[CBS Sports] Howard no lock for Lakers; interested in Rockets

Goldenstates salary for next year is 73-74 million

Salaray cap will be 60 mil +

all they would have to do is trade bogut for capspace to a team that has it...like the rockets

or even richard jefferson because you can have up to 4 million over the cap and still receive a player in SNT

Actually they could even move biedrins and be just about there. They might have to trade another min salary player.

So its very possible...heck if they go to Charlotte and say: "We will give you bogut and our first round pick the next year and 3 million dollars" for a highly protected second round pick. I am sure charolette would do it...and they would be able to then do a SNT and for Howard.


With everything taken into consideration. It would probably take too much in too little time to get something done. They would have to know dwights going to sign, but then they do not have the threat of signing him out right to force a sign and trade.


Then from a basketball persepctive. Dwight would be a huge addition for them, and they would be contendereds BUT.

You are replacing a very solid center and defender in bogut so it wouldnt be as big of an upgrade. Plus they would likely exhaust most tradeable assets to get this deal done. Wouldnt have much possible upgrades down the line.

Houston basically was as good of a team as warriors without a good big man. Harden>Curry (yes not during the playoffs) but this was hardens first year "starting" and he put up as good or better numbers then curry in his 3 or 4th as a starter. Howard would be a MASSIVE upgrade at our center position. We have young players to develope, and plenty of flexibility to add another top player. Plus we have a younger team, all of which have high upside on what they did last year. We also have the advantage of no state tax.

So in conclusion... Golden state would have to pull off something short of a miracle to actually sign him. He would have to take the 30 million cut in guaranteed salary while still getting hit with millionaire tax, state tax, and higher cost of living. So money now becomes HUGE!

So id say its got less then 5% chance of happening.

Because you cant tell me that going to the warriors is monumentally better then rockets going forward...and he can do it here and make a heck of a lot more money.

 

So Dwight is a marginal upgrade to biedrens but a massive upgrade to Asik? Hmm not so sure about that.

 

Yes thats what I said...try reading...

I SAID BOGUT!

biedrins...is not likely. It would be difficult to get anyone to take his almost 10 million dollar contract and that likey still wouldnt be enough to be under the cap.

It would have to be jefferson or bogut...then they would have to still SNT with lakers...but wouldnt have the threat of Howard signing outright to force the lakers hand.

I guarantee the only way the lakers would do that is if bogut was part of the deal. Specially since next year is his last.

 

They would need to shed their salary to around 40m to have a chance at signing Dwight. That is not going to happen

 

Not really as I stated in my post. If they strip 12 million plus that would allow them to work a sign and trade for Howard with the lakers...but lakers are in the drivers seat as there is no threat of him signing outright.

It really would take the perfect chain of events to make it happen. Just for him to choose to take less money then here, and play for a team that would probably be no better then the rockets with him...with less flexibility to improve going forward both by player progression and trades.

 

Dwight's such a douchebag.

 

No one will want Bogut. Not at $14 million next year. Besides, you haven't included the new contract for Jack unless they don't bring him back.

Landry leaving via free agency would be thier best bet to shed some salary. Jefferson and Biedrens aren't going anywhere since Golden State doesn't even have a draft pick in the first or second round this season to add to them.

 

someone should send this to Howard ASAP.

 

I know what your thinking... and i like it...

someone should tweet this article to Howard... Maybe the Howard doesnt have the guts to leave LA thing will get him thinking

 

Its boguts last year...and they can pay a team 3 million of his salary so its basically 11 million for one year. It would be a hard sell no doubt...but you dont think a first round pick would make the bobcats interested WITH having a real nba player on their team :grin:ha

They can still sign jack after they do all the trades with MLE when they are over the cap.

But that brings up a good point. We can sign howard the add jack with our MLE...that would be a haul woudlnt it? And if we want before we add jack we can prob still have flexibility to work SNTs for smith or milsap.

 

Jack played himself out of his $5.8 million salary. The MLE is only $5 million a year for 4 years.

I don't think Jack takes that money from a team unless he becomes a starter there.

 

Why are we talking about the Warriors? They pulled out of the sweepstakes a year and a half ago after they got Bogut and are coming off a great playoff run. They want nothing to do with Dwight.

 

If you use cap space to sign DH12 then we wouldn't have an MLE to use on Jack. The MLE (and other exceptions) count against a team's cap. Houston would have to renounce those exceptions in order to have cap room to sign Howard.

I do like Jarrett Jack though.

 

No they dont...you only get the full MLE if you are OVER the cap. If you are under the cap then you use your capspace. Thats why its called an exception.

 

The Lakers cannot do a sign and trade since they are over the cap. Hasn't this been posted a thousand times already or am I just losing my mind in all of these discussions?

 

Lakers can participate in a sign-and-trade, so long as they are sending out a signed free (Dwight Howard). However since the Lakers are $4 million above the cap, they are not eligible to receive a signed and traded player.

 

serious? serious? Not only are you going to be wrong but your going to be wrong and arrogant about it?

THEY CANNOT RECEIVE A "FREE AGENT" IN An SIGN AND TRADE... THIS... has been posted a 1000 times.

They can trade a player that is their own free agent and receive compensation for losing that free agent (aka howard) via draft picks, and players already under contract.

 

You're focusing on the wrong part of your original statement. Originally you said
"If they lose Howard, they will probably keep Pau Gasol (move him to center) and his expiring contract and go after a guy like Iguodala and, of course, CP3."

The problem is that even if Howard walks, the Lakers are still sitting at $84M for next season. They certainly could amnesty MWP and not pick up Duhon's option and let all of their free agents go but they're still way over the cap after doing that. They'd have reduced their payroll by enough to get their full MLE back but that's not going to get you Iguaodala or CP3 let alone both of them. That's what most of the comments were directed towards. The idea of getting Iguadala with the MLE is very optimistic. Getting both Iguadala and CP3 with only the MLE available is impossible.

In your later post you suggested "Here's creativity for next year for the Lakers as they can try and add on the cheap to compliment Howard, Kobe (probably playoff time), Pau, and Nash with:

Nate Robinson, Elton Brand, Martell Webster, Kyle Korver. "

The problem with this one is that if they do indeed resign Howard then they are guaranteed to be over the luxury tax apron. That would mean that all they would have left would be the mini MLE ($3.3M) and minimum salary contracts. You wouldn't be asking these players to take a pay cut...you'd be asking them to play for the minimum.

The Lakers are facing a tough situation. There's not really anything that they can do that will make them a contender next season. In 2014 they can have cap space (potentially just Howard and Nash) but what superstar is going to go play there? Is Lebron going to leave Miami to go play with Howard, Nash and a bunch of minimum salary guys? There's better opportunities out there where teams (like Houston) can offer a star a chance to team with other stars and still be surrounded by a cast of good young players.