ESPN: Cassell expected to be bought out if not traded

[MalReyn]

Doanld Sterling has already stated that he wants to keep Cassell. There is no reason for the Clippers to buy him out. ESPN has nothing better to right about.

$$$

That's why he'd buy Cassell out. The Clippers are going nowhere this year. Sterling cares about the money possibly more than any other owner in the league.

I could see him doing it if he'd save a million.

[deepyellow]

i like our rotation right now, i am afraid getting sam will destroy everything.........

Sam is the cure, not the cancer... He's made contenders out of lousy teams in Houston, Minnesota, and LA playing behind bigger stars than himself and was never known to complain about it.

I also don't think it's coincidence that KG and Brand never won squat until Cassell showed up. He's also proven that he could help an already dangerous team (Hakeem Prime Rockets) to the promise land (twice).

Sam knows how to win and realizes that his playing days are numbered.
This would be a good opportunity for Cassell to hone his coaching skills (paging Doc) considering that he has expressed interest in supervising the pine after he hangs up his sneakers.

Nevertheless, I envision Sam still being a valuable player this season against veteran guards like Kidd and Billups who might otherwise abuse the inexperience of Rondo and House in a playoff environment.

In short, my desire for Sam is strong...

[bru87tr]

I see this happening. I see Sam coming here.

I don't put anything past DA. I never thought KG would come here. so I have hope danny can get it done.

who knows what can happen or what danny can make happen, but he is betting on getting cassell. maybe KG can give him a million to make up for his loss and make him happy. lol.....

still, I see him coming here. I am sure he would love to be a part of whats going on here and make this team a sure bet for the finals.

any other team he is not gonna make that kind of impact. I am sure its very tempting for cassell to come here.

[billfromBoston]

-= original quote snipped =-



Nobody is going to give more money than another if he is bought out. Teams can give him more mins and more of a role as well as talk about what they may be willing to do for him next season.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Sam is very much a tradeable commodity going into the deadline. He is not a great bet to slide through.

Look at GS for instance, they have addressed their front court needs with Webber and still have a fat trade exception from the JRich deal.

Ditto for PHX, they have a TPE from Kurt Thomas. Though I am not sure were Sam really fits into what they do.

DEN, CLE, and HOU all have expiring contracts that they could build a deal for Sam around.

...what you're forgetting in this equation is perhaps the most important part...SAM'S preference...Sam wants to play a significant role, which he would on Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and perhaps Houston...but he also wants to maximize his chance for a title which leaves Boston and Cleveland as the most likely bets because their path would be easier to the finals...out of those two teams its not very hard for Sam to see which is the more likely to win...Sam picks Boston they are head-and-shoulders better than every team except Detroit in the East...

Sam is a FA this summer, he has tremendous leverage in this situation because another team isn't going to trade a damn thing of any value if they feel Sam is going to bolt after half a year...

Boston is very much alive in this situation and Sam could easily end up being bought out..not because he doesnt have trade value as a player, but because of his demands and the leverage he has to choose his destination...perhaps Cleveland is more attractive to him...but I don't think so...

[Fencer reregistered]

Cassell used to whine about how little money he'd made compared to better players. So don't be sure he'll leave $1 million or so on the table. On the other hand, the Clips need to tank again, so don't believe Sterling about Cassell being untouchable.

One problem in attracting him is that it is NOT a lock we'd give him the full MLE next year. If the right big man became available, we might go that way instead.

That said, if you add Cassell and keep all our other players except maybe House -- even Powe -- and we'll have a heckuva team.

[Rasheeed!!!]

As mentioned above, Cassell has never had a big time contract so he'll be inclined to get as much money as he possibly can. Also, the Denver option seems attractive to him as he gets to re-unite with Karl and the Nuggs have a hole @PG.