Adelman wants a "very aggressive" off season

[thinktank]

Yeah! Le'ts just trade for Harden! Why didn't anybody else think of that?

We comin'!

Luh dis here.

[Narf]

I don't mind overpaying for Batum. Not my first option, as we need a help defender at SF more than a scorer. But it's hard to argue with his production + potential.

[theGreatRC]

I wouldn't mind overpaying for Batum either.

Portland has two picks in the lotto (We'll see if Nets get their top 3 pick) and there are some SF prospects there. I wonder if we throw big money at Batum and they drafted a SF, if they are willing to match?

That's only if Portland takes a SF (Barnes, Gilchrist if he drops, Jones)

[C.lupus]

If the Grizz end up losing the series, i have a good feeling about getting either Mayo or Gay. Didn't we have a meeting with Gay during the summer? I'd have to guess that Kahn is going to go after one of these two this off-season.

I think it'll be Mayo. He's been on the radar for a while now and is, potentially, not signed to as bad of a contract as Gay.

Kahn had a meeting planned with Gay - it was going to be his first in free agency and I think it was expected that the Wolves would make an aggressive push/offer at him (and David Lee was also on that list, to nobody's desire). Gay didn't make the trip since Memphis offered him the contract he wanted just before he was going to leave.

I don't think it's accurate to call his contract bad - he's a hell of a player. He's had a couple of injuries, but still worth his contract. You're probably going to have to push Mayo's contract offer high enough that it hurts the Grizzlies finances to match. They've got a lot of money tied up in Gasol/Randolph/Gay/Conley for the next 3 years, so they need to remain competitive. It's conceivable that they'll explore sign-and-trade options with Mayo to find inexpensive bodies to fill-in behind Allen/Gay/Pondexter and Gasol/Randolph/Speights. If you can put some dollars in front of OJ early, you might be able to get him, but probably not at a value.

I don't think it will need to be that high, tbh. They are already ~ $4 million over the cap for next year with only 9 players under contract. That's without Mayo, Speights, Arthur, and Haddadi. I gotta believe they will prioritize a backup big before Mayo (particularly since they've been trying to move him since last offseason).

[Esohny]

It could be higher than you'd think. But it's not the Grizzlies matching that will determine the contract size, it's other teams who need a SG and are bidding for Mayo that would push it up.

[C.lupus]

True. I was just responding to the "pushing it high enough that the Grizzlies don't match" comment. There still is an open market for him.

[Klomp]

Jared Dudley, anyone?

[jade_hippo]

Jared Dudley, anyone?

what do you have to give up to get Dudley though? I'd probably be willing to throw a minimum bid at Childress if he gets amnystied

[Gideon]

Absolutely love the idea of going after Dudley... I've watched him a lot the past couple of years (since I'm a Nash fan and watch a lot of Phoenix games) and I think he would fit better with us than on ANY other team. He's a good defender who shoots 3s at a high % and he's a great locker-room/glue guy.

Dudley can play either 2 or 3 and he's plenty good enough to start, but he's also a guy who totally buys into his role and the team concept -- if we used him as a 6th man (filling in at both 2 and 3), he would do a great job in that role, too. If we start him and play him 32-35 mpg, I see him as a high BBIQ 15-5-2-1.5 guy with good %s who never oversteps his role and has a really good influence on our young players. Realistically, without blowing up our core, I think he's pretty much our best option, and I would be very happy if we found a way to acquire him.

If Phoenix loses Nash and starts rebuilding, I think we could send them a package based around a pick(s) and an expiring and get something done... another option is if we agreed to take on Childress's contract we might not have to give up much at all, and I think Childress could be a good rotation player for us, so I wouldn't hate doing that.

[shangrila]

I'd rather go after Ariza if we're looking at a defensive wing guy. More of a veteran, knows Adelman and is probably easier to get than Dudley (if they're looking to rebuild, they're not getting rid of him).

[Basti]

I wouldn't mind going after Ariza, to be honest, but he needs to know that he's a 4th option offensively, at best, spotting up in the corner Bruce Bowen style.

