Official Speculation & Free Agency Thread (Pt X, Mods close)

[G-Heel]

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7fe9vgg

Do the Rockets say yes?

Nope

[thelead]

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7fe9vgg

Do the Rockets say yes?

maybe, but what are we going to do with 4 shooting guards? Also, that would have Stan completely retooling the offense with no stretch 4 and a pg that doesn't shoot the 3 particularly well. I don't know if we can pull off a successful run this year with all of those changes and very little practice time.

[InFlames]

Quick question for you guys, how reliable is Brian Schmitz?

Brian Schmitz
@MagicInsider Brian Schmitz
If rumors true that DHoward will not re-sign with L.A., Magic might let him walk. Magic don't want Brook Lopez, healthy or otherwise

I wouldn't believe anything he says, but if this is true and the Magic let Dwight walk instead of dealing with the Nets, I will be absolutely livid.

Our front office would have to be 100% (Please Use More Appropriate Word) to let him walk.

[Bensational]

the Net's performance over the next month will really determine who has the better offer. if they remain within contention for a playoff spot, then a deal in March built predominantly around Lopez + their pick could end up becoming a massive, massive waste.

i'm pretty sure with Bynum we could move him for a top 3, if not #1 pick. can't say the same for Lopez.

Hornets, Cavs, Wizards would all love to have him to partner with their young guards. and at this point i'd rather take a chance on Anthony Davis' potential to develop than Bynum's potential to stay healthy.

[Reverse_Angle]

Quick question for you guys, how reliable is Brian Schmitz?

Brian Schmitz
@MagicInsider Brian Schmitz
If rumors true that DHoward will not re-sign with L.A., Magic might let him walk. Magic don't want Brook Lopez, healthy or otherwise

He is no insider.

As a side note though, if the Magic don't take that New Jersey deal near the deadline and decide to just let him walk I will no longer support this organization. That piled on top of all the other bull we've had to deal with plus the fact that Otis is still employed would be too much.

good riddance. LA Clippers need more fierce guys like you.

[singal3]

^ I think your front office is just posturing and trying to get D12 to accept a trade to another team.

If you break down NJ's offer you are basically getting:

Brooks
Houston protected 1st rounder
NJ 2012 pick (likely anywhere from 6-12)
Boat load of useless NJ picks

You can't really factor in Lopez into the deal as he will be a restricted FA. He will likely command a salary similar to Nene/Chandler. Do you really want to build around him and that salary or will you let him walk? The smart thing to do would be to let him walk, the face saving thing would be to keep him at all expense.

It's a question of who breaks first D12 or the front office. If you can't get him to break down, I think the front office takes the NJ deal as a last resort.

[arkknight1988]

^ I think your front office is just posturing and trying to get D12 to accept a trade to another team.

If you break down NJ's offer you are basically getting:

Brooks
Houston protected 1st rounder
NJ 2012 pick (likely anywhere from 6-12)
Boat load of useless NJ picks

You can't really factor in Lopez into the deal as he will be a restricted FA. He will likely command a salary similar to Nene/Chandler. Do you really want to build around him and that salary or will you let him walk? The smart thing to do would be to let him walk, the face saving thing would be to keep him at all expense.

It's a question of who breaks first D12 or the front office. If you can't get him to break down, I think the front office takes the NJ deal as a last resort.

we will get a decent look at how anderson lopez play together after the trade. If it works great then we resign both to new deals and build around that. if it doesn't work then we let him go. we would still end up with marshon and draft picks which is better than letting dwight walk for nothing

[EasternMagic]

^ I think your front office is just posturing and trying to get D12 to accept a trade to another team.

If you break down NJ's offer you are basically getting:

Brooks
Houston protected 1st rounder
NJ 2012 pick (likely anywhere from 6-12)
Boat load of useless NJ picks

You can't really factor in Lopez into the deal as he will be a restricted FA. He will likely command a salary similar to Nene/Chandler. Do you really want to build around him and that salary or will you let him walk? The smart thing to do would be to let him walk, the face saving thing would be to keep him at all expense.

