[Official] Rockets decline option on Troy Daniels (and Parsons)

Smart moves by the Rockets. I'm now waiting for Casspi to get waived

 

I am not privy to inside information on Carmelo Anthony. I can only go on 30 years of following the NBA and having been around professional athletes for years and drafting contracts for them the last 10 years or so.

While it makes perfect sense to leave NY, I don't believe he or his family WANT to leave and will look for any excuse to remain in NY. We have heard about how he left Denver because it was "small market" and how Melo's son doesn't want to leave NY and how Anthony did not like moving as a child. We know LaLa is not going to want to leave NY. Let's not forget, when Anthony forced a deal to NY, they were not his best shot to win then either... he went to NY because it is NY.

So, if you assume Anthony is going to leave NY, where is he going to go? Houston has the best TEAM. However, Anthony has in the past showed that attention and "big town" matters to him. That favors Chicago over Houston. Melo is used to the North East, and Chicago has more of a big urban feel than Houston. Anthony also has been very complimentary of Thibs and he has had more discussions with Noah than the Rockets. Also, in Chicago Anthony will get more shots and his role clearly defined. Couple that with Chicago being in the Eastern Conference and he is meeting with the Bulls first.

I hope the Rockets surprise, but sometimes being the best team isn't enough and I think this is one of those times. Anthony hasn't consistently made decisions that dictate winning is #1. Anthony can say what he wants, but I believe his family and attention are more important than winning.

I personally believe the Rockets need to be especially aggressive on the Kevin Love front. Still have the meeting with Anthony, go all out, but be laying the groundwork on Kevin Love.

 

He can be poison pilled like Asik and Lin were as long as we have a qualifying offer out there to keep him restricted. He's a non-Bird free agent.

 

That won't happen unless and until we agree to sign a superstar free agent and/or other free agents and we need the cap space instead of a trade.

 

Ahhh...thank you for the clarification. I forgot the distinction between non-guaranteed contracts and team options.

Daniels is the only other "team option" besides Parsons, so we shouldn't expect any additional movement today.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Covington's guarantee is $150k. Can anyone confirm this?

 

There is no way any team spends more than the MLE on him, so while it is possible, there is no way he gets Asiked.

Covington has a 150,000 guarantee according to Shamsports.

 

TOTALLY agree with this take on Carmelo and on Kevin Love.

 

Sadly it's not my contact, it's a friend's friend, I can ask my friend if anything is said but I don't have a direct line to the person with the Pelicans.

 

yeah.........that's something else that stuck out to me. Melo would already be giving up that 5th year if he walked to Houston or Chicago. He's going to want every penny of the max if he did that, which means we have to eliminate all contracts but Howard and Harden. Don't see it.

In fact, I could see a scenario where we help Chicago clear room in order to gain more assets to flip to Minnesota, though I think a SnT between New York and Chicago is more likely.

 

NOT TROY MR.CLUTCH DANIELS!!!! =(

 

Some fair points but the Denver team with Melo was not a title contenders. The Rockets with Melo are.

 

Also, Melo is older now and winning could be more important. Look at Dwight who first wanted to just being in a more exciting market with a chance at winning but lately decided to come to Houston which represented the best chance at winning.

 

If Daniels isn't brought back but friggin Casspi is...smh...

 

What the hell happened to Casspi? He looked like a decent contributor at the start of the season then he just faded away.

 

The Rockets had a team option on Daniels for $816,482 (the one-year veteran's minimum salary). Had Daniels played out that second year, he still would have been a restricted free agent in 2015.

As others have said, the qualifying offer to Daniels to make him a restricted free agent is $1,016,482 (which is $200,000 above the one-year veteran's minimum). Therefore, the Rockets have essentially increased Daniels's cap figure by $200,000 in order to have matching rights on any offer sheet he might sign this summer. The Rockets have until July 23 to withdraw any qualifying offer to Daniels, in which his cap hold would be reduced to the same $816,482 he'd have made had his option been exercised. They can also flat-out renounce his rights, in which case he comes off the books altogether.

The only real benefit to the Rockets I can see in declining their option on Daniels is to marginally increase the team's cap room by about $300k (the difference between his option year salary and an incomplete roster charge). However, if Daniels somehow elects to ACCEPT the qualifying offer, he will instead have cost the Rockets at least $200k in cap room. (The Rockets might also be able to use the sign-and-trade angle to match salaries in larger trades, although Daniels's Base Year Compensation status wouldn't materially help them in that regard.)

My guess is that there have been discussions between the Rockets and Daniels (and his agent) about what they will do with him this summer. Perhaps they have agreed to re-sign Daniels to either a two-year guaranteed veteran's minimum contract or maybe even with the Room Exception. Either such contract would allow the Rockets--when the time is right and they need that extra cap room--to RENOUNCE their rights to Daniels entirely. They would not need any Bird rights in order to give him such a deal. Also, at the end of either such contract, he would still be a restricted free agent.

Frankly, I'm not the biggest fan of this move. I could be wrong, but I have to think that the Rockets could manage to find SOME taker for Daniels's vet minimum contract if they absolutely HAD to dump him to give a guy like Melo that extra $300k in starting salary. To give up the ability to lock Daniels in on a one-year, "make good" vet minimum contract next year AND be able to make him a restricted free agent next summer was worth just picking up that option.

(Also, crash, a point of clarification: The Rockets will not likely *renounce* their rights to Parsons. While they might withdraw his qualifying offer to reduce his cap hold, renouncing him would cost the Rockets his Bird rights. They absolutely do NOT want to do that unless they know he's about to sign an offer sheet they have no intention of matching. In other words, not gonna happen.)

 

Why hasn't Morey hired you yet?