So Ramon Sessions is looking like an increasingly promising potential FA with the Bucks not shedding salary and thus not being able to clear more cap space to sign him. Looking over the list of NBA team salaries, here are the list that could be under the cap, depending on where it will be set. Toronto Philadelphia Los Angeles Clippers Atlanta Chicago Detroit OKC Memphis Minnesota New Jersey Portland Remove the teams that have no need for a PG (Toronto - Calderon, LAC - Davis, Chicago - Rose, OKC - Westbrook, Detroit - Stucky, Memphis - Conley, New Jersey - Harris) That leaves Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Portland...and Milwaukee is certain to be in the mix as well. So it's possible that we didn't do a trade for Jefferson in order to be able to potentially snatch Sessions away this summer since we'll be able to offer a bit more money than most teams in the league. That's my theory anyways. This FA crop is horrible, but we have to spend it, as there is no reason to not do so other than financially, and we have Paul Allen money. Anyone else get this same thought?
Milwaukee can't match beyond the MLE. Do Atlanta, Philly and Minnesota project to have cap space in excess of the MLE?
I think Philly will if Miller does not resign, Atlanta will - 'Sotta will not be enough under the cap to offer more than the MLE (unless something changed with today's trades) EDIT: Actually - it looks like Philly will not be under the cap even if they do not resign Miller. So - it's just us or Atlanta, it seems.
Yeah, I think Philly and ATL will both make a play for the younger PG. I would think that Miller and Bibby and second options if they can't get Sessions.
Just by eyeballing the team salaries in the trade machine... Minny will have around 2.5m in cap room. Philly will have around 6-7m in cap room. Atlanta will have around 7-10m in cap room. These numbers are also assuming they don't resign ANY of their players. AKA: Bibby, Marvin, Miller, Sessions, (maybe Lee) would all be available. Portland will be, what? around 7-9m? EDIT: Trade Machine still has McCants on Minny's roster, who I had accounted for. Either way, it doesn't look like Minny will have enough to do anything.
Minstrel, if Portland only has around 6 million in cap (Let LaFrentz expire, let Frye expire, take the options of Blake and Outlaw), doesn't it just become an MLE bidding war for Sessions?
I meant Milwaukee will certainly try to resign Sessions. I'm aware that he'll probably cost more than the MLE. I was using Storyteller's salaries list to look at projected cap space. http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/resources/08-09salaries.htm Portland: 58,758,154 Atlanta: 48,220,363 Philly: 58,967,337 Minn: 53,825,953 Granted, after looking at the numbers again, realize that these numbers will change. For example, the Portland number assumes a one-year qualifying offer to both Frye and Diogu, retaining both Blake and Outlaw, and counting salaries for Koponen and Freeland. Currently the NBA Salary cap is about $58 million, and it might go down next year. So after losing the salaries for Frye/Diogu and Blake if necessary, we'll be under the cap a decent amount regardless of how much it goes down. Philly will actually be right about at the cap, so they won't have anything but the MLE either. Minnesota can lose another 3.5 million by cutting Mark Madsen. In my opinion Atlanta seems like the other potential suitor if they don't resign Bibby. Atlanta has a lot of room (in fact they can gain $8 million more if they renounce Marvin Williams...which is unlikely) and an obvious need at PG since their last several tries (Law, Claxton) have not worked out. So it depends on the situation, but I think that Atlanta and Portland are in the best position to attract Sessions. What kind of contract do you think he can get? Certainly T.J. Ford type of money, probably better (meaning Devin Harris type of money) starting in that $8-10 million dollar range. Hopefully Atlanta will be cheap and not want to spend the money.
Absolutely. But if Portland renounces Blake, they'd have $10 million or so, and can exceed the MLE and cut their competition down to almost nothing.
True. Then it comes down to Atlanta and Portland. I don't see us renouncing Blake though, and I don't see KP risking 10 million a year on a player who has only played well for 1 and 1/3 seasons.
Basically, we could have drafted him. Basically, we drafted T. Green. Basically, this was a GIANT mistake. Anything else you need to know about what he's done in the L can be found via google, espn, etc.
It depends on his analysis of Sessions. I could see it. The average salary now is around $6 million. Committing $4 million above average for a good young point guard with upside seems pretty reasonable. And it may not cost $10 million. Might only cost $8 million, for example. If Portland can get Sessions, I think KP would definitely renounce Blake.
Sessions is one of KP's favorites from the draft a few years ago if i recall. Besides, your argument about a him not "risking 10 million a year on a player who has only played well for 1 and 1/3 seasons" doesn't hold water when you consider he was unwilling to part with Bayless, Outlaw, Sergio, or Batum today. None of them have near the track record of success that Sessions already has. He's also young.
Portland Cap Space: Projected 2009 Total Salary (Storyteller): 58,758,154 Subtract: Ike Diogu: 3,946,875 Channing Frye: 4,264,761 Steve Blake: 4,000,000 Travis Outlaw: 3,600,000 Unsigned Rookies: 824,200 (x2) Current NBA Salary Cap: 58,680,000 Usually the cap goes up. This year it might go down. Let's assume is stays relatively the same. Take out Diogu/Frye = $50,546,518 + Koponen/Freeland Salary = $48,898,518 + Blake = 44,898,519 + Outlaw = 41,298,518 NOTE: This includes Darius Miles being included. There is no way Outlaw is let go. He is too valuable of a player and has too economical of a contract to be let go, under just about any circumstances. Blake, as others have mentioned, is not a NBA caliber-starter and is expendable, though preferably not so. So if we don't bring over Koponen/Freeland and let Diogu/Frye go, we'll have about $10 million in cap room if the cap stays where it is. If it digresses, then we'll have less room but so will everyone else. That should be enough to sign Sessions. Somebody check my math, and if I'm wrong call me out. No worries, as I don't claim to know what I'm doing.
Ehh...depends on how much KP values Sessions. KP certainly drives a hard bargain, and I would not at all be surprised to see him pass up an opportunity to sign Sessions for even the MLE.
