I was actually looking for this... couldn't find anything that would be an easy answer... we know Dallas and obviously Portland. Boston does as well. This link http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm has a list of all the team salaries. (not sure how accurate it is) I'm looking through it right now.
Going off of StoryTeller's salary information for next season, there are a lot of teams that can have significant cap space for this summer. The actual amount is hard to tell in some cases because it can be influenced by team and player options, but this will give you a general idea (assuming a salary cap of $58 M): Celtics: $27-$31M Bobcats: $15-$30M Cavs: $30-$35M Mavs: $10M Nuggets: $7M Warriors: $11M Rockets: $23M Pacers: $25M Clippers: $0-$8M Bucks: $4-$11M T-Wolves: $9M Nets: $23-$49M Hornets: $23M Magic: $0-$26M 76ers: $0-$26M Suns: $27M Blazers: $15-$30M Kings: $16M Spurs: $11M Raptors: $13-$14M Jazz: $5-$7M Wizards: $25M Of course, a lot of these teams will use some of their potential cap space to re-sign their own free agents and there could be trades that impact potential cap space.
Wow Boston has a lot of cap space. I wouldn't be surprised if they land some great free-agents. Why doesn't Howard want to go there? Pairing up with Rondo and a couple more years with Ray Allen and KG? They would beast!
The Celtic's will have that cap space if they don't re-sign Allen and KG. Whatever you have to pay those guys to re-sign would reduce the cap space by the same amount.
Um large Market, history of winning, rabid fans. Any player would make just as much money as going to NY or LA. There is a ton of money there.
History of winning in the 60s, 70s, and 80s... but that team was HORRIBLE in the 90s and 2000s until 2007. They've only been good the last three or four years, which isn't long, and when Garnett/Allen/Pierce are gone that team will sink back into mediocrity. I do not put Boston in the same "big market" category as NY, LA, or even Miami. Sure, it has a big population, but it's not as appealing for free agents I think. Just watch. There's no way they will lure Williams or Howard, even with all that money.
I'm rather sure they'll play the FA field and try to land a big fish before considering re-signing Allen and KG. Even if they strikeout on Dwight/Deron they may just trade Pierce and let the other two go and start re-building hard. And I think I've gotten into this argument with you before, Natebishop, but I don't understand the logic of how Boston is much worse of an attraction than any other possibilities this offseason. This isn't like 2010 when you had the NY, Chicago, and Miami vying for FAs. New Jersey will eventually be the Brooklyn Nets, which is an advantage, but they've got a significantly crappier history of winning than the Celts. I've heard Dwight wants to be the #1 guy wherever he goes, but does that mean he'll go to the Nets if they don't have Deron Williams? He certainly seems to want to be in NY or LA. Dallas is a "big market" but its kind of like the Bay Area where NBA players don't give a fuck how big it is because it doesn't have the hype machine surrounding it. Who is Dwight going to play with there after Dirk gets old (not to mention Kidd, Marion, Terry, etc.)? Cuban will always make them competitive but is Dwight going to be a bigger star playing for the Mavs or Celtics? The Nets, Celts, and Mavs look like the only FA players for him. Orlando has some control as to what they take back in a trade. They don't seem to like the Gasol/Bynum offers from LAL very much. IMO the Clippers can come in and win the bidding at any time by putting Blake/Jordan on the table (I would do it if I was them but I'm not a fan of Blake). NJ could try to trade but what do they have besides Lopez? NYK could as well but at this point who wants to build a team around Melo or Amare? If I was the Thunder I would be trying to move two of Westbrook/Ibaka/Harden for Dwight, but that hinges on Dwight staying in OKC. He seems to have a hard on for a big market but I have a hard time seeing how pairing up with Durant wouldn't immediately make him a bigger star than simply going to Brooklyn to play with Anthony Morrow. Again, I have a hard time seeing what exactly Dwight is looking for. He wants a big market. Does he want a sidekick "better" than him? Kobe, Durant, etc.? Reports say he wants to play with Dirk, Deron, Monta Ellis (something tells me he'll never be a GM lol), and a few other random guys, but would he want to play with Rondo? And will Orlando really let him walk and not S&T him? I don't know the answers so its not easy to speculate, but I find the argument that Boston is such an inferior destination as a complete reach. They've got the money. They'll still have Rondo and Pierce under contract, and where the f*ck are KG and Allen going to go in free agency? They should still have a little chunk of cash to throw at KG even if they do sign Howard outright.
That's what I'm thinking as well. Boston had only 1 decade of terrible history. They were decent in the early - mid 90's. Yeah they weren't contenders, but still made the playoffs. From 1995-2006 was when they were terrible, but luck screwed them as well, losing Reggie Lewis. They are a great franchise, with a great fan support. Any big name power player would love it there. I didn't realize that they had that much room available, with a key piece in Rondo. Rondo, Howard and Pierce is a deadly trio. I bet they could get Garnett or Ray Allen to play a couple years for less too. And what happens if they sign Howard, then sign Garnett and Allen after? They can still do it and have all the pieces there to have another 2 years of serious contention, yet still contend after with just Rondo and Howard.
I am willing to bet money that Boston won't get Williams and they won't get Howard. They might get someone like Nash.
Mags, don't forget the loss of Len Bias. They could have continued to contend into the mid-90s if not for his death as well. That's some really tragic and bad luck. Nate, why would Boston even bother with Nash? They have Rondo and they're trying to get away from the mid-late 30 year old core. Maybe if they do move Rondo for another prime star and have a hole to fill at PG, but I doubt that will happen. More likely they just go into full rebuild IMO than keep trying to make it work with over the hill stars. Odds are probably in your favor on your bet, but IMO Boston is definitely in the race. Out of curiosity, where do you think Dwight does end up?
If he doesn't stay with Orlando, which I think is still a possibility, I could see him ending up in Brooklyn with Williams or maybe some place like Houston/Phoenix. I wish he'd come to Portland because I think Aldridge/Howard would be fucking amazing, especially if they could get Williams too. I only see a handful of teams on that list that could offer a max contract to BOTH Williams and Howard, and still boast an All-Star like Aldridge just coming into his prime and someone like Batum to round out the roster. Boston has Rondo and could afford both, but that's about it. Most of the other teams could afford one or the other, but not both, unless they clear some more cap. Why would Howard or Williams want to go somewhere with an aging team like Dallas, or zero foundation already in place? That makes no sense to me. I'm not saying Portland is in the running, but I don't see why they shouldn't be. We could conceivably offer max deals to both Howard and Williams, still have Aldridge, and get Batum signed for a respectable deal. That sounds pretty damn good to me. They would just have to bring in some bench players, but I don't see why that would be a problem. Vets would love to play with that group.
when was the last time boston signed a major free agent? i think dwight stays in orlando, as long as orlando doesnt agree to sign and trade him, no way he leaves 20-30 million on the table
