down player. Then it'll be interesting to see where Wade's head is. Do I have to sacrifice again? I've given back over time. Maybe you're talking to me about a player who won't impact winning in a big way here & is just the best we can get right now. That'll be interesting. Miami's next 10 days will be interesting. San Antonio's next move beside Durant? Pau Gasol is a priority for them. Duncan's future is uncertain. His date is coming up to opt in or out. I don't know you'll have an answer on Duncan's future before the start of free agency. There's a strong belief Manu will play another year. He's not tying himself to Tim. David West, going into this year, people around him said this would be his last year. He enjoyed the year in San Antonio. He's a free agent. They'd want to keep him. When he retires, he'll be the most sought after front office executive. Everybody wants West in their front office. He'll be a GM someday if that's what he wants to do. David West is everything you want. Spurs loved having him and hope he plays another year. Sacramento/Cousins Teams are clawing to get at him. Once Sacramento says he's available, they'll get good bids for him. The talent will blind people. Teams will say it'll be different with us. That talent is so hard to get. How else do you get a player of that ability on your roster? Market will be strong for him. Teams have been trying to feel Sac out a little bit. A year ago they talked to the Lakers for a short time and then pulled him back off. There's a sense teams are wondering they might be willing to have conversations about him. There's a feeling, as we get towards free agency, you can have a conversation with the Kings about Cousins. They're not there yet. I've asked teams about it in the last few days. Nobody's really had dialogue but not a stern no as before. Rajon Rondo? No one's ready to build their franchise around him. He's looking at a one-year deal. It'll be a struggle for him. His expectations are high. I don't think it's out there for him. Minnesota feel any pressure to alleviate their PG jam? I don't know they've decided it. They put Rubio in offers last week. They targeted Dunn. That's who they wanted. They're saying they can play together but I'm not sure. Ricky could start the season there & see how Dunn comes along. There are teams who would like a PG and maybe teams who strike out in free agency. I don't imagine a long term partnership between those two. Ricky loved playing there and felt embraced by the fans. He always wanted to play for that team. He went through those difficult years with Kahn and saw the window with Towns & Wiggins but it'll probably be somewhere else. Market there for Bismack Biyombo? It'll be interesting to see the market for Biyombo and how far people go for a player you can't run a play for. He did have a good postseason but if you're Toronto, I wonder how far Masai will go. They have insurance up front. Not sure you can pay him $14M-$15M if you're Toronto. I'd be shocked if Toronto was willing to do it. It takes one team to do it. He'll get paid. He'll be a great litmus test: is there really that much free agent TV money? Cavs listening on Love? Griffin has come out and said they'd likely keep the team together. More likely Love stays. Teams who had interest two years ago who would also still have interest today say we wouldn't give as much as two years ago. If that's the case, Cleveland is less likely to do it.
Defenisvely, I have no worries about Horford. That is not a concern of mine, and if they play him at the 4 with Capela at the 5, I feel very good about their defensive front court. On your point about if Williams or Motiejunas could produce at the same level of Horford, I'm sorry, but I think you're way, way off point. Williams put up about 11/6/1/1 last season, albeit with very solid efficiency. Yes, he's a superior shooter than Horford, but Horford is the superior rebounder, defender, scorer and has just been far more consistent and productive throughout this career. And DMo? Come back to me when DMo can actually stay healthy and start an entire season. You're comparing these guys to a player who has arguably been a top 25 guy in the league for the better part of a decade. It's no contest. Now, whether Horford can be the second best player on a championship team, I don't know. That's a fair point. But I honestly don't think there's a player in free agency who I would easily answer "yes" to that question outside of Lebron, Durant and Drummond. But he could easily be your No. 3 guy, he makes your team substantially better for the next four years and he helps you build a foundation for a contender that will help keep James Harden as a Rocket in two years. Plus, when the cap goes up again next season in a better free agent class, they can add a true No. 2 around those two guys and the other ancillary pieces they put in place this offseason. I'm being realistic. I'd rather add a very solid No. 3 to help make the team better and build a foundation for a title in the long run than take a long shot on a guy like Whiteside that could cripple the franchise in a couple of years.
Woj confirming what we all knew already. Dwight doesn't realize what he is as a player at this point.
The thing with Barnes is, that he had all the potential in the world when he was drafted. He has shown flashes with GS and would definitely be an okay pickup. Problem is, he hasn't shown to be consistent enough, well not for extended stretches anyway. Despite all that, he will most likely still command the max somewhere and he is not worth that IMO. If he does in fact still realise his potential, and at this point I'm really questioning that he ever will, he may be able to be that 3rd guy on a championship-caliber team. HOU needs to try and go after the big fish first - if that fails, I'd look for seasoned vets and cheaper serviceable guys who fill a need. While I'd be okay with Barnes (there is still upside with him - potentially) on the Rockets, I wouldn't want it to be on a max deal.
Yes, let's max out the 23 year old 5th/6th guy on a championship team. I think they tried that. They traded him a year later.
I think Barnes is more than he's shown on Golden State. He did come up small in the playoffs; maybe he was injured, maybe not. Still, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the Rockets tried to acquire him.
