So, the little-talked-about nugget around the NBA is the worry that the league is going to drastically alter the collective bargaining agreement when it expires at the end of the 2011 season. This could mean a hard salary cap or other new measures that will drastically affect a team's flexibility if they are tied into several long-term deals. It's been pretty public that Sessions is looking for a long-term deal. The Blazers are apparently signing Andre Miller for two years, with the third year being a team option. So, guess where we are at the end of the second year of Andre's contract? At the end of the 2010-2011 season, when -- you said it -- the current collective bargaining agreement expires. That gives us another way to vacate our salary commitments in the hopes that we'll maintain some flexibility if they implement a hard cap or other new regulations on what teams and players can do. So - back to Sessions. With a long-term deal (he's probably looking for a five or six year deal), he'd be locked up through the next CBA negotiations, somewhat hamstringing whatever team he was on. Now, obviously, we will have certain players on the team who this theory won't apply to -- Roy, Aldridge, Oden, etc. But I wonder if we are trying to lessen our commitments past that 2011 season. It seems reasonable, but then again it doesn't explain why we offered Turkoglu a five-year deal and Millsap a four-year deal. I could be all washed up on this theory and the Blazers truly didn't think Sessions was a good fit.
I agree totally that the impending CBA change is a big consideration, but I don't think that the Blazers would have let that stop them if they liked Sessions as much as some of us on this board do. The most he could get is a five year deal and he'd be relatively cheap up front... and having your starting PG locked in for five years would not be a bad thing, IMO. I think it's an interesting angle, but I really think it comes down to how they saw Sessions fitting in (or not). Ed O.
It's an interesting thought. But as you said, they didn't mind giving that to Hedo. I suspect KP & Co just didn't like Sessions as much as many on the board do. It's also possible they are convinced Milwaukee is matching whatever is offered, and view it as a lost cause.
Yeah, I think that they ultimately felt Sessions wasn't a good fit. Disappointing to me, but Miller is at least as good in the short-term and in the long-term...well, we all die in the long-term.
I think Portland didn't want to wait another 7 days and be denied another time. Miller was a sure thing, so they took it. Also, Nate wanted a vet. Sessions is a lot of things, but veteran is not one of them.
