2024 Offseason Thread

[JustBuzzin]

James Harden is a FA.

Do we throw 30mil at him and have him in that SG/PG role in case Melo goes down?

Just throwing it out there.

You living in a world where we have unlimited money? LOL
First we are throwing a Max at Paul George?
We probably can't afford either player even if we let Miles walk for free.

Let alone sign multiple guys.

I didn't know my post said sign James Harden and Paul George.

We have like 30mil to play with in FA. I always said PG was a pipedream for me.

Harden on the other hand is at least realistic. He's not getting the max from anyone. I think 30mil is fair for a player of Harden's caliber.

[JMAC3]

James Harden is a FA.

Do we throw 30mil at him and have him in that SG/PG role in case Melo goes down?

Just throwing it out there.

You living in a world where we have unlimited money? LOL
First we are throwing a Max at Paul George?
We probably can't afford either player even if we let Miles walk for free.

Let alone sign multiple guys.

I didn't know my post said sign James Harden and Paul George.

We have like 30mil to play with in FA. I always said PG was a pipedream for me.

Harden on the other hand is at least realistic. He's not getting the max from anyone. I think 30mil is fair for a player of Harden's caliber.

So in this scenario you are letting Miles walk and then offering a multi year 100+ million dollar deal to a near 35 yr old Harden to come play next to LaMelo in Charlotte?

[JustBuzzin]

You living in a world where we have unlimited money? LOL
First we are throwing a Max at Paul George?
We probably can't afford either player even if we let Miles walk for free.

Let alone sign multiple guys.

I didn't know my post said sign James Harden and Paul George.

We have like 30mil to play with in FA. I always said PG was a pipedream for me.

Harden on the other hand is at least realistic. He's not getting the max from anyone. I think 30mil is fair for a player of Harden's caliber.

So in this scenario you are letting Miles walk and then offering a multi year 100+ million dollar deal to a near 35 yr old Harden to come play next to LaMelo in Charlotte?

It was a suggestion I just wanted thoughts.

You seem to read whatever comes to your head. Take your time and read my post bro.

[JMAC3]

I didn't know my post said sign James Harden and Paul George.

We have like 30mil to play with in FA. I always said PG was a pipedream for me.

Harden on the other hand is at least realistic. He's not getting the max from anyone. I think 30mil is fair for a player of Harden's caliber.

So in this scenario you are letting Miles walk and then offering a multi year 100+ million dollar deal to a near 35 yr old Harden to come play next to LaMelo in Charlotte?

It was a suggestion I just wanted thoughts.

You seem to read whatever comes to your head. Take your time and read my post bro.

Yes those are my thoughts. We have at most 30 million if we renounce Miles. So if you are going to deprioritize him to chase another guy you can probably count on losing him. If signing Harden is such a big win that you are willing to lose both then sure.

I just don't love being locked into a guy 9 yrs older than Miles for the next 3-4 yrs at a number that probably makes him our most expensive player. Mix that with there is probably a sub 10% chance he even picks Charlotte even if we are offering him the most money, he is going to want to sign somewhere where he feels like the playoffs is a guarantee and not the goal.

[JustBuzzin]

So in this scenario you are letting Miles walk and then offering a multi year 100+ million dollar deal to a near 35 yr old Harden to come play next to LaMelo in Charlotte?

It was a suggestion I just wanted thoughts.

You seem to read whatever comes to your head. Take your time and read my post bro.

Yes those are my thoughts. We have at most 30 million if we renounce Miles. So if you are going to deprioritize him to chase another guy you can probably count on losing him. If signing Harden is such a big win that you are willing to lose both then sure.

I just don't love being locked into a guy 9 yrs older than Miles for the next 3-4 yrs at a number that probably makes him our most expensive player. Mix that with there is probably a sub 10% chance he even picks Charlotte even if we are offering him the most money, he is going to want to sign somewhere where he feels like the playoffs is a guarantee and not the goal.

So in other words we can't go over the cap to sign Bridges and still keep that 30mil in cap space?

If that is true then I apologize because I didn't know the cap situation. I always thought we could sign someone or multiple players with that 30mil + we could still bring Bridges back.

[LofJ]

How much can we afford to give Goga Bitadze? That's the guy we should be targeting in free agency. Get him and we're set at center, no need to waste the 6th pick on a big man that shoots 58% from the line

[Goodecharlotte]

How much can we afford to give Goga Bitadze? That's the guy we should be targeting in free agency. Get him and we're set at center, no need to waste the 6th pick on a big man that shoots 58% from the line

Exactly the C I want keep Richards as a 3rd C and have Williams & Goga vie for the starting spot.

[JMAC3]

So in other words we can't go over the cap to sign Bridges and still keep that 30mil in cap space?

If that is true then I apologize because I didn't know the cap situation. I always thought we could sign someone or multiple players with that 30mil + we could still bring Bridges back.

