Official Free Agent Thread: What to do with our cap space

[RunDogGun]

If NYK or LAL are out of the Top #2 I think they probably would trade their pick for Bledsoe.

Wouldn't they just try and steal Knight first? Or offer Dragic a huge deal?

Well, everything can happen...but I would bet that Miami will resign Dragic to see how they play with Chris Bosh healthy.
McDonough and Hornacek can be tired of Bledsoe's inconsistency and turnovers and probably they want to see Knight being our only PG. In that case they would match any offer sheet and trade Bledsoe for a great pick or a good player.

I could see Miami matching most offers, but it's still up to Goran, since he isn't restricted. If LA offers him $80 million for four years, would he turn it down? Will Miami really match that, and/or offer him more over five years? I just don't know. It isn't like he has played all that well. Plus if they stay on the course right now, they keep their pick this year, and postpone their pick to us another year.

Both LA and NY know how valuable a top three pick is, I just don't know if Bledsoe has performed well enough for either team to give up the potential of a top three pick.

[Qwigglez]

If NYK or LAL are out of the Top #2 I think they probably would trade their pick for Bledsoe.

Wouldn't they just try and steal Knight first? Or offer Dragic a huge deal?

I thought the draft was before free agency. I think LA wouldn't trade their pick, but I could see the Knicks doing it.

[RunDogGun]

If NYK or LAL are out of the Top #2 I think they probably would trade their pick for Bledsoe.

Wouldn't they just try and steal Knight first? Or offer Dragic a huge deal?

I thought the draft was before free agency. I think LA wouldn't trade their pick, but I could see the Knicks doing it.

It is, which is part of my point. Not many picks get traded after draft night. It happened last year, but that was well after FA period, and the Cavs knew they got Lebron. I think both teams would try and grab a FA first, since they are both big markets and could draw those bigger FAs. They could always trade the pick after they strike out. With LA, Clarkson has really come on strong recently, so maybe they keep that pick and get a stud at the forward position. Has Phil ever really gone after a point guard?

[thamadkant]

Magic and 76ers could be targets for trades.

Suns / Magic

Bledsoe, Morris, Morris, Tucker, Pick 13
for
Gordon, Harris, Pick 5

*Still no shooting, but with the CAP SPACE created, Suns can then sign FAs to fill the lack of shooters.
*Harris is only 6'8, would be undersized for a PF, but he has a solid build and athleticism.
*Gordon is 6'9, super-athletic and has versatility to be Marion-lite with size. Develop him like Leonard/Marion, defense + versatile type player.
*Use pick 5 and Heat future picks to move top 4 to grab D'Angelo Russell, who can be developed as a long term PG/SG that compliments Goodwin and Knight. The trio of Russell, Goodwin and Knight become the future backcourt core.


C: Len / Wright / *Brown
PF: Harris / Gordon
SF: Warren / *Bogdanovic
SG: Goodwin / D'Angelo Russell / FA
PG: Knight / Goodwin / FA

Suns basically have a clean slate of young players who will be given the opportunity to prove themselves as NBA players. Knight is given the leadership role.
The team also has 4 finishers and 1 ball handler, hopefully solving the isolation/selfish issue the current Suns have.






Suns / 76ers

Bledsoe, Morris, Morris, Tucker, Pick 13
for
Noel OR Embiid

*Far fetch trade, Noel would be excellent next to Len. But 76ers doing this means they will draft Towns OR Okafor.
*Similar to the Noel trade, only see it happen if Towns OR Okafor goes to 76ers. Basically, they need scoring from the forward spot and a legit PG to run their offense/system.


C: Len / Wright
PF: Noel OR Embiid / FA
SF: Warren / *Bogdanovic
SG: Goodwin / FA
PG: Knight / FA

Len and Noel can compliment each other well due to both being very mobile, especially Noel. Noel is also better suited as a PF long term due to his lack of mass, better for his career longevity also.
Embiid and Len are trickier... both are similar, but I would develop Len as the outer player this way, similar to Greg Monroe or even Marc Gasol who plays outer with Randolph in the paint.

[nevetsov]

There aren't too many teams that would want to trade for Bledsoe IMO.

