Maggette's brother to ESPN: Brand will ask for a sign and trade to Utah.

I doubt the Clips let both of them go.

The Jazz have next to nothing to offer up in a sign and trade, unless you're willing to start with Kirilenko.

There are a LOT of teams out there who would make it much more worth the Clippers while to do a sign and trade, the Rockets included.

What is Brand going to threaten, that he's going to sign this offer sheet that the Clips are probably willing to match?

 

Does Maggette's brother have anything to say about what Brand will answer when the Clippers ask him " And why, exactly, do we do this?"

 

If Utah does get Maggette and Brand they look like a near playoff team. Up until now, the Jazz have looked like the only team who couldn't make the playoffs but now it's anyones game.

 

What the HECK does Utah have? They don't got crap to offer Brand. Rockets should jump in!!!! Break in! Steal Brand!

If I were Brand......I'd just play one more season with horrible Clippers...then leave to Jazz. But I don't know.......what if Elton and Corey can't stay away from each other for one season?!?

Then if I was Brand...retire! And one year later...come back as an unrestricted free agent.

I know. I am stupid.

 

Brand would be nuts to sign a long term contract with the Clippers unless he doesn't care at all about winning.

Sean, what you said makes a lot of sense. I think Brand is in a strong bargaining position.

1) You don't offer a guy a max contract if he doesn't want to play there.

2) Brand could always play one more year with the Clippers and become an unrestricted free agent and the Clippers would be left with nothing.

 

Or perhaps another team could step in and screw everything up for Utah.

 

The only leverage Brand has is saying to the Clippers, "You better do a S&T with me now to Utah so you can get SOMETHING or else I will take the one year tender offer and leave for Utah next year and you get NOTHING!"

This is what I have been saying all along with hoping the Rockets could convince the Clippers (and Brand's agent, David Falk) to trade us Brand to get SOMETHING of value in return instead of Brand leaving next year and having nothing to show for it.

The only player of value that the Jazz have is AK-47. At least the Rockets could offer Mobley and Griffin and include Rice in the S&T to work for cap reasons and Rice would come off the books next season.

 

Brand has little leverage. The Clippers can match any offer Utah signs him to, and likely will. Brand may say he'll take the 1yr tender and then go to Utah, but that's a year down the road and who knows what will happen between now and then? I think it's a bluff, and the Clippers will call him on it.

If he leaves, sure, they get nothing - but would that really surprise everyone given the Clippers' history? They historically let their free agents walk instead of doing a sign and trade unless they only take back rookies (draft picks) or players on rookie contracts.

In any case, I can't see Brand in Utah next year. The Clippers will match the offer or he'll sign the one year tender in Los Angeles.

 

Why would the Clippers trade Brand to the Jazz? The Clippers already are offering him close to the max, and would match any offer the Jazz made........ it doesnt make much sense. Be happy you have Magette and enjoy the lotto for the next 5 yrs or longer. Enjoy watching Karl Malone win a title in LA

 

Two things people are not talking about:

1. Dunleavy. Sterling won't leave Dunleavy with nothing. That gives Brand some negotiating power.

2. Wilcox and Ely. Recall the mass confusion in last year's draft when the Clippers took not one, but two power forwards.

Add those two factors to the fact that Sterling may be looking for an excuse to not pay Brand the max.

Let's say that Brand makes the threat to walk after next year. Sterling has the excuse to trade Brand. After all, its not Sterling's fault that Brand is being unreasonable.

As a responsible owner, he gets Dunleavy a valuable SG (Mobley) to replace Maguette. The trade of Brand opens up a spot for Wilcox, Ely and Griffin. The new coach has three high draft pick prospects to work with. Rice comes off the books next year, ummm to open up salary space to go after a free agent next year. From a PR perspective, it's sellable. To Dunleavy, it stinks, but at least he got Mobley.

 

By league rules Sterling HAS to spend still what 15-20 million, correct? So Utah and SA can offer capspace--but given the above the Clips can't really use cap space--they have to spend money and fill their minimum cap. They sure as heck might have well give Brand that money than Odom or Miller since they have to spend it. I think Sterling will match both Brand and Maggette--Dre they will let go, and either way on Odom (yes they match, unless it is a ridiculous offer).

 

man SA is really screwed now....hahaha...i love it!

 

Rileydog - I don't believe he will leave Dunleavy with nothing, and that they want to keep Brand and Odom above all. We don't even know if these accusations are true, that Brand so desperately wants out of LA.

The Clippers did draft two power forwards last year, but I'd chalk that up to typical Clipper idiocy. Also, since Wilcox is more of a center, and with Sean Rooks a free agent (I think), Wilcox and Ely will be the primary frontcourt backups to Brand and Kaman.

The Clippers already have a pretty decent shooting guard in Quentin Richardson, and as mentioned above and in the press, would like to keep Odom. They don't have a need for Maggette, and historically they haven't facilitated sign-and-trades, no matter the coach. Even with Dunleavy around, I don't think whatever assurances he received will come via takebacks in sign-and-trades.

Desert Scar - yes, there is a minimum salary cap, at 75% of the regular cap. That means team salary has to be about $30m. The Clippers made a deal one year where they received Vinnie Del Negro for nothing just to meet the minimum salary requirement, and promptly waived him (his deal was over after that season, anyway). That's another reason why I think they'll keep players like Odom and Brand.

 

okay,Im really mad so If I sound mad ,thats why.

Since WHEN is stevenson in the same league with Mobley???????????????????????

God,the clippers are STUPID. I wanted to go to one game(im poor) next year,and couldnt decide which one,now I have. I will go to the utah /rox game and BASH the HELL out of brand and call him a (you know) over and over again until I get kicked out. The word I will call him is what he really is,you know,someone that is in the closet.Someone called him that in a thread in the hangout,but its true. He is a hetero-challenged male.