Is it a psychological ploy?

[evildallas]

Edit - My initial post contradicts the title. I realize that. I should have said smoke screen instead of psychological ploy, as I theorize that the public message and private negotiating might be slightly different. The psychological ploy I infer would be how they could be approaching Josh Smith hoping to convince him to sign for 5yr/60M.

Original post=
I've been wondering if the public announcements that Hawks are so set on signing both Smith and Childress is a ploy to get them to leave a little on the table for the continued development of the team. I mean they've been teammates for 4 years, are they close? Would they sacrifice a little to keep the band together?

The logic would be talking to Josh Smith, "we'll match any offer for you because you are our guy, but if we have to pay the max we might have to let Childress go which will hurt the team overall. If you sign for 10M starting and an average of 12M per (5yr 60M), we can keep and will keep Childress." If Smith agrees, then you follow through with the promise and sign him and Childress. If Josh signs a higher offer sheet (13M is max starting salary) then the Hawks can pass on signing Childress because he would cause them to exceed the luxury tax threshold and try to use the MLE to fill spots. The explanation to the fans could be that they wanted to sign both, but the max deal changed the situation and a tough choice had to be made.

Just wondering.

[killbuckner]

you say that you will match any offer for both because its free to say and doesn't cost you anything. Why on earth would they say anything else?

[td00]

What scenario has to take place for one or both Joshes to come back and play out their last year of their contract? Does it compare at all to the Okafor negotiations? Okafor is being discussed as possibly coming back and playing out the last year of his contract, at $7.1M.

I don't see this happening, but this could help the Hawks in the short term since none of us have a clue about the financial health of the ASG. Both Joshes would have to have another good year to demand the $$ we are talking about today.

With the last scenario happening, it gives the ASG room to add another player or two and be within the salary/luxury cap guidelines.
Current numbers has the Hawk's payroll for 10 players at just over $51M.

[ckchen]

I've been wondering if the public announcements that Hawks are so set on signing both Smith and Childress is a ploy to get them to leave a little on the table for the continued development of the team. I mean they've been teammates for 4 years, are they close? Would they sacrifice a little to keep the band together?

The logic would be talking to Josh Smith, "we'll match any offer for you because you are our guy, but if we have to pay the max we might have to let Childress go which will hurt the team overall. If you sign for 10M starting and an average of 12M per (5yr 60M), we can keep and will keep Childress." If Smith agrees, then you follow through with the promise and sign him and Childress. If Josh signs a higher offer sheet (13M is max starting salary) then the Hawks can pass on signing Childress because he would cause them to exceed the luxury tax threshold and try to use the MLE to fill spots. The explanation to the fans could be that they wanted to sign both, but the max deal changed the situation and a tough choice had to be made.

Just wondering.

That makes no sense. When you say you will match any offer, you are essentially saying that you will pay up to the maximum possible deal that is out there for each of them, and you're also tipping your hand by implying that it's financially possible to do so. Why would Smith suddenly then think it was okay to sign for less when you just publicly admitted that you would sign the for the maximum amount possible they can get on the market? By asking him to take a lower offer, you're actually telling both Smith and Childress (and their agents, btw) that you were basically lying to them from the get go about matching any offer. Not exactly the best way to convince someone to sign with you.

[evildallas]

Public stance is to scare off other teams. Private conversations are bit different.

First off the match any offer is bogus at least with Childress. If Childress got a offer of 10M per season, the Hawks would let him go. The theory is that they'll make the MLE offer that most teams can make, not really any offer. At some point the cost exceeds the value. Josh Smith could get a max offer from a couple of teams and Atlanta could easily decide to match even that. However, if Josh Smith gets every dime it could hurt his chances to play on a consistent winner. I am just theorizing that beyond public statements that they might be talking with each guy a little differently. Maybe I state that clearly enough in my first post. Childress can feel slighted in he wants to that Josh Smith is the higher priority, but his options are limited.

[ckchen]

If Childress feels slighted why wouldn't he just leave to take the MLE on any other interested team? Seems like the Hawks would have to at least go slightly over the MLE in order to make sure he just doesn't bolt for the same money and possibly better situation and a perceived lack of respect from the Hawks management. He doesn't even start for the Hawks, seems much more likely to me, that if the money was the same, he might leave just for a starting spot on another team.

As for Josh Smith - he's 22 yrs old and the Hawks are far from a "consistent winner" - he's not Baron Davis or even Elton Brand who are trying to make their last contract relevant by being on a winning squad. Yes, players make sacrifices for salaries, but not 22 yr olds on a team that hasn't sniffed the 2nd round of the playoffs. Telling him that taking a salary "cut" lets them keep Childress just means that he has essentially the same team around him - it doesn't really improve the teams chances to win if they didn't win last year. Again, it seems more likely that he'd go where the money is.

[killbuckner]

Childress is a restricted free agent. He can't go to a better team for the same (or less) money even if he wanted to. Back when the Hawks were going to have caproom this would have been a problem because of his big caphold, now it just doesn't matter.

[NWO4Life]

A sign and trade is also possible and still would be consistent w/ matching any offer.