Hornets Summer 2017 Cap Situation

[Braggins]

How depressing is it going to be if we can't add another piece next offseason because we are paying 12 million for Hawes and Belinelli... They better play well enough for us to be able to trade them without giving up much. If we lose next years 1st round pick just to get rid of Belinelli after we gave up this years to get him I'm probably going cry.

[BlackOutBuzz]

So basically you're sort of the bearer of bad news...

Yeah, kinda...but I'm more the bearer for the entire league. This year's cap was supposed to go up $19M, but it actually went up $24M, so teams went overboard on spending; next year was originally projected to go up another $13M, but then after the feeding frenzy we find out that the newest projection is only about an $8M increase.

I think Cho and company handled the off-season pretty well. We kept the guys we had to (at discounts for both) and added other useful pieces without committing salary to 2017.

I guess I'm more optimistic because I like our position in relation to most other teams. Sure, we don't officially have a ton of space right now, but one move (renouncing Zeller) can open up another $13M if we really have to go that route.

Plus I think we'll move Lamb at the deadline in a PJ-for-Lee-esque move that maybe nets us a better player, but on an expiring deal.

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[yosemiteben]

thats what the rate will be next summer when the cap goes up 10+ million again.

There's going to be way less cap space available next summer though, even with the bump. I wouldn't expect the same sort of Mozgov deals as we saw this summer, except maybe by someone like Brooklyn that has to do that to get FAs to go there.

[BlackOutBuzz]

Well, Crabbe got 18... but slightly different circumstances

Brooklyn will still have tons to spend next year after striking out on targets this off-season. What was the old rumor? Zeller + something (Lance?) for Lopez? Wouldn't be surprised if Cho goes after his boy again, and I could see Brooklyn offering Cody big money next year. Cho could leverage the fact that their offer sheets for bench players got matched, we're not letting a starter walk.

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[HornetJail]

20million really doesn't do much.

we have seen these contracts given out this off-season. 20million is somewhere between a good bench player and fringe starter.

Is that a joke?

We got Batum for a starting salary of under $21M.

Fringe starters and high end backup will be getting Lin $$$ at best.

[LostInACrowd]

Well, Crabbe got 18... but slightly different circumstances

Brooklyn will still have tons to spend next year after striking out on targets this off-season. What was the old rumor? Zeller + something (Lance?) for Lopez? Wouldn't be surprised if Cho goes after his boy again, and I could see Brooklyn offering Cody big money next year. Cho could leverage the fact that their offer sheets for bench players got matched, we're not letting a starter walk.

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I doubt that the Nets will go after Cody. They have a new GM who has been targeting High character guys who are 2 way players that can shoot the 3. That's why even though Lance is a free agent, they didn't go after him. Cody, can't hit the 3. So, he doesn't fit well with Lopez and will be too expensive to be a back up center.

[Zaccai]

Why is everyone want to get rid of Lamb, I though he did good coming out as in second unit.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Why is everyone want to get rid of Lamb, I though he did good coming out as in second unit.

He did during the early part of last year, before Al was hurt and the lineup & rotations got shuffled around as a result. After that he was pretty average. It's not clear if he just came down to earth or just didn't have the same chemistry with some of the other guys.

[euphorbus]

He did during the early part of last year, before Al was hurt and the lineup & rotations got shuffled around as a result. After that he was pretty average. It's not clear if he just came down to earth or just didn't have the same chemistry with some of the other guys.

Who was setting effective screens for Lamb after the first eight weeks of the season? Basically, no one, except for the rare occasions he was on the floor with Cody or Tyler.

[LofJ]

Looking ahead to the 2017 draft I'm thinking it wouldn't be a terrible idea for us to explore the market for Kemba. I wouldn't broach the idea until after the season is over, but this draft is so stacked with point guards we'd be foolish not to think about it.

If we could dump Kemba's salary and not take anything back we'd have enough money to sign another starter in his place AND pick up an elite prospect in the draft. I think the Kings, Knicks, and 76ers with the Lakers pick would all be interested.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Looking ahead to the 2017 draft I'm thinking it wouldn't be a terrible idea for us to explore the market for Kemba. I wouldn't broach the idea until after the season is over, but this draft is so stacked with point guards we'd be foolish not to think about it.

If we could dump Kemba's salary and not take anything back we'd have enough money to sign another starter in his place AND pick up an elite prospect in the draft. I think the Kings, Knicks, and 76ers with the Lakers pick would all be interested.

It usually takes 2-3 years for a PG to really be ready to be a good NBA starter. What exactly would this team be doing in that time without Kemba?

The Hornets aren't a tanking team or even a rising non-playoff team anymore. They are trying to win. Trading Kemba and replacing him with a rookie PG doesn't really match their current direction.

That said I'm good with drafting a PG. Heck I'm good with drafting a SG or even a SF. Just because the team has a good established starter is no reason to avoid drafting real talent regardless of position.

[LofJ]

Looking ahead to the 2017 draft I'm thinking it wouldn't be a terrible idea for us to explore the market for Kemba. I wouldn't broach the idea until after the season is over, but this draft is so stacked with point guards we'd be foolish not to think about it.

If we could dump Kemba's salary and not take anything back we'd have enough money to sign another starter in his place AND pick up an elite prospect in the draft. I think the Kings, Knicks, and 76ers with the Lakers pick would all be interested.

It usually takes 2-3 years for a PG to really be ready to be a good NBA starter. What exactly would this team be doing in that time without Kemba?

