I don't care what Kevin Arnovitz is tweeting: the Blazers will retain Batum. Why? Because 1. Olshey has said they will. How would it look if the first definitive thing he says he goes back on? 2. I know he said it before Indy matched Hibbert, but you think he didn't know that was likely? 3. His repeated mantra is "acquire assets". How is letting a player go for nothing doing that? 4. Don't say cap space is an asset. You can GET cap space AND picks by trading a player in a lopsided trade. Batum is valuable, even if slightly overpaid. 5. Extravagant contracts can look reasonable very quickly: see Aldridge, LaMarcus. Also Millsap, Paul. 6. The Blazers need to hang on to whatever exciting young players they have. Otherwise the fan base just deserts. I know I'd be pretty tempted.
Quicker said that Neil's message to Ndiaye was "emphatic" that they will match any offer and will not consider any S&T deals with Minnesota.
I think they are being very shortsighted if they sign him at $11.5+\year...it will eat up a majority of thier cap space and will not improve the team significantly on the floor....That is exactly the kind of move that Olshey has repeatedly said he was against...and Batum at that contract won't nearly have the trade value later that he does now to a MIN team that desperately wants to overpay for him.... and I don't see Batum being happy with being stuck rebuilding in POR for another 2-3 years at best, after 4 years of having gone through 4+ similiar years....
I don't think there's much chance that the T'Wolves actually make the offer. They would have to gut their roster in order to have enough cap space. Way too risