2022 Free Agency

[minimus]

DLo is supposed to be BFFs with KAT.

This sentence does not add anything to conversation, does not explain anything. I mean I've heard this thousand times from general NBA fans, so every time I hear this it makes me feel bored.

[winforlose]

DLo is supposed to be BFFs with KAT.

This sentence does not add anything to conversation, does not explain anything. I mean I've heard this thousand times from general NBA fans, so every time I hear this it makes me feel bored.

I am confused, are you looking for proof or relevance? If your looking for proof look for the slam magazine cover he did with KAT and Booker, and the comments from KAT over the years saying Dlo is his best friend. If your looking for relevance, look at Brooklyn right now. KD and Irving conspired to go to the same team and then when Irving was not given a favorable extension KD asked out as a means of leveraging the Nets in the Irving situation (trade him or extend him at a favorable rate, or trade me away because if your bad to him your bad to me.) This is not the only example just the easiest. Dlo keeps talking about how he loves it here. Harden just took a 14-15 million haircut to give Philly a chance at a ring. Dlo is not worth 30+ and he knows it. Threatening to leave to chase money some other team might pay him is sound business, but lacks the loyalty he claims to care about (complaining about other franchises not wanting him and trading him.) He should sign a one or two year extension on reasonable money and prove it with Gobert.

[BlacJacMac]

This is not my area, but what happens if he declares he wants to come to OKC and they don’t have a roster spot for him. Am I correct that if they don’t allow him to come they have renounced his rights? In that situation, how does bargaining work? How many years can they make him take the minimum to come over? It seems like an interesting area for the NBAPA. Especially in a situation like this where the player has waited so long to come over.

You're not understanding it.

If they don't have a roster spot, they don't have a roster spot. They still have his rights.

Granted, but what are his rights in this situation. If he wants to come and they say no does he have recourse?

I believe if he sits out of all basketball for 1 year, OKC would lose his rights:

49. What if the team and their drafted player can't agree to a contract? What options does the player have? How long does the team keep his draft rights?
The player's options are limited. What happens depends on a number of factors:

If the player is already under contract to, or signs a contract with a non-NBA team, the drafting team retains the player's draft rights for one year after the player's obligation to the non-NBA team ends. Essentially, the clock stops as long as the player plays pro ball outside the NBA. Players are not included in team salary during the regular season while the player is under contract with a non-NBA team.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q49

[shrink]

I’ve been thinking that teams should be using Gupta Specials more often.

For most players who have never played a single day in the NBA, a guaranteed $1 mil should be plenty of incentive to sign on for additional unguaranteed years. And it’s obviously a cheap, no-risk gamble for teams as well. Even guys with a year experience who are on the borderline of staying in the NBA should have plenty of incentive to get guaranteed money up front.

Speaking specifically about the Wolves, we might be keeping a slot open in case AJ Lawton looks good, and we want to offer him a deal like this (by touching part of our BAE). I’d feel more comfortable using our 15th roster spot this way if Nate Knight agrees to the two-way we offered him.

[winforlose]

I’ve been thinking that teams should be using Gupta Specials more often.

For most players who have never played a single day in the NBA, a guaranteed $1 mil should be plenty of incentive to sign on for additional unguaranteed years. And it’s obviously a cheap, no-risk gamble for teams as well. Even guys with a year experience who are on the borderline of staying in the NBA should have plenty of incentive to get guaranteed money up front.

Speaking specifically about the Wolves, we might be keeping a slot open in case AJ Lawton looks good, and we want to offer him a deal like this (by touching part of our BAE). I’d feel more comfortable using our 15th roster spot this way if Nate Knight agrees to the two-way we offered him.

Do you believe Knight is worth a roster spot if he gets an offer elsewhere? Do you think we could move Rivers or Forbes mid season if Lawson is better and we need to make room? Do we have enough depth at PF and C to leave the spot open?

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

In a recent podcast, Dane Moore reminded me of something that I wanted to mention here.

I think most would agree that Austin Rivers is a good enough NBA player that many teams would offer him a vet min deal. So why sign with MIN?

Sure, Connely has a relationship with him and several players, and that helps. But unlike previous seasons, MIN offers the likelihood of reaching the playoffs. For a player like Rivers, this means you may get seen in a more dramatic way to potential future employers. Rivers still only got the min, but it probably helped his career more to do an adequate job slowing down Curry in the playoffs, than it did to soldier on through DEN’s regular season.

Hopefully this will help us get a better quality of free agent in the future, whether for the vet min or in other signings. MIN has probably always been a last choice, and in the past, we’ve had to overpay a few guys to get them here. Maybe becoming a little better free agent destination is another piece of added value from the Gobert trade? Boogie?

I wonder if Russell thinks the same way. I mean there is NO other team in NBA that might help him more to be a successful player. He is flawed as hell: injury and turnover prone, limited defender, does not slash, very inconsistent. But. Current MIN is the best situation for him, just run pick-n-rolls, involve two elite bigs.

