Official Speculation & Free Agency Thread (Part VIII)

[The Real Dalic]

Kobe Bryant is livid with the Lakers, and he may demand a trade, Stephen A. Smith said Thursday. Appearing on SportsCenter, Smith said “I predicted that Kobe Bryant will demand a trade, and I am not budging from that. He’s livid. I’ve known Kobe too long. He is ticked off. “It’s not just because [the Clippers] got Chris Paul, which is a guy that he expected to have. It’s because Jim Buss seems to be doing the inexplicable,” Smith said. “It makes no sense. It’s one thing for the team not to have improved [after losing to the Mavericks], it’s another thing entirely for them to regress. If you know anything about Kobe, that is the last thing that he wants to do. “It will not be pleasant at all.” Larry Brown Sports

Here we go! Kobe to the Magic for Hedo, Duhon, and Redick.

If this is the case, I say Lakers only get Dwight if we get Kobe/Bynum together. If they want their franchise to survive, they gotta give us Kobe/Bynum, and hell, Pau too.

Not happening. lol.

[The Magic Man]

If the kobe rumors are true then we may have a chance to pay them back for shaq and reward dwights loyalty. Hold dwight, if we dont trade him to LA they have very little chance of improving and keeping kobe happy. That and we cost dwight 30 million if he decided to walk.

He has to see he wont get to run the lakers if Kobe doesn't get to. That will allways be kobes team.

The Magic Franchise would lose a lot of respect from players if they just let Dwight walk so that he loses 30mil,the Magic would never do that because no superstar wants to play for a shady franchise.

*Trust me they will not let Dwight walk for nothing,that would =Shaq 2.0

[UKMagic]

Call it a gut feeling but I can see Dwight, Hedo, Jameer & Duhon going to the Lakers for Gasol, Bynum, Walton & pick(s).

A conversation I had with my Rockets supporting friend earlier, who is also a bookie in the UK basically concluded that Orlando may gamble on this draft and try to do a one year Thunder upgrade. The downside is the new arena but the other way is basically that trading Dwight to any of the teams he listed just results in us going back to the days of 7-8 seed.

I just have a gut feeling Orlando may decide to tank the season and go for youth in the draft. Was discussing it with a friend earlier and could quite easily see us taking Gasol and Bynum and flipping them on to other lottery teams. I'm really not confident we'll retain Dwight and am thinking he doesn't want to stick either. Obviously Hedo and Duhon would be contracts we'd offload but I could see us sending Jameer with Dwight, maybe. Don't think it's out of the realms of possibility.

As risky as it is, should we acquire Gasol, I'd seriously chance my hand and see if we can swap him to the Hornets to get that Minny pick back (maybe as part of a deal to take on Kaman). Similar with Bynum to the Cavs/Raptors. If we're gonna suck, we might as well do it right and try to snare the cream of this 2012 draft class and build via the draft a core of future stars, retain Earl Clark and fill the rest out with the huge capspace.

Negative thoughts but this is just a convo I essentially had earlier. Expecting a stack of heat for it but the thought of Lopez as the centre or gambling it all on Bynum's knees and a declining Gasol just doesn't cut it for me.

[rcklsscognition]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9850 ... um=twitter

Article about why the Nets thing Howard isn't suiting up in New Jersey right now. Draft pick placement.

[MagicStarwipe]

Steven A. Smith "predicts". This is a non-story.

[Def Swami]

Here we go! Kobe to the Magic for Hedo, Duhon, and Redick.

If this is the case, I say Lakers only get Dwight if we get Kobe/Bynum together. If they want their franchise to survive, they gotta give us Kobe/Bynum, and hell, Pau too.

Not happening. lol.

If Kobe is demands a trade, and LA wants Dwight, then Buss will part with Kobe. Magic would use Nets offer as leverage. Again, IF Kobe demanded a trade.

[rcklsscognition]

Will the Nets tank the season to be able to offer better midseason trade to the Magic? Hmm..I would.

