The Official 2015 Offseason Free Agency Thread

[Ckay]

Zach Lowe said in his latest article that Lowry's agent called the Lakers and they didn't show great interest and told him they were waiting on Lebron and Carmelo.

wow..
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/kobe- ... le-future/

The Lakers, for instance, showed initial interest in Lowry, but told him and his agent, Andy Miller, that they simply could not offer Lowry a contract until they heard a final answer from Anthony and James, Miller says. They contacted the agents for some of those other B-level players with similar tepid overtures, per several league sources. Stephenson told me the Lakers contacted him early in free agency but never followed up. Thomas says he badly wanted to be a Laker, but that the team showed no interest.

[leeprettyp]

Zach Lowe said in his latest article that Lowry's agent called the Lakers and they didn't show great interest and told him they were waiting on Lebron and Carmelo.

wow..
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/kobe- ... le-future/

The Lakers, for instance, showed initial interest in Lowry, but told him and his agent, Andy Miller, that they simply could not offer Lowry a contract until they heard a final answer from Anthony and James, Miller says. They contacted the agents for some of those other B-level players with similar tepid overtures, per several league sources. Stephenson told me the Lakers contacted him early in free agency but never followed up. Thomas says he badly wanted to be a Laker, but that the team showed no interest.

Yeah thats been out there for awhile now. I'd doubt the front office doesnt bring in some young ascending talent this offseason to say the least. They won't make that mistake twice. Why I'm really hoping we sign Reggie Jackson the guy is ready IMO

[Sofa King]

Saw this on FB and thought this was a good analysis.

Prior to the drafting of Kobe and signing Shaq, Jerry West targeted younger players and put together an exciting young roster that was cheaper and cap flexible. The Lakers won 48-52 games per year and had an exciting enough young nucleus that Shaq felt he had enough to work with to come to LA. West targeted athleticism, scoring ability and shooting, and was willing to take a chance on guys that possessed those traits even if they had been cast off by other teams. This is much the same way the Suns built their team last season. West targeted a former 2nd round pick in Cedric Ceballos that had proven in his two years in Phoenix that he could put the ball in the basket. He drafted Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, George Lynch and Eldon Campbell. Plus the lone holdover from the Magic era Vlade Divac. We can follow this model with our eye on the 2016 and 2017 classes of KD and Russell Westbrook.
We have Julius Randle, Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson as holdovers.
I like Ed Davis as an undervalued commodity, at worst he is a great guy off the bench.
Obviously we should monitor the situations of Kevin Love and Goran Dragic but we can be successful in building a successful roster without them.
The FO should look at guys like CJ Watson of Indiana, KJ McDaniel of Philly and Draymond Green of Golden St. All are unrestricted free agents, which is crucial to finding bargains, and are under 26 years old. All have shown they can be successful at the NBA level. Only Draymond I believe would cost a decent amount to sign. But you don't find many PFs that can play the defense he does while spreading the floor with a deadly accuracy from deep.
Younger players we could target via trade that are currently stuck in backup roles but could thrive as starters.
Dennis Schroeder PG from the Hawks. Stuck behind Jeff Teague. Quick and a great defender. Hawks probably don't want to give him away but for the right deal?
Mason Plumlee C Brooklyn. He is starting to get more minutes, and is playing well, but as soon as Brook Lopez gets back, they aren't paying him 15 million to sit. If they can't move Lopez might they be willing to move Plumlee if they could attach a bad contract?
Cody Zeller PF Chatlotte. Charlotte could be looking for a more established big to backup (Jordan Hill?) as they already have their PF of the Future in Noah Vonleh plus they have Al Jefferson. Zeller offers underrated athleticism and post skills which could open up even more as he develops his jumper further.
Deon Waiters SG Cleveland. Yes we all know he isn't going to fit in with LeBron. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a future.
Darrell Arthur PF Denver. Part of a million bigs with the Nuggets. Decent scorer and rebounder that plays some D.
Kyle Singler SF Detroit Great shooter, better defender than you think. Seems lost with the Pistons.
Terrance Jones PF Houston. Very efficient scorer around the basket, great rebounding metrics, not a good defender but that could develop. The Rockets seem hell bent on bringing a name in to start over him which tells me they might be willing to move him.
Khris Middleton SF Bucks. Good defender, developing offensive game. Behind Parker and the Greek Freak on the depth chart.
Kyle O'Quinn C Magic. Behind Vucevic on the depth chart. Can put the ball in the bucket, has a jumper, great rebounding metrics. Not much of a defender but see Terrance Jones.
Isaiah Thomas PG Suns. Phoenix is realizing 3 good PGs won't work. Thomas is playing well offensively the minutes he gets. Can't defend much but will add quickness, shooting and excitement in the backcourt. Things we don't have at all.
CJ McCollum SG Portland. Always hurt but produces when he plays. Can stretch the floor and is a better defender than you think. Buried on the depth chart because of his health issues.
Patty Mills PG San Antonio hurt this season. Played great last year during the playoffs and is a proven NBA talent but San Antonio has had a younger and cheaper backup point in Cory Joseph develop. Would they be willing to move Mills next summer to save cap space?
Terrance Ross SG Toronto. Playing now but will return back to the bench once Derozen comes back. May be too similar of a skill set to Demar and Toronto may be looking for someone that can stretch the floor a little more. Could he be had?
We have options beyond the top tiered guys this offseason, the front office just needs to get to work and stop signing guys like Boozer and find guys that have some room to develop.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1366267 ... 300198140/

[Fresh360Waves]

Saw this on FB and thought this was a good analysis.