Dlo is supposed to be BFFs with KAT. He is supposed to love our fan base, especially after we listened to him and responded to his call. He is supposed to feel a sense of brotherhood with Ant and MCD and the rest of the returning wolf pack. Is this not worth a discount to go win 3 rings? Does he not see the dynasty potential of Prime Gobert, Prime KAT, Prime Dlo and Ant coming into his prime? Dlo isn’t just in his best spot here, Dlo might never find the quality of life outside of basketball as good anywhere else. He might not like Finch benching him, but he should like the message it sends about accountability. Dlo needs to ask if making 3-7 mil elsewhere (about half of which goes to his agent and tax, not to mention higher taxes in a lot of other states,) is worth leaving a great situation.

There’s maybe 6 teams in other states that have higher income tax burden than MN, most of those are in Cali.

[Dewey]

Flexibility is the name of the game as we move through the off-season and closer to camp… so we have some time right now to let things marinate. Looking ahead, 3 things to consider when going through camp:

1. Bu this time we should have an idea if there will be enough collateral we can wait on from other moves at the deadline.

2. Injuries. An unknown, but a small piece in-season to fill a need is likely. Is there a player available that could alleviate this risk?

3. Sleeper or sleeper. “What if” we have a player that is exceeding performance expectation or one that’s floundering? One of them will likely occur and a little flex can go a long way in a making pre-season adjustments.

Bottom-line: there will be a need, missing link, or a piece of collateral that we need to address between camp and the deadline… how that’s best handled upfront with the roster will weigh largely on what the FO anticipates to be our weakest link. Could be a shooter, defender, or simply a vet that can fill the final roster spot.

[shrink]

I’ve been thinking that teams should be using Gupta Specials more often.

For most players who have never played a single day in the NBA, a guaranteed $1 mil should be plenty of incentive to sign on for additional unguaranteed years. And it’s obviously a cheap, no-risk gamble for teams as well. Even guys with a year experience who are on the borderline of staying in the NBA should have plenty of incentive to get guaranteed money up front.

Speaking specifically about the Wolves, we might be keeping a slot open in case AJ Lawton looks good, and we want to offer him a deal like this (by touching part of our BAE). I’d feel more comfortable using our 15th roster spot this way if Nate Knight agrees to the two-way we offered him.

Do you believe Knight is worth a roster spot if he gets an offer elsewhere? Do you think we could move Rivers or Forbes mid season if Lawson is better and we need to make room? Do we have enough depth at PF and C to leave the spot open?

I would say the answers are no, yes, and no. Second question is a good point, if it doesn’t break up our chemistry.

I like the idea of getting a pair of two-way players, and the pitch is, “if you succeed, MIN is a place that might convert your contract into guaranteed money.”

[winforlose]

I’ve been thinking that teams should be using Gupta Specials more often.

For most players who have never played a single day in the NBA, a guaranteed $1 mil should be plenty of incentive to sign on for additional unguaranteed years. And it’s obviously a cheap, no-risk gamble for teams as well. Even guys with a year experience who are on the borderline of staying in the NBA should have plenty of incentive to get guaranteed money up front.

Speaking specifically about the Wolves, we might be keeping a slot open in case AJ Lawton looks good, and we want to offer him a deal like this (by touching part of our BAE). I’d feel more comfortable using our 15th roster spot this way if Nate Knight agrees to the two-way we offered him.

Do you believe Knight is worth a roster spot if he gets an offer elsewhere? Do you think we could move Rivers or Forbes mid season if Lawson is better and we need to make room? Do we have enough depth at PF and C to leave the spot open?

I would say the answers are no, yes, and no. Second question is a good point, if it doesn’t break up our chemistry.

I like the idea of getting a pair of two-way players, and the pitch is, “if you succeed, MIN is a place that might convert your contract into guaranteed money.”

I think we always intended to give Lawson a main roster spot next year if he does well this year. Moreover, if he plays extremely well this year, especially on defense, then we might make a point of moving Rivers and converting him.

[andyhop]

This is not my area, but what happens if he declares he wants to come to OKC and they don’t have a roster spot for him. Am I correct that if they don’t allow him to come they have renounced his rights? In that situation, how does bargaining work? How many years can they make him take the minimum to come over? It seems like an interesting area for the NBAPA. Especially in a situation like this where the player has waited so long to come over.

You're not understanding it.

If they don't have a roster spot, they don't have a roster spot. They still have his rights.

Granted, but what are his rights in this situation. If he wants to come and they say no does he have recourse?

If he wants to come and OKC don't want him then he would have to buy himself out of his deal in Turkey at his own expense ,then once free sign the tender offer that OKC have to offer him to retain his rights. The tender offer is basically a one year minimum deal, the cost of buying him out of his deal in Turkey probably takes up the entirety of that if not more and he would be down any extra paid to get out of his current deal plus the $3m after tax he was due to earn this year there.

Once he signs the tender OKC would have to either waive him and make him a free agent or waive someone else and keep him

[winforlose]

You're not understanding it.

If they don't have a roster spot, they don't have a roster spot. They still have his rights.

Granted, but what are his rights in this situation. If he wants to come and they say no does he have recourse?

If he wants to come and OKC don't want him then he would have to buy himself out of his deal in Turkey at his own expense ,then once free sign the tender offer that OKC have to offer him to retain his rights. The tender offer is basically a one year minimum deal, the cost of buying him out of his deal in Turkey probably takes up the entirety of that if not more and he would be down any extra paid to get out of his current deal plus the $3m after tax he was due to earn this year there.

Once he signs the tender OKC would have to either waive him and make him a free agent or waive someone else and keep him

How long until his Turkey contract expires?

[Klomp]

I thought Jon floating that last idea was interesting. Wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Read on Twitter

[mplsfonz23]

DLo is supposed to be BFFs with KAT.

This sentence does not add anything to conversation, does not explain anything. I mean I've heard this thousand times from general NBA fans, so every time I hear this it makes me feel bored.

I am confused, are you looking for proof or relevance? If your looking for proof look for the slam magazine cover he did with KAT and Booker, and the comments from KAT over the years saying Dlo is his best friend. If your looking for relevance, look at Brooklyn right now. KD and Irving conspired to go to the same team and then when Irving was not given a favorable extension KD asked out as a means of leveraging the Nets in the Irving situation (trade him or extend him at a favorable rate, or trade me away because if your bad to him your bad to me.) This is not the only example just the easiest. Dlo keeps talking about how he loves it here. Harden just took a 14-15 million haircut to give Philly a chance at a ring. Dlo is not worth 30+ and he knows it. Threatening to leave to chase money some other team might pay him is sound business, but lacks the loyalty he claims to care about (complaining about other franchises not wanting him and trading him.) He should sign a one or two year extension on reasonable money and prove it with Gobert.

Yeah, but Lo is soft and sensitive. He may be upset the new regime shopped him around. So while he is saying all the right things, who knows what he's thinking.

As far as Harden, he has a player option for year two, so do count him as loyal. Bet he bolts is they struggle in the post season. He can always get paid again by his next team. $14 mil is nothing to him.

[shrink]

Read on Twitter

As always, Jonny K taking a stand.

[shangrila]

I hate our sports media

[shrink]

I just wanted to mention that in many of the national pods I listen to, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince are mentioned as two of the best value signings of the off-season.

[minimus]

I just wanted to mention that in many of the national pods I listen to, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince are mentioned as two of the best value signings of the off-season.

Why? I assume because they are two experienced role players who fit and doesn't cost a ton?

[winforlose]

I just wanted to mention that in many of the national pods I listen to, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince are mentioned as two of the best value signings of the off-season.

I agree with Anderson. That makes a ton of sense, especially when you know your losing V8. Prince, is a bit tougher. We played him out of position last year. Getting back to permanent SF should help. That said, he still needs to be second half TP from the start this year. If he regresses to first half then he is overpaid by over 5 mil and a major liability.

[shrink]

I just wanted to mention that in many of the national pods I listen to, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince are mentioned as two of the best value signings of the off-season.

I agree with Anderson. That makes a ton of sense, especially when you know your losing V8. Prince, is a bit tougher. We played him out of position last year. Getting back to permanent SF should help. That said, he still needs to be second half TP from the start this year. If he regresses to first half then he is overpaid by over 5 mil and a major liability.

They liked the Prince extension because every team in the league is looking for those wings with size, and that his second year is a team option. I would add that getting the extension done the day before the moritorium allowed him to be a trade piece, to give the team more flexibility.

[winforlose]

I just wanted to mention that in many of the national pods I listen to, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince are mentioned as two of the best value signings of the off-season.

I agree with Anderson. That makes a ton of sense, especially when you know your losing V8. Prince, is a bit tougher. We played him out of position last year. Getting back to permanent SF should help. That said, he still needs to be second half TP from the start this year. If he regresses to first half then he is overpaid by over 5 mil and a major liability.

They liked the Prince extension because every team in the league is looking for those wings with size, and that his second year is a team option. I would add that getting the extension done the day before the moritorium allowed him to be a trade piece, to give the team more flexibility.

All solid arguments. I would include his presence as a secondary leader last year and losing the primary leader as well reinforces his role. But, he was not a good PF defensively last year. I think this is because he is a SF and was being asked to play out of position. Moreover, he started very poor from distance and we cannot have that again. If Prince plays like he did after the ASB, it was a great move for great value. If we get the first half of last year TP, then they are wrong.