Discussing Other Teams' Moves

[Rafael122]

Underrated tidbit in terms of offseason dominos: Jameer Nelson is opting out of the final year of his deal in Orlando (at $8M+) so as to avoid being traded. This could shake out in a couple of different directions for the Magic. On the one hand, they now really have no point guard. On the other, this opens up a nice chunk of cap room for them; they'd only be at about $52M and Anderson's RFA tender is only $3M. If I was them I would go hard after Nash, hire D'antoni and at least make basketball fun again in Orlando. I think they'd be really good.

If they don't get Nash or (and I'm assuming they have no shot at Deron or Lin) they're really screwed. That franchise is in enough disarray, but with no competent point guard everything would surely crumble to pieces.

According to Sham, they are at $57 million w/out options included.

[nate33]

^yep. The Hornets are going to get good, fast.

Makes me pretty jealous to tell the truth

To be fair, it's not surprising that they rebounded quick. They tanked with a plan. They knew last summer that they had to unload Paul so they dumped Paul for actual assets. Then they lucked out with the Gordon injury resulting in the #1 overall pick.

Teams like Washington and Cleveland had to rebuild from scratch. We didn't have any superstar talent on the roster with trade value that we could use to acquire future picks/prospects. It's going to take us longer.

[fishercob]

Underrated tidbit in terms of offseason dominos: Jameer Nelson is opting out of the final year of his deal in Orlando (at $8M+) so as to avoid being traded. This could shake out in a couple of different directions for the Magic. On the one hand, they now really have no point guard. On the other, this opens up a nice chunk of cap room for them; they'd only be at about $52M and Anderson's RFA tender is only $3M. If I was them I would go hard after Nash, hire D'antoni and at least make basketball fun again in Orlando. I think they'd be really good.

If they don't get Nash or (and I'm assuming they have no shot at Deron or Lin) they're really screwed. That franchise is in enough disarray, but with no competent point guard everything would surely crumble to pieces.

According to Sham, they are at $57 million w/out options included.

He doesn't update his numbers that often. I use StoryTellerContracts.com now.

But even if that number is correct, they are now just a move away from clearing cap room. I'd take JJ Redick off their hands for free. Someone might take Jason Richardson for a pick, etc.

[nate33]

Underrated tidbit in terms of offseason dominos: Jameer Nelson is opting out of the final year of his deal in Orlando (at $8M+) so as to avoid being traded. This could shake out in a couple of different directions for the Magic. On the one hand, they now really have no point guard. On the other, this opens up a nice chunk of cap room for them; they'd only be at about $52M and Anderson's RFA tender is only $3M. If I was them I would go hard after Nash, hire D'antoni and at least make basketball fun again in Orlando. I think they'd be really good.

If they don't get Nash or (and I'm assuming they have no shot at Deron or Lin) they're really screwed. That franchise is in enough disarray, but with no competent point guard everything would surely crumble to pieces.

Storyteller contracts is the most accurate salary website as far as I can tell. Sham has been updating his stuff much slower lately. According to storyteller, Orlando has a payroll of $51.4M next year excluding Nelson, Anderson and their 1st round pick. Anderson's cap hold is 250% of his 2012 salary, which comes out to about $5.5M (the cap hold is what matters, not his qualifying offer). The rookie pay scale for Orlando's #19 pick is $1.4M. So their total cap figure is about $58.3M. That leaves them no cap room for Nash. If they want Nash, they'll need to convince him to play for the MLE.

[fishercob]

^yep. The Hornets are going to get good, fast.

Makes me pretty jealous to tell the truth

To be fair, it's not surprising that they rebounded quick. They tanked with a plan. They knew last summer that they had to unload Paul so they dumped Paul for actual assets. Then they lucked out with the Gordon injury resulting in the #1 overall pick.

Teams like Washington and Cleveland had to rebuild from scratch. We didn't have any superstar talent on the roster with trade value that we could use to acquire future picks/prospects. It's going to take us longer.

