The One And Only Offseason Thread 4

[JDLAW]

The Suns could give Bledsoe the max as follows

$12M base
500K for 2nd-team all defense
$1M for 1st team all defense
500K for 3rd team all NBA
$1M for 2nd team all NBA
$1.5M for 1st team all NBA
$1M for all-star selection

Should Bledsoe be 1st team all defense, 1st team all NBA, and an all-star he would get $15.5M.

Let him earn the max.

Like your thoughts, but it is a little heavy on the bonuses that can be readily achieved. Second and third team selections can be cut and 2nd team all defense can be cut. Cut the $1.5 first all-nba team to $1M. Instead give $1M for DPOY and $1M for MVP and $1M for playoff MVP

Realistically at best he would probably make $13 million, and more likely $12.5 by making 2nd team all defense IF he stays healthy. He's not making first or second all nba or the all star game in the west if Kobe, Westbrook, etc are all healthy.

That is the point. If you give him bonuses for easily reached incentives, they all count against the cap. You might as well just give him the base salary.

[bwgood77]

Like your thoughts, but it is a little heavy on the bonuses that can be readily achieved. Second and third team selections can be cut and 2nd team all defense can be cut. Cut the $1.5 first all-nba team to $1M. Instead give $1M for DPOY and $1M for MVP and $1M for playoff MVP

Realistically at best he would probably make $13 million, and more likely $12.5 by making 2nd team all defense IF he stays healthy. He's not making first or second all nba or the all star game in the west if Kobe, Westbrook, etc are all healthy.

That is the point. If you give him bonuses for easily reached incentives, they all count against the cap. You might as well just give him the base salary.

That was my point. None of these would be AT ALL easy, especially if he missed games. None of these would count against the cap, because they are all improbable.

[NotTraxxe]

That doesn't make him a bad person. It's just his preference. I would rather live in San Diego and make it my home than Phoenix. Austin. Seattle. Denver. I would rather work and live in certain locations that appeal to me.

I live where I live because they wanted to pay me a lot more to do what I do.

He's butthurt on it. He had a team that wanted to offer him a big payday. We used the rules and they backed off. The market shrunk. He should be butthurt. We cost him millions. You would be butthurt too.

This is business. Business is butthurt city in its very nature.

It's funny, I've lived in San Diego, Phoenix, Austin and Denver, and I would have thought prior to living in all the places it would be my preference. But I actually don't like it better than any of the other places. I love the beach, weather and Chargers, but outside of that, I like the other cities better. I loved Denver. Austin is great in it's unique way. I don't think I'd like Seattle though.

Poor writing. I meant I would also rather live in Austin, Seattle, and Denver than Phoenix. Not San Diego above all. I was born and raised in Glendale. Went to Ironwood high school. I miss some things. Mostly the Suns. But I'd rather live in the other cities. To live in Phoenix I would have to get a little more money from my job.

[JDLAW]

That doesn't make him a bad person. It's just his preference. I would rather live in San Diego and make it my home than Phoenix. Austin. Seattle. Denver. I would rather work and live in certain locations that appeal to me.

I live where I live because they wanted to pay me a lot more to do what I do.

He's butthurt on it. He had a team that wanted to offer him a big payday. We used the rules and they backed off. The market shrunk. He should be butthurt. We cost him millions. You would be butthurt too.

This is business. Business is butthurt city in its very nature.

A number of us have lived in a lot of places because of the nature of our work/employment/school when we would perhaps like to be elsewhere. Some of us have made significant financial sacrifices to get to the place we wanted to live. I have lived in Phoenix, Milwaukee Tucson, Houston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, two small Texas towns, and northern NJ - all because of work and school. When I had the opportunity, I returned to PHX, but it cost me financially.

If Bledsoe truly does not want to be in PHX, he knows how to get that done. He takes the QO, plays out the year and then can live wherever he wants and get paid what that team is willing to offer him. It will cost him financially in the short term and possibly the long term. There is one other seldom mentioned downside to this - if he does this, he does not have the benefit of having a resident team with bird rights and he will be foreclosed from that 5 year max and possibly even a 4 year max.

Right now the problem is Bledsoe wants both unfettered discretion as to where he lives and he wants it without financial sacrifice. Unfortunately, he is part of a union that negotiated the terms and rules regarding restricted free agency so it does not work that way. He reaped the benefits of the CBA and is now struggling with the restrictions it imposes.

I do not know if the Suns really cost him millions of dollars or not. I tend to think not, because there are currently a glut of point guards in this league and only a few teams that had the need and cap space to make a significant offer. But as you point out this is business and the Suns were within their rights under the CBA to do what they did.

Regardless of what he decides, he needs to get over his hurt butt, because if he does not, it will adversely affect his career.