PHX will retain Knight
MIA will retain Goran
LAL is happy with Clarkson (I think he was rookie of the month?)
PHI doesn't like spending money on basketball

Really only leaves NYK and SAC. NYK could make a play but they're so devoid of talent in general I doubt they burn an asset to fill a position that's pretty abundant in the NBA right now. I think they run with a cheap stopgap like Linsanity.

SAC is the dark horse IMO - he's mates with Cousins whom they obviously want to retain. They have quality at both SF and C, and young talent at SG. Adding another draft pick that won't develop for a few years won't help them take that next step, which is integral to keeping their core together. A floor general that plays D and already has 2 established shot creators is pretty much the ideal situation for Bledsoe.

Bledsoe for SAC pick and filler (Collison, vet PF).

We can then either use the pick, combine it with ours to move up, or flip it (or ours) in a deal for a vet.

Knight, Collison
Goodwin, Bullock
Marcus, Warren
Markieff, PF Vet
Len, Wright

Is our baseline before we add via draft/ trade/ FA. I would personally then push for SAC pick, PHX pick, Morrii to CHI for Jimmy Butler s&t and Gibson.

Knight, Collison
Butler, Goodwin
Warren, Bullock
Gibson, Vet PF
Len, Wright

[RunDogGun]

Nev, what happened to Tucker?

[nevetsov]

Nev, what happened to Tucker?

Would you believe I totally forgot about him... This season is starting to rub off on me...

Knight, Collison
Butler, Goodwin
Warren, Tucker
Gibson, Vet PF
Len, Wright

Gibson is the only "old guy" in the starting lineup, coupled with 2 All-Star calibre players and 2 guys on rookie deals. Bench is a mix of dependable, good locker room vets and a pair of proven youngsters.

[RunDogGun]

How the heck are we getting Butler?

[lilfishi22]

I am very confident that DeMarcus Cousins will never win a championship as the main man on the team. He is very gifted, but not a winner that will get you a chip.

Depends what you consider the "main man". If by main man, you mean he's the leader, then you're probably right. If you mean, the stats leader, then I would have to disagree. He's absolutely a #1 option on a championship team but he can't be the guy you look to for leadership.

[Puff]

Gerald Green's agent has some harsh words for Phoenix Suns coach Hornacek.

"It's completely unfair to misrepresent Gerald and his game like this," he said. "You're talking about a player that wants to win at any cost and is a tremendous locker guy and teammate. I don't see the benefit for the coach to go about things this way."

Bradbury said the numbers show Green is not a terrible defensive player, adding that the team won plenty of games last year with him in the lineup.

"It's unfortunate because the team isn't where some people thought it would or should be at this point in the season," he said. "I'm not sure why that falls on one guy all of a sudden, especially when they have known all along what they have with Gerald. He can score, and can score a lot quickly, when you give him the minutes. He brings it on the defensive end, consistent with what the team brings as a unit. But when you hear the coach saying he is so bad that he can't be on the floor? That's nonsense. You have to wonder where that comes from and why."

Green has seen regular minutes over the last few games, and rewarded the Suns with scoring outputs of 24, 15 and 30 points.

This is not the first time the Suns' coaching staff or front office has come under a bit of fire over a player's role, as prior to the trade deadline Goran Dragic said he had lost trust in the team's management.

He was traded away within days of those comments, and with Green set to become a free agent, it's possible he will not be back, either.

According to Bradbury, though, the Suns could have already moved on from Green if that was their goal all along.

"There were multiple teams that wanted him and were attempting to structure a deal if that was the direction in which we all wanted to go," he said. "Teams were willing to give up assets in significant offers. The Suns did not want to trade him. They wanted him last year and they wanted him at the deadline. They didn't have a problem with his defense, but now that they're .500, his defense is a problem they can't stop talking about."

http://arizonasports.com/41/1823971/Ger ... h-Hornacek

Even more agents ripping the Suns...yay! This should really help fix our image and lure FAs to Phoenix.

Seriously though, that last part is right. If the Suns had a problem with Green, why the hell didn't they trade him? Especially if they actually got offers for him in which teams were willing to part with good assets.