The Hornets aren't a tanking team or even a rising non-playoff team anymore. They are trying to win. Trading Kemba and replacing him with a rookie PG doesn't really match their current direction.

That said I'm good with drafting a PG. Heck I'm good with drafting a SG or even a SF. Just because the team has a good established starter is no reason to avoid drafting real talent regardless of position.

We'd only trade Kemba if an upgrade agrees to sign with us next summer. It would be similar to what Atlanta did with Teague, but we'd get more value because Kemba is better and locked up for two more years. If Chris Paul agrees to sign with us (he and MJ are close) and the 76ers/Knicks/Kings are willing to trade a lottery pick for Kemba we'd be foolish not to go for it. We could ride Paul for a few years and have someone like Dennis Smith, Ntilikina, Ball, or Fox waiting in the wings to take over.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

We'd only trade Kemba if an upgrade agrees to sign with us next summer. It would be similar to what Atlanta did with Teague, but we'd get more value because Kemba is better and locked up for two more years. If Chris Paul agrees to sign with us (he and MJ are close) and the 76ers/Knicks/Kings are willing to trade a lottery pick for Kemba we'd be foolish not to go for it. We could ride Paul for a few years and have someone like Dennis Smith, Ntilikina, Ball, or Fox waiting in the wings to take over.

Schroder had 3 years to develop while Teague was still there.

I don't care how close MJ and Paul are. Paul is going to look for the best situation for him and other teams including the Clips are going to work hard to land (keep) him. Trading Kemba and hoping to land Paul is risky thinking at best. On top of that, whatever his other failings, Kemba is a great teammate. You don't hear that as much about Paul anymore. Finally Paul's reputation with the refs would really hurt the Hornets.

I'm not really the biggest Kemba fan, but it would really take some kind of special trade to really even make me think about a trade ... and you simply have to address the PG situation right away if he's not going to be here. A "maybe we can sign player XYZ" in free agency is more of a risk than most teams would be willing to take in trading a major asset.

Personally I suspect that smaller trades, such as Hawes or Lamb for slightly better fitting players is more likely. I also think that it's theoretically possible that Cody could be traded. Least likely to be traded IMHO are Kemba (huge part of team chemistry), MKG (currently undervalued), Marv (team chemistry again), and Batum (just resigned and is here to make Kemba & MKG work together better). Frank being traded strikes me as possible but unlikely given Marv's age and Frank's skillset.

If you really want a stellar rookie PG prospect, trading for a draft pick, and then letting them develop under Kemba strikes me as reasonable.

[LofJ]

We'd only trade Kemba if an upgrade agrees to sign with us next summer. It would be similar to what Atlanta did with Teague, but we'd get more value because Kemba is better and locked up for two more years. If Chris Paul agrees to sign with us (he and MJ are close) and the 76ers/Knicks/Kings are willing to trade a lottery pick for Kemba we'd be foolish not to go for it. We could ride Paul for a few years and have someone like Dennis Smith, Ntilikina, Ball, or Fox waiting in the wings to take over.

Schroder had 3 years to develop while Teague was still there.

I don't care how close MJ and Paul are. Paul is going to look for the best situation for him and other teams including the Clips are going to work hard to land (keep) him. Trading Kemba and hoping to land Paul is risky thinking at best. On top of that, whatever his other failings, Kemba is a great teammate. You don't hear that as much about Paul anymore. Finally Paul's reputation with the refs would really hurt the Hornets.

I'm not really the biggest Kemba fan, but it would really take some kind of special trade to really even make me think about a trade ... and you simply have to address the PG situation right away if he's not going to be here. A "maybe we can sign player XYZ" in free agency is more of a risk than most teams would be willing to take in trading a major asset.

Personally I suspect that smaller trades, such as Hawes or Lamb for slightly better fitting players is more likely. I also think that it's theoretically possible that Cody could be traded. Least likely to be traded IMHO are Kemba (huge part of team chemistry), MKG (currently undervalued), Marv (team chemistry again), and Batum (just resigned and is here to make Kemba & MKG work together better). Frank being traded strikes me as possible but unlikely given Marv's age and Frank's skillset.

If you really want a stellar rookie PG prospect, trading for a draft pick, and then letting them develop under Kemba strikes me as reasonable.

A Kemba trade would only happen if we knew for a fact that Paul would sign with us. We'd do exactly what Golden State did with Bogut, Barnes, and Ezeli. We'd move Kemba only after we got a commitment from Paul. So there is no risk involved. If Paul is lukewarm then we don't trade Kemba.

And as for trading up in the draft we don't have the assets to do that unless we trade a good player or a future pick. The latter is certainly doable but assuming we're in the playoffs it's not likely to net us anything more than a late lottery pick. To get a top 10 pick we'd have to move Batum, MKG, Kemba, Frank, Marvin, or Cody (with our pick attached).

I agree that a small trade where we move Hawes and/or Lamb is more likely, but considering the quality available at PG in the draft this year we definitely should explore all avenues when it comes to trading up. Signing CP and trading Kemba is just one possible avenue.

[MrMorrow]

Does anyone know how much cap room we have left? By my count, we have 13 players on the roster if you include Christian Wood, Brian Roberts, and Sessions.

[yosemiteben]

Does anyone know how much cap room we have left? By my count, we have 13 players on the roster if you include Christian Wood, Brian Roberts, and Sessions.

None, we are actually over the cap although we still have the room MLE available. We have 13 players under contract for guaranteed money next season. I assume the plan is to either (a) use the MLE on a vet and then a roster spot on a wing on a minimum deal that we stick in the D league, or (b) use two roster spots on D league players.