How is Dragic a unrestricted free agent after the season?

Look he is in the same situation that Chase will be in NEXT season, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

DD

 

Not correct. If you decline an option on a 1st-rounder rookie scale contract, then yes, the player becomes unrestricted. For all other contracts, if the player has 3 years or less of experience, he's a restricted free agent.

Infamously, the Cavaliers tried to do just such a thing with Carlos Boozer, turning down his 3rd-year option in order to sign him to a long term deal. However, Boozer repaid this favor by signing a massive offer sheet with Utah that the Cavaliers didn't have the cap space to match, since they did not have his bird-rights.

 

Different situation. Teams will be willing to pay dragic where as bud will be lucky get anything more than the minimum.

 

I came to terms with the fact that he's unrestricted after the season long ago. Now that I've seen his play since Kyle went out, my main concern is... how do we keep him? That's been discussed elsewhere, and I still don't have a good answer, because there are so many variables in play. Time will provide the answers, but Time can be damn slow at times.

 

CH and cod are right.

Dragic was a second round pick. Phoenix signed him to a four-year deal that was (obviously) NOT a first round rookie scale contract.

The Rockets could have made Dragic a restricted free agent last summer by declining the $2.1M team option on Dragic's fourth year. Instead, they exercised it, keeping him for cheap this season but making him an unrestricted free agent after this season.

DD is also right that (contractually-speaking) the Rockets face the same situation this summer with Chase Budinger, another former second round pick who was signed to a four-year deal. If they decline his fourth-year team option, Chase will be a restricted free agent. However, since his option is at the league minimum salary, there's no way it doesn't get picked up, meaning that--like Dragic in 2012--Chase will become an unrestricted free agent in 2013.

As cod and CH have said, Motiejunas (a first round pick) will be locked up next summer on a four-year, first round rookie scale contract, and (assuming all his options are picked up) will be a restricted free agent after his fourth year.

Llull, on the other hand, as a second round pick, will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after three years, depending when his contract ends. This means that the Rockets, just as they did with Scola, will likely sign Llull to a three-year deal (instead of four years) in order to keep him a restricted free agent after his first contract ends.

Hope this explains things sufficiently.

 

Sadly, I think we will have to let Dragic walk for nothing, because we will try to get that big superstar somehow. I guess we will put our hopes in Llull turning out to be an adequate backup.

As much as I love Dragic, I don't see how it would make sense for us to have two point guards paid like Lowry on the team.

 

Was talking about his contract situation funny man.

DD

 

If Dragic doesn't ask for too much, I could see us trading KLow and keeping Dragic.

 

Goran is the young star morey has been looking for, I really doubt he would just let him leave for nothing, i mean i hope.

 

The Rox would be fools for letting Goran walk, he is the best of Brooks and Lowry combined.

Championship organizations find ways to keep talent, period.

DD

 

Bud will get more than the minimum, rockbox.

 

I was just messing with you.

 

I know but I doubt he will get more than 2 million a year.

 

If that's all he's offered, we should resign him, IMO.

 

This I agree with. Dragic has shown that he has the ability to be a star without any glaring limitations. I can see him being a near max player someday. I'm not saying he will be, but I can see it happening.

 

s.............t....................o.................p................k

 

It will depend on the Morris situation. If Morris shows he can play at the 3 next season, Bud won't want to come back to a situation where he will never see the floor.

 

I know I thought it was funny.

DD

 

Good point about Morris, although he isn't really an option at the 2, as Bud is. So far, Morris hasn't shown much, but he hasn't had much of a chance to show anything, to be fair.

 

Maybe Morey should have extended his contract before his value skyrocketed.