No, Feigen made it clear they're going after both guys. Anything else is your interpretation. Personally, I find it extremely unlikely that they bring in two superstar free agents if they don't have a plan for what happens if both say "yes". That's not how business is done in the NBA. Also no, it DOES NOT require a sign and trade. Once Robinson is dealt, the Rockets will have the cap room to sign Dwight (or be within pennies). That part is effectively done. The legwork would be on CP3. A sign-and-trade is one option, but the Rockets could also deal Asik and Lin in trades to other under-the-cap teams ($8.3 million/year for two years on both of them) and create the room for a straight-up signing. Asik is an absolute steal on his deal -- a young center that's a double-double machine. You could finalize a deal to move his contract, and probably Royce along with him, in about 15 minutes. From there, the only stumbling block is Lin. Given the going rate for point guards these days, and the fact that he's an improving 24-year-old with a massive name, I think there are several downtrodden franchises that would LOVE to take a flier on him. I said it earlier in this thread, and will repeat it again: if Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin were unrestricted free agents this summer, and they told the entire league that they'd sign with any team (this includes franchises like Charlotte that never get relevant free agents) that offers them $8.3 mil/year for two seasons, do you think they'd have takers? I'm 100% certain that Asik would and 90% sure that Lin would. As such, if your answer is "probably yes", then it is NOT too complicated to bring in both guys. All that said, I agree that it's unlikely to happen, simply because Chris appears to enjoy LA and will probably stay. But the Rockets will make an effort to sell Chris on Houston much like they will Dwight, and if the two of them want to play together here, it is financially feasible -- even without a sign-and-trade.
I agree with you. When i mentioned a sign-and-trade for either player, what i meant was if the Rockets sign Dwight outright, they would need a sign and trade for CP3. If they signed CP3 outright, then they would need a sign and trade for Dwight. But like you and I agreed on, I find it unlikely they bring both in. I would love it, but its not going to happen.
You never know. As much as it pains me to say it, everyone thought it would be impossible to team LeBron, Dwayne, and Chris Bosh together until it actually happened. There's always hope.
Not necessarily. That's what I was trying to point out. If the Rockets sign Dwight outright, they can then move Asik and Lin in trades to other under-the-cap teams (let's say Atlanta and Charlotte, hypothetically) and then also sign CP3 outright. Asik and Lin on their current deals could be very valuable to rebuilding franchises -- the same reason Morey signed them a year ago. I know it's a small distinction, but it's an important one because people keep fixating on the motivations the Clippers and/or Lakers would have for a sign and trade. It's feasible for the Rockets to get both Dwight and CP3 in straight-up signings and without consent from one of those teams. I agree it's unlikely, but they'll definitely try and there's a very reasonable financial way for it to work. The biggest stumbling block will be convincing Paul to leave LA.
The main thing in that scenario is the pay cut taken by a couple of the guys to make it all work and have enough money to sign other players. If either Howard or Paul takes a pay cut to come here and join forces then that makes things a little more interesting. If they aren't willing to, then it makes it that much harder to make this come to life.
I'm sure if we sign both to 3 year deals with a player optioned 4th (if that's even possible) they would take less money, as long as they can cash in the next CBA around they'll probably survive off a couple million short of the max. But CP3 would definitely be the one to convince to leave a good situation in LA for a potentially grand situation in Houston. His relationship with James could nudge this it the right direction but it's going to take a lot more convincing than a few promises from the Beard. I'm sure Morey and crew will have there iPads geared up for our Mega Presentation 2.0 in about 22 days. This has been one of the most exciting offseasons in recent memory, AND IT HASN'T EVEN OFFICIALLY STARTED!!!
So you are calling guys like Parsons, Beverley, perhaps Garcia, Terrence Jones, DMo, Greg Smith "stiffs?"
Same thing they said about Miami. Weren't very many sitffs on that squad from the first season on.... from what I recall.
So bleacher report yeah I know has an article today showing step by step how to sign both Howard and Paul and only losing one of either Asik or Lin. I can't link it but the author is Adam Fromal and I would be curious if anyone could quickly point out the flaws or if its feasible. Thanks.
As others have pointed out, Morey himself said it would be near impossible to sign both of them. Too many things have to go our way....and most of all, it takes CP3 being full on board. For now, I'm operating under the assumption that this is "either/or", and even just getting one is still relatively unlikely.
If this ever happened then Lin, Asik and Parsons would all be gone. The Rockets would be an entirely different team, again.
It's called managing expectations. Morey has learned the hard way with fan/media reaction to some of his pursuits. For this summer, it's actually a trickier scenario than folks realize, because you don't want to sell Dwight based on something that's out of your control. If Dwight starts envisioning Houston with Paul, and then Paul doesn't come, does that sour him a bit relative to expectations? I think the Houston plan has to be to sell Dwight independent from Paul, much the way the Heat got Bosh into the fold before they knew whether they had LeBron. The broader narrative needs to be that the Rockets are an up-and-coming team with a star already in place, max cap room and a perfect fit for Howard. Get him here on July 1 or July 2, try and nail down an agreement as quickly as possible ("mission accomplished!") and keep back-channel communications open with Paul.