You have to factor in his cap hold, which is 15 million. Our rookie pick is 7.5million cap hold.
Our active roster of 14 guys is 118 million (includes non-guarantees)
So all together 140.5 million.
The cap is 141 million, so unless we waive a few unguaranteed guys we have zero cap space.

The most cap space we could have is 21 Million while keeping Miles cap hold by executing the following.
Waive Bertans- save 11 million
Waive curry- save 4 million
Waive McGowens - save 2 million
Waive Thor - save 2 million
Waive Poku - save 2 million

or we waive everyone we can, let Miles Walk and have around 35 million in cap space.


Most realistic option IMO, we bring back Miles, 6th pick and 2nd rounder. Meaning we must waive at least 3 guys. If you assume its Bertans, McGowens, Thor then that gives us 15 million to sign an outside FA, We then can use our MLE to sign another FA for around 9 million and then we can go over the cap to sign Miles to whatever contract we agree to.

[JustBuzzin]

So in other words we can't go over the cap to sign Bridges and still keep that 30mil in cap space?

If that is true then I apologize because I didn't know the cap situation. I always thought we could sign someone or multiple players with that 30mil + we could still bring Bridges back.

You have to factor in his cap hold, which is 15 million. Our rookie pick is 7.5million cap hold.
Our active roster of 14 guys is 118 million (includes non-guarantees)
So all together 140.5 million.
The cap is 141 million, so unless we waive a few unguaranteed guys we have zero cap space.

The most cap space we could have is 21 Million while keeping Miles cap hold by executing the following.
Waive Bertans- save 11 million
Waive curry- save 4 million
Waive McGowens - save 2 million
Waive Thor - save 2 million
Waive Poku - save 2 million

or we waive everyone we can, let Miles Walk and have around 35 million in cap space.


Most realistic option IMO, we bring back Miles, 6th pick and 2nd rounder. Meaning we must waive at least 3 guys. If you assume its Bertans, McGowens, Thor then that gives us 15 million to sign an outside FA, We then can use our MLE to sign another FA for around 9 million and then we can go over the cap to sign Miles to whatever contract we agree to.

Thanks for explaining. Now I know not to bring up the big money FA's anymore.

[Rays Pompadour]

Can’t see the second rounder on anything but a two-way. Also, see ya Bryce and Thor. Bertans was a fair accompli when he was acquired, IMO.

[JMAC3]

So in other words we can't go over the cap to sign Bridges and still keep that 30mil in cap space?

If that is true then I apologize because I didn't know the cap situation. I always thought we could sign someone or multiple players with that 30mil + we could still bring Bridges back.

You have to factor in his cap hold, which is 15 million. Our rookie pick is 7.5million cap hold.
Our active roster of 14 guys is 118 million (includes non-guarantees)
So all together 140.5 million.
The cap is 141 million, so unless we waive a few unguaranteed guys we have zero cap space.

The most cap space we could have is 21 Million while keeping Miles cap hold by executing the following.
Waive Bertans- save 11 million
Waive curry- save 4 million
Waive McGowens - save 2 million
Waive Thor - save 2 million
Waive Poku - save 2 million

or we waive everyone we can, let Miles Walk and have around 35 million in cap space.


Most realistic option IMO, we bring back Miles, 6th pick and 2nd rounder. Meaning we must waive at least 3 guys. If you assume its Bertans, McGowens, Thor then that gives us 15 million to sign an outside FA, We then can use our MLE to sign another FA for around 9 million and then we can go over the cap to sign Miles to whatever contract we agree to.

Thanks for explaining. Now I know not to bring up the big money FA's anymore.

I just think guys in the 10-15 million are more feasible.

I would say 70% chance Miles is back, so I would spend more time viewing the roster in that lense.
Also the MLE for teams that are over the cap but under the tax is 12.8 million- THAT IS A KEY NUMBER
because teams with zero cap space can chase FA for that amount.. meaning if we offer someone say Valanciunas 15 million that will be better than the majority of the offers he gets because most teams will be trying to get him on MLE.

Other KEY numbers.
Tax Payer MLE is 5.1 million (most a team like Warriors can sign)
Room Exception also known as (Under the cap MLE)- 8 million
so a team like Philly who is planning to use a bunch of cap space, they get less MLE to spend once they do meet the salary restriction.

NOT A HUGE Difference... but if the Hornets let Miles walk and operate as a team fully under the cap. We will be granted the 8 Million Room Exception instead of the FULL MLE of 12.8 million to utilize on top of cap space.

[Rays Pompadour]

I'm not expecting big moves this summer from the Hornets - not franchise-altering kind of moves, anyway. Still, it's an important offseason for a franchise at least a year away from crawling out of the basement. The team won't be going big game hunting in free agency (sorry, guys, no Siakam or Harden), though there are areas to address, plus there's the draft. So, work to do.

