So what do you think will happen when PP and KG leave?

[DrazenForThree]

Well, I think we sign Pierce to a 2-year extension after this year. It makes sense, that means he would be signed through the 2016 season and comes off the books in time for the 2016 offseason.

And in that case, I'd see if KG is willing to take a 1-year deal following his current contract. If he still has life in his legs and is still a productive player...why not? His leadership and defense could still be used. Line it up so that both Pierce and Garnett come off the books after the 2016 season.

And then yes, after Garnett and Pierce leave after the 2016 season...sign a big time free agent in 2016 to team up with Deron and Brook...hopefully KD lol.

i cant see pierce resigning unless we make the finals. i think go to LA to play for Doc and be back home is just too easy and makes too much sense for him to end his career.

KG i think stays here until he retires.

Based off, Paul's recent interview it seems like his family loves it here and he wants to keep them in the city and he just had a child not too long ago. So, I don't see him uprooting his family again after a year. If we offer him 8 million over 2 years or something in that ballpark, I don't see why he would turn it down unless we have a horrible year.

By the sound of Pierce, I get the feeling he'll probably go for a 2 year extension if he's healthy, hungry and productive. See if you can keep AK for another year or two. Try to bring over Bojan in the process.

Sign Blatche to a 3-4 year deal via bird rights next summer. If KG retires and doesn't want to come back after his last 2 years on this current deal, start Blatche at Forward and look to trade him before 2016. In fact, I'd throw him into any good S&T deals if any of these 2016 free agents go a year before. Let Brook pick up his option in 2015, so he expires in 2016.

By 2016, let everyone expire and go on the free agency shopping spree to compliment D-Will and Brook. Good news is that free agency class is extremely deep. From best to worse you could either get Durant or end up with Noah or Horford.

Brook ain't picking up his option. He'll be opting out and looking for a 5 year true max if he's kept to form.

Probably so. I just would hope if he understands, his contract decision could help the team land a Top 3 player then he would make the right choice and hold off for a year and enter the 2016 FA class. I wouldn't mind the FO looking at S&T options in 2015 if he does in fact opt out. It might give the team some PR damage but I wouldn't turn down a Love for Lopez S&T if Brook ends up asking for a true max.

I cant see lopez taking less to help the team. not for a 7 footer with foot issues. as far as love, id be all for it as well, although i think he'd be traded to LA or someone long before then. i think love gets dealt at the deadline or sooner

[Paradise]

I cant see lopez taking less to help the team. not for a 7 footer with foot issues. as far as love, id be all for it as well, although i think he'd be traded to LA or someone long before then. i think love gets dealt at the deadline or sooner

This deadline? I doubt it. But I expect the Love sweepstakes to begin next year after he has a full season under what should be a playoff T-Wolves team with Martin, Rubio, Pekovic. If he wants to be traded before the 2015 FA class, I'm still all for using whatever we have to acquire him, probably not Brook but I wouldn't mind it if Love has a bounce back year.

[DrazenForThree]

I cant see lopez taking less to help the team. not for a 7 footer with foot issues. as far as love, id be all for it as well, although i think he'd be traded to LA or someone long before then. i think love gets dealt at the deadline or sooner

This deadline? I doubt it. But I expect the Love sweepstakes to begin next year after he has a full season under what should be a playoff T-Wolves team with Martin, Rubio, Pekovic. If he wants to be traded before the 2015 FA class, I'm still all for using whatever we have to acquire him, probably not Brook but I wouldn't mind it if Love has a bounce back year.

i guess our difference on the wovles just varies... i see them being awful and out of it by january

[vincecarter4pres]

By the sound of Pierce, I get the feeling he'll probably go for a 2 year extension if he's healthy, hungry and productive. See if you can keep AK for another year or two. Try to bring over Bojan in the process.

Sign Blatche to a 3-4 year deal via bird rights next summer. If KG retires and doesn't want to come back after his last 2 years on this current deal, start Blatche at Forward and look to trade him before 2016. In fact, I'd throw him into any good S&T deals if any of these 2016 free agents go a year before. Let Brook pick up his option in 2015, so he expires in 2016.

By 2016, let everyone expire and go on the free agency shopping spree to compliment D-Will and Brook. Good news is that free agency class is extremely deep. From best to worse you could either get Durant or end up with Noah or Horford.

Brook ain't picking up his option. He'll be opting out and looking for a 5 year true max if he's kept to form.

Probably so. I just would hope if he understands, his contract decision could help the team land a Top 3 player then he would make the right choice and hold off for a year and enter the 2016 FA class. I wouldn't mind the FO looking at S&T options in 2015 if he does in fact opt out. It might give the team some PR damage but I wouldn't turn down a Love for Lopez S&T if Brook ends up asking for a true max.