Did they think 3 months of Green (because its pretty damn obvious that his agent won't let Green resign here) is worth not trading him?

Seriously, does this team have a clue of what their doing?

If the agents are down on Hornacek that really puts McDonough in a tough spot when he is trying to sign free agents or making trades.

I would not be surprised if Hornacek is not back next season. I know a lot of folks want us to trade all the players and keep Hornacek. I really do not think that is possible. What team or teams really want the Morris Twins or Bledsoe at this point? It always it much easier and generally less costly to fire the coach. A change of some magnitude surely will take place, be it players or the coach. Something has to give.

[nevetsov]

How the heck are we getting Butler?

2 lotto picks is a fair trade if they don't want to blow out their cap space IMO. Snell could be a fiscally prudent replacement. As I said, worth asking the question at least, I doubt they get a better offer than that if they want to reload with a bit of youth.

[Mulhollanddrive]

When you're conbuilding, there are no wrong answers.

Keep Green - Contending, we're aiming for playoffs.
Trade Green - Rebuilding, we're trading for youth.
Keep Green, don't play him - Veteran on young team.
Let Green go in FA - Rebuilding, acquiring cap room.

[Mr-Al]

Hinrich is ****.

We need that type of players....veteran and respected players that have been on the playoffs multiple times. At least one or two veteran guys are necessary on this team.

obviously

but one vet doesn't validate a **** trade on the whole

you might have wanted to include that part too

[m1chal]

Nev, what happened to Tucker?

Was late to the team bus would be my guess

[AtheJ415]

I've maintained thoroughly that not trading Green was a mistake. He has no place in this team's future. Most of what we've done, despite the groaning on here, has made sense to me. Overall we sacrificed short term gains for long term gains. We got younger this year and put ourselves in position to lock that young talent up at a discounted rate, while adding more draft picks although giving up the Laker pick and Ennis. Overall I'm okay with what the FO did this season. I'm just thoroughly confused how Green wouldn't be moved even for a conditional 2nd rounder. IMO, that means Green's agent is full of it, because I can't see McDonough turning down the types of offers he's hinting at.

[Safety Pickle]

I've maintained thoroughly that not trading Green was a mistake. He has no place in this team's future. Most of what we've done, despite the groaning on here, has made sense to me. Overall we sacrificed short term gains for long term gains. We got younger this year and put ourselves in position to lock that young talent up at a discounted rate, while adding more draft picks although giving up the Laker pick and Ennis. Overall I'm okay with what the FO did this season. I'm just thoroughly confused how Green wouldn't be moved even for a conditional 2nd rounder. IMO, that means Green's agent is full of it, because I can't see McDonough turning down the types of offers he's hinting at.

Could be that the offers that were presented to us had us taking back long term salary

[RunDogGun]

I've maintained thoroughly that not trading Green was a mistake. He has no place in this team's future. Most of what we've done, despite the groaning on here, has made sense to me. Overall we sacrificed short term gains for long term gains. We got younger this year and put ourselves in position to lock that young talent up at a discounted rate, while adding more draft picks although giving up the Laker pick and Ennis. Overall I'm okay with what the FO did this season. I'm just thoroughly confused how Green wouldn't be moved even for a conditional 2nd rounder. IMO, that means Green's agent is full of it, because I can't see McDonough turning down the types of offers he's hinting at.

Could be that the offers that were presented to us had us taking back long term salary

That was my point earlier. I'd like to see the deals presented before passing judgement on McD not moving Green.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Not a single McD trade or player acquisition has been predicted.

I'm expecting some 'value' FA like Tristan Thompson or Iman Shumpert, and a veteren like David West.

Would think Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green would be in the mix due to the Boston relationship too.

Nobody really knows our direction and that would keep the theme going.

[RunDogGun]

i wouldn't mind moving the thirteenth pick for Vonleh and Troy Daniels. Then I could see other moves happening from there.

[thamadkant]

Wouldn't mind bringing in a veteran like Andre Miller to provide direction.
Wish Grant Hill is part of the coaching staff.
Steve Nash should be brought back as a mentor but I don't think he plans to leave California. Any good influential player types are required to settle the young players in this team.

Go young but bring in veterans who won't take minutes away but provide mentoring.