[The Real Dalic]

If Kobe is demands a trade, and LA wants Dwight, then Buss will part with Kobe. Magic would use Nets offer as leverage. Again, IF Kobe demanded a trade.

Remember Kobe also has to wanna be here because of his No Trade Clause. which i don't think he will without Dwight here too.

[backasswards]

Steven A. Smith "predicts". This is a non-story.

He was the first person to say LeBron was going to Miami. Then all the other talking heads jumped on to what he was saying.

[Def Swami]

If Kobe is demands a trade, and LA wants Dwight, then Buss will part with Kobe. Magic would use Nets offer as leverage. Again, IF Kobe demanded a trade.

Remember Kobe also has to wanna be here because of his No Trade Clause. which i don't think he will without Dwight here too.

Ah, I forgot about the No Trade Clause. Hmm...in that case, it does pose an interesting scenario. I can't think of many places that LA would trade him to and get a better deal.

[jadewbj]

If the kobe rumors are true then we may have a chance to pay them back for shaq and reward dwights loyalty. Hold dwight, if we dont trade him to LA they have very little chance of improving and keeping kobe happy. That and we cost dwight 30 million if he decided to walk.

He has to see he wont get to run the lakers if Kobe doesn't get to. That will allways be kobes team.

The Magic Franchise would lose a lot of respect from players if they just let Dwight walk so that he loses 30mil,the Magic would never do that because no superstar wants to play for a shady franchise.

*Trust me they will not let Dwight walk for nothing,that would =Shaq 2.0

We could play the same game dwight is and blame it on him, say he strung us along.

[thelead]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/985075-dwight-howard-trade-rumors-why-new-jersey-nets-wont-get-him-until-mid-season?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Article about why the Nets thing Howard isn't suiting up in New Jersey right now. Draft pick placement.

That's dumb... if that were truly the case, we would trade him now and tank ourselves.

Trade now:
Our High Pick
Their Low Pick

Trade Later:
Our mid pick
Their mid pick

I'ld rather have our high lottery pick

[tiderulz]

If the kobe rumors are true then we may have a chance to pay them back for shaq and reward dwights loyalty. Hold dwight, if we dont trade him to LA they have very little chance of improving and keeping kobe happy. That and we cost dwight 30 million if he decided to walk.

He has to see he wont get to run the lakers if Kobe doesn't get to. That will allways be kobes team.

The Magic Franchise would lose a lot of respect from players if they just let Dwight walk so that he loses 30mil,the Magic would never do that because no superstar wants to play for a shady franchise.

*Trust me they will not let Dwight walk for nothing,that would =Shaq 2.0

when will people understand, he isnt losing $30 mil, he is losing about $10-12 at most.

[HeartAndHustle]

If the kobe rumors are true then we may have a chance to pay them back for shaq and reward dwights loyalty. Hold dwight, if we dont trade him to LA they have very little chance of improving and keeping kobe happy. That and we cost dwight 30 million if he decided to walk.

He has to see he wont get to run the lakers if Kobe doesn't get to. That will allways be kobes team.

The Magic Franchise would lose a lot of respect from players if they just let Dwight walk so that he loses 30mil,the Magic would never do that because no superstar wants to play for a shady franchise.

*Trust me they will not let Dwight walk for nothing,that would =Shaq 2.0

when will people understand, he isnt losing $30 mil, he is losing about $10-12 at most.

I think people are factoring the extra year we can offer

[tiderulz]

when will people understand, he isnt losing $30 mil, he is losing about $10-12 at most.

I think people are factoring the extra year we can offer

i can agree with that, but it isnt right. of course 4 yrs of salary is less than 5. You have to count that 5th year (1st of a new contract)

[woosah]

If the kobe rumors are true then we may have a chance to pay them back for shaq and reward dwights loyalty. Hold dwight, if we dont trade him to LA they have very little chance of improving and keeping kobe happy. That and we cost dwight 30 million if he decided to walk.

