Chris Paul Opts Out

[Ranma]

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[Green_teamer]

Appeareantly CP3 and Blake Griffin have beef or something

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[Ranma]

I'll reiterate what I've said eslewhere: Chris Paul is my favorite player in the NBA and I don't want him to leave. However, I'm not willing to give him a no-trade clause and would actually prefer not to give him that 5th year on his next contract. While I'm willing to give in on that 5th year, I'm not inclined to do so on the no-trade clause even though I genuinely hope he retires as a Clipper.

Having said that, if CP3 decides to move on for whatever reason, I'd very much like to pursue the option of having Ricky Rubio be our starting point guard as his replacement. Rubio is obviously not on the same level as the Point God, but he'd solve most of our problems for the PG position outside of shooting and scoring.

[nickhx2]

with what money

[Roscoe Sheed]

with what money

If you're talking about Rubio, he is under contract so the clippers would have to trade for him

[Roscoe Sheed]

Appeareantly CP3 and Blake Griffin have beef or something

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They seem to get along alright. I wonder if this is true. Somebody on the general board seemed to indicate that this guy isn't a reliable source

[Ranma]

with what money

If you're talking about Rubio, he is under contract so the clippers would have to trade for him

As Roscoe Sheed said, Rubio is currently under contract for 2 more seasons. The Wolves are known to be shopping him, so we could offer Austin Rivers or maybe even Jamal Crawford for him with Wesley Johnson added in as filler, if necessary. I'm even open to dealing DJ for Rubio and draft picks, because if Chris Paul leaves, I see no reason to really keep DJ or even Blake Griffin outside of being a trade asset, to be honest.

[Ranma]

They seem to get along alright. I wonder if this is true. Somebody on the general board seemed to indicate that this guy isn't a reliable source

I actually give stock to the sentiment that there is a disconnect between Blake and Chris. Maybe Griffin is jealous of the respect that Chris gets in terms of fan adoration even in L.A. despite Blake being with the Clippers longer. Maybe he blames CP3's closeness to Doc for the shared responsibility of not getting the team over the hump, which would explain why he has wanderlust with eyes toward Boston given reports that he admires how Celtics fans have treated Paul Pierce.

Yeah, Blake and Chris seem to get along but it's more of a matter of being cordial. I don't get the sense that they are at all tight.

[nickhx2]

ah thought he was a FA for some dumb reason

wolves just traded dunn so i'm not so sure they'll be that willing to part with a PG who is an all around impact player for them, especially after trading for butler. they wanna start winning now and moving rubio doesn't make a whole lot of sense now, i think. but who knows, they keep saying they wanna trade rubio and he just doesn't seem to go anywhere.

[Ranma]

ah thought he was a FA for some dumb reason

wolves just traded dunn so i'm not so sure they'll be that willing to part with a PG who is an all around impact player for them, especially after trading for butler. they wanna start winning now and moving rubio doesn't make a whole lot of sense now, i think. but who knows, they keep saying they wanna trade rubio and he just doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Believe it or not, there is a widespread belief that the Wolves still want to trade Rubio despite their public comments to the contrary. Apparently, they have eyes for other point guards for whatever reason.

Zach Lowe, ESPN.com (6/23/17)

A team aiming to leap now is better off with Ricky Rubio, or whichever point guard Thibodeau chooses to replace him this summer. (Scott Layden, the team's GM, said Friday morning the Wolves are committed to keeping Rubio. The rest of the league remains skeptical.)
...

The Wolves may go the other way, and prioritize finding a point guard who can shoot. Rubio has improved his jumper, and went through a stretch of wondrous smiley confidence in it during the second half of last season. But it's hard to see it becoming a strength, and the Wolves need plus shooters around the Wiggins/Butler/Towns Big Three.

Patrick Beverley would be perfect if Houston ends up dumping salary to snag a star. (Their path to max cap space still looks pretty murky from here; no one should take Ryan Anderson's deal.)

Keep an eye on Utah here, too. The Jazz have about $16 million in cap room that expires July 1 after sending Trey Lyles to Denver for the No. 13 pick. They could use it to absorb Rubio, Eric Bledsoe, or some other high-priced guard over the next week.

This is a monumental offseason for Utah. If the Jazz lose both Hayward and George Hill, years of patience will have yielded one playoff series win before another period of semi-rebuilding. Things did not end well with Hill. His toe never healed, and he missed the last three games of Utah's series against Golden State. Hayward and Hill are close. Hayward likely wants to know the team's long-term answer at point guard before possibly re-signing. Without one, the Jazz are at grave risk of losing him.

If Rubio goes, Minnesota could pursue any number of free-agent point guards -- Hill, Jeff Teague, Patty Mills, Jrue Holiday, and others. The higher-end guys may have lost two suitors when Philly and Brooklyn picked up point guards this week. They would be thrilled to gain a new one in Minnesota.

What was Behind the Butler Trade, and What Each Team Does Now

[Green_teamer]

Appeareantly CP3 and Blake Griffin have beef or something

Read on Twitter

They seem to get along alright. I wonder if this is true. Somebody on the general board seemed to indicate that this guy isn't a reliable source

Well he's not Woj that's for sure but hes broken quite a few stories. He's usually pretty good.

[Green_teamer]

ah thought he was a FA for some dumb reason

wolves just traded dunn so i'm not so sure they'll be that willing to part with a PG who is an all around impact player for them, especially after trading for butler. they wanna start winning now and moving rubio doesn't make a whole lot of sense now, i think. but who knows, they keep saying they wanna trade rubio and he just doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Believe it or not, there is a widespread belief that the Wolves still want to trade Rubio despite their public comments to the contrary. Apparently, they have eyes for other point guards for whatever reason.