It's a question of who breaks first D12 or the front office. If you can't get him to break down, I think the front office takes the NJ deal as a last resort.

we will get a decent look at how anderson lopez play together after the trade. If it works great then we resign both to new deals and build around that. if it doesn't work then we let him go. we would still end up with marshon and draft picks which is better than letting dwight walk for nothing

Isn't Lopez out for the season?

[The Real Dalic]

^ I think your front office is just posturing and trying to get D12 to accept a trade to another team.

If you break down NJ's offer you are basically getting:

Brooks
Houston protected 1st rounder
NJ 2012 pick (likely anywhere from 6-12)
Boat load of useless NJ picks

You can't really factor in Lopez into the deal as he will be a restricted FA. He will likely command a salary similar to Nene/Chandler. Do you really want to build around him and that salary or will you let him walk? The smart thing to do would be to let him walk, the face saving thing would be to keep him at all expense.

It's a question of who breaks first D12 or the front office. If you can't get him to break down, I think the front office takes the NJ deal as a last resort.

we will get a decent look at how anderson lopez play together after the trade. If it works great then we resign both to new deals and build around that. if it doesn't work then we let him go. we would still end up with marshon and draft picks which is better than letting dwight walk for nothing

Isn't Lopez out for the season?

I think they said he would be fine either at the end of this month, or, the beginning of next month.

[rcklsscognition]

From what I've read, Lopez is expected back around March 1st. In two weeks he should start light practice.

[jadewbj]

I personally would rather Dwight walk than take on crap like lopez and useless picks. At least if we let him walk we can clear ton's of cap space and go after some other real talent.

[MagicFan149]

letting him walk without including hedo or duhon will prolong the rebuilding process though...if we let lopez expire (which i wouldnt probably do) while getting rid of duhon and hedo we would have money imediately...

[MagicFan149]

you know after looking at the rfa's and urfa's for this offseason and next offseason there really isnt anyone we would want to sign to any real money till after next season.... bynum and ellis both are ufa's that offseason.... so just letting dwight walk with meer hedo and jj expiring that following offseason wouldnt be horrible in addition to the lottery pick we would have from how bad next season will be without dwight

so after one bad season we could be

lottery pick / duhon(hopefully upgrade by then)
ellis / von?
fa (defender) / q
ryno / big baby
bynum/ vet big?

its not horrible after one bad season...u have your slasher (ellis) your floor spreader (ryno) and your post prescence (bynum) .... get a defender energy guy at the 3 and you have a team that could make some noise... life after dwight wont be horrible for long

[eyriq]

letting him walk without including hedo or duhon will prolong the rebuilding process though...if we let lopez expire (which i wouldnt probably do) while getting rid of duhon and hedo we would have money imediately...

Hm, so we unload some contracts and let Lopez/Humphries/Okur walk? I kinda like it, as it is the best of the non-Dwight scenarios that I've seen.

We get a rookie-scale Brooks and a bunch of low picks plus max contract space earlier than otherwise. Likely we'll suck in '13 so you can add a very high pick to that.

The main problem is that it doesn't allow for the Dwight situation to play itself out. I honestly feel we have a great chance at keeping him. And the Magic with Dwight is easily the best case scenario going forward. If he does walk we aren't set that far back than if we had chosen the above NJ scenario. We'll still get high picks from '13, and very likely from '14 too, while pushing back our max-contract a year or two. Sure we miss out on Brooks and the low NJ picks, but do we really think Brooks is a difference maker?

[BadMofoPimp]

All sounds fine and dandy until Bynum demands a trade or threatens to leave via Free Agency.

[MagicFan149]

the more i think i about it eyriq the more i wouldnt mind letting dwight walk (if we cant retain him in the offseason) because like we have both said its really only one bad season (comes with a lottery pick though).....

jus tried seeing what nj's pick would be in upcoming draft and it would be somewhere around the 8-10 spot at best i would think so there is no gaurantee that the magic would grab a rotational player there.... knowing the magic they would probably overpay for lopez if the trade were to go down and like you said i dont know that brook is a difference maker....brook at the right price is an asset but knowing our history he wold become overpayed...

let him walk make a run at ellis and bynum (if thats what everybody wants anyways) the following offseason and after one bad year we are at worst right back to the 3rd or 4th best team in the east and we are not in salary cap hell

[Def Swami]

Dwight Howard Watch Day 58: As the Magic seem to have righted their sinking ship on the basketball court with three straight wins, new details have emerged in the ever changing Dwight Howard saga in Orlando.

