Since Wallace has been traded to Atlanta, I don't see any way that he resigns with them. Seems like all the media had written off the Rockets as having an interest in acquiring him by trade. Does anybody here think we will make a run at him this offseason with either the MLE or the trade exception in a S&T? Is a S&T a doable situation with a team like the Hawks who are obviously cleaning house and starting over?
Armed with the trade exception (valuable for Atlanta to avoid taking back a lot of salary for Rasheed), you would think Houston would have a great shot at trading a player plus the trade exception to Atlanta for Rasheed in a sign and trade.
For the MLE it's doubtful, since a lot of teams will line up for the shot at him. If Rasheed is flat out willing to sign for the amount of the trade exception to play in Houston, then perhaps Atlanta would play along for a draft pick or two. Other teams will come calling.... all depends on what Atlanta is willing to take for him.
I think they rather let Rasheed walk then take back whatever crap player we would offer them plus the trade exception.
p. s. However, isn't there a rule that a player's salary cap slot does not drop if he takes more than a 20% pay cut in the first year of the new deal? That is, since Rasheed is making $17 million this year, his next deal would have to start out at close to $14 million per year (which is still too much to pay Rasheed).
Atlanta could use a center, now. Cato at $7.0 million per year is actually no longer "overpaid." And throw in another player, and/or pick.
Portland's GM said that Atlanta made this move for one reason only: To clear up a significnat amount of cap space for next year. That's sort of good news in that it means he'll definitely not be re-signing there, but bad news for those who were hoping to trade for him this year. He's gone.
I think that if the Rockets are interested in Rasheed Wallace we'd be a very appealing destination for him. However, there are alot of teams out there that have more money to offer (unless Les goes crazy with the salary cap being lifted).
Does anyone else feel that the only way Sheed comes here is if he'd have Yao, Cat, and Stevie still here as teammates? Not sure Stevie'll be here.
Just say no to Sheed. He will destroy everything he touches. The more immediate problem is that Portland is now a better team than the Rockets. Hence, no playoffs, again.
edit: ok, for some reason i just gave the hawks boki and a first round pick in a S&T just to make sheed a few more dollars. our TE should be enough over the MLE that that's all it takes to make sheed happy contract wise (if he wants to come here at all). if it comes right down to it and we have to start out a million or two above our TE, i'm sure we can find some way of making it work (then maybe boki and a pick). assuming that's not the case, send ATL a second rounder or something and get the S&T done with just the TE. and MacB, i don't think it really matters why ATL got sheed b/c he can't be traded again before the deadline with the 60 day rule whether they want capspace or a trade. i for one was very glad to hear ATL was the team that got him b/c i figured that that was their intention (and that sheed wouldn't sign there anyway). if sheed is serious about playing with cat/yao/steve, we should make it happen (craziness and all). i don't think any of the teams with major cap room plan on going after him (though some might get desperate when they find no takers) so it could be our $7M TE up against everyone else's MLE. advantage us, at least initially.
Having Ratliff will help their interior d, but SAR is not better than Wallace. The improvement is not that drastic IMO. If anything it put the Hawks on the map for next year's free agency. The are like 58 Million under the cap when Brandon's, Wallace's, and others contacts run out at the end of the year. KOBE a hawk? Poor guy, he'll regret leaving the Lakers if he goes to Atl or LaC. The teams I'm worried about are Memphis and Denver. I think one or both will pass us up unless SF3 and co. start playing smarter b-ball which might be too much to ask. If that's the case we need to trade one or both of our guard in the offseason when SF3 BYC is gone.
How then did Karl Malone and Payton sign for the vet minimum and the MLE? I think you are confusing this with something else. A player counts a percentage (ranging from 120% to 300% based upon type of expiring contract) against his current teams' cap until renounced or re-signed. Once re-signed (even for SnT purposes), the cap hit is $ for $ to the team owning the contract. That is how I understand it. Please elaborate if you are aware of something further. Not true. Wallace can be traded immediately if not combined with another Hawks' player. But it is far more advantageous to the Hawks to wait until the summer.
this from Chad Ford of ESPN: Why don't the Blazers get on the phone with the Rockets and 76ers and get this trade done: Portland sends Randolph, Woods and Patterson to the Rockets and Davis and Stoudamire to the 76ers. Philadelphia sends Eric Snow to Houston and Glenn Robinson and Aaron McKie to Portland. Houston sends Steve Francis and Eric Piatkowski to Portland. This is one Francis trade that will work for the Rockets. The team has a $6.9 million trade exception that it can use to make up for the fact that it can only take back half of Francis' value in trade. Snow's salary would fit into the trade exception slot and make the trade possible under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement Why does it work? For Portland, they would have dumped every bad guy on their roster and somehow wound up with Francis -- the perfect type of superstar they need to lead their team. They would have to swallow some bad contracts -- McKie and Robinson -- to get him, but the good news is McKie-for-Patterson really is a wash, money-wise, and Robinson comes off the books in 2005. In Houston, Jeff Van Gundy would end the growing blood feud with Francis and get back several players who can really help him in the long run. Snow is the perfect point guard to play in Van Gundy's system, and Randolph would give the Rockets another rock-solid, low-post scoring and rebounding option. In other words, no more Kelvin Cato at the four. Money-wise, the whole thing would be a wash for the Rockets, though they might have to pay Randolph lots of money in the summer of 2005. The Sixers move three contracts they've desperately been trying to dump and get back two solid players who happen to have contracts that expire in 2005. It would be mainly a cap move for Philadelphia, however, there's no reason the team can't play as well or better with Davis and Stoudamire in the lineup. .