The right choice? For who?

And what does holding off til 2016 matter? His cap hold will still be gigantic.

The one who needs to take a pay cut is Deron. He needs to opt out in 2016 and take a massive yearly cut, but get more years at 8 figures then he should at his age.

Opts out in 2016, re-signs for 4 or 5 years starting in the low teens instead of the one year at over $22 mill. They'd have to give him an ETO and/or PO in there around year 3.

Brook at about 18, Durant at massive full max of around 21.2, Deron at maybe 12 a year, a first round rookie or 2, maybe a guy like Blatche at about full MLE, the rest all cap holds, everyone else off the roster completely, figuring the cap will probably be around $61 or so by then.

[kamaze]

Brooks so humble he demanded and got 4 year full max coming off a 5 game season where he broke his foot twice, just saying haha.

I don't see him taking an extension, nor waiting to take an extension. You can only extend a deal to make it 4 total remaining years no matter how many years are left on your deal, it makes no sense for him to not opt out in 2015 as long as he's been relatively healthy and at worst been just as good as he was last year.

In the NBA you cannot restructure contracts in that fashion, Bogans was just a sign and trade.

Oh, I think someone took less so Billy had more flexibilty Deron...can't remember who it was.

The one who needs to take a pay cut is Deron. He needs to opt out in 2016 and take a massive yearly cut, but get more years at 8 figures then he should at his age.

Opts out in 2016, re-signs for 4 or 5 years starting in the low teens instead of the one year at over $22 mill. They'd have to give him an ETO and/or PO in there around year 3. - See more at: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1275164&start=15#sthash.I24Cj7HE.dpuf

Agree with this he's overpaid but the team was desperate then. Jrue Holiday makes 11 mil and he was an all star last year, he's also a better defender and can penetrate. Deron's overrated imo.

[Paradise]

The right choice? For who?

And what does holding off til 2016 matter? His cap hold will still be gigantic.

The one who needs to take a pay cut is Deron. He needs to opt out in 2016 and take a massive yearly cut, but get more years at 8 figures then he should at his age.

Opts out in 2016, re-signs for 4 or 5 years starting in the low teens instead of the one year at over $22 mill. They'd have to give him an ETO and/or PO in there around year 3.

Brook at about 18, Durant at massive full max of around 21.2, Deron at maybe 12 a year, a first round rookie or 2, maybe a guy like Blatche at about full MLE, the rest all cap holds, everyone else off the roster completely, figuring the cap will probably be around $61 or so by then.

Brook at 18 is too much, unless he stays healthy and improves a great deal. Deron at 12 is fine. The way I see it, there has to be a little more wiggle room on all three contracts to add additional pieces. Brook at 15, Deron at 12, KD at 18 is what I would hope for.

[DrazenForThree]

The right choice? For who?

And what does holding off til 2016 matter? His cap hold will still be gigantic.

The one who needs to take a pay cut is Deron. He needs to opt out in 2016 and take a massive yearly cut, but get more years at 8 figures then he should at his age.

Opts out in 2016, re-signs for 4 or 5 years starting in the low teens instead of the one year at over $22 mill. They'd have to give him an ETO and/or PO in there around year 3.

Brook at about 18, Durant at massive full max of around 21.2, Deron at maybe 12 a year, a first round rookie or 2, maybe a guy like Blatche at about full MLE, the rest all cap holds, everyone else off the roster completely, figuring the cap will probably be around $61 or so by then.

Brook at 18 is too much, unless he stays healthy and improves a great deal. Deron at 12 is fine. The way I see it, there has to be a little more wiggle room on all three contracts to add additional pieces. Brook at 15, Deron at 12, KD at 18 is what I would hope for.

i think the better alternative would be to move one and build around KD/Brook or KD/Dwill. preferebly brook if he is healthy since he is younger.

[Paradise]

The right choice? For who?

And what does holding off til 2016 matter? His cap hold will still be gigantic.

The one who needs to take a pay cut is Deron. He needs to opt out in 2016 and take a massive yearly cut, but get more years at 8 figures then he should at his age.

Opts out in 2016, re-signs for 4 or 5 years starting in the low teens instead of the one year at over $22 mill. They'd have to give him an ETO and/or PO in there around year 3.

Brook at about 18, Durant at massive full max of around 21.2, Deron at maybe 12 a year, a first round rookie or 2, maybe a guy like Blatche at about full MLE, the rest all cap holds, everyone else off the roster completely, figuring the cap will probably be around $61 or so by then.