He has to see he wont get to run the lakers if Kobe doesn't get to. That will allways be kobes team.

The Magic Franchise would lose a lot of respect from players if they just let Dwight walk so that he loses 30mil,the Magic would never do that because no superstar wants to play for a shady franchise.

*Trust me they will not let Dwight walk for nothing,that would =Shaq 2.0

when will people understand, he isnt losing $30 mil, he is losing about $10-12 at most.

When people stop reporting that. There are a few conflicting things on here, in the business section about it but the majority of people i guess misunderstand the rule. Only you and about 2 other people on here keep saying it is wrong, but don't get into detail about why it is wrong. You keep saying something about in the first year there will be something but it doesn't really make sense what you are saying. Why is that first year different? Where is that extra money that you say he will get in the first year come from? Just break it down and explain, or let people say what all these so-called experts are saying.

[tiderulz]

when will people understand, he isnt losing $30 mil, he is losing about $10-12 at most.

When people stop reporting that. There are a few conflicting things on here, in the business section about it but the majority of people i guess misunderstand the rule. Only you and about 2 other people on here keep saying it is wrong, but don't get into detail about why it is wrong. You keep saying something about in the first year there will be something but it doesn't really make sense what you are saying. Why is that first year different? Where is that extra money that you say he will get in the first year come from? Just break it down and explain, or let people say what all these so-called experts are saying.

ok, let me break it down for you.

Magic can offer what, 5 yr $110 or something like it

NJ can offer 4 yr $80 mil

you see that one of those offers is only for 4 years. Does he stop playing basketball after 4 years? no. He will sign another contract, close to max, and get paid in the neighborhood of $20m ish, over say 4-5 years.

so to make the timeline even, it is

Magic 5 yr $110 mil

Nets 4 yr$80 + 1st yr of new contract $20m, for a total of 5 years also, near $100mil

[MagicFan41]

When people stop reporting that. There are a few conflicting things on here, in the business section about it but the majority of people i guess misunderstand the rule. Only you and about 2 other people on here keep saying it is wrong, but don't get into detail about why it is wrong. You keep saying something about in the first year there will be something but it doesn't really make sense what you are saying. Why is that first year different? Where is that extra money that you say he will get in the first year come from? Just break it down and explain, or let people say what all these so-called experts are saying.

I'm pretty sure he is right. It means in "guaranteed" money. In other words, if he were to somehow get catastrophically hurt during his 4 years and not be able to play (Brandon Roy), or just completely start sucking or something where he couldn't get a real 5th year (Gil), then you don't factor in that 5th year. Here is what I believe the differences would be (not factoring in state income tax savings, cost of living etc etc - which are actually QUITE substantial)

Stay with Magic or get traded before Jan 1 - in both cases he opts out, retain Bird rights with that team and re-sign before free agency:

I'm not 100% sure under new rules what his 1st year salary would be, but it will be something in the range of $19-$20 million next year, and from a pure comparison standpoint it won't change much, so lets use $20 million

(5 yr contract with 7.5% raises) -
Yr 1 - $20 million
Yr 2 - $21.5
Yr 3 - $23.11
Yr 4 - $24.85
Yr 5 - $26.71
Totals: $116.17 million


Get traded after Jan 1 and not retain Bird rights or sign straight up with new team as FA:

(4 yr contract with 4.5% raises)
Yr 1 - $20 million
Yr 2 - $20.9
Yr 3 - $21.84
Yr 4 - $22.82
This totals: $85.56 (this is where the $30 million gap that is reported comes from)

HOWEVER, assuming he is then going to re-up with that same team as a Bird righted free agent and get another 7.5% raise contract in the 5th year, he would theoretically make I believe
Yr 5: $24.54

New 5 yr total: $110.1 (only a $6 real difference factoring in that 5th year)

[MasterGMer]

What is the link of Kobe request?

[woosah]

Thanks to Tiderulz and Magicfan41.