Free Agent Thread (1 Viewer)

[B-Roy]

I have no clue why the gauge you're using for JA's commitment to winning is this year's TPMLE rather than Olshey still being the GM

It's not the only gauge. Clearly the financials are the most important thing to Jody, which would make not using the TPMLE make sense. From Olshey's perspective, it makes no sense not to use it unless you're given a directive that you can't, or you can't use it on someone that isn't considered enough of a difference maker.

Also as much as I hate him, he's not getting fired this year. If a GM was going to get canned, it would be after the season.

 

[wizenheimer]

I think you're getting too focused in on positions. Simmons would handle the ball while Dame was out, but you run him with guards (who would defend the opposing point guard.)

Ant (or McLemore if Ant is gone)
Little (or Snell if Little is gone)
DJJ
Simmons
Zeller

Simmons would be the point guard there....

yeah, probably

it wasn't my main point anyway...that being that Olshey not signing a "viable backup PG" wasn't an indicator of trading for Simmons since he hasn't done that since he signed Steve Blake. Olshey believes CJ and Simons are enough

 

[tester551]

Also, can we use our freaking TPMLE already? I swear to god if we don't use it this off-season I'm going to be really questioning Jody's commitment to the team.

I think they're going to try and skirt the tax again this year.
I only anticipate 1 more vet min signing. It's likely someone on our summer league team.

 

[B-Roy]

I think they're going to try and skirt the tax again this year.
I only anticipate 1 more vet min signing. It's likely someone on our summer league team.

Makes no sense because we are already in the tax. Like 400k over by my count.

 

[Scalma]

It’s possible they’re not using the MLE yet because they wanna do a sign and trade and can’t use it if so. Maybe there’s a free agent out there they think they’ve still got a shot at.

 

[tester551]

Makes no sense because we are already in the tax. Like 400k over by my count.

I saw a tweet from someone (don't remember who) that indicated Portland was still ~$3m below the tax line.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Because Portland is NOT a destination, Neil is waiting to see who gets squeezed out of the market before offering the money.

There are still some very good players available.

 

[B-Roy]

I saw a tweet from someone (don't remember who) that indicated Portland was still ~$3m below the tax line.

They are not. The math is impossible.
I believe that tweet is just including Powell’s salary and not the minimums.

 

[Natebishop3]

They are not. The math is impossible.
I believe that tweet is just including Powell’s salary and not the minimums.

Contracts haven't been signed yet. Can't they delay signing them until they're done if they're mins?

 

[B-Roy]

There is some good talent getting squeezed out.

 

[B-Roy]

Contracts haven't been signed yet. Can't they delay signing them until they're done if they're mins?

Yes, but why would it matter in terms of whether or not we’re already in the tax? Contracts are agreed to already.

 

[wizenheimer]

I think they're going to try and skirt the tax again this year.
I only anticipate 1 more vet min signing. It's likely someone on our summer league team.

Makes no sense because we are already in the tax. Like 400k over by my count.

I could be wrong but I think the Blazers are about 2M below the line. But that may be without factoring Brown's contract...not sure

I'm going to put on the tin-foil hat I put on 8 weeks ago and got hammered for:

if the Blazers are trying to stay out of the tax and if they don't use the TPMLE or make a big trade that puts them in the tax....well then, if I saw a team that was not so subtly trying for force their star player to demand a trade, and compared that team to Portland....I don't see a difference

What Olshey has done since the Denver series and what Seattle is allowing Olshey to do (or instructing) almost seem designed to trigger that Dame trade demand

 

[B-Roy]

I could be wrong but I think the Blazers are about 2M below the line. But that may be without factoring Brown's contract...not sure

I'm going to put on the tin-foil hat I put on 8 weeks ago and got hammered for:

if the Blazers are trying to stay out of the tax and if they don't use the TPMLE or make a big trade that puts them in the tax....well then, if I saw a team that was not so subtly trying for force their star player to demand a trade, and compared that team to Portland....I don't see a difference

What Olshey has done since the Denver series and what Seattle is allowing Olshey to do (or instructing) almost seem designed to trigger that Dame trade demand

Spotrac has the numbers already. Even backloading Powell’s contract as much as possible has us at 137 guaranteed.

 

[Natebishop3]

We need a backup four. We "lost" Melo, so we need to replace that position. Neil can't be done.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

There is some good talent getting squeezed out.

I would have looked at giving him the MLE. Still, there are plenty of good options still available.

 

[glazeduck]

I could be wrong but I think the Blazers are about 2M below the line. But that may be without factoring Brown's contract...not sure

I'm going to put on the tin-foil hat I put on 8 weeks ago and got hammered for:

if the Blazers are trying to stay out of the tax and if they don't use the TPMLE or make a big trade that puts them in the tax....well then, if I saw a team that was not so subtly trying for force their star player to demand a trade, and compared that team to Portland....I don't see a difference

What Olshey has done since the Denver series and what Seattle is allowing Olshey to do (or instructing) almost seem designed to trigger that Dame trade demand

The problem with this theory is that Dame officially requesting a trade absolutely obliterates his value. Even the whispers of him getting antsy have likely taken a bite out of it. Doesn't make a lot of sense to do that purposely when the could just simply trade him at higher value...

 

[Natebishop3]

Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel....

