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Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:55 am
by mkwest
The most likely scenario, I'm told, is still signing one of the top "restricteds" (as the GMs and agents like to call them) to an offer sheet. According to NBA front-office sources, L.A. has expanded its list of restricted candidates beyond [Josh] Smith and Charlotte's Emeka Okafor to Chicago's Luol Deng and, yes, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala.
The Clips are now determining whether to schedule face-to-face meetings -- potentially in Vegas -- with the other three players in that quartet, knowing they need as much info as possible before committing to one of them and then waiting up to seven days to see whether their contract offer is matched.
Challenge No. 1, as always in the restricted game, is forecasting which offer would be most likely to go unmatched. (My unsolicited opinion: Okafor is the most gettable, then Smith.)
Yet we repeat that the Clips, fearing an offer to any of them would be matched, might ultimately decide that it's better use their cap space to absorb a veteran's contract. New York's Zach Randolph has already been mentioned as a possibility, but there are more appealing names that could be available and have to be investigated first. Just to name two: Miami's Shawn Marion and Detroit's Rasheed Wallace, whom Dunleavy has coached before.
Marc Stein,
ESPN
Re: Clipppers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:43 pm
by Effigy
I think Smith is more gettable than Okafur. You could always work out a 'Joe Johnson' deal where you trade Charlotte a future first round pick for a resigned Okafur. This keeps them from matching. You have to make the trade before you present the offer sheet. These deals usually happen when the team threatens to match.
Re: Clipppers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:03 pm
by JJ LoDuca
I don't know about yall, but I'd love to see 'Sheed as a Clipper. He's tough, and we definitely need some of that. I've heard such a scenario is impossible because Rasheed and Dunleavy ain't exactly friends...but still, I'd be thrilled with a 'Sheed landing. He's definitely not my first choice, but I'm just saying.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:43 pm
by loflin3hree5ive
Getting Sheed would be sick. Not gonna be easy to pull off. Detroit is gonna need back players, not cap space.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:56 pm
by thanumba2clippersfan
I was thinking that Sheed to the Clippers would be good, I just don't know who we'd offer. Maybe Mobley and TT, those 2 players are the ones that seem to be on their way out pretty soon.
Re: Clipppers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:12 pm
by raleigh
Bonzi wrote:I think Smith is more gettable than Okafur.
I don't agree. Smith is worth more to the Hawks than Okafor is to the Cats. In fact, many Bobcats' fans aren't particularly interested in seeing a huge, long-term commitment to a player that has little offensive ability.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:39 pm
by loflin3hree5ive
A couple of power forwards who could be available at the trading deadline I thought of are Carlos Boozer and Dirk Nowitzki. More likely to happen if their teams aren't playing well. Maybe the Clips should leave some flexibility so they can make a big move at the trade deadline. It is risky though. The Clippers have a ton of options.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:45 pm
by cinnamon
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What about Nenad Krstic?
Not a big star, but he was coming along nicely before his injury, he can play at the 4 and the Nets don't seem the slightest bit interested in working him into their new system. You'd want to make sure he was completely recovered by now, but I wonder whether he could add something to the Clippers line-up this year without breaking the budget which may be needed for a bigger name as well?
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Re: Clipppers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:19 am
by madmaxmedia
mrhonline wrote:Bonzi wrote:I think Smith is more gettable than Okafur.
I don't agree. Smith is worth more to the Hawks than Okafor is to the Cats. In fact, many Bobcats' fans aren't particularly interested in seeing a huge, long-term commitment to a player that has little offensive ability.
I would be worried about overpaying for Okafor, who came out same time as Josh Smith but played 3 or 4 years of college IIRC.
Whether we pay $12 or $16 million for a player, it will put us up against the cap and rule out any other big moves in future seasons, so act swiftly but wisely. We still have the MLE in future years to add mid-level type guys (which is why I would lean towards going for Josh Smith.)
But hey, it's not my money. I just want something exciting to watch (of course that includes winning.)
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:40 am
by mj_shoefanatic
I hope we go after J-Smoove and the Hawks don't match.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:39 pm
by Hawks
I hope they make up their minds soon.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:34 pm
by Tommy Udo 6
Stein is just throwing most of the top unsigned guys into the mix, figuring that he'll be right about one.
After all, only Clips have capacity to offer over $12 million to start. (Memphis can - but everyone knows that they will not. So no rumors there.)
If you do bid $12 million for Deng, Clippers will probably get him. Bulls cannot go that high & avoid Lux Tax. Chairman Jerry is known to refuse to pay it. He may have done it to get a Kobe or Garnett, but he will probably not do it to keep a Deng.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:41 am
by conleyorbust
Tommy Udo 6 wrote:Stein is just throwing most of the top unsigned guys into the mix, figuring that he'll be right about one.
After all, only Clips have capacity to offer over $12 million to start. (Memphis can - but everyone knows that they will not. So no rumors there.)
If you do bid $12 million for Deng, Clippers will probably get him. Bulls cannot go that high & avoid Lux Tax. Chairman Jerry is known to refuse to pay it. He may have done it to get a Kobe or Garnett, but he will probably not do it to keep a Deng.
I might be reading into this, or just hopeful as a Hawks fan, but do you think that your management team knows that it can fill the PF hole with Zach (sounds dirty) and are targeting a wing/guard in UFA because they are more obtainable?
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:47 am
by Clip34life
Sounds about right.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:18 pm
by madmaxmedia
Tommy Udo 6 wrote:If you do bid $12 million for Deng, Clippers will probably get him. Bulls cannot go that high & avoid Lux Tax. Chairman Jerry is known to refuse to pay it. He may have done it to get a Kobe or Garnett, but he will probably not do it to keep a Deng.
The same exact thing goes for Sterling. He will pay a max contract or go over the salary cap for one of those guys that is clearly worth more (Kobe), but he is not going to spend a bunch of money to try to win.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:41 pm
by mkwest
I heard the rumor that Clippers were going to offer Deng $70M over 5years. I think Deng is a nice player and all but I'd be disappointed if he was who we targeted. Although not ideal, I could see us going after AI2 more than Deng. We'd still have the option to look for a trade to fill the 4 spot.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:54 pm
by mj_shoefanatic
Acquiring Deng makes absolutely no sense with Thornton already locked in at that position and Ross/TT backing him up. We need a serviceable PF if anything.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:19 pm
by ClipperDomination
I'd rather have AI2 than Deng, and just move Iggy to the SG spot.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:33 pm
by Tucker74
conleyorbust wrote:
I might be reading into this, or just hopeful as a Hawks fan, but do you think that your management team knows that it can fill the PF hole with Zach (sounds dirty) and are targeting a wing/guard in UFA because they are more obtainable?
I'm sure Dunleavy's analysis is pretty simple. Ideally, which PF/SG combo would you rather have:
Smith + Cutino Mobley/Eric Gordon
Okafor + Cutino Mobley/Eric Gordon
Randolph + Iggy (or Deng)/Eric Gordon
Lay it out like that and the choice seems pretty obvious - take a moon shot with Iggy/Deng knowing that you're the biggest game in town money-wise. Randolph can be had via trade either way so you're not jeapardizing that route even if the Iggy/Deng options don't pan out.
Re: Clippers Expand their list of FA Targets
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:46 pm
by mj_shoefanatic
^ I like trade scenario #3 in that case