And by the way, the league -- from a management standpoint -- so did the right thing killing the Scola/Martin/Odom deal in favor of Gordon and the pick. They never should have owned the team in the first place, but you can't really fault the personnel decision.

[FAH1223]

The Celtics look to be in good position. Rondo is entering his prime, they have a couple picks back to back in the 1st round of a deep draft.

They have cap room and flexibility. They could merely re-tool if they have KG back and surround the team with a bunch of young talent in FA and the draft.

[LyricalRico]

^ Agreed. And even if they lost both Allen and KG, they've got two young guys in Bradley and Bass who can start. IMO their biggest concerns should be adding a legit center and bench scoring. Not sure what bigs will be available to them, though. What would happen if they threw the max at Hibbert?

[hands11]

The Celtics look to be in good position. Rondo is entering his prime, they have a couple picks back to back in the 1st round of a deep draft.

They have cap room and flexibility. They could merely re-tool if they have KG back and surround the team with a bunch of young talent in FA and the draft.

Should be interesting to see what they do. They did get production for the full length of Allen's and KGs contracts. I didn't think they would when they signed but they did.

My question is simply, do Allen and KG really want to play for another team at this late stage or would they take serious salary cuts to end their careers together as the team rebuilds? Because anywhere they go, you would think they have to play a secondary role if they land on good teams that can challenge. If they played more a primary role, it would take at least a year for that team to get it together and both don't have time to waste. While if they stay in Boston cheap, they can help grow some younger player who can get burn during the season and then poor it on in the playoffs where they will still have fresh legs. Kind of like SA did with Duncan and Manu.

OKC and Miami are the two younger teams that are challenging so they either go to one of those teams or they have to go to a team that could beat one of them. Where would either go that would make sense ? I don't see either going to Miami. Either I'm sure wouldn't mind playing for Pops in SA.

Seems to me they may just decide to stay in Boston on the cheap. Why not? They like playing together and they did almost beat Miami where they would have ended up in the finals. They didn't suck. Both have already made a ton of money. They know how to play together. The team added Bradley last year. They have 2x firsts and a second this year. They could add plenty of young talent with those picks. I guess it just depends on how cheaply they would play to play in Boston.

I'm not sold either is leaving until I see it happen. Their heart to to tied to Boston and playing together.

[fishercob]

I tend to agree on KG. Ray Allen and Rondo reportedly had a lot of friction between them. Doc and the other players seemed to indicate that it was clear that Allen was gone.

I believe KG is the highest paid player in league history -- in terms of straight salary. He has earned nearly $300M! If anyone could stand to put winning over money, it would be him, right? If there was anyone for whom it would seem justifiable to sign somewhere (Boston, San Antonio, Orlando, OKC) for the minimum, he would be the guy. But someone I don't see that happening. It's an ego thing.

Allen has earned a measly $180M on his career, so he'll probably sign with the highest bidder.

[verbal8]

The Celtics look to be in good position. Rondo is entering his prime, they have a couple picks back to back in the 1st round of a deep draft.

They have cap room and flexibility. They could merely re-tool if they have KG back and surround the team with a bunch of young talent in FA and the draft.

I think Boston will at least try to make a big splash. They really are right in the middle of needing to add "Win-now" talent if they want to chase championships the next couple years, or strongly consider a guy who has only played for the Celtics for a longer career than Bird, McHale or Bill Russell.

I think either route Allen is likely gone. I think Avery Bradley is a close enough replacement and they probably figure they can find a shooter in FA if they are trying to contend now.

[FAH1223]

You also have to factor in Ray Allen has been in trade rumors since late 2009. He probably doesn't trust management in Boston. They were going to trade him for OJ Mayo and the Grizzlies 1st round pick this year but then stepped back.

I think Ray Allen will go to a contender of his choice. Don't know if he'll start but he will be healthy once he has surgery and even at age 37, you don't lose your jumpshot. He still had some decent games in the postseason being hobbled.

Kevin Garnett will either retire or stay in Boston. He is very loyal... we saw that in Minnesota.

