[Woj] Rockets may be offering the farm trying to create space

I don’t think rockets are going to get butler. According to woj, rockets are trying to convince butler to come here. Supposedly, harden and butler are close friends, don’t you think they would’ve had a definitive answer by now?

I just think butler is using the rockets as leverage. He wants the five year max.

 

I keep seeing this, and I don’t know why. It makes zero sense to be using the Rockets as leverage. Teams u use as leverage are teams with actual cap space like the Clippers, Lakers, Nets, etc so u can go to Philly and say “offer me the full max or I’m leaving and taking a max offer from 1 of those teams.” How are u gonna use HOU as leverage when u can’t even go there unless the Sixers agree to a trade or Morey manages to dump a ridiculous amount of salary for nothing? It makes no sense.

 

It's a toughie and Tucker is my second favorite Rocket. Having said that, you don't let emotions get in the way of acquiring a player of Butler's caliber. I don't think they'll trade Tucker unless all else fails and he is the sticking point for a trade to go through.

Butler is widely considered a top 15 player and still underrated. The problem we would solve (elite help around Harden) is much bigger than the problem we would create/worsen (depth). I can also see us losing Tucker and Gordon to Philly, and then having to dump Capela just so that we can use his cap number ($15m) plus the $6m Bima has mentioned to fill out the rest of the roster. It might even free up the full MLE. I support that strategy 100% IFFFFF there is no other way.

MLE $9.2m
BAE $3.2m (I think)
4 minimum contract slots
2 Two Way players

That's enough to populate a roster around such a strong core. Nothing is perfect, but this is a problem we can deal with. In fact that's where Morey's strength comes into play, finding cheap players who can produce.

 

That isn't how it works. We're not even supposed to be *******g around with other free agents yet (wink wink), even though it always happens. We won't hear much of anything until right before Butler inks his contract, either way.

 

it doesn't make sense. butler is going to get max offers anyways. he doesn't need anyone as leverage. i have no idea why people think guys who are getting max anyways from whatever team needs anyone else as leverage.

 

I’d be a little surprised if Houston hasn’t considered giving the 5 year max to Butler if he will opt-in for next season. Maybe Butler wants to get paid now or Houston isn’t interested in committing to him for the next 6 years. No idea, but it seems like a reasonable solution to getting around the hard cap.

 

Morey may not agree, but if I have to give up P.J. Tucker, I’m walking away from the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes. Tucker may be a role player, but he has a role on this team that the Rockets will not easily be able to replace.

If they aren’t happy with Eric Gordon and draft picks, the Sixers can kick rocks and Butler can take solace in his max contract when he never sniffs a championship in his career. All because he wouldn’t forgo his max contract for one season.

Butler is not as good as everyone here believes, and he’s certainly not worth giving up Eric Gordon, Clint Capela and Tucker for, especially when doing so would hard cap the Rockets at the apron. Keep in mind Gordon, Tucker and Capela is a much better package than San Antonio got from Toronto for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. And Leonard is on a different tier than Butler.

 

I agree with your take on PJ, he's definitely important, not easy to replace, i just don't think he's irreplaceable or valuable as a star in his prime...

And fwiw, i think Gordon is the player which makes more sense for Phila to get, on paper, he's a poor man Butler, and if they lose Butler they should do everything they can to resign Harris which is a 4 so, Gordon really makes more sense for them than PJ.

I also agree that giving up those 3 players for Butler would be a mistake, i think everyone agrees with this. But two, when we can replace one (or at least try) with the MLE or a with trade during the season with Shumpert and pick/s...eh, i don't really know how i can pass the opportunity.

 

Guys like P.J. Tucker that can effectively guard four positions are pretty close to irreplaceable in today’s NBA. He’s Draymond Green without the playmaking ability. How many defenders in the NBA are anywhere near Draymond’s level? Tucker is one of the few. As a championship-contending team, even if it was a straight-up swap of Tucker for Butler, I’d exhaust every avenue to keep Tucker. I need his defensive ability and versatility if I want to win a championship. Tucker’s skill set in today’s NBA is insanely valuable, and if I had to put a value on it, it’s right below star level for me.

Also, I agree that Gordon makes the most sense for the Sixers. Furthermore, I have no problem giving up Capela and Gordon for Butler and finding my center replacement using the MLE or re-signing and trading Iman Shumpert. None. But I believe if the Rockets want to win a championship this season, they need to keep P.J. Tucker at all costs. I realize others feel differently, but that’s where I’m at.

 

Trading Tucker would just be so beyond dumb if you want to compete next year

 

Sources: Patrick Beverley is seeking a deal in the three-year, $40+ million range. Suitors include Mavs, Lakers, Bulls and Clippers. Agent Bill Duffy also represents Luka Doncic and is known to be intrigued by idea of pairing bulldog Beverley with the young playmaker. -- @espn_macmahon

 

Sure it does. If Butler wants the supermax AND wants to play in Houston, he can tell Philly "You can sign me to the supermax and work out a deal with Houston where you get some value in return, or I can walk as a FA and you get nothing. Your move."

 

LOL. Embiid, Simmons, and Harris (if he stays) give Butler a better shot at a ring than Harden, a declining CP3, and an empty bench after HOU gives up half their supporting cast to get Butler.

 

Huh? The most Jimmy can get in a sign and trade to HOU is a 4/140 deal, so what you’re saying isn’t even possible.

 

Oh, are you not allowed to sign and trade a supermax? I definitely don't know all the details here.

If that's the case, Houston's chances of getting Butler are pretty slim. He'd have to forego $50M AND agree to go to a team that just had to gut their roster to get him. Feels like a lose-lose for him.

 

can people stop talking as though philly has leverage to extract anything from houston? philly only comes into a trade scenario with houston if JB says that he wants to come to houston and only if there's another team that would do the S&T. at that point the only "leverage" philly has is being 1 dollar better than whatever the other potential S&T partner would want. the bargaining range is between 0 and whatever the other potential S&T partner would facilitate the transaction for. and that's a fast race to the bottom.

 

when did butler become eligible for super max? he isn't. that went out the window the second he got traded

 

No, u can’t. U can only get a 3 or 4 year deal via Sign and Trade.

it’s not all about the money

Jimmy might not like Brett Brown. He might not want to spend the last good years of his career next to unhealthy Embiid and Ben “I refuse to shoot a jumper” Simmons who both seem to be immature. Brett Brown kept calling Jimmy Butler “the adult in the gym” for the 76ers.

This decision also isn’t just about him. In his exit interview, he said that his decision will also be about making the guys around him happy, the dudes who have been with him from day 1 and sacrificed a lot for him. He said they’re all gonna sit down and talk about it, and as long as they’re happy, he’s happy. Maybe they’re just not feeling Philly and would rather be in Houston.

There’s a lot of different things that are being factored into this.

 

Fair enough.

But just out of curiosity, would you give up Tucker if necessary, if you have the chance to add later a guy like JaMaychal Green or Covington?

 

Working pretty hard to talk yourself into this, huh?