FOMW
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Some informed folk seem to think Elton Brand will opt out of his final year ($16,440,000). Clippers likely have to worry about resigning Maggette (player option on his final year worth $7,000,000). They still have Kaman even if they lose Brand, and both players operate in the same floor space, so I don't think they will break the bank to keep Brand.
Their biggest concern is point guard. They have no one, which is why a player like Marcus Williams would be very interesting to them, especially if he continues to play like he has since the trade (and I think he will). He's cheap, is gaining a lot of experience this year on the fly, and can be kept under contract for at least 2 more seasons at low cost. If the Clips were to lose Maggette to free agency, they'd have to replace his slashing and all-round scoring.
Lot's of "ifs" in there, but I think there is at least a moderate possibility that the Nets could offer RJ, Marcus, and one of the young bigs in a sign and trade for Brand. But Brand is presumably looking for a multi-year contract that will pay upwards of $17M a year, a lot of money for a guy coming off an Achilles tear that has not yet played this season.
Obviously if he returns to form, he could offer the Nets something they haven't had at any time in recent memory, a 20+ ppg low post scorer and career 50% shooter who also snags 10+ rebounds and is an excellent shot blocker and defender.
If the Nets did this, though, would it endanger their chances of signing LeBron James or one of the other big name free agents outright in 2010? The answer isn't necessarily clear cut since the Nets couldn't acquire James anyway absent a trade of one or both of RJ or VC at or before summer 2010. Also, between the high-salaried players RJ, VC, Brand, and Harris, the one that plays the same position as James and the one the Nets would most need to move in order to avoid redundancy would be RJ.
On the other hand, you can't carry 4 players on your roster that each make 8 figures and 3 of which make well over $15M/year, so if the Nets could acquire Brand for something like the deal proposed, you still would have to trade either Brand or Carter to acquire James in 2010. But in the meantime, you would arguably have a team that, with one other significant move (e.g., acquiring Mike Miller & Kyle Lowrey this summer), would seem to be at least among the 3 best in the eastern conference on paper next year.
I don't want to trade RJ (or Marcus for that matter), and I would be perfectly content to watch this team next year as constructed with whatever else they can get through the draft and summer free agency. But then I'm not nearly as concerned with a team "winning it all" as some others. For those folks, I guess the question is should the Nets put all their eggs in the free agency basket of 2010 or should they look to get what will probably be the best inside-scoring bigman coming available in the next 2 years and try to make a run while Carter is still with the team and playing at a high level?
Their biggest concern is point guard. They have no one, which is why a player like Marcus Williams would be very interesting to them, especially if he continues to play like he has since the trade (and I think he will). He's cheap, is gaining a lot of experience this year on the fly, and can be kept under contract for at least 2 more seasons at low cost. If the Clips were to lose Maggette to free agency, they'd have to replace his slashing and all-round scoring.
Lot's of "ifs" in there, but I think there is at least a moderate possibility that the Nets could offer RJ, Marcus, and one of the young bigs in a sign and trade for Brand. But Brand is presumably looking for a multi-year contract that will pay upwards of $17M a year, a lot of money for a guy coming off an Achilles tear that has not yet played this season.
Obviously if he returns to form, he could offer the Nets something they haven't had at any time in recent memory, a 20+ ppg low post scorer and career 50% shooter who also snags 10+ rebounds and is an excellent shot blocker and defender.
If the Nets did this, though, would it endanger their chances of signing LeBron James or one of the other big name free agents outright in 2010? The answer isn't necessarily clear cut since the Nets couldn't acquire James anyway absent a trade of one or both of RJ or VC at or before summer 2010. Also, between the high-salaried players RJ, VC, Brand, and Harris, the one that plays the same position as James and the one the Nets would most need to move in order to avoid redundancy would be RJ.
On the other hand, you can't carry 4 players on your roster that each make 8 figures and 3 of which make well over $15M/year, so if the Nets could acquire Brand for something like the deal proposed, you still would have to trade either Brand or Carter to acquire James in 2010. But in the meantime, you would arguably have a team that, with one other significant move (e.g., acquiring Mike Miller & Kyle Lowrey this summer), would seem to be at least among the 3 best in the eastern conference on paper next year.
I don't want to trade RJ (or Marcus for that matter), and I would be perfectly content to watch this team next year as constructed with whatever else they can get through the draft and summer free agency. But then I'm not nearly as concerned with a team "winning it all" as some others. For those folks, I guess the question is should the Nets put all their eggs in the free agency basket of 2010 or should they look to get what will probably be the best inside-scoring bigman coming available in the next 2 years and try to make a run while Carter is still with the team and playing at a high level?