Prior to the drafting of Kobe and signing Shaq, Jerry West targeted younger players and put together an exciting young roster that was cheaper and cap flexible. The Lakers won 48-52 games per year and had an exciting enough young nucleus that Shaq felt he had enough to work with to come to LA. West targeted athleticism, scoring ability and shooting, and was willing to take a chance on guys that possessed those traits even if they had been cast off by other teams. This is much the same way the Suns built their team last season. West targeted a former 2nd round pick in Cedric Ceballos that had proven in his two years in Phoenix that he could put the ball in the basket. He drafted Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, George Lynch and Eldon Campbell. Plus the lone holdover from the Magic era Vlade Divac. We can follow this model with our eye on the 2016 and 2017 classes of KD and Russell Westbrook.
We have Julius Randle, Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson as holdovers.
I like Ed Davis as an undervalued commodity, at worst he is a great guy off the bench.
Obviously we should monitor the situations of Kevin Love and Goran Dragic but we can be successful in building a successful roster without them.
The FO should look at guys like CJ Watson of Indiana, KJ McDaniel of Philly and Draymond Green of Golden St. All are unrestricted free agents, which is crucial to finding bargains, and are under 26 years old. All have shown they can be successful at the NBA level. Only Draymond I believe would cost a decent amount to sign. But you don't find many PFs that can play the defense he does while spreading the floor with a deadly accuracy from deep.
Younger players we could target via trade that are currently stuck in backup roles but could thrive as starters.
Dennis Schroeder PG from the Hawks. Stuck behind Jeff Teague. Quick and a great defender. Hawks probably don't want to give him away but for the right deal?
Mason Plumlee C Brooklyn. He is starting to get more minutes, and is playing well, but as soon as Brook Lopez gets back, they aren't paying him 15 million to sit. If they can't move Lopez might they be willing to move Plumlee if they could attach a bad contract?
Cody Zeller PF Chatlotte. Charlotte could be looking for a more established big to backup (Jordan Hill?) as they already have their PF of the Future in Noah Vonleh plus they have Al Jefferson. Zeller offers underrated athleticism and post skills which could open up even more as he develops his jumper further.
Deon Waiters SG Cleveland. Yes we all know he isn't going to fit in with LeBron. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a future.
Darrell Arthur PF Denver. Part of a million bigs with the Nuggets. Decent scorer and rebounder that plays some D.
Kyle Singler SF Detroit Great shooter, better defender than you think. Seems lost with the Pistons.
Terrance Jones PF Houston. Very efficient scorer around the basket, great rebounding metrics, not a good defender but that could develop. The Rockets seem hell bent on bringing a name in to start over him which tells me they might be willing to move him.
Khris Middleton SF Bucks. Good defender, developing offensive game. Behind Parker and the Greek Freak on the depth chart.
Kyle O'Quinn C Magic. Behind Vucevic on the depth chart. Can put the ball in the bucket, has a jumper, great rebounding metrics. Not much of a defender but see Terrance Jones.
Isaiah Thomas PG Suns. Phoenix is realizing 3 good PGs won't work. Thomas is playing well offensively the minutes he gets. Can't defend much but will add quickness, shooting and excitement in the backcourt. Things we don't have at all.
CJ McCollum SG Portland. Always hurt but produces when he plays. Can stretch the floor and is a better defender than you think. Buried on the depth chart because of his health issues.
Patty Mills PG San Antonio hurt this season. Played great last year during the playoffs and is a proven NBA talent but San Antonio has had a younger and cheaper backup point in Cory Joseph develop. Would they be willing to move Mills next summer to save cap space?
Terrance Ross SG Toronto. Playing now but will return back to the bench once Derozen comes back. May be too similar of a skill set to Demar and Toronto may be looking for someone that can stretch the floor a little more. Could he be had?
We have options beyond the top tiered guys this offseason, the front office just needs to get to work and stop signing guys like Boozer and find guys that have some room to develop.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1366267 ... 300198140/

This is very good. One name that really stood out for me was Schroeder from Atlanta. He can ball. Shelvin Mack is also another underrated PG they have and I feel like he could be starter in the NBA also. I think many forget he was on that Final 4 Butler squad with Gordon Hayward. If the Lakers strike out on Dragic or Jackson, the Lakers might wanna consider those guys while their value is still pretty low.

For big men, Zeller and Plumlee are good options. But again, they would have to wait once the draft is done and how free agency plays out as well even though getting Gasol, DJ, or Asik isn't likely.

[leeprettyp]

lol I'm telling ya'll Reggie Jackson is the guy

[aaron_gray]

lol I'm telling ya'll Reggie Jackson is the guy

i know a lot of people don't want him bc we'll probably have to overpay to get him (the thunder will in all likelihood match anything below 8 million), but he is a talented player. If we could get him for a contract that pays him less overtime something like 12 mil, 10 mil, 8 mil and then eventually 6.5 mil, I'd go for it.

