Rockets bring back Jordan Hill. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Obviously depends on other moves, but very possible. RT <a href="https://twitter.com/robertporters">@robertporters</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen">@Jonathan_Feigen</a> what's da chances of us bringing jordan hill back</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/486565155200069632">July 8, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Can always try (and have.) RT <a href="https://twitter.com/JARodriguez0">@JARodriguez0</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen">@Jonathan_Feigen</a> If Rockets fail to get Bosh, do they attempt to trade for K. Love?</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/486569171514576896">July 8, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trade lin for T. young with 76ers or Lin to bucks for Ersan I. sign Jameer Nelson to beat pat bev out of starter role. sign parsons to 10 mil and Shawn Marion to contract of about 6 mil a year 2 years. Jameer Nelson James Harden Chandler Parsons Ersan I. / Thaddeus Young Dwight Howard Bench: Bev Nick Johnson/ James Hamilton Shawn Marion/ Robert covington Terrence Jones/ D Mo CAMBY MAN
Eric Bledsoe offer sheet anyone? He's young, athletic, a defensive dynamo, but more offense than Beverley. If we strike out on him, I think we go into the season with the same plan we always have: sign cheap backups that have potential to overachieve (meaning goodbye Casspi and Garcia, and hello Casspi/Garcia clones + daniels, NJ, Covington, Canaan + d-league big man), wait for a team that gets panicked and has to trade away a superstar, offer up our combination of flexible salaries, picks, young talent in a trade. That means Lin will still on the roster. Basketball reasons aside, we need at least one big contract we are willing to trade away to make salaries work. I know that's boring but it doesn't seem like Morey is quite ready to go over the top on this team and sign a productive bench without at least one more star player on the roster. Until then, status quo: remain flexible.
If everything else (superstar wise) falls through, Morey might do anything, including trying to get Bledsoe if he thinks there's a lot of potential there. I wonder what it would take to pry him from the Suns if Morey did make the attempt. I think it very unlikely that he would, but you never know.
I have a feeling no one wants to come here!!! I have no idea why!!! But Melo Lebron and Bosh need to make a decision already this mess is dragging...
If we strike out on Melo/Bosh/LBJ then obviously we pursue a Love or Rondo trade, which are very unlikely to happen at this time (especially without losing Parsons and we need his consent before Dec.). After all of that I think most likely we choose to operate above the salary cap, in which case we have the Asik ~8 mil trade exception and Lin's expiring contract for salary matching purposes in a future trade. We can then sign Jordan Hill with the MLE (we do need to replace Asik's minutes somehow) and use the BAE on someone like James Johnson/Aaron Brooks/Jameer Nelson just to stash for depth purposes. We then just continue to accumulate trade assets where possible and wait for an opportunity to upgrade the PF or PG position. Not very exciting but we do bring back essentially the same team that won 54 games last year in the West and are poised for a run at Love/Rondo/whoever else that might come available before the deadline. C - Howard/Hill PF - Jones/Motiejunas SF - Parsons/Covington/Garcia SG - Harden/Daniels PG - Beverley/Lin/N. Johnson Assets available for trade: NOP 2015 1st, Capela, Rox 1sts, NYK 2015 2nd, Jones, Asik TE, Lin expiring
you're right, Bledsoe is probably a fool's errand since Phoenix can easily match any salary Houston throws at him, but if we go that route two (small) glimmers of hope: 1) Phoenix drafted Tyler Ennis, another point guard, this year. One has to wonder why they felt compelled to draft a point guard when they already have two very good ones on the roster. Perhaps they don't see one as a long term fit? 2) Bledsoe is young so his max contract would be less than Bosh's. Without looking at cap specifics, this may mean Houston would have a little more wiggle room after signing Bledsoe.
We could make Bledsoe a max offer and try to talk to the suns into S&T'ing him to us. We could offer a lot. 2015 Hou first - Late first 2015 Nop first - Lottery 2017 Hou first - Late first Clint Capela - Valuable international player Jeremy Lin - Expiring for Bledsoe, signed to a full length max contract. It would be hard for the Suns not to give that type of offer a serious look.
Bledsoe's max would start around 14.5 million. I think to sign him to an offer sheet we would need the actual cap space cleared first. Not sure though. For a sign & trade we would need to include more than Lin, maybe the TPE would fill the rest.
Honestly though, I'm pretty damn sure the suns keep Bledsoe and move Dragic if anything. Bledsoe is 3.5 years younger, has more potential and is a better 2 way player. The suns are close to making the playoffs but still have another 2-3 years of growing until they're going to be seriously contending. Dragic is already 28, by the time the teams in its prime he will be regressing. So, we should focus on trying to nab Dragic.
I wonder of we could get into the Pau Gasol market? No idea what the Bulls are offering (is it just MLE or are they willing to amnesty Boozer to offer Gasol more?) but we might be the only contending team to offer him above MLE.
Gasol would be nice. Wonder if we can nab Ray Allen too. That would be even better. I really want Kirk Hinrich on the team. If we can shore up on the PG/PF and bench, we'll be good, Bosh or no Bosh.
If we miss on Bosh (who I want), maybe Morey looks at signing Ariza or Deng, then includes CP25 in trade for Love.
Let's say Gasol has no offers over the MLE from any contending teams. $5,305,000/year starting to play for Spurs/Thunder/Bulls -OR- $7,000,000/year starting to play for Rockets over the same length (Also, give him the choice to accept ~10M for 1 year or whatever is the most under the cap we can offer while keeping Lin, for trade matching purposes. This would benefit us and he might prefer less of a commitment, more $$ upfront, and the chance to be a FA at the same time as his brother). The Lakers obviously are a threat to re-sign him as well and can offer more than we can.
First sign Parsons to make sure we don't fall under the cap after the Asik/Lin trades. Then trade Lin to Philly as part of the New Orleans trade of Asik, and get a $16.6 million trade exception. Use the trade exception to be a player in the free agent market next summer. Then use our MLE and LLE.