Brook at 18 is too much, unless he stays healthy and improves a great deal. Deron at 12 is fine. The way I see it, there has to be a little more wiggle room on all three contracts to add additional pieces. Brook at 15, Deron at 12, KD at 18 is what I would hope for.

i think the better alternative would be to move one and build around KD/Brook or KD/Dwill. preferebly brook if he is healthy since he is younger.

You can't build around KD/Brook. You need a quality PG here and there is no way he would leave OKC with Westbrook to just play with Lopez.

[DrazenForThree]

Brook at 18 is too much, unless he stays healthy and improves a great deal. Deron at 12 is fine. The way I see it, there has to be a little more wiggle room on all three contracts to add additional pieces. Brook at 15, Deron at 12, KD at 18 is what I would hope for.

i think the better alternative would be to move one and build around KD/Brook or KD/Dwill. preferebly brook if he is healthy since he is younger.

You can't build around KD/Brook. You need a quality PG here and there is no way he would leave OKC with Westbrook to just play with Lopez.

you cant build around kd and brook?

huh?

the leagues 2nd best player entering his prime years(maybe THE best player by then who knows). you can certainly build around that.

[therealbig3]

KD hasn't even played with a post player of Brook's caliber, we have no idea whether they could team up or not.

Furthermore...Dwight, if he opts out, is a free agent in the 2016 offseason as well. If we decide to move BOTH D-Will and Brook, we could potentially sign BOTH KD and Dwight. Or depending on how much D-Will is willing to sacrifice to make it happen, we could sign both and keep D-Will at a discount over a longer period of time. At that point, sorry Brook, time to move on. In fact, he could be used in a S&T for either player.

I have high hopes for that offseason, considering only D-Will and Brook will be there at the time, and since Brook has an opt out for the 2015-2016 season, we could move him for expirings and draft picks and that could be a "solid, but non-contending" year for us as we piece together a team with D-Will and an older Pierce and maybe KG and Joe Johnson on the last year of his deal, and simply make the playoffs. Then convince D-Will to opt out and re-sign for less money per year, as long as he's relatively healthy and is truly interested in building a contender. Sign for low enough per year to the point where we could sign two max deals and go for two of Durant, Dwight, and Love...preferably Durant and Dwight.

[therealbig3]

Agree with this he's overpaid but the team was desperate then. Jrue Holiday makes 11 mil and he was an all star last year, he's also a better defender and can penetrate. Deron's overrated imo.

Deron might very well be overrated, but he's far better than Jrue Holiday. That's not even a comparison.

You could argue that the only players worth a true max are guys like LeBron, Durant, a healthy Dwight, and a healthy Chris Paul, in which case, yeah...Deron doesn't touch those guys and is overpaid. But those aren't the only guys that make a massive amount of money, which kind of sets the market value for Deron, who was considered a superstar at the time.

He needs to take a paycut on his next deal, because it would help us reel in at least one top free agent and rebuild our team into another chance at contention when this current core is finished. Love, Dwight, and KD are all free agents in the 2016 offseason, and if Deron takes enough of a yearly paycut (but as vc4p points out, gets more long-term security than a 32-year old should get), we could sign 2 max free agents that offseason and shoot ourselves back up into instant contender status. I think it's an absolute lock we get at least Dwight that offseason, if not KD.

Per year though, unless he sees a massive decline, Deron would probably still be worth more than 12-13 million a year, even at 32. It's not like he'd be decrepit. He's also not a guy that is all that reliant on his athleticism, more on his ball handling, strength, jump shot, and deceptively quick change of direction.

[kamaze]

Durant got dropped by Gatorade after he said Dwayne's not top 10 or 20 and Harden's better. Sounds like he was being a burro since Harden's not even on his team anymore.

He needs to play in a big market imo.

[Paradise]

i think the better alternative would be to move one and build around KD/Brook or KD/Dwill. preferebly brook if he is healthy since he is younger.

You can't build around KD/Brook. You need a quality PG here and there is no way he would leave OKC with Westbrook to just play with Lopez.

you cant build around kd and brook?

huh?

the leagues 2nd best player entering his prime years(maybe THE best player by then who knows). you can certainly build around that.

You would have KD on a max contract, Brook on a max contract then both need a quality PG to get them looks. 70% of Brook's shots are assisted by Deron or a guard. My point is, If you have to choose between Durant/Brook or Durant/Deron with only room limited room left, I don't see Brook/KD + decent fillers being good enough on the court over time. They both need guard play to set them up. If you can get an all-star talent point guard or an above average guard and you decide to ship out Deron then fine but I don't see that on the horizon for that free agent class.