[aaron_gray]

Also, it makes no sense to say that you should not go after good point guards bc there are so many of them every year. The original line of thinking is that you can get a decent point guard at a decent price, you should spend the money elsewhere. In reality, going after good point guards is the best way you can spend your money. There are so many good pgs out there that you would definitely get one for a price below their true worth, because there is lots of supply. Throwing Reggie 12 mil really is not a bad deal at all. The guy is on pace to be worth 14 mil in his absolute physical prime if all other factors remain ceteris paribus (meaning that he doesn't suffer a career ending injury, he doesn't get a junk roster to work with etc.). Other teams are going to throw 10 mil at him just to pry him away from the Thunder. Imagine getting him for 8 mil at 28 yrs old while he produces 14 mil's worth of win shares.

[crazyeights]

Totally agree about Reggie and PGs in general. IMO it's a must address situation this off season. Can't go into next year with Kobe and no ball handler/shot creator/defender.

I liked that FB post...but why so many PFs? We'll have Handles Randle.

[Kilroy]

IMO opinion, there are no must address situations on this team. We need just about everything, so you grab the best YOUNG talent you can find and try to make a good match with Randle.

From what he's said so far, I think Randle may have the personality to pick up where Kobe left off and lead the team. It's a lot to ask and assume but if so, I think we should just get the best talent to build around him for the future.

I also think the PG position is still slightly over-rated in the NBA. I don't think the need is positional. You need at least 2 transcendent offensive players that can create for themselves and others. Ideally both of them would be lock down defenders as well but that's not necessary. Then you need to surround them with the right players for their skills. You may not need a dominant PG, but you need a dominant perimeter defender, and I think a interior rim protector makes things much easier. Then you need at least one lights out jump shooter.
I think Nick Young can be a 6th man on that kind of team, but I doubt we'll be able to keep him for ever.

So the future is wide open for this team. The possibilities are almost limitless.

[leeprettyp]

Wonder if we can resign Lin at a manageable number 5mill range and put him alongside Young and Clarkson on that 2nd unit. Thats pretty solid. I just think we cant go another summer without getting a premier young ascending PG. It's a must cant go another offseason without addressing that starting PG position

[leeprettyp]

Also Phoenix is gonna have to move Bledsoe or Dragic. I think it's gonna be Bledsoe, wonder what they'd be looking for in a possible deal for him. Don't think they'd get alot back in a deal for Zay Thomas

[Pointgod]

We should start planning for the offseason now! have a fire sale to land a couple of picks and start targetting some young guys now. Give up on the pipe dreams of Love, Aldridge, Gasol and Rondo. Focus should be 2016. We should have 3-4 solid pieces and a couple picks by the time Kobe expires.

[Fresh360Waves]

Also Phoenix is gonna have to move Bledsoe or Dragic. I think it's gonna be Bledsoe, wonder what they'd be looking for in a possible deal for him. Don't think they'd get alot back in a deal for Zay Thomas

But they just gave Bledsoe a new contract so I don't know. I think Dragic is more likely to be moved and was the main reason why IT was picked up this past summer. Phoenix probably won't be in the playoffs again this yr so they may decide to trade Dragic to get some assets in return. Houston is the team I've heard that has interest.

[aaron_gray]

Also Phoenix is gonna have to move Bledsoe or Dragic. I think it's gonna be Bledsoe, wonder what they'd be looking for in a possible deal for him. Don't think they'd get alot back in a deal for Zay Thomas

Do you think they look bad?

[Slava]

Roy Hibbert has a player option next season. Anyone think he won't exercise it? Surprised that he hasn't been mentioned as much as the others.

[aaron_gray]

That's like a 15 mil player option. He's still one of the top rim protectors in the nba, but idk who's going to be able to give him that money without giving up on some impact players other then maybe the Clippers and DeAndre. Besides, PG is coming back and the East is pretty open really unless Washington (Beal) or Toronto (Valanciunas) takes the next step.

[Slava]

You never know how PG is going to look like, Hibbert is the gold standard for rim protection and gets a lot of benefit of doubt calls from the refs on verticality alone. With the CBA going up, I cannot see how he won't be able to secure a long term deal for more than that. I wouldn't mind offering a 4 yr $70 mil deal. Pair him next to a good rebounder and you have a solid frontcourt tandem going.

[aaron_gray]

Is that with the assumption that he'll be an elite rim protector in his early 30s?

[kblo247]

With a pick we have approx. 26mil but without it we may have closer to 29 or so. If we are working with say close to 30 ... duck Rondo, and honestly Marc is staying where he has been since he was a teen in Memphis ....

I say offer Dragic, Asik, and Jeff Green/Wesley MAtthews almost a 10/9/8 split for 4 years each. Now that would be how I would spend that money around Kobe and Randle starting with Nick off the bench. We would have a team ready to compete every night

[Slava]

Is that with the assumption that he'll be an elite rim protector in his early 30s?

You don't lose height.