moofs wrote:BaYBaller wrote:moofs wrote:That's the nasty thing. Because of how big his contract is, he won't even have that much value as an expiring because of how many players/the contract sizes of what would have to be included to make a trade for him work. I'm expecting us to re-sign him to a much smaller contract (~11-14m/yr, frontloaded, with clauses for games played or something).
I actually think him resigning is the least likely scenario.
And I highly doubt you can put in a clause for games played under the current CBA.
I don't know about the current CBA, but I do remember several clauses supplying performance bonuses on older ones for games played, ast/to ratios, etc.
Why the least likely? For a team to trade with us involving TMac, they would probably have to want to rebuild and give up ~18.5+ million in contracts for a 30/31 y/o oft-injured SG. We'd likely be taking back longer contracts in that scenario. This would all take place involving a team where those player/s had not been working out. I don't see us letting him walk for nothing either, that leaves a contract extension at a lower pay or a sign-and-trade (also likely to be at a lower cost, but higher than we would want to pay). The whole situation doesn't make much sense for a trade scenario that I can think up, but if you can point one out, I'm all ears.
I'm not super familiar with the current CBA either (it is pretty complicated though), just that I've never heard of a clause for games played. But I thought you meant a clause in terms of voiding salary/contract, not bonuses which you are saying here. Not like that would do anything anyway if there was since I highly doubt some bonus will somehow make T-Mac less injury-prone.
And I say least likely because by that time the Yao/T-Mac era has run its course. It will be time to move on and management will actively look to move him to get back some value.
And on the flipside you assume T-Mac wants to stay. Why? Certainly not for basketball reasons (unless suddenly the Rockets become elite). Granted it's not impossible as maybe his family loves Houston and he wants to retire here or something, but it certainly does not seem likely. If management fails to move T-Mac then he has a choice of retiring like has been quoted as saying (I don't think he will) or signing with whoever he wants (e.g. a championship contender). I see no basketball-related reason why T-Mac would resign with Houston at a bargain price when he could easily do the same with a contender.
So looking at it like that, where both management and T-Mac have no basketball-related incentive to keep this thing going, I surmise T-Mac resigning as not very likely. The only scenario I can really see him resigning is if they win a championship or get very very close to winning one during the final year of his contract, in which case T-Mac may opt to sign for a 1-year deal or something similar. All that though again seems very unlikely.
And trust me T-Mac will be a hot commodity next offseason and through the trade deadline, especially if he promises to resign with the club he is traded to (like he did with Houston). He might not be able to be a dominant scorer like in days past but by all accounts T-Mac is a very cerebral player who I can see playing at a high level for quite a number of years barring injuries. The Rockets will look to get value of course, but trading him for anything is better than nothing. I don't think that'll be a problem however because as I've said there will be competition for his services, I'm sure.
