Free Agency Thread -David West to Spurs for free

[Rendei]

I was really high on signing Bledsoe when he was a free agent. I really, really wanted the Bucks to go out and get him. But now? I find myself glad that they didn't. The guy just doesn't play point guard well, is a terrible leader, and he makes a lot of money to do it. He's a great defender, and a good slasher, and would be great at the 2, but not with Middleton there.

I'm a lot more concerned about the center position.

[Tfence92]

I'm certainly in a minority here, but I'd much rather see how MCW develops this year. He is always going to be a flawed player, but I expect him to be a much better player next year.

I'm with you here. I want to give him a full offseason where he can get in the gym and shoot all day every day. He has the same story as Giannis, if he can develop any sort of midrange jumper, he's going to be a solid in the nba with his length, passing ability and defensive prowess.

Edit: to help some people maybe feel better, he shot over 50% from 10'-16' with the bucks, as well as improving his FT% by almost 15%. Don't know if the shot doctor was able to help him or what, but his percentages were vastly improved across the board after coming to MIL. I'm very excited to see what he and Oppenheimer can do with an entire summer.

Isn't Oppenheimer out? Bucks going after LAC shooting coach I read.

I thought it was just trainers that were leaving? I really don't know tho, anyone else have a clue?

[crkone]

I've always thought it was stupid for FAs to sign their qualifying offers to become UFAs because they might get injured but I don't think that really matters anymore. The most likely bad injury would be an ACL, but I don't even think teams would care about that anymore and would sign a star to the max. Unless you are a replacement player like Marshall of course.

[crkone]

I'm with you here. I want to give him a full offseason where he can get in the gym and shoot all day every day. He has the same story as Giannis, if he can develop any sort of midrange jumper, he's going to be a solid in the nba with his length, passing ability and defensive prowess.

Edit: to help some people maybe feel better, he shot over 50% from 10'-16' with the bucks, as well as improving his FT% by almost 15%. Don't know if the shot doctor was able to help him or what, but his percentages were vastly improved across the board after coming to MIL. I'm very excited to see what he and Oppenheimer can do with an entire summer.

Isn't Oppenheimer out? Bucks going after LAC shooting coach I read.

I thought it was just trainers that were leaving? I really don't know tho, anyone else have a clue?

He's still here. It was just speculation he would be canned since Kidd wanted the coach who "fixed" his shot to help the kids. I think that guy is still out in LA.

[Trophies]

All we need is a legit Center, and we are a legit contender. Brook Lopez.

Who is the better rebounder? Larry Sanders or Brook Lopez? Lopez takes that 7.3 per game to 5.8. Their blocks per game are nearly identical 1.7 to 1.8. Bob Lanier blocked about 1 shot per game in his time in Milwaukee, but got 10 TRB. In his time in Milwaukee, Lanier averaged about 13 pts per game. Lanier was the last great, true Center to play for us.

Getting Lopez would be a great move for this Bucks team right now, and for the future. It will take a max contract, but it will be worth every penny if he is healthy enough to pass a physical and sign. I do trust these guys to make the right move.

[M-C-G]

I'm with you here. I want to give him a full offseason where he can get in the gym and shoot all day every day. He has the same story as Giannis, if he can develop any sort of midrange jumper, he's going to be a solid in the nba with his length, passing ability and defensive prowess.

Edit: to help some people maybe feel better, he shot over 50% from 10'-16' with the bucks, as well as improving his FT% by almost 15%. Don't know if the shot doctor was able to help him or what, but his percentages were vastly improved across the board after coming to MIL. I'm very excited to see what he and Oppenheimer can do with an entire summer.

Isn't Oppenheimer out? Bucks going after LAC shooting coach I read.

I thought it was just trainers that were leaving? I really don't know tho, anyone else have a clue?

I had thought I saw him in the workouts, maybe as recently as Rashad Vaughns which was last week as I recall.

[M-C-G]

All we need is a legit Center, and we are a legit contender. Brook Lopez.

Who is the better rebounder? Larry Sanders or Brook Lopez? Lopez takes that 7.3 per game to 5.8. Their blocks per game are nearly identical 1.7 to 1.8. Bob Lanier blocked about 1 shot per game in his time in Milwaukee, but got 10 TRB. In his time in Milwaukee, Lanier averaged about 13 pts per game. Lanier was the last great, true Center to play for us.

Getting Lopez would be a great move for this Bucks team right now, and for the future. It will take a max contract, but it will be worth every penny if he is healthy enough to pass a physical and sign. I do trust these guys to make the right move.

Brook Lopez is honestly one of my least favorite players in the NBA...It would be hard to root for him BUT if Kidd thinks he is a good fit here, I'll get behind it...I just hope I don't have to.

[Tfence92]

Edit: to help some people maybe feel better, he shot over 50% from 10'-16' with the bucks, as well as improving his FT% by almost 15%. Don't know if the shot doctor was able to help him or what, but his percentages were vastly improved across the board after coming to MIL. I'm very excited to see what he and Oppenheimer can do with an entire summer.

I'd actually like to see what shots he was taking before and after the trade...Seemed like he was just taking less ill advised and 3 pt shots, and settling for more make-able ones (which is a good thing).

I was going to elaborate more, but I was running out the door to the store.