[matt131]

What a little butthead. If this is true, I'm totally over him.

Hey, since you are a Chargers fan, I thought I'd let you know there are a couple of pretty good articles on the Chargers forum. viewtopic.php?f=175&t=1337763

Would have PM'd you but I guess it's not an option yet.

Sorry everyone else, but we apparently can't send PMs just yet. So to bwgood77 and Charger fans:

Thanks for sharing that with me! I'm definitely very excited (and optimistic) for this season. I wast totally stoked when we magically signed Brandon Flowers. Our DBs have gone from worst to maybe-not-so-bad this offseason. And I just remembered Freeney is returning. Our pass rush will definitely be improved. AND Malcolm Floyd is healthy. I think the only dark spot I see in our future is just how tough our schedule is. Granted, if we can win some of the tough games (NFC West/Broncos/Pats) we'll be a stronger team come the end of the season. I don't think a wild card playoff spot is out of our reach.

Go Chargers! (and Suns!)

[SunsFanSSOL]

Bked/Paul should give credit/blame where due..... Kyle Lowry set his price tag.

I would wager we already have a sign and trade deal in place for the amount we offered (may be a bit more).... as a precautionary plan to counter his eventual anti-suns declaration. It has become clear the guy does not share the same vision for Phnx as the FO and current teammates. Short term deal my ass. He won't buy in, so its time to move the sell out.

I wonder... no, I know, our FO has a time limit on his shenanigans.

PS.... I see NTraxx's claim about no S+T suitors... perhaps Bled/paul are getting the 'problem child' label. Certainly no team is doing us any favors in this matter. As an opposing GM, I'd let us deal with signing him, and then make an offer for the disgruntler.

Well he said nobody wanted to give him the max AND give up decent assets. If cap space is a concern, I'd still be ok with one to Milwaukee for little return, but cap space flexibility. Knight and MIddleton and protected pick, or possibly just two of those things. I think a guard rotation of Dragic, Thomas, Green and either Knight or Middleton would be nice. Knight to backup pg like Thomas was going to, and Middleton (6'7, 41% from 3) for insurance on Green leaving in the offseason.

Sure that's a downgrade from Bledsoe, but I don't see any other possible deals, unless we wanted Josh Smith, but he has been in SERIOUS decline. The last three years his PER has gone from 21 to 17 to 14.

If Bledsoe doesn't want to live in Phoenix why would he want to live in Milwaukee or Detroit?

[bwgood77]

If Bledsoe doesn't want to live in Phoenix why would he want to live in Milwaukee or Detroit?

That's kind of my point. The only places that need point guards are also far less desirable places to live. But if they were willing to pay him 4/60 or something, maybe it would be worth it to him. (and of course we'd have to want to accept whatever those teams offer, and they don't have much for good assets)

[JTrain]

Bledsoe doesn't want to stay in Phoenix.

Do you have any insight into why this is or how it came about? Was it just a matter of him not liking the trade here and waiting to get out the whole time, or was it due to some development(s) during the season?

[AtheJ415]

He wants to play for the Lakers at max. Unfortunately the Lakers had the space to offer him max and chose not to. I think Bledsoe will end up a sun, and whether he wants to be here or not he'll play well because he wants to have a good deal next go around as well and it is, you know, his career. Like Batum who didn't want to stay in Portland, he'll be a damn good player for us. I hope we as fans will stop with this knee jerk reactions to trade him for scraps.

[Qwigglez]

Let's just ship Bledsoe out already.
Three way trade, the basic foundation of the trade...

Suns get-
Al Horford

Hawks get-
Eric Bledsoe
Jeff Green

Celtics get-
Jeff Teague
Suns 2015 1st

Hawks have a more balanced attack, Celtics have another asset with the Suns pick, and now have a replacement for Rondo since he will most likely be traded before the February deadline (most likely to Houston for Patrick Beverley/Nick Johnson/Terrence Jones). Suns have a legit big man in the post, we can have the Morris twins leading the bench mob with IT, which would easily be the best bench mob in the NBA.

Dragic/Green/Tucker/Horford/Plumlee
IT/Archie/Warren/Kieff/Marcus/Len

[Christine-In-AZ]

...He had a team that wanted to offer him a big payday. We used the rules and they backed off. The market shrunk. He should be butthurt. We cost him millions....

Who was this mystery team? And please explain why you aren't telling us who that was.

I don't understand why this unspecified team didn't at least leak it out that they wanted to give Bledsoe a big payday...or certainly Paul for that matter. The oft used line against Paul management has been "no team thinks Bledsoe is worth what they're asking". Leak and let live.

But again, who was willing to pay Bledsoe the big bucks? Why is this tidbit so cloak and dagger that it got no press whatsoever?

