Chandler Parsons on his contract: "I want to be here. I love Houston. It's a great situation for me." This words are great. Chandler will resign with the Rockets!
I think unlike Doc Rocket, cyberx inserts a lot of his own opinions on things. And since he's a Lakers fan iirc, he doesn't really analyze the Rockets.
Appears Houston and Chandler have a gentlemen's agreement in place. Houston is basically allowing Parsons to get paid a year sooner than he otherwise would have so long as Chandler agrees not to pull any funny business in the off-season by signing a deal elsewhere. We'll bring in a third star, and then lock up Chandler Bang.
There's no way Chandler Parsons is sacrificing to stay here. I generally think players should choose happiness over opportunity, because the money flows from success, but Houston is not yet a contender. We're not in the top 4. Nor is there any promise of that. So he may find money and happiness elsewhere. He's a Florida guy. Born and raised. Part of that is a demonstration of allegiance. Part of that is wanting to be in Florida. Goes two ways. His voice in the media may be true, but likely is just to keep a good standing with Houston. What he's really thinking now, and what he's really thinking when courted, are likely far different. No matter, think that as a third option he like the key vote in survivor, he'll be in a position to move and will likely sense that power and will to strongly consider it. The rockets are only going to be one of many options. If they pay for Chandler, I won't mind. He's valuable. But seems implausible to me that get a bargain out of this.
If Parsons was a typical 1st round pick who enters his RFA year normally, I'd agree. But this move, assuming it will happen, reeks of all sorts of back room handshake agreements. After all, Parsons changed his agent to Dan Fegan, helped recruited Dan Fegan's top player in Dwight, and now suddenly the Rockets are making him a RFA when they didn't have to when everyone knows they're trying to create capspace. I think the Rockets have already worked out a number with Parsons. Is it possible that Parsons get a better offer elsewhere and jump ship despite a handshake agreement? Perhaps. But I doubt Dan Fegan became one of the most powerful agent in the NBA by backstabbing a team over just a few million dollars for one of his clients. It may happen, but it won't make sense.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1836318 http://www.draftexpress.com/agents/Rob-Pelinka-99/
Pointless comparison because the amount that differs between Parsons best possible offer and what the Rockets are willing to pay for him is not nearly as much as Boozer's case. I said Fegan would not backstab the Rockets over a few million. Boozer got more than "a few million" from the Jazz, especially if you adjust for inflation. So Carl, do you believe someone will give Parsons a full max contract while the Rockets will only pay him $8mil/yr? Because that's what you're implying.
Somebody might offer him a player option. What if his "under the table" deal was $40M for 4 years and somebody offers him $48M for 4 years with a player option for year 4? Dan Fegan might not want to break "his word" over a small % of the $8M difference but should Parsons turn down $8M extra plus the favorable player option term? Doubt that Morey would expect Parsons to behave like anything other than a regular restricted FA in the market once the option is declined just like the Rockets will behave like a team holding the matching rights. Parsons doesn't have to agree to anything in order to motivate the Rockets into declining the option. The motivating factor is the fact that he is restricted this year and unrestricted next year.
The Rockets are not a contender? Are the Clippers, Spurs, Thunder or Heat offering him a juicy contract ? That leaves Houston as his best chance and winning... And IF Morey pulls off getting a third star the Rockets are on par with anyone listed above. Parsons being a "Florida guy" is really irrelevant because the Magic are bad and Miami has no caproom. Also FWIW he spends more time in HOU and CAL than FL.
In the history of the NBA, I've heard of vets taking less money to join a contender, but I have never heard of a player currently on his rookie contract attempting to do this. I'm pretty sure he will go for the best offer and hope we match. If we don't, he will probably go elsewhere. But who can blame him if he does? Careers can be cut short through injuries. Careers can also flatline due to the realization or perception that a player is mediocre or his skills have diminished. He needs to get paid as much as he can while he can.
Then the Rockets simply match. What, it's not like the Rockets are going to be screwed like Cleveland. Cleveland got jobbed because the CBA prevented them from matching. No such issue here.
In the history of the NBA, what is happening to Parsons has happened exactly one time before. And in that case, Boozer had to weight $39mil with $70mil. This time, the money is going to be much closer. The Rockets aren't stupid. If Tyreke Evans got $11mil/yr, the Rockets aren't thinking $8mil will do like a lot of the fans do. They obviously are taking the risk that he'll get max from someone. But the type of team that's likely going to throw money at Parsons are not exactly the ones that can further Parsons hollywood/modeling career. He has to weight that too.
If the Rockets have to match, then there is no "under the table deal" agreed upon, no "number" worked out before declining the option. They are just deciding to play the restricted FA game.
I think the argument is; what contender will offer Parsons that type of contract (48 million/4 years with a player option)? I don't see any contender or top team in the league willing to do that because unless the player option is to your max guys, player options hurt potential moves. And further more, what contending/good team has the cap to sign Parsons to that type of deal? None really, so that type of deal I probably going to come from a lower tier team desperately wanting to get quality players. To me, other than finally getting paid, Parsons is also big on winning. What team has the ability to pay him reasonable money and be a contender for the coming years? Unless a contender makes moves to get more cap space, only the Rockets are capable of doing that for him. There is a possibility Parsons acts like any other RFA that wants to be paid and takes the biggest deal, then good for him, so long, and farewell. No way Morey sacrifices potential moves by keeping a player like Parsons on that type of deal. Of Parsons cares more about money than winning, then he should be somewhere else. Because if the Rockets are serious about contending, everyone has to put winning in front of anything and everything.
I'm simply speaking of the worst case scenario. It may happen, it may not happen. You are saying that Parsons giving the Rockets a slight discount for effectively giving him $10+ extra million "for free" is not possible in any way. I simply do not discount that possibility.
With he potential huge increase in the salary cap with a new TV deal in 2017, wouldn't it be smarter for Chandler to take a short term deal and get a new one under the new cap? The number of players on teams won't increase, so they each get a bigger piece of the pie. A $10 million dollar player under today's cap might be a $15 million dollar player in 2017. Giving the player the option after 2017 might be the difference in the deal he takes. Would Morey do that for Chandler? (I'd say yes)
Bima, can you enlighten us on this and whether or not this would affect us re-signing Parsons if we were able to trade for a star? Can a team sign free agents and then re-sign their own free agents using the player's Bird rights? Yes, however a team's free agent counts towards the team's salary against the cap while he is unsigned. In order to gain additional cap room to sign other free agents, a team would have to renounce their own player's Bird rights, meaning they give up the ability to exceed the salary cap by re-signing their player.
They may have an agreement for him to wait until Morey signs Carmelo so that he doesn't ruin the cap.