Brook/KD/quality young PG
Brook/KD/Love/average PG
Brook/KD/Deron



That's what I think it might come down too in a situation with KD but either way, that offseason has to be smooth sailing. No blunders or mismanagement of money or contracts. It can't happen.

[DrazenForThree]

You would have KD on a max contract, Brook on a max contract then both need a quality PG to get them looks. 70% of Brook's shots are assisted by Deron or a guard. My point is, If you have to choose between Durant/Brook or Durant/Deron with only room limited room left, I don't see Brook/KD + decent fillers being good enough on the court over time. They both need guard play to set them up. If you can get an all-star talent point guard or an above average guard and you decide to ship out Deron then fine but I don't see that on the horizon for that free agent class.

Durant is the most lethal wing scorer the game has seen possible since MJ. he doesnt need a PG to set him up. in fact, he is probably better suited with a 3 point assisin at the point to play more off him. Brook also doesnt have an issue creating his own offense.

Plus, its pretty much a lock brook will be the better player in 2016.

[Paradise]

You would have KD on a max contract, Brook on a max contract then both need a quality PG to get them looks. 70% of Brook's shots are assisted by Deron or a guard. My point is, If you have to choose between Durant/Brook or Durant/Deron with only room limited room left, I don't see Brook/KD + decent fillers being good enough on the court over time. They both need guard play to set them up. If you can get an all-star talent point guard or an above average guard and you decide to ship out Deron then fine but I don't see that on the horizon for that free agent class.

Durant is the most lethal wing scorer the game has seen possible since MJ. he doesnt need a PG to set him up. in fact, he is probably better suited with a 3 point assisin at the point to play more off him. Brook also doesnt have an issue creating his own offense.

Plus, its pretty much a lock brook will be the better player in 2016.

He still needs a playmaker though. Maybe he develops it in the coming years but I just can't envision him here as a point forward that is going to average 30ppg.

Hopefully, Proky and management continues to euro stash because by 2016, Bogdanovic should be coming off his 3 year deal and he would be a perfect fit to play next to Durant or Howard. Durant would be unbelievable surrounded with shooters on the court and a scoring big or playmaking PG.

[DrazenForThree]

He still needs a playmaker though. Maybe he develops it in the coming years but I just can't envision him here as a point forward that is going to average 30ppg.

he IS a play maker. dude scores 30 a game on all-time elite shooting. you want the ball in his hands. id rather pair him with a legit big then a legit PG.

[NyCeEvO]

I think it's an absolute lock we get at least Dwight that offseason, if not KD.

I agree with your overall points on the situation but I want to know why you feel like it's "absolute lock" to get D12?

Even if he is still regretting not coming to us last year, he has to wait an additional 3 years to have the opportunity to like another team, especially his own.

The only way I see him not being content is if he and Harden don't mesh well together or Harden regresses.

I feel like Dwight will either consciously move on by that point or just be tired of wishing to be here and just face the reality of his situation.

[therealbig3]

I think it's an absolute lock we get at least Dwight that offseason, if not KD.

I agree with your overall points on the situation but I want to know why you feel like it's "absolute lock" to get D12?

Even if he is still regretting not coming to us last year, he has to wait an additional 3 years to have the opportunity to like another team, especially his own.

The only way I see him not being content is if he and Harden don't mesh well together or Harden regresses.

I feel like Dwight will either consciously move on by that point or just be tired of wishing to be here and just face the reality of his situation.

Well, it depends on how well Houston does. If they end up not winning anything over the next 3 years...what's really going to change his mind? He wanted Brooklyn because because of the market and the chance to team up with another star, and he knows Proky and the front office will listen to everything he says, which is another thing I think was important to him. The appeal of Brooklyn is still there, and with the opportunity to still team up with D-Will? If we have the money, and strike out on Durant, Dwight's coming here, because everything he wanted in the first place is still here.

[Hello Brooklyn]

If you guys think Deron or Brook or anyone else are taking a pay cut, you are extremely naive.

They are not taking less than the max. Why would they? They are professional athletes. They want to get paid as much as possible.

Its gonna be very tough to get Durant. But I think we have a good chance, by being in a big market.

I could really care less about those 2 first rounders we gave up. 90% chance they are bench players/busts.

[Paradise]

If you guys think Deron or Brook or anyone else are taking a pay cut, you are extremely naive.

They are not taking less than the max. Why would they? They are professional athletes. They want to get paid as much as possible.

Paid or not, they should be doing whatever they can to put the franchise in a better situation to win championships, I get NY is different but there is really no excuse not to take a paycut if you can land Durant, Love or Howard. Especially, Deron. It would be in his best interest to re-sign for less to play with younger pieces around him.