Damn, to be able to trade Asik and get Okafor as a free replacement would be insane. Us getting Okafor would also even up the value more for Asik, but LAC would probably snatch Okafor before we do.
I was really hoping this would be Gortat getting bought out. I'd have been willing to give PHX at least one of our young PFs to get them to buy him out.
Asik will probably be here till the off season. We have to ride it out. He's too good and his value will increase. Its tempting to trade him nor or at the deadline, but its too soon. What if Howard got hurt for a game or two? Its too crucial to keep this team intact. Lastly, Asik is only getting traded if at a high cost. So I look forward to draft day... Maybe Morey can swing a deal to get a prized player in this years draft. Not to mention some of those bad teams could use a franchise center.
Clippers still have their Biannual Exception ($2.016 million) to offer. However, because they used the NON-Taxpayer MLE on Barnes and Collison this summer, the Clippers are subject to a HARD CAP this season. They are about $3-4 million below the hard cap right now, but they need to be VERY careful how they spend every penny from here on out. If they use the full BAE on Okafor, they'll basically be prohibited from adding more than a couple of 10-day contracts for the rest of the season.
Also, wouldn't a $2M signing cost the Clippers $5M when you include tax. I know it's a new era in Clipper land, but we are still talking Donald Sterling here.