He nearly eliminated the three altogether, shooting it under 10% of the time (as oppose d to over 20% in Philly). He also took 2% less from 16' to the 3pt line. On the flip side, everything inside of 16' increased. 10'-16' increased from 8% to 13.5%, 3'-10' increased from 23% to 25%, and the big increase was from 3' in where he increased from 30% to 36%.

[mlloyd10]

A 3 man rotation of Parker, Monroe and Henson would be nice.

[bigredbadger]

Bradford Doolittle wrote this article for ESPN Insider today. In it, he compares Butler to Middleton as both are restricted free agent 2 guards. I found it interesting that he expects Middleton to make 3-5 million less than the max.

Jimmy Butler, SG

Last team: Chicago Bulls
Season-end age: 25.6
2014-15 WARP (rank): 11.1 (16)
FA status: Restricted free agent

Why Butler is better: Butler was the league's breakout player last season, winning the Most Improved Player award in his fourth season. His career arc is fascinating. He had established a clear level of performance during his first three seasons, that of a defensively valuable role player with a limited offensive game built around his ability to attack the basket off the dribble.

Then suddenly Butler emerged as a dynamic shot-maker and improved his scoring average by 6.9 points, to 20 per game. While he was named to the NBA's All-Defensive second team for the second straight season, in reality the increased offensive responsibility impacted his production on that end. That was reflected in a defensive RPM that slipped from plus-0.40 to minus-0.13.

Still, Butler whomped Middleton when they went head-to-head in the playoffs, and established himself as a bona fide All-Star. He'll draw max contract offers when free agency strikes. There have been whispers that Butler will look for a short-term offer sheet as he's confident he can draw an even bigger max offer in a season or two, after the salary cap shoots upward.


Khris Middleton, SG

Last team: Milwaukee Bucks
Season-end age: 23.7
2014-15 WARP (rank): 5.3 (64)
FA status: Restricted free agent

Why Middleton is better: Middleton doesn't have Butler's rugged build, but he also emerged as a top two-way player, albeit under a dimmer spotlight in Milwaukee than Butler has enjoyed in Chicago. His 2014-15 WARP lags behind Butler's, but he's two years younger, and that WARP (5.3) was roughly what Butler had in his third season (5.1). If Butler's defense was a bit overrated last season, Middleton's was wildly underrated. His defensive RPM (plus-4.08) dwarfed Butler's and led the league among 2-guards.

On offense, Middleton provides less value than Butler, yet he in a way has an easier repertoire to fit into a lineup that already has a primary creator. Middleton is terrific off the ball and has a catch-and-shoot game that is consistent beyond 3-point range. He's also not likely to command anything close to a max offer.

The question is: How much growth is left in his game? He's at an age where improvement can still be expected, yet a six-win leap like Butler posted last season is exceedingly rare. Is the savings likely to be worth what almost certainly will be a production gap?

Butler's all-around game and All-Star scoring ability prevails Middleton's 3-and-D game. Kamil Krzaczynski-/USA TODAY Sports


Verdict: Butler. Let's say you're the Sixers, and you're looking for a young veteran to come in to be your primary perimeter player. In that case, Butler clearly makes more sense, even for the max.

However, you can argue that for most teams, Middleton is actually the better fit. He can guard the same players and score 18-20 points per game with a low time of possession. And he's likely going to cost $3 to $5 million less per season. The clincher is that Butler has averaged nearly 39 minutes per game the past two years and not only is two years older, but he's played 2,284 more minutes. He's also missed 32 games over the past two years, while Middleton has missed three.

Still, we already know that Butler is a star yet to reach his prime, while with Middleton, we're merely hoping he'll become one.

[M-C-G]

I am kind of relieved actually.

Mike Mazzeo: As @Marc Stein wrote in his newser, word is #Nets will likely have verbal agreements with Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young early in FA.
Free Agency, Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Brooklyn Nets

[BobbyLight]

Thank God. I kind of rationalized Brook in my head so I didn't have a mental breakdown if it happened. I'm really, really glad this, more than likely, won't happen.

On paper, a healthy Brook Lopez is a pretty good fit for this team. In reality, he's going to play half a season every year of his contract.

[Matches Malone]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/615584573041176576[/tweet]

[Matches Malone]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/615590291102306304[/tweet]

[raferfenix]

It seems like something might have to change where Monroe wouldn't go to the Knicks.

Maybe Calderon / Afflalo / Melo / Porzingis / Monroe makes the playoffs. But Monroe wouldn't be going there to win anything significant any time soon.

[bigkurty]

I really think we will make an offer to Tyson right out the gate and call it a day

[mcfromage]

Chandler looking more and more like our likely target.

[LUKE23]

Yeah, rather have RoLo than Chandler if we are looking at defense at C, but think it will be Chandler.

[raferfenix]

I really think we will make an offer to Tyson right out the gate and call it a day

Does Chandler go with us early though vs waiting and seeing if the Mavs strike out on Aldridge and Jordan?

We might not have much time to wait either depending on the arrangement we have with Middleton.

If that's a problem, and if Koufos or Rolo are willing to sign on the dotted line early, we could end up running with the bird in hand.

[Matches Malone]

Rather just have another year of Zaza/Henson platooning till we can get a legit prospect at center. Someone like Jakob Poeltl or something next year. I have zero interest in Rolo or Chandler for 2-3 years.