On the assumption that Aldridge is gone, what now? We have a bunch of cap space to use now - how should we use it? I say go full-on with the tankage.
The main problem with tanking is that there is a salary cap floor right? Can we just sign 10 guys to 1 year deals so they expire this year? will lillard be ok with that?
So what does that mean "full-on tankage"? Trade Dame? We have to sign players to get to the minimum. Who do we add?
The sensational BOBAN MARJANOVIC!!!!!!!!!!!! Failing that: other teams' final cut day in training camp = our Christmas!
IF the Blazers were to tank, set it up for a 1-year full on tankage. Sign a you SF like Aminu, play the hell out of the young guys...really develop them, hope you get lucky with the lottery pick like a Ben Simmons next summer and then be ready to make a sustained run for 5-7 years. Plumlee/Leonard Leonard/Vonley Aminu/Crabbe Henderson/CJ Dame/CJ/Frazier Have a veteran or two around like Henderson and Kaman to help mentor the young guys and let their talent flourish....see what you have. That would be 5 lottery picks plus technically a 6th if you could get Henderson to stay. Not a bad crop to build on. Mediocrity from around #5 seeding in the playoffs down to aroun #7-14 in the lottery just isn't a good place to be.
I think there is some sort of rule about needing to spend most of your cap space. (any cap experts out there), and this roster wouldn't come close.
Of course there is a team minimum. That is only 9 players listed above. You fill out the rest with 3-5 more players that equal up to the minimum salary but play guys that you are hoping you can build on in the future, not guys like Dorell Wright, Steve Blake, Chris Kaman etc.
you don't need to worry too much about the team minimum. Even if you played all season with just a (say) 40M salary, NOT cap number (well under the 90%, or about 60M in 2015-16), the only "bad" thing that happens to you is you have to cut a check to your roster that splits the difference between your salary and the minimum, split among the players
They would probably like that. I'd rather do that than pay a bunch of straggler vets who are just taking up a roster space.
Even with the cap jump, it's going to be tough to be in a better position than we (potentially) are this summer. Dame, for one, goes from a ~4M cap hit to about 21M. Leonard should get a decent bump in pay. The rookie contract players all will tick up a million or so each. I imagine our floor is probably around 45M, sluffing off as much as possible. On a 90M projected cap, we're still at 45M cap space (nothing to sneeze at, but about what we can get to right now).
Sure, but there will be even more FA money out there next summer than this; what would make the Blazer FO think they would have any more success then than they're not having now?
I think there will be enough quality FAs go to around. Probably a better selection, too. My point is tying up cap space now, you may regret it next summer.
