Gotcha. Thanks! Looking at the rosters of potential destinations for JJ, I don't see any team willing to give up a 8mil + player for him when they can just sign him outright. I wonder if Philly would be willing to give us Turner for JJ.
The strategy is to make the QO to guys, then look for S&T opportunities using the cap space. It basically turns ~$15M into $22.5M you can take back. Plenty to get you Dwight.
Wow thanks for the well written explanations Brian! Kudos!!!!! So if I read this correctly, we should retain hickson because he could possibly net us a more valuable player like Howard?
I don't think we should retain Hickson. First, I don't think his market is high enough to use him for something like that. If he would've blown up into a near-max player (think someone like Josh Smith or Ellis or 2009 LMA) then keeping him as a S&T would be useful, b/c they hold would "only" be 7.6M but we could sign him for 14M or so and trade him for 17+M worth of players coming back. But that's not the case. Realistically, I could see him making about what his hold is. I don't think he's making Batum money. In that case, having the space available and able to be used for 13+M of player seems more beneficial than only being able go get an MLE-level player (5.4M or so) and then trade JJ for something around 10M coming back (assuming a salary of 8M/yr) at the absolute max. I think it's better to trade someone like Wes + our cap space for someone like Howard, or to get someone like Bynum with all of the space and trade Wes for an S&T'd Redick or Evans or something.
But let's say a team like lakers may lose Howard all together. Wouldn't it be better for them to agree to a sign and trade with us; using our pick, hickson and maybe claver?
Gasol and Hickson might actually be a decent combination for the Lakers next season. I was pointing out that you don't have to look at $13M in cap space and target some FA. You can trade a 2nd round pick for any player making $13M or 150% of $13M. I read the discontent with Matthews often on the board, and I don't get it. The guy would be really hard to replace.
I think the Blazers would just cut him to take back his salary if they could. He was a good player in Europe, so was making a nice salary there, they had to pay him enough to lure him away. We should have just left him there though. I hope the Blazers trade their pick for a center, resign Maynor, then use the MLE to sign Corey Brewer. With that bench, the starters wouldn't need to play so many minutes. Lillard/Maynor Matthews/Barton(3rd string) Batum/Brewer LA/Claver Gortat/Leonard
Depending on which center they trade for and if they can get Maynor to agree to sign for the room exception then sure. If they go for a McGee then it's more unlikely.
Why would we not have an MLE? Acquiring a center at ~10 mil and resigning Maynor would put is over the cap.
You'd be using cap space to trade for the ~10 million player, and to have the cap space, we'd have to waive the MLE.
EXCELLENT work, Brian. Major kudos. I doubt Howard will come here. I think more along the lines of signing a couple of mid range veterans and a S&T with Hickson throwing in someone. Add a good draft pick and we have increased the depth on the roster.
To answer your question, it had been enough years that we could offer him a different amount of money somehow
I don't think Howard will have any interest in playing in Ptd. But Ptd does have cap space and if Howard wants to go to say Brooklyn . . . well Blazers offer Howard a huge contract and trade him for Brook Lopez.
But the state income tax overshadows it for someone like Dwight. California with their 10% tax, or Houston with no income tax? This issue doesn't matter much to the Blazers right now, but I still think Dwight is going to Houston... so Asik should become avaible. We could do a sign and trade with Barton & Hickson for Asik. A front line of Hickson & Dwight would be a good mix.