[NaturalBuns]

Who really cares with Bledsoe at this point.
He doesn't want to play for the suns why do we want guys like that?

Let him take the QO do a S&T next summer.

There won't be a S&T next offseason if he signs the QO, unless he wants to go to a team that financially can't offer him the contract he desires. Then the return for the Suns have to be worth it.

Ya I know should be some teams like that.

[AtheJ415]

...He had a team that wanted to offer him a big payday. We used the rules and they backed off. The market shrunk. He should be butthurt. We cost him millions....

Who was this mystery team? And please explain why you aren't telling us who that was.

I don't understand why this unspecified team didn't at least leak it out that they wanted to give Bledsoe a big payday...or certainly Paul for that matter. The oft used line against Paul management has been "no team thinks Bledsoe is worth what they're asking". Leak and let live.

But again, who was willing to pay Bledsoe the big bucks? Why is this tidbit so cloak and dagger that it got no press whatsoever?

Good point, and I'm curious about this too. If there's other offers, given Paul isn't shy about putting negative press out there towards Phx, why isn't that info out there?

[SunsFanSSOL]

I'd trade Bledsoe to Sacramento for Gay and Stauskas.

C - Plumlee, Len, Randolph
PF - Keef, Tolliver
SF - Gay, Green, Warren
SG - Tucker, Stauskas, Goodwin
PG - Dragic, Thomas, Ennis

[NaturalBuns]

Bledsoe doesn't want to stay in Phoenix.

Do you have any insight into why this is or how it came about? Was it just a matter of him not liking the trade here and waiting to get out the whole time, or was it due to some development(s) during the season?

Everyone who saw that April exit interview knew it was gonna be a bad ending.
I remember gasper being in denial..

When a RFA won't give you a response of coming back you know it's gonna end bad.
Why? Who knows it's probably because he wants to be the man. Don't know why he's acting the way he is though.
Suns without being bias are one of the more respectable FOs.

Remember Caron butler?

[Christine-In-AZ]

He wields and will wield more influence as the years go on, in wider and wider circles. I can't be specific how a good or bad relationship with James could effect the Suns down the road, only that I think it merits consideration.

...

Sorry I can't be more specific in what I think the "King James" factor is playing in the Bledsoe contract signing.

Are you implying you know details but can't share them, or that you don't know what the details might be?

Pure speculation by me. No "inside information" here. Just...
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiPe1OiKQuk[/youtube]

[JTrain]

I can't imagine Hornacek will want him around very long now. But we want to get something valuable in return so we have to be patient.

Let him sign the 4/48 deal and then wait for a team desperate for guard play that is willing to offer a good big or draft pick for Bledsoe. Horford and Favors would be two possibilities. It would be great to get something done early in the season and move forward with better chemistry.

My concern is whether IT can play SG because Dragic seems most effective starting with the ball.

[JTrain]

I'd trade Bledsoe to Sacramento for Gay and Stauskas.

C - Plumlee, Len, Randolph
PF - Keef, Tolliver
SF - Gay, Green, Warren
SG - Tucker, Stauskas, Goodwin
PG - Dragic, Thomas, Ennis

But Tucker at guard?

[carey]

A Dragic and IT2 back court would possibly be the worst starting back court defensively in the league. I think we'd have to start Green (who isn't very good either, but at least he doesn't just get run over like IT2 does by 1/2 the starting PGs in the league) and continue to bring IT2 off the bench.

I guess we cockblocked Milwaukee from giving him that max offer sheet and now Bledsoe is royally pissed. I probably would be also. There's no harm in him waiting till the deadline I suppose. You never know, maybe a team makes a trade and frees up some cap space and then offers him a max deal. If I'm another NBA team I think it's pretty apparent that we don't want Bledsoe here at a max salary.

[Sunsdeuce]

Bledsoe doesn't want to stay in Phoenix. But he will for a 'max' or very near max deal.

We don't want him in Phoenix for more than 12ish million.

No one else wants Bledsoe right now for 'max' or near max money.

At the start they did but we threatened to insist on a physical and what not. And drag the period out longer. Cap space ad willingness to spend dried up in the interim.

NO ONE will pay Bledsoe Max money AND give up any decent assets. NO ONE.

So here we are...

It's not getting done soon. There are no relevant S&T deals with enough temptations.

We'll wait it out and hope he isn't stupid enough to take the QO. And he won't be.

We win.

If we get a bad start look for a good trade at the deadline. Teams like Bledsoe at 12 million. If he gets out of the gate and does what he does when healthy he becomes a great asset at 12 million.

This isn't getting resolved soon.

Exactly what I have been saying. He just doesn't want to be in phx. His actions and nonactions spoke louder than words.

My message to Bledsoe: bye!

I bet there are a few teams interested like the rockets and lakers. It's just a matter of return on investment.

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums