pasting_monkeys wrote:And although i think Bogut would take a pay cut to go on a team that plays winning basketball, i doubt he'd take a MLE.
There's really no precedent I can think of for a young guy turning down something like six years/$60+ million to take an MLE deal (five years/$35 million or whatever the MLE is at that point). Some teams of course might have cap space and be able to offer more than the MLE, but it likely won't be a good team. Something tells me the Bucks might also be willing to pay Bogut more than $10 per at that point. That will be Bogut's biggest payday opportunity, and not surprisingly guys always take the money. Bogut would have to take the QO ($8.18 million) from us in 09/10 to become a FA in the summer of 2010, and we'd still have his Bird rights.
FWIW, Utah has only three players under contract for 10/11 at the moment, the only notable one being Kirilenko at $17.8 million (who obviously could be gone). But Ronnie Brewer is one of them (QO of $3.7 million) as well, so you could guess he might also get locked up with a longer term deal for $5-6 million at the very least.
I have to assume Williams will get at least $12 million or something as a starting salary for his extension...don't quote me on that, I'm just guessing. Boozer has a PO for 09/10 for $12.3 million so it's very possible he opts out to re-sign with them for a new long-term deal (probably somewhere in that same neighborhood?). Memo has an ETO for the 09/10 season but at this point you'd guess he takes his $9.5 million and becomes an expiring deal.
So if you are paying Boozer/Williams at least $25 million combined, and Kirilenko (or whatever he fetches in a trade) is taking up about $18 million, that puts you at $43 million already. Add in brewer and you've got closer to $50 million. The cap will probably be closer to $60 million at that point, but who knows exactly. Guys like Fesenko and Millsap's rookie deals will be done at that point, does either break out? Plus we've only filled out a few roster spots, so they'll have signed other guys at that point. Something tells me the Jazz will have too many talented vets at that stage to offer Bogut a big deal, though you never know. That Memo's deal expires the year that Bogut would possibly hit free agency is at least one thing that is going for them. Still, young players always go for the money and incumbent teams can always offer the most of that.
Retired Bucks blogger. Occasional Bucks podcaster.
