ParticleMan wrote:spaceballer wrote:ParticleMan wrote:i would be surprised if lee's last year is the big holdup. yes i know morey want to not take on additional salary beyond asik's current deal, but why exactly? it's not like they are likely to be lining up big cap space, they are a contending team. plus, can't ainge just throw in $3mil and offset the majority of lee's last year? it's not like lee is worthless, he's overpaid but he is still a solid rotation guy.
Asik and Lin both come off the books after next season. If Houston decides not to let Parsons test free agency next summer, they can hold him till the following summer. Because of Parsons and Beverley's low cap holds that year, they can use the free cap space from having Asik+Lin off the books (a combined $16.6M cap savings) to offer a near-max contract in free agency to a 3rd star. And then they can use bird rights to go over the cap and retain Parsons and Beverley.
A contract that extends beyond Asik/Lin's contract destroys that scenario. They could potentially have enough cap space for 2 max contracts (Howard, Harden) and 3rd near max contract in free agency ($16.6M), and still pay huge raises to Parsons/Beverley/whoever using bird rights afterwards.
The keys to that scenario are the low capholds/qualifying offers for Parsons/Bev + the free cap space from Asik/Lin. Replace Asik with Lee's longer contract and the Rockets won't be able to go under the salary cap enough to open up free cap space for a near max contract to a free agent.
The $3M cash that Ainge can throw in doesn't help alleviate the cap concerns 2 yrs from now. They've got a rich owner who doesn't care about $3M cash. As a matter of fact, Morey asked for and received permission from the owner to waste money during training camp by overpaying and giving guaranteed money for guys they're almost sure to cut. So I doubt the $3M cash Ainge can throw in matters to them (Houston just spent $7M to renovate their locker room this year). It's not like they have a penny-pinching owner like PHX. They want future cap space.
But that doesn't make much sense for a contending team. Houston already has its big-name guys in place in DH and Harden. What they need are good complementary players. You're not going to attract that by only offering 1-year deals this offseason. Maybe Morey thinks they are not going to contend until 2016, and they need one more big-name FA to do it. If so I guess that makes more sense, but it seems like you're throwing away valuable contending years in some misguided attempt to potentially land another big-name FA in 2 years, without even knowing if the right guy will even be available.
But if that's really the holdup, I'm surprised that Ainge doesn't offer Crawford instead of Lee. Yes his D is worse but his offense is better, and he gives you good insurance at the pg spot. At the rate he's playing, Crawford is in line for a bigger payday than Lee has now, and i don't think we can afford that. Yes it leaves us w/o a pg until rondo gets back but lee did a creditable job at pg before, and pressey is improving.
Danny doesn't want Lee's deal. If Morey wants to get out of paying Asik's massive money whilst having a shot at contending then he must take Lee back from us.
Danny isn't taking on Asik and Lee for 13 million on our cap for the next 2 years.
The whole point of this deal is shedding salary whilst gaining a guy that might work out for us and shine with Rondo around the hoop ala Perkins.
He's moving a disgruntled player who's going to be harder to trade as time goes on and teams get less time to trial him with their squads. He's also needs Bass now to give him a good 50 games to adjust to the Rockets system and fit in comfortably for a playoff run.
AND he needs them before the 20th of December so he can potentially trade them again.
But yeah, Danny wants Lee's deal gone. Bass isn't hard to move, Lee is hard to move. Crawford is easy to move like Bass so giving up Crawford would be wasting opportunity for something better down the track.
We don't really know what Danny is prepared to give up at this point because it's just media speculation and rumors. At this point Danny's making it appear he cares more about moving Lee than acquiring Asik. If Morey wants to get out of Asiks 15 million and wants a pick he's gonna have to take Courtney Lee's 5 million.



















