Not if we're looking at giving them 6M each. Keeping Hickson's bird rights will limit us to about 7M total available cap space. We could sign one, but not both.
Pretty much the gist of it. Portland is starting to resemble the Kings in their glory days. Good passing from multiple positions, lots of shooters, defensive SG, scoring PG, semi-star SF, elite PF....and then the Center and bench lets us down. The nice thing is that the hardest part is really done. Finding 2 guys who are top 5 at their position is tough to do. Tacking on a third who is maybe top 7 gets even harder. How many teams have that right now? Miami, OKC, (arguably) Portland.... Assembling a decent bench and hiring a big, limited defensive center isn't that hard. Probably a dozen teams in the league have that part figured out. And once you figure out the hard part, it sometimes seems to get easier to fill in those holes. Portland is at least a couple years away from contending, but you can see how it could all come together around the core of Lillard, Batum and Aldridge.
Can't do that, Eric. Hickson's cap hold will eat up just short of 8 mm. That would leave us around 7 total
I know it's probably unpopular (and I'm totally in the bag for him) but right now Martell Webster is on a 1/1.75M contract with the Wiz. First, I think we could snag him at the deadline and he'd be an immediate upgrade. Failing that, I think he'd be amenable to the room exception. Serious question, if you get two of Sasha, Babbitt and Webster, you do you leave off?
Easy Sasha for me, assuming we are leaving the locker room out of it. Webster not the greatest locker room guy
How ironic would that be. We have to pay Minnesota money or draft pick for trading Webster when he was damaged goods, and then we turn around and trade to get him back........ Having said all that I would not mind having him back.
Fredette would be my #1 target (...uhh, after DMC ) ---Bring over Papanikolaou ---Go hard after Pekovic
I like Jimmer a lot, too, but what do we have that SAC would give him up for? And if we had something (Babbitt, bench, 2018 1st) then why wouldn't we use it at the trade deadline?
Well, once the season ends and we are in the playoffs, our 2013 pick will be conveyed, and our 2015 pick will now be available. Maybe those 3 years make all the difference!
Offseason Plan: No draft pick 1st Round - goes to Charlotte (13 or higher) and I predict it will Renounce Hickson, Babbitt, NSmith, Pavlovic, Jeffries and Price. Sign RFA Tyreke Evans from Kings/Sonics to offer sheet $8M ish. Sign Daniel Gibson (from CLE) for $3-$4M Sign a post player for VET MIN. Resign Elliot Williams MIN. contract. Starters: Lillard - Matthews - Batum - Aldridge - Leonard Reserves: Gibson - Evans - Claver - Freeland - Post Player Elliot Williams and 2nd Rd draft pick or two Or combine BOS & MIN 2nd round picks and PDX 2nd round pick to get into #20 range of 1st Round and get BPA.
Makes us really weak in the big's department. We all see the promise of Leonard but starting next year takes us a step back easily. Maybe that is the plan? He could improve quite a bit before next year and still not be ready.
This would be my plan. Then, in 2014 we'd also have a much better draft pick as well in a better draft. We're going to miss being an elite team for a few years anyway IMO. Why not let Leonard develop with as much PT as he can handle. I also think we'll eventually be forced to abandon the Lillard - Batum - Aldridge threesome and trade LMA. He's 4 years older than the rest of the core. He's approaching his peak IMO.
I really disagree with the idea of splitting cap space and spending decent chucks of money on multiple bench players. The idea of using cap space to target players that you know will be bench players is a flawed strategy IMO. We should take the lump sum, swing for the fences and if you get a really quality player, then we've improved the bench when our current starter moves there. There is no need to focus on the bench. Focus on the top end talent and everybody else shifts down the line to fill the bend roles.
So, maybe using the cap in uneven trades? Outside maybe one player (Pek) there aren't any players to swing the fences for.
I agree with this in theory. This year it is very hard to spend that money on 1 player however. Who is that player you think we can get? Pekovic is Restricted and will get matched by MIN imo. So who is the big name we go after? Josh Smith? Not really a great position of need.
