soxfan2003 wrote:Given his contract. Asik just isn't that much of an asset heading into next year. Sure he is a good player at the most important position but whatever team has him has to pay 15 million next year. The fact that the cap figure is less is nice but its still money that an owner has to give him.
If the Rockets really don't like Bass/Lee/protected first much or the other offers.... A good compromise may be a buyout at the end of the year where Asik is paid around $3-5 million if Asik behaves the rest of the year and still wants out. He is then free to sign something like a 4 year 10 million+ year contract.
Why on earth Asik accept a buyout? Maybe he would take 10 mil before FA starts if he can safely assume he will get the 5 mil MLE from someone but even then I doubt it. He is giving up his Bird rights if he is released and has to start that clock again. The balance of his contract is deferred salary he has only gotten paid 6 or 7 mil of his 25 mil contract to this point.
That is why it was important to deal Asik as soon as possible so whoever gets him now benefits from the deferred salary this season and that offsets the balloon payment next year. The NBA pay schedule is weird it goes buy weeks and not by games and the payment schedule goes into the offseason so the bulk of a players salary is paid over the second half of the year.
Owners are pissed he did what he did to the Knicks and Bulls and are even more pissed that he is trying to trade the deals off. The window for him to throw in cash, limited to 3 mil, and balance the money is closing once he can't balance the money I don't think a lot of owners will even entertain the idea.
