So... who're the last two players?

It's looking more and more likely that we'll go into the season with the players we already have. But who is that?

For sure:

C (2): Oden, Przybilla
PF (1): Aldridge
SF (3): Batum, Outlaw, Webster
SG (3): Roy, Rudy, Bayless
PG (1): Blake

That's ten. If we sign our three rookies (remember, they're 2nd rounders, so this isn't certain, and assuming that Claver stays in Spain), that's 13. Who are the remaining 2?

Options:
(1) Bring over Freeland and/or Koponen
I don't think this would be great. If anything I would be more in favor of bringing over Koponen, if only because his Italian team seems intent on misusing him. But the word is that huge changes are happening there, Boykins is out, Koponen is regarded as core, and maybe Koponen will move to the point.
(2) Sign veterans to the minimum
Seems most likely. What do we need? Depends on the rookies, but even if we sign Mills, I'd love a veteran PG, and in particular Lindsey Hunter. Not sure if he's already heading into coaching, though. Another couple of players I'd be very interested in would be Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Carlos Delfino (I know we're stacked at SF, but he has guard skills). It would be sort of karma-esque to get two players the Raptors let go to get Turkoglu.
(3) Leave the spots open
Apparently more and more teams are likely to do this to save money, but we wouldn't be that cheap... would we?

 

Cap and roster flexibility!

 

(2) Oden/Joel
(2) Aldridge/Pendergraph
(4) Batum/Outlaw/Webster/Cunningham
(2) Roy/Rudy
(3) Bayless/Blake/Mills

That is 13, and KP came out and said that he might only carry 13.

 

My guess is that we get a backup PF with vet min or whatever we have left.

 

As said many times before, no deals are coming. I would assume to leave the spots open and if free agents are left without a paycheck, they will be more willing to sign for cheaper later in the year.

 

You do realize that most of these guys can go over seas and make more than "settling" for money below their market value right?

 

I'm simply not a fan of splitting our cap space. At the beginning of the season, we're going to have around $10MM in space (once the Euro cap holds disappear). If we sign Bass for $4MM-$5MM annually, that cuts our available cap space in half. We'd be better off keeping our exceptions in that case and signing someone for the MLE.

 

Exactly Maxie. If we choose not to do anything, sign a role players like Bass and then send out Travis and Blake for a smaller lopsided deal like Hinrich

 

We don't have the MLE, do we? I thought you only had that if you were over the cap.

 

Explain this again: the cap holds for Koponen and Freeland (not Claver this offseason, but he will be on there next? Or is he already a hold?) are only for the offseason, and vanish when the season starts? When exactly do they vanish? Could KP promise a player that he'll get more if he waits, and just be patient (as Toronto seems to be doing with Turkoglu, as they scramble frantically to get something for their players instead of just renouncing them)?

 

The cap holds for the Euros vanish the first day of the regular season. Of course, you could promise a player if he waits, he can get more, but he'd miss all of training camp and the preseason which isn't a likely scenario.

 

Until a team renounces its exceptions (mid-level, traded player, bi-annual, and/or disabled player) those exceptions are counted in team salary and count against the cap. If Portland chose not to sign a player using cap space, they could choose not to renounce the exceptions and would have them available to use on acquiring players. Maxiep's point, as I understand it, is that if you're going to split your salary cap money on a couple of deals, you may as well forget about renouncing the exceptions and make use of them instead. Portland could use a MLE on a roughly $5.5 mil contract, $3 mil on their traded player exception, and still have the bi-annual exception to use...all of which would total more than the $7.7 mil they could have in cap space.

 

They can't. Those exceptions had to be renounced by July 1, I believe, in order to remove their cap holds. You can't un-renounce them later. They're gone for this NBA year.

 

Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Lindsey Hunter and Carlos Delfino?!??!??!?

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!1 wow

 

I don't think this is accurate.

According to the CBA FAQ page, beginning in "July (actual date varies), free agents and draft picks can be renounced." I don't read anything that says a team has to renounce its exceptions until they actually decide to sign a player using cap space.