RealGM’s Jarrod Rudolph is reporting that Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant may have soured Howard on being a Laker even more than he was already.

According to the report:

“Bryant told Howard that he wanted him to come to Los Angeles and help him win two more championships, but not as an understudy. He wanted Howard to be the team’s third option behind himself and Pau Gasol, according to a source. Bryant tried to sell Howard on being his “Tyson Chandler” and made it clear that Los Angeles would be his, but only once Bryant decided he was done playing.

Howard was turned off by the idea.

Howard stated that there was “no way” he would give up everything he has in Orlando to go to the Lakers and be the third option, a source close to the situation said.”

Sources close to this process have labeled the Lakers as an option from the beginning, but always an option behind New Jersey and even Dallas.

The Lakers have always been viewed as a lower-tier option to Howard’s camp, mainly because Dwight Howard has longed despised the Shaquille O’Neal comparison.

While the fruits that Dwight covets are in LA with the Lakers, carrying the daily burden of being in Shaq’s shadow yet again is undesirable to Howard unless it guarantees a championship, and there are no guarantees in the NBA.

Add the fact that Kobe’s view of things puts Howard as second or even third tier, puts the Lakers lower on the list.

Howard wants to be the top dog wherever he lands and that’s why teams like Chicago and the Clippers are not nearly as attractive to Howard who wants his own team.

According to sources close to this process Howard’s top destination remains New Jersey/Brooklyn with Dallas, LA and Orlando being viewed as equals if things don’t come together in New Jersey as planned.

Sources close to the process say that both Howard and Deron Williams have been talking to their friends around the league about the Nets and assuming the Nets can make the moves both Howard and Williams want, both would agree to new deals with the Nets as free agents.

The wrinkle is neither Williams or Howard would commit to deals with the Nets without additional help, as both do not want to be in the same situation as the Knicks, were they are joined together, but with no help around them to compete.

Why haven’t the Magic traded Howard… because they are still in the hunt to keep Dwight long term.

Sources close to the situation say Howard will shop his situation this summer and that while New Jersey is viewed as option #1, there are lots of parts that would have to line up for him to leave Orlando and the $30 million the Magic can offer and guarantee him other teams cannot.

Sources say if the Nets cannot get the secondary assets both Howard and Williams covet, the Nets could lose out on both players.

That opens the door for the Dallas Mavericks to land Williams and for Howard to remain in Orlando long-term.

It still seems like New Jersey is in the front seat for both Howard and Williams, but if they swing and miss they could miss out on both.

Sources close to this process say the Magic will not blink on Howard because they still believe they can keep him, unless Howard makes it clear he’s gone, don’t expect the Magic to trade him because he might not find what he seeking in free agency.

That does not get Orlando off the hook for improving the roster, they will still need to do that, but it does put some clarity on why they haven’t moved on deals involving Howard.

It also puts into focus why the Lakers haven’t offered the moon for Howard, because it’s becoming even more clear that he is not nearly as interested in a being a Laker as he is being in Brooklyn – if the Nets can put things together the right way.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-suns-not-trading-nash

[MagicFan149]

that article just makes me mad that we signed jrich and big baby to long term deals..... if ( i know its a big if) those hadnt been signed cut jj, agree to a long term less money deal with jameer and we woulda had a longshot chance at both deron and dwight

i know its been beaten to death but this article just brings the thought back up

[arkknight1988]

^^ this is probably exactly what howard wants us to do. keep him and let him become a free agent so he can walk to NJ to play with derron lopez marshon and morrow along with a lottery pick. That 30 million means little to him and he really does want to win a championship more than anything. Who would he chose to play with turk jrich and nelson or derron marshon and lopez in a big market?

We will get burned if we let him become a free agent.

[MagicFan149]

they wont be able to resign lopez too would they? if they resign derron would they still have space with the cap hold of brook to sign dwight? so a second yr marshon and deron with only a very little cap space to fill out rest of roster , i see the magic's situation as compareable dont forget after next season we will have a descent amount of cap space with jameer jj and hedo off the books.... so either way its going to be a down year for both teams next season