For the two or three of you on this board interested in what I think, here's my offseason approach:

-Miles Bridges says he wants to be in Charlotte...we'll see. Free agency crazy season is a hard temptation. If he wants to stay a Hornet, he'll have to wait. Charlotte would be ill advised to use all cap space on Bridges, knowing they can exceed the cap to sign their own. I personally hope for a sign-and-trade, but they're notoriously difficult to pull off and sometimes it's a move to make a move and that isn't usually a good thing. I think the Hornets will find a way to keep Bridges with a deal he'll shop but eventually take after the heat dies down. Get ready for close to $30M per for this player. Sigh.

-Assuming Bridges stays, I see summer priorities as primarily acquiring a starter-level center and reliable shooting. Adding veteran depth would be a secondary priority.

I like Nic Claxton as a target here. Made about $10M last season, so a nice bump is in order. He's a limited offensive center, but I like his fit as a rim runner and bouncy defender. I don't see him starting over Mark Williams, but I do think Claxton could be a top of the rotation piece for the Hornets.

As for shooting, I'm looking for value here in a limited salary slot. The bigger names like Hield and Thompson will most likely qualify in the MLE area, but I think, in the $5-8M range, a player such as Malik Beasley would be a decent acquisition. Again, I'm not seeking a defender in this role, just shooting. De'Anthony Melton would be a better get here, but he doesn't drop into my salary slot. If Josh Richardson makes it to UFA, I'm all over him at midnight when free agency begins.

-The draft is such a trap shoot - just keep on shooting til something hits. I don't see a starter right away in this draft, so I go after a rotation piece or developmental wing. My rotation piece is Stephon Castle. He can play any front court position and is solid defensively. I also think he'll improve into a core player by his second season. Ron Holland is my second choice in the I-wanted-Scoot-Henderson-last-draft type player merely for his elite athleticism but also for his dog mentality. The franchise could use another pit bull or two.

Potential draft shocker: Isaiah Collier.

My second round crushes are two guards: Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest) and Jamal Sheed. I could be convinced to take Justin Edwards or DaRon Holmes as a developmental wing. But I simply value skilled, athletic guards who love contact and lead.

Bridges, Claxton, Beasley and Castle...not a bad summer for the Hornets. Probably also need a third point guard and a rangy backup PF, but that's solid work. Get healthy, stay healthy, and Charlotte might just be worth buying NBA League pass this year.

[MPM]

Potential draft shocker: Isaiah Collier.

Feel he's being slept on a bit. Started to come on at the end of the year - has all the tools just needs to rein in a few dumb-dumb things. He seems to have just as much a shot at making it work in the pros as any of the top 10.

[JMAC3]

Potential draft shocker: Isaiah Collier.

Feel he's being slept on a bit. Started to come on at the end of the year - has all the tools just needs to rein in a few dumb-dumb things. He seems to have just as much a shot at making it work in the pros as any of the top 10.

Pretty awful combine for him, measured in way shorter, meh wingspan, shot the ball bad at combine.
I was back and forth on him, but that was enough to join consensus and move him down my board.

[MPM]

Potential draft shocker: Isaiah Collier.

Feel he's being slept on a bit. Started to come on at the end of the year - has all the tools just needs to rein in a few dumb-dumb things. He seems to have just as much a shot at making it work in the pros as any of the top 10.

Pretty awful combine for him, measured in way shorter, meh wingspan, shot the ball bad at combine.
I was back and forth on him, but that was enough to join consensus and move him down my board.

Funny - there's always one or two guys I'm just dead wrong about every year. I thought Tim Duncan would be a lousy pro. Sasser last year - hated him for us. This year Sheppard is my guy - can't see him being much more than a quality role player. We'll see. Collier's one of those players I can't really read and tend to overlook every year, so've decided to pull an Opposite Costanza and project him as being better than my gut tells me he is.

[JMAC3]

Center FA and what the cost is likely to be IMO.

Claxton= 4/90.
Hartenstein= 3/60.
Valanciunas =3/45
Goga= 2/16

Rate these options if this is the contract you have to give them.

[luciano-davidwesley]

Goga
Hartenstein
Val
Claxton

[LofJ]

1) Goga (I would do more than 2 years).
2) Hartenstein (doubt he's interested, but different enough from Mark, versatile, and young so he'd be an asset)
3) Valanciunas (don't love his fit, but he'd be a solid pickup).
4) Claxton (not worth starter money with Mark's status uncertain).

[Diop]

I’d prefer someone who could add true size at of, poku is too skinny. Jalen Smith should be reasonable $.

[yosemiteben]

Don't expect to see interesting names coming up for workouts.

Read on Twitter

Does make me curious if this is in any way Stephon Castle related.