WHY!?!?!?!?!?

[pacersrule08]

all of these trades are happening and we hear absolutely nothing about the pacers! we have to make a trade in order to sign our rookies and we need a starting PG! the pacers would be so much better if we had a starting quality guard. we could easily be in the playoffs and have all of these expirings that we could offer in trades. no big FA is going to want to sign with the pacers so why wait until next season? idk im just frustrated.

[PaceWalker]

Patience young one, patience. You can rant and rave after the trade deadline in February if nothing happens. The value of all the expirings at the deadline will be at their peak and therefore return the best reward.

P.S. we have 12 guys on payroll so all 3 rookies can be signed now if we wanted.

[blueandgold]

Best scenario would be to trade for a vetran PG this year that has a Restricted Contract at expiration. We spend 10-15M of our expiring money this year to make it happen.

We then have cap room next year to sign one more FA player and offer the PG who is restricted more money to keep him (even if it is a 1 yr deal whe we trade).

The PG we get could then encourage a FA to chose Indiana and we could have performed well this year (including the playoffs) that would speak volumes abour our commitment and winning strategy. Basically the PG could attract or pull other player in.

[kyphi]

How much $$ willl you have next year to spend?

[Scoot McGroot]

How much $$ willl you have next year to spend?

Depending on where the cap falls and if we make any moves for a PG, around $35 million.

[FreeRon]

Which is $35 million we can spend to give a couple decent players giant, long-term contracts. Nobody want to come to Indiana as a free agent. We need to trade those contracts.

[kyphi]

That's a sh**load of money. Let's hope the union and owners can come together on the CBA.

[DWCP2]

August 1st will be when the Pacers begin.

By that time all the top free agents will be gone, they money well will be dry and you will see two things happening.

1. You'll see teams that want to target someone in 2011, and even 2012, begin to target expiring contracts from all sorts of different teams, esp. those who are carrying a lot.

2. You'll see players who didn't get the money they wanted take 1 year deals in an effort to improve their circumstances next summer. Now the Pacers and the Grizzlies to my knowledge will be the biggest money players in 2011.

[Scoot McGroot]

Which is $35 million we can spend to give a couple decent players giant, long-term contracts. Nobody want to come to Indiana as a free agent. We need to trade those contracts.

Um, cap space next summer or next season is easier to use in deals and tremendously more valuable than even expiring contracts. When teams look at Murphy, Foster, Dunleavy, etc as expiring contracts, they don't see their talent as value, because then they're not exactly an expiring contract as they have to re-sign said player.

When they view those same players as valuable on court, they look at their expiring contract as a negative because they could lose them.

They don't combine value.



However, cap space can be used in more ways than JUST signing guys to a free agent contract. It can be used in deals as well, and that is where you can reap the full rewards of cap flexibility.

[Boneman2]

The reality is most of the major f/a destinations ( NYK/Mia/Chi) shot their load this offseason. Depending on how things work out, Scoot is right, sometimes that available space is at a premium because it is instant savings for a team wanting to change directions ( Beasley, Jefferson).

Maybe the way Bird plays free-agency next offseason is by looking for the next Sacramento, Miami, or Minny. They gave all-star caliber players away to either get out of a contract, or to create instant cap-space.

Regardless, since most teams alligned themselves for 2011, we'll have a lot less competition next offseason. I am almost certain we can attract a young up and comer next offseason. Take ATL for example, will they be able to pay Horford when they are already paying JSmith, not too mention JJohnson's insane deal. Or take Utah, sure he is under contract, but will Milsap be content being a career b/u? I think not.

Just because a player expires, doesn't mean we lose value.

[IrishLuck31]

How is the likely lockout going to work into all of this though? The CBA agreement runs out after this season and it is looking like almost a certainty the players and owners are not going to agree on terms of a new one, and thus we will have a lockout in the '11-12 season. Im not sure exactly the details of when this starts and stuff, but it is likely a huge overhaul will happen, and so does anyone know how that figures into our long-term plans?

[Wizop]

having a low guaranteed payroll in a lockout/strike can not be a bad thing. my Plan A would be to simply let the contracts expire unless we get an offer to good to refuse. we can wait for the new CBA before signing free agents. either way the CBA goes, we win. if the new deal allows better deals for the players, we'll be one of very few teams able to offer deals meeting the new format, and if the new deal is better for the owners, we'll be able to take advantage of that too.

I can't see a reason to panic and give up our cap planning for anyone that would be on the market now. we can wait for the second tier free agents and teams aren't likely to be rushing to trade all star players.

[IrishLuck31]

having a low guaranteed payroll in a lockout/strike can not be a bad thing. my Plan A would be to simply let the contracts expire unless we get an offer to good to refuse. we can wait for the new CBA before signing free agents. either way the CBA goes, we win. if the new deal allows better deals for the players, we'll be one of very few teams able to offer deals meeting the new format, and if the new deal is better for the owners, we'll be able to take advantage of that too.

I can't see a reason to panic and give up our cap planning for anyone that would be on the market now. we can wait for the second tier free agents and teams aren't likely to be rushing to trade all star players.

sounds good.

[FreeRon]

The Wolves got 2 first-round picks for Jefferson. Beasley was traded for cap space, but honestly the Heat had just signed a SF and a PF that were among the best, if not the best, in the league. He would have been making too much money as a backup anyways. I don't see this scenario happening again. I realize that space can be valuable in and of itself, but if a team is looking to offload a player to clear space it usually means that the player is not worth their contract.

[Boneman2]

The Wolves got 2 first-round picks for Jefferson.

The Wolves got two picks that will be late in the first. I'd rather have a late lottery, or two early seconds, but oh well. The picks may have sufficed Kahn, but Utah's trade exemption made it possible.

If you trace back to why Utah was able to offer a 14 mill exemption, it was because Chi had the space to offer them a huge TPE when they signed Boozer. The first-round picks are mediocre at best.

[FreeRon]

There is nothing saying the picks will be late. Deron Williams could break his leg in the preseason and the Jazz end up with a lotto pick. Or they could just not be that great. Even if they did trade Jefferson straight up for the TPE, how often does that happen? Even if it does happen, it was Beasley and Jefferson. I won't claim to know a lot about the situation, but it seemed like the Wolves wanted to offload him for more issues than cap space. There were rumors of them taking back equal contracts to get rid of him. Not worse contracts, but equal. The other thing is, a team like the Jazz has another advantage over the Pacers. They offered 2 first round picks plus the TPE knowing, like you said, that the picks were likely to be late. The Pacers wouldn't offer two firsts because they may be lotto picks. They could only offer second round picks, which will definitely be lower than the 2 firsts.

[Moooose]

The Wolves got 2 first-round picks for Jefferson.

The Wolves got two picks that will be late in the first. I'd rather have a late lottery, or two early seconds, but oh well. The picks may have sufficed Kahn, but Utah's trade exemption made it possible.

If you trace back to why Utah was able to offer a 14 mill exemption, it was because Chi had the space to offer them a huge TPE when they signed Boozer. The first-round picks are mediocre at best.

Kahn absolutely love draft picks eh?
Maybe he would beg for at least a future 2nd rounder from us in case the Sessions proposal goes through.

[Gremz]

It's not that Kahn specifically loves draft picks. I think his mentality changes from day to day.

One year ago he loved PGs, this draft he loved SFs, now he loves draft picks and TPEs.

Next year he might like overpaid Forward Tweeners?