nytonm wrote:drekwins wrote:nytonm wrote:I see no problem taking on Anderson for Melo if we're properly compensated with assets. I still don't get the obsession with cap space.
You sound like Isiah. There's several benefits to cap space. You can sign players (which I'm sure you know), but just as powerful, you can take on my salary in trades. So let's say that Portland wants to rebuild a year from now. If we were near or over the cap, we'd have to make salaries match. If we're not, we can literally trade then a pick and theyd immediately save 50 million in salary and tax. It allows us to really put together attractive offers and makes it easier to facilitate a trade.
With that said, we are looking golden for the summer of 2019. Consider this a 2 year tank. Then, we have an AMAZING chance to turn things around in a big way.
First of all were not signing anyone, how this free agency period has played out so far should have made that clear. The Knicks are toxic af and not in a position to attract any free agents for a few years. Second doing the kind of trade you're talking about with Portland would be a possibility but something like that may never materialize, however the assets we could acquire by taking on Anderson would be definite.
Portland was just an example... There are a ton of situations like that. Paul George, Jimmy Butler, etc. were just traded that way... Minnesota's and OKC's cap room made the deal easier. Rubio to Utah was also facilitated by Utah's cap space. What we have consistently seen is that the FA market causes teams to overpay for mediocre talent. Monroe, Parsons, Noah, Mahinimi, Mozgov and so many other examples. Bad contracts kill teams long-term. People don't like it but to take on Anderson for 20 mill per long term is ludicrous. What does that accomplish? I'd rather retain trade flexibility, keep free agency open as a option (not pinning our hopes and dreams on it) but be very stingy with it, build through the draft and turn anyone valuable into future trade assets. The summer of 2019 is our chance to do what Minny did this year. We really don't have many options before then that would help us in any material way. However, there are a lot of ways that would hurt us.
Some people here want to throw random pieces of sh*t together as we go and call it gold. It doesn't work that way. Everything has to be strategic... EVERYTHING. That's what Houston is currently doing, Minny did, Philly is doing, etc. It doesn't just randomly happen for these teams. They don't just wake up a month before free agency or the draft, etc. and are like: "woopdie doo we're going to have cap space, a draft pick, etc." They know what they're going for 2 years in advance. These teams are being run my mathematicians and accountants. Knowing the cap, having a plan for it and working around it is the single most important thing in the NBA today. If a team isn't doing it, they can still get lucky but they will fall behind. Look at Cleveland. They have no flexibility whatsoever and they're going to lose all of the big 3 because of it very soon.