Zach Lowe, ESPN.com (6/23/17)

A team aiming to leap now is better off with Ricky Rubio, or whichever point guard Thibodeau chooses to replace him this summer. (Scott Layden, the team's GM, said Friday morning the Wolves are committed to keeping Rubio. The rest of the league remains skeptical.)
...

The Wolves may go the other way, and prioritize finding a point guard who can shoot. Rubio has improved his jumper, and went through a stretch of wondrous smiley confidence in it during the second half of last season. But it's hard to see it becoming a strength, and the Wolves need plus shooters around the Wiggins/Butler/Towns Big Three.

Patrick Beverley would be perfect if Houston ends up dumping salary to snag a star. (Their path to max cap space still looks pretty murky from here; no one should take Ryan Anderson's deal.)

Keep an eye on Utah here, too. The Jazz have about $16 million in cap room that expires July 1 after sending Trey Lyles to Denver for the No. 13 pick. They could use it to absorb Rubio, Eric Bledsoe, or some other high-priced guard over the next week.

This is a monumental offseason for Utah. If the Jazz lose both Hayward and George Hill, years of patience will have yielded one playoff series win before another period of semi-rebuilding. Things did not end well with Hill. His toe never healed, and he missed the last three games of Utah's series against Golden State. Hayward and Hill are close. Hayward likely wants to know the team's long-term answer at point guard before possibly re-signing. Without one, the Jazz are at grave risk of losing him.

If Rubio goes, Minnesota could pursue any number of free-agent point guards -- Hill, Jeff Teague, Patty Mills, Jrue Holiday, and others. The higher-end guys may have lost two suitors when Philly and Brooklyn picked up point guards this week. They would be thrilled to gain a new one in Minnesota.

What was Behind the Butler Trade, and What Each Team Does Now

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[Ranma]

Speaking of which, the Clippers as a team play better with Paul when Griffin is out than they do with Griffin when Paul is out.

LOT AT STAKE FOR CLIPS WITH PAUL, GRIFFIN

Things could look mighty different for the Clippers next season with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin becoming free agents. Playing without just Griffin hasn't been too much of an issue over the years for LA, but life without both looks as if it would be devastating.

[GlenRiceARoni]

I think the clippers have to offer the 5 year max in order to land cp3.

If he doesnt get the max offer from the Clips, the liberal (and borderline socialist) 13.3% state tax in California for people making over $1m annually compared to the 0% state tax in Texas + title contending Spurs roster seems like an obvious choice.

"Get Out the Way, Let the Real F. Ballas thru" - Juvenile

[Ranma]

Nick Schwartz, FoxSports.com (6/21/17)

Clippers Exec Jerry West Explains Why His New Team Shouldn’t Be Concerned with the Lakers

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[GlenRiceARoni]

Chris paul considering Houston is strange to me. They arent really a conteder and his skills overlap a lot with harden. I just dont get it.

Cp3,harden, lebron, ariza, montrezl and dekker/gordon is pretty interesting though i guess

"Get Out the Way, Let the Real F. Ballas thru" - Juvenile

[LACtdom]

I honestly don't think CP3 to Houston would be a bad move for him (obviously it would be crippling for us). There is no doubt that CP3 can play off the ball and I believe that Harden would happily share the ball as he wants to win more than achieve individual stats unlike some other OKC Point Guards. If anything, I expect Harden to become a better player, learning from Paul. Purely from less playmaking pressure, he will have less turnovers as CP can take more of the workload. I think the bigger concern is not whether Harden and CP can work together but moreso whether CP3 can play at the 7 seconds or less pace. I've always wanted CP3 to run the offense at a quicker pace but I feel he prefers slower, more calculated half court offense. If CP3 had to leave the Clippers, I think he should go to Houston or the Spurs.

Unless the Spurs can replace LA with a productive piece, I'm not sure the Spurs would be a better destination than Houston.

As for the Cavs, I think acquiring CP3 would not be enough. They have some very expensive underperforming players (probably around 5 I can think of) that they would also need to shed and replace.

[wassuphomeboy]

I'd be really surprised if he does anything else but re-sign for the max. To me, opting out was just him sending a message to upgrade the team, which they appear to be well on their way to doing so so far this offseason.

[Ranma]

Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times (6/23/17)

If Paul re-signs with the Clippers, he can earn the most money from them, earning about $205 million over five seasons. He would earn $35 million in his first season if he stays with the Clippers, $38 million the second, $41 million the third, $43 million the fourth and $46 million the final year, when he will be 38 years old.

If Paul signs with another team, he would get $152 million over four years. He would get $35 million in the first year with that team, $37 million the second, $38 million the third and $40 million the last year.
...

The fifth year and extra cash that the Clippers can give both players gives L.A. a big advantage with Paul and Griffin.

But the Clippers will get competition for the two players who have been teammates for the past six years.

There have been reports that Paul will visit the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.

But there is a possible new destination for Paul.

According to one executive, if the Lakers acquire Indiana’s Paul George this summer, Paul would be interested in visiting with them.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin Both Opt Out of Contracts with Clippers to Become Free Agents

[Roscoe Sheed]

Cp3 would really think about joining the lakers? How could they afford him. Would you the lakers really want him when they're grooming ball to be the next deity?