Josh Smith, Jason Terry and Corey Brewer want to return to Rockets

i want terry and smith back. brewer cant shoot for **** and this team needs better shooters. smith would be a much better backup pf than jones and then can package jones with the 18th and filler in a trade.

definitely bring terry back. he proved me wrong and should sign for the min. with him and nick our backup guards are good to go. just need real starting pg

 

Brewer is the best transition player we have. He can make the occasional 3, but he's an attack first player. We need to keep chemistry. Bring them all back.

 

All those players had past their prime. They're garbage. Brewer is a ballhogger...it's unbelievable to see him forcing shots every time. Josh is garbage as well.....it's unbelievable he keeps making those 3s. He's a terrible shooter...i think they're fluke. There is a reason they hacked him at the line. Terry is 50 years old and can't run anymore.

 

Well said! This is Josh Smith in a nutshell.

That said, if the choice comes down to retaining one of Josh or TJ, give me Josh. For better or worse, he plays hard and rarely has a game where you can clearly see that he's mentally checked out like TJ is prone to. He tries...sometimes that "trying" results in 8 TO's and 3-12 shooting performances, but he does have that extra gear -- that ability to take over a basketball game -- that cannot be overlooked. For the right price, having the ability to bring a player of that capability off of your bench is quite the luxury to have. Especially, if his presence helps keep Dwight happy.

Truth be told: I'd love to have all of our bench guys back.

 

Bring back the headband crew.

One of the best benches in the league.

 

This is a solid bench. Some strength and some weakness, but no worse than any other bench. All capable. I don't like running plays for Brewer though. I'd rather run a play for Terry and Smith. But all healthy contributors in the graveyard.

 

Bring them all back.

 

I don't mind keeping Smith if it doesn't require the MLE to do it - he would have to take the 120% of his current salary the Rockets can offer and exceed the cap in resigning him , otherwise I probably let him walk as I'd rather see the MLE spent on a point upgrade.

Brewers situation does not affect Smith or anyone else , the Rockets have Early Bird rights on him and can offer about $5.65m in the first year of a deal exceeding the cap to do so.

I keep Terry and give him a two year deal with the second not guaranteed for roughly the same money he earned this season , making him a solid trade asset / cap filler , even if he doesn't contribute some team might take his contract to clear cap space in a trade deadline move.

I also match PatBev's offer sheet , even if its ~$5-7m. You are operating over the cap from the outset anyway so cap space be damned and you still have the MLE to work with to bring in a free agent.

Maybe you can package TJones & KPap (throw in Dorsey too) for either a consistent veteran at a position of need and still have flexibility going forward. Those three allow you to take on between $8.9m to $11.1m in salary via trade (120%-150%) depending upon where they are in relation to the apron. For that kind of money you can find a pretty solid player at either PF or PG while still retaining the MLE & 1st round pick to add talent to an already deep roster.

 

Not every player has to be a 3-point shooter. They can have other specialties. The Rockets absolutely need 1 or 2 more reliable outside shooters on this team, but that doesn't mean Brewer can't be a contributor in his own way. He's terrific in transition and usually a good finisher(the Warriors series notwithstanding). What he needs is someone he can kick the ball out to when he's slashing to the hoop who'll knock down wide open 3-pointers. Right now, he's playing alongside Smith and Terry off the bench and neither one of those guys is good enough. Imagine someone like Dunleavy or Belinelli getting those looks instead.

 

Smiths comments were exactly ringing endorsements IMO. Hopefully he gets a deal he cant refuse elsewhere.

 

The problem of the playoffs was our bench was moved to the starting line up due to injurys and we couldnt match Golden state because of this

 

Smith made $2.077m this season - 120% raise that they can sign him to without use of an exception is $2.49m.

Neither Smith (assuming he takes that 120% raise) nor Brewer affect the ability to retain PatBev who is an RFA which the Rockets hold full rights to , meaning the Rockets can match any offer he gets and exceed the cap in doing so. (Unlike KJMcDaniels who the team doesn't have bird or early bird rights on and cannot exceed the cap to retain without use of an exception).

