Dwight update: Not close to a trade with Rockets

Varejao is extremely mediocre and he doesn't do anything except burden Orlando with another average player being too much money on a non-contending team. He's the exact kind of contract they're trying to get rid of when they talk about dumping Turk, Big Baby, Richardson...

 

and he's burned a lot of bridges in the process.

his production on the floor is unquestioned.

his leadership, his resolve, his integrity, those things are still questioned.

 

Totally agree with this. Also, for those who bring up potential endorsement money as an argument for Dwight signing for less.

1. Endorsement contracts are not guaranteed like NBA player contracts. A contract can terminate for any number of reasons.
2. Agent commissions in endorsements contracts are exponentially higher than player contracts.
3. Lifetime guaranteed earnings will be significantly lower under an NBA player contract. If he extends with the Rockets, he gets an additional year with the highest level of raise %. The increased value will then be the basis of his next, and probably final, long-term deal.

 

Nonsense. Its hard enough to try to get your hands on a star without adhering to these rules. It would be impossible to do with them for most franchises. Players are not going to resent Houston in the future for taking a shot at acquiring a star that might or might not want to be here and trying to sell him on the franchise for a year. It is asinine to believe so. Now he might wind up walking at the end of the year but to believe it will leave a stain in the eyes of future prospective Rockets is silly.

 

If the Magic weren't stupid to accept Brook Lopez on a big contract why would they be stupid enough to take back Varejao on a bloated contract for the next 3 years? Varejao would be an OK piece for a team that's contending but for a team like Orlando who wants young pieces, picks, and to bottom-out, he has no place.

 

And it's essentially been refuted miltie times, along w cle desire to take back salary and willingness to unload any of their promising youngsters. In addition, it seems pretty widely known that orl likely wants nothing to do w any large contracts unless they're expiring. Varejao has what, 3 yrs left at like $9m per? How does that help orl at all if they've pretty resigned to being terrible for the next 2-3 seasons?

Houston is damn near the only team that can really facilitate a one-on-one deal w orl.

I won't bother responding to cdave who thinks orl (or any team) has some sort of obligation to trade Howard to his desired destination. If that was the case he'd be in NJ right now. Stop talkin out of your ass, son.

 

I'll accept David Aldridge's comment "a source with knowledge of Howard’s thinking said Monday that there was “not a chance” Howard would be persuaded to remain in Houston if traded there, and would leave next summer to sign elsewhere", until someone can replace it with something else.

Do you have a quote or a link that says Dwight wants to play in Houston?

I said the Orlando GM has the burden of achieving BOTH objectives, not just one of them.

Forcing a superstar to play his final year in an undesired location before he's eligible for free agency to my knowledge would be an unprecedented move and a sleazy one unless there were no other reasonable options to choose from.

 

Chris Webber. And Deron Williams was pretty annoyed when he learned he had been sent to New Jersey.

Besides, I want to make your point clear. Since most free agents would rather play for LA or Brooklyn as opposed to say, Houston or Milwaukee, aren't you essentially admitting that we're basically just supposed to take the dregs while those teams get the best free agents?

 

8 million a year for the next 3 years is a lot better than Brook Lopez at 15.25 million for the next 4 years.

i do think that Varejao is at least the impact player that Brook can be, just on opposite ends of the floor.

If anything, i know Orlando would want Dion Waiters in exchange--were a Dwight trade to happen.

it's just unfortunate, you think Houston would have trouble retaining Dwight? think of Cleveland

i don't care how good Kyrie Irving is, or will be.(and i do think he'll be as good as Chris Paul one day) Dwight would not stay in Cleveland

 

a) David Aldridge is a joke
b) Dwight is definitely trying to leverage himself into a large market. His tune will change when he realizes there is no chance. He gave up his shot at Brooklyn when exercised his player option and it's his own fault, nobody else's.

 

That is exactly what he is saying but good luck trying to get him to admit it.

 

And if ORL is really worried about pissing off Dwight and other stars, wouldn't Dwight be in Brooklyn already?

 

i like this, lol

 

Varejao could be your 5th or 6th best player on a championship contending team.

 

this is so stupid, there's a reason we have 'Restricted Free Agents' versus "Unrestricted Free Agents'

it does not matter whether the player will be happy or not,

Case in point, Eric Gordon wanting to go to the Suns, and Nicolas Batum wanting to go to Minnesota. Both Teams matched, regardless of whether those players wanted to go to the other team.

this same thing applies to Dwight Howard, he can pout and mope all he wants. his ass is owned for one more year under the contract that he signed all those years ago.

he had best be professional and live up to his contract. Anything after that is his prerogative.

 

yet Deron and Webber ended up staying there.

Mission accomplished!

Houston is trying to do the same thing.

 

So what? Does Orlando minus Dwight Howard look like a championship contending team to you? Varejao is the exact opposite of what they're looking for. Any reports involving him are, at most, being floated to increase the Magic's leverage in other trades.

 

so he's a piece. if they can get him along with Dion Waiters(and Dion Waiters being the key piece)--and unload their bad contracts, this is a likely scenario.

 

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