Post#1733 » by soxperry » Sat Jun 21, 2025 3:48 pm
a recap of where we're at:
The Bobby/KPJ/Trent thing really just comes down to KPJ and Trent. Bobby only factors in as he factors in to the team salary as a whole, but we can theoretically give him whatever and it doesn't impact KPJ and Trent. The theoretically depends on if we can shed some salary to give him more, otherwise he tops out around 14-15. but none of that impacts KPJ/Trent. So putting Bobby aside...
Without early bird rights on either KPJ or Trent, we are limited to the MLE and the BAE. If KPJ would be willing to accept the BAE, Trent becomes very easy to re sign up to the full MLE. But as much as some want to believe that KPJ is worth no more than that roughly 5M exception, he will most likely get attention from other teams for more than that amount. How much more remains a massive question.
If that number only reaches the 7 to 8 range (and that's really the biggest question in all of this), it's definitely plausible that he would accept a deal from us for something like 2/12 or 2/13. That would allow us to pay Trent between 7.5 and 8M. Even as I'm writing this, I'm finding it hard to believe that Trent would turn down a full MLE deal from a playoff contender to make a little more than half with us. He already seems to have sacrificed salary last season specifically to cash in this offseason. But it's also questionable whether a contender would use its full MLE on a guy like Trent. If we have any hope at all, it's that signature Horst player option. Giving both Trent and KPJ two year contracts with a player option on the second year provides them flexibility as well as insurance in case of injury or a down year. It also provides a vessel for us to get them to early bird status and lock them down long term next offseason.
So that's the dream scenario. But what if Brooklyn, having nothing to play for and only seeking to build their asset pile, offers KPJ 2/30 (about 1M more per year than the full MLE) knowing that almost no one else can match? Regardless of how you feel about giving KPJ a big number, you cannot deny that he is the one player in the league that has both significant, needle moving potential AND that we are in a position to sign long term. We now find ourselves at a crossroads. Do we lock down the seemingly high character, pure shooting, yet mostly complementary Trent and let KPJ walk? Or do we commit to KPJ, a guy who has near all star potential, can do everything on the court, but carries a spectrum of different risk factors?
If you've been reading my posts the past few weeks, you know what I would do. And after writing this I'm even more convinced. But parading my mindset even further wasn't the purpose of this post. I just wanted to get everyone abreast of the situation as we approach the draft, free agency, and the answers to these questions.