[Klomp]

What about Ariza AND Kevin Martin?

Ariza for sure can probably be had for cap savings (Martell?), and I think we could get Martin for something like Barea/18.

Rubio/Luke
Martin/Lee
Ariza/Johnson
Love/Williams
Pekovic/Someone

[Basti]

What about Ariza AND Kevin Martin?

Ariza for sure can probably be had for cap savings (Martell?), and I think we could get Martin for something like Barea/18.

Rubio/Luke
Martin/Lee
Ariza/Johnson
Love/Williams
Pekovic/Someone

I'd consider it but only after contemplating other options (Batum, Mayo etc.)

[Narf]

Why would anyone want Ariza for 2 years, $15 mil?
Seriously, just sign someone better for the same money. AK47, for instance.

[Klomp]

Why would anyone want Ariza for 2 years, $15 mil?
Seriously, just sign someone better for the same money. AK47, for instance.

Wasn't AK47 better as a PF than as a SF?

[moss_is_1]

I wonder if Phoenix would consider #18 for Dudley?

[cpfsf]

I considered the same Ariza-Martin pairing too. It’s actually pretty easy to be pleased with this duo considering it destroys the Johnson-Webster alternative. I would never by the way trade Williams in either scenario, but I think it's likely that both teams will expect either the Utah or Memphis pick.

Minnesota would have a decent edge re-signing Martin because Adelman maximized his talents while offering a consistent role. In Houston his name always managed to pop up in trade rumors, and now we see his role is diminishing. To me this just seems like a small risk for a player who has just one year remaining on his contract. There are certainly cheaper shooting guards that I would like to consider first, but it’s pretty appealing because he is one of Adelman’s guys.

Now Ariza would really benefit from playing with this more respectable lineup, so he wouldn’t be expected to have such a heavy load on the offensive end. We just need to be sure that we surround him with another offensively gifted guard. Here's a nice little tidbit, an Ariza trade would mean that he played for 6 teams in 9 seasons.

[LordBaldric]

Why would anyone want Ariza for 2 years, $15 mil?
Seriously, just sign someone better for the same money. AK47, for instance.

Wasn't AK47 better as a PF than as a SF?

Yes. Very much so.

[eyeteeth]

I considered the same Ariza-Martin pairing too. It’s actually pretty easy to be pleased with this duo considering it destroys the Johnson-Webster alternative. I would never by the way trade Williams in either scenario, but I think it's likely that both teams will expect either the Utah or Memphis pick.

Minnesota would have a decent edge re-signing Martin because Adelman maximized his talents while offering a consistent role. In Houston his name always managed to pop up in trade rumors, and now we see his role is diminishing. To me this just seems like a small risk for a player who has just one year remaining on his contract. There are certainly cheaper shooting guards that I would like to consider first, but it’s pretty appealing because he is one of Adelman’s guys.

Now Ariza would really benefit from playing with this more respectable lineup, so he wouldn’t be expected to have such a heavy load on the offensive end. We just need to be sure that we surround him with another offensively gifted guard. Here's a nice little tidbit, an Ariza trade would mean that he played for 6 teams in 9 seasons.

Ariza seems very much the underwhelming but repectable professional. I would consider him a near worst case scenario and someone worth only a very minimal asset in return. That said, he could comport himself with dignity under Adelman, who knows? Sometimes journeyman players work really well for coaches that can be really specific about what they want from their players. In any case, despite his certainly lackluster skill set, he would still undeniably be an upgrade from the almost-rans we've had playing SF.

If there is something to be said for a Martin/Ariza fix at the wings, it's that it should, on the merits, allow us to hold on to DW. That's a move that might end up having some big upside for us down the road.

[jade_hippo]

Why would anyone want Ariza for 2 years, $15 mil?
Seriously, just sign someone better for the same money. AK47, for instance.

Wasn't AK47 better as a PF than as a SF?

Yes. Very much so.

But at the same time he'd very much be the best SF we'd have.