 

[Scalma]

We need a backup four. We "lost" Melo, so we need to replace that position. Neil can't be done.

we only have two centers and no real power forward. If this is the roster he wants to go into the season with we may as well fire him now and blow it up. I don’t think that’s the case though, just need to give it a week or so.

 

[tester551]

I saw a tweet from someone (don't remember who) that indicated Portland was still ~$3m below the tax line.

Just for fun - I'll run through the calcs:
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/cap/

Dame: 39.3
CJ: 30.8
RoCo: 13.0
Nurk: 12.0
DJJ: 9.7
Ant: 4.0
Little: 2.3
CJ2: 1.5
Norm: 15.5
McLemore: 1.7
Snell: 1.7
Zeller: 1.7
* Brown (rookie): 0.9
* FA Vet from Summer League: 1.7
** Dead Cap (Nicholson): 2.9
$138.7 m

The tax is ~$136.6 - so it looks like Portland will be over the tax to start the season.

 

[B-Roy]

For those who don’t wanna do the math.

135.5 now
15.5 Powell
1.6x3 for the mins
800k for brown

136.6 which is right at the tax line. Except this is for 13 players. We incur a roster charge of 800k which puts us over the tax.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

we only have two centers and no real power forward. If this is the roster he wants to go into the season with we may as well fire him now and blow it up. I don’t think that’s the case though, just need to give it a week or so.

He's obviously aiming at losing some guards after his acquisitions... People act like he's done are simply being disingenuous.

 

[B-Roy]

I will say, being close to the tax line makes it easier to get out of the tax during the season. Dumping one of the mins gets us there.

If that’s the directive, fuck this team.

 

[blazerkor]

They are not. The math is impossible.
I believe that tweet is just including Powell’s salary and not the minimums.

If you take the numbers from spotrac we're just under 133.2M in salary right now... that's simple addition. That's with twelve players under contract. Brown hasn't been signed yet and you have to imagine his initial salary will 900k. That leaves us at 134.1. Still over 2.5M below the 136.06M tax line.

So since Brown hasn't been signed yet it's not only mathematically possible that we're more than 3M under the tax... it's probable unless we gave one of our free agents a piece of the MLE instead of the vet min.

 

[tykendo]

Why isn't anyone talking about how New York seems to operating under the assumption that they aren't in play for Dame this year? That pleases me greatly. Now if Morey would just do the same. Unless Olshey and Morey have already talked already and the Knicks know they can't beat Philly's offer...

Because it make's their Dame hating selves mad.

 

[wizenheimer]

Damian Lillard $39,344,900
CJ McCollum $30,864,198
Robert Covington $12,975,471
Jusuf Nurkic $12,000,000
Norman Powell 16M est
Derrick Jones $9,720,900
Anfernee Simons $3,938,818
Andrew Nicholson (W) $2,844,429
Nassir Little $2,316,240
CJ Elleby $1,517,981

Zeller 1.7M
McLemore 1.7M
Snell 1.7M

Brown .9M

my math says about 137M...so yeah...over the tax line

 

[Blazinaway]

I could be wrong but I think the Blazers are about 2M below the line. But that may be without factoring Brown's contract...not sure

I'm going to put on the tin-foil hat I put on 8 weeks ago and got hammered for:

if the Blazers are trying to stay out of the tax and if they don't use the TPMLE or make a big trade that puts them in the tax....well then, if I saw a team that was not so subtly trying for force their star player to demand a trade, and compared that team to Portland....I don't see a difference

What Olshey has done since the Denver series and what Seattle is allowing Olshey to do (or instructing) almost seem designed to trigger that Dame trade demand

Yeah Wiz, am thinking you very well may be correct on this

 

[B-Roy]

If you take the numbers from spotrac we're just under 133.2M in salary right now... that's simple addition. That's with twelve players under contract. Brown hasn't been signed yet and you have to imagine his initial salary will 900k. That leaves us at 134.1. Still over 2.5M below the 136.06M tax line.

So since Brown hasn't been signed yet it's not only mathematically possible that we're more than 3M under the tax... it's probable unless we gave one of our free agents a piece of the MLE instead of the vet min.

Your math is wrong.

 

[tykendo]

If you take the numbers from spotrac we're just under 133.2M in salary right now... that's simple addition. That's with twelve players under contract. Brown hasn't been signed yet and you have to imagine his initial salary will 900k. That leaves us at 134.1. Still over 2.5M below the 136.06M tax line.

So since Brown hasn't been signed yet it's not only mathematically possible that we're more than 3M under the tax... it's probable unless we gave one of our free agents a piece of the MLE instead of the vet min.

Hey don't worry about the cap. The Lakers have already blown it up. If they can do it, so can we. It's not like Jody is pennyless.

 

[tykendo]

Let's say you do this trade:

View attachment 40054

Dame/Curry
Norm/McLeMore
RoCo/DJJ/Snell
Simmons/??
Nurk/Zeller

Second unit would be
Simmons
Curry
DJJ
Roco?
Zeller

Dame comes back in:

Dame
Norm
DJJ
??
Nurk

We need another big. I guess I could see Millsap or someone.

Finally, a good looking trade.

 

[SlyPokerCat]

Because it make's their Dame hating selves mad.

Literally nobody posting here hates Dame.