[verbal8]

Kevin Garnett will either retire or stay in Boston. He is very loyal... we saw that in Minnesota.

I think between Garnett and Pierce, they probably try to put together a run at a championship. I think in terms of contract, they probably renounce Garnett and then sign him with whatever they have left. If Howard won't extend with an acquiring team, Boston might be a destination. They could offer their 2 1st and maybe a future 1st. It isn't close to equal value, but it is better than nothing.

[Upper Decker]

The Celtics look to be in good position. Rondo is entering his prime, they have a couple picks back to back in the 1st round of a deep draft.

They have cap room and flexibility. They could merely re-tool if they have KG back and surround the team with a bunch of young talent in FA and the draft.

I think Boston will at least try to make a big splash. They really are right in the middle of needing to add "Win-now" talent if they want to chase championships the next couple years, or strongly consider a guy who has only played for the Celtics for a longer career than Bird, McHale or Bill Russell.

I think either route Allen is likely gone. I think Avery Bradley is a close enough replacement and they probably figure they can find a shooter in FA if they are trying to contend now.

Bill Simmons was talking about the C's on his Celtic *cough cough* NBA podcast and said how the last big FA signing they had was Xavier McDaniel 20 years ago. It's interesting that Boston isn't a premier desitination like Chicago or NY or NJ.

[Rafael122]

So is Boston starting Rondo and Bradley in the same backcourt or how will that work? They need a 4, and they need a center.

I still think they should re-sign Garnett. Give him a 2 year deal, maybe one similar to the one they gave Allen which came out to like $20 million over 2 years.

I think Boston is a good candidate to trade up. Not sure how they can do it since both picks are in the 20s but i they could get into the late lotto and maybe grab someone like Terrence Jones or someone of that ilk, they should go for it. Gonna be an interesting summer for them for sure.

[LyricalRico]

So is Boston starting Rondo and Bradley in the same backcourt or how will that work? They need a 4, and they need a center.

A number of "heads" seem to think that a Rondo/Bradley backcourt is the plan. Considering that their froncourt needs will probably be expensive to fill, that might be unavoidable in the short-term.

[closg00]

Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry has emerged as a finalist to replace Rod Thorn in the same capacity with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Philadelphia’s head coach Doug Collins is on board with the idea.

New GMs at:

Cleveland (last year)
Philly
Oralndo

[Rafael122]

Bass is opting out. Boston has roughly $27 million in salary committed right now. Interesting summer for those guys.

[nate33]

Bass is opting out. Boston has roughly $27 million in salary committed right now. Interesting summer for those guys.

A little more than that.

Rondo: 11.0M
Pierce: 16.7M
Bradley: 1.6M
Johnson: 1.2M

Total: $30.5M

It's a good bet they'll keep Steisma at 0.9M.

But your point still stands. They have a lot of flexibility. If they can resign Garnett for around $10M a year for 2 years, It'll leave them with a pretty solid starting 5 plus $18M in cap room. There are no superstars available, but they might be able to acquire a few ring-chasing vets. What about Billups, Beasley and Kaman? Each on a 2-year deal for $5-7M

PG Rondo/Billups
SG Billups/Bradley
SF Pierce/draft pick
PF Beasley/Garnett
C Garnett/Kaman

[tontoz]

NJ really f'd up with the Wallace trade. They gave up the 6th pick for a rental. Sound familiar?

They previously signed Travis Outlaw to a 7 million/yr deal. Seems like they really don't know what they are doing. The only thing they can hang their hat on is moving to NY.

[mohammed10]

NJ really f'd up with the Wallace trade. They gave up the 6th pick for a rental. Sound familiar?

...oh, wait...

They previously signed Travis Outlaw to a 7 million/yr deal. Seems like they really don't know what they are doing. The only thing they can hang their hat on is moving to NY.

Kinda like Ernie did with Agent Zero? Once bitten, twice shy - now Burt (aka - Ted) & Ernie won't even go after free agents.

As for moving, there's always Baltimore