$24 million... really? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2922597 Kapono agrees to four-year, $24 million deal with Raptors By Marc Stein ESPN.com Jason Kapono Kapono Guard-Forward Miami Heat Profile 2007 Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 67 10.9 2.7 1.2 .494 .892 Free agent sharpshooter Jason Kapono has quickly reached an agreement Sunday to leave the Miami Heat and sign a four-year deal believed to be worth $24 million with the Toronto Raptors.a The NBA's free agent period commenced at 12:01 Sunday morning, with free agents unable to formally sign contracts before July 11. "Jason is excited about this opportunity and intends to sign with the Raptors when the moratorium period ends," said Kapono's agent, Bob Myers. Kapono, a second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, led the NBA in 3-point percentage, and posted career-highs in points (10.9) and rebounds (2.7) this season. Senior writer Marc Stein covers the NBA for ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2922663&type=story Sunday, July 1, 2007 Walton to stay with Lakers after agreeing to 6-year, $30 million deal By Chris Sheridan ESPN.com Luke Walton reached agreement Sunday with the Los Angeles Lakers on a six-year, $30 million contract after general manager Mitch Kupchak placed a call one minute after midnight to express the team's interest in retaining its best unrestricted free agent. They called at the earliest possible moment, and we worked on it all day," agent Lon Babby said. "They wanted him back, and Luke wanted to be there. We wanted to make every effort to get an agreement.before we went out and looked at any other teams." Another of Babby's clients, Grant Hill, had one of his more lucrative options taken away when the Toronto Raptors decided to spend their mid-level exception on Miami Heat sharpshooter Jason Kapono. Babby said Hill's list of possible teams now includes, in no particular order, Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio and Orlando. "The financial considerations are fairly low on his list of priorities. He wants the opportunity to play on a championship team, and if he has to make a financial sacrifice, he would do that," Babby said. Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
In one sense he did, but that's close to his actual value. Helps that no other team could sign him for more than 4 yrs. If he were to leave the Lakers, he'd struggle as a starter. Phil really makes him shine in their system. Evan
No, getting a guy for 2 years for 4.5 mill instead of a 5 year/37 mill is cheap (relatively). Those guys made out like bandits, 24 mill and 30 mill? Sheesh, and those guys are white... J/K for the PC crowd.
I'm glad the rocks aren't paying those guys that much coin. They are okay, but I don't think they are even great bench players.
I guess I just read so much about how skilled he is. Personally, I am not impressed with him but it seemed like he was in demand around the league.
The Raptors overpaid Kapono but he could be very effective for them. I never had any doubt Luke Walton would stay with the Lakers. They crumbled without him last season and he seemed like the only guy who got along with Kobe, PJ and the other Lakers players. Assuming Kobe stays, he is more important to that team than Odom. In today's market, $30MM seems about right.
Just goes to show you how much teams value 3-point shooters. That’s why the Rockets need to be extremely picky about what they get in return for Luther Head this summer. Don’t just throw him in a deal for the heck of it, or trade him away for a mediocre player. With how well he shot last season, he should have significant value around the league.
So Toronto is going to be "Chris Bosh and the Whities" I mean: Brganiani Garbajosa Delfino Kapono Calderon Rasho Luke Jackson...
You know what's funny to me? It's official now that Luke Walton will have made waaaay more money in his NBA career than his Hall of Famer old man. Crazy how big NBA money has become since the 70s-80s.
Actually its crazy how NBA money spiked during the late 90s. Look at the salary spikes, they're absolutely unreal. Hakeem wasn't even making Luke Walton money in the mid 90s, its only those last few years of his contract did he even hit 10 million. That goes with all players.
Dude, jason kapono is wayyyyy overrated. toronto is gonna regret that deal when they see how great of a shooter he is when he isnt wide open. no one on that raptor team gets double teamed like wade and shaq do.
With Bosh getting doubled and Ford penetrating and kicking out to Kapono I think he will be just fine. Not to mention they are playing the run and gun up-tempo offense in comparison to the Heat who played a slower half court game.