If Josh Smith takes that ~$2.49m you can easily retain the entire roster minus KJ and still have the full taxpayer MLE to use.

KJ could return too if he is willing to accept the same 120% without regard to the cap but with a salary of $507k this year , that would earn him only $608k next season which I don't think is enough to keep him. He's looking to get paid.

Smith being willing to take that 120% figure really gives the Rockets a lot of options to upgrade the roster.

 

I made a mistake here - the Rockets can offer Brewer up to 175% of this years contract , not the 120% figure shown above. Meaning they could give him up to ~$8.225m and exceed the cap in doing so.

 

I'm certainly no capologist... so some intricacies may be off...

but im figuring to retain JSmith its gonna take some or all of the mle... I believe he wants to stay - but 120% is just an insult to someone in his situation...

figuring our pg(s) are gonna come via trade or snt.... or + matching PBev... Match PBev and use that trio of 8.9-11M/picks on a second pg to pair w PBev... thinkin DM should be able to swing a deal with Cs... IT/AB/MS...

If Brewers/JT money doesnt affect anything - fine... but I'd figure theres some ramification... apron/hardcap/whatever at somepoint that would make such superfluous spending a hinderance... rather see us retain McDaniels before worrying about Terry...

D12/JSmith/Ariza/JH/PBev/DMo/Cs pg/Capella/McDaniels....

 

Smith you want back if the Detroit $ allows him to continue accepting the BAE type salary. You're not going to get that kind of production at that price elsewhere.

Terry vet min or buh bye

Brewer I would love to have back as well if the dollars work out and we can still upgrade at PG.

The key here is none of these guys are starter worthy. If someone throws starter money at them it's a mistake. As a bench mob though they are fantastic. If they embrace that role then they will continue to be successful. As higher usage starters they will be run out of town just like in Detroit and Minnesota.

 

All fair assessments. I really want all them back.

 

Brewer is a conundrum. He did have some questionable moments in the playoffs but you cannot discount the energy he brings and energy guys get you wins in the regular season that help with home court in the playoffs. I say bring him back.

 

Agreed. It's crazy to think about given how much these guys are paid, but how many players in this league truly never take plays off?

I feel like the list is small. Brewer is one of them. As is Bev. Draymond Green is probably the best example. All of the above are championship level players, though.

 

No argument about Smith being underpaid at $2.49m but that's the only way he can stay and the Rockets retain the ability to add another significant player with the MLE which is their only cap exceeding option this season outside of trades. Smith demanding the MLE (all or part) takes that option away. Does he want to win or make a few dollars more ?? The money difference between the 2.49m figure and the full MLE is not dollar for dollar because of the Detroit money.

That was my thought as well , the PG would come in via trade with the contracts of some combination of Jones , KPap , Prigioni & Dorsey being shipped out.
KPap & Prigioni offer immediate cap relief if the receiving team choose to waive them being all or partially non guaranteed.
The Rockets could attach Cash Considerations to Dorsey who could then be waived.
Jones is the potential (cheap) talent in that group and adding a draft pick may get you a nice player in return.
Adding a PG and retaining PatBev is the best case scenario and very possible.

Yes , there is the apron & hard cap that would come into play at some point making such spending a hindrance but the point is that they have these options up to those points.

But in the case of Terry , having him at a salary greater than the Vet min with a second non-guaranteed year makes him very valuable in returning salary via trade in a late December to the trade deadline deal. The difference being 120-150% of ~$3m or 120-150% of ~$6m depending upon where the team is in relation to the apron at the conclusion of a trade that would ship him out. At the vet min he might net you a $4.5m player while at his current salary return you $9m in player salary assuming the team is under the apron at the conclusion of such a trade ($3.6 vs $7.2m should they be above the apron).


I think KJ is the least likely to return because of the fact that they would have to use either cap space or an exception to retain him for anything above the 608k figure shown above. Not to mention he'd be behind Harden at SG & Ariza at SF and possibly Brewer or whoever replaced him should they decide to go in another direction. Keeping KJ almost certainly requires some part of the MLE.