nate33 wrote:pcbothwel wrote:We cant afford Beal, KP, and Kuz... and Tommy knows it. He'll SnT trade Kuz, or sign him knowing he'll have to move him at the deadline.
And trading Beal in the offseason is almost a non-starter. His salary is so high, that we need teams to have a full roster of filler salary to make it work. So that means a deadline deal most likely.
If Tommy knew that, he would have traded Kuzma at the Trade Deadline when his value was highest. But instead, they chose to trade Rui.
I don't know if that is true. I think Kuzma's value peaks not as an expiring contract, but if there is something of a bidding war for his services.
I've said it elsewhere but this FA class is thin. Kuzma looks like one of the better prospects, by his counting stats and for teams against which he has had his streaky peaks, especially on the road. He looks like a 20/10ish player who is able to play next to two other high use stars. He rebounds willingly. He passes generously (even if his generosity extends to the opponents).
If two or more teams send out feelers and Kuzma is open to either offer, then the Wizards could benefit by arranging a S&T that fits that team, and suits Kuzma's camp. That way we have the PR to be able to say: 'we wanted to reward Kuzma for his service by helping him go to a team that suits him for XYZ reason. Still we were able to turn that into A & B useful players, and picked up draft compensation down the road.' Kuzma could leave for nothing, but few teams have the cap to absorb him at a significant deal. Leastways few teams that are in markets he would like, or who play deep into the playoffs to raise his national profile.
NYK, Brooklyn, LAL or LAC. Maybe Miami or ATL. I could see PHX as interesting as well, though the market is smaller. They are high profile enough that he can use it as a showcase for his brand, whatever brand that is. Those are the teams I think Kuz is looking towards. (Especially the NY metro area though). We have made it clear we will outbid other non-contenders so the $ won't be the main issue.
In any case, I think the fact that we can exceed the cap to pay him is the hole card Tommy has. It is nearly as good as already having a player under contract. Trading a guy for a half year rental and the hope that he won't leave, or simply trading him as an expiring contract, I think lowers his value.
If Beal didn't have the NTC then he too might be a useful asset. I guess the team didn't see that as a handicap though since, aside from Wall, they tend to trade players to the team they prefer to join. It is part of Ted's double bottom philosophy. If Beal wants opportunities elsewhere, then we will try to accommodate him and thank him for his loyalty and service on the way out. I expect Tommy feels like he has been more than fair with Beal so Beal would be reasonable on the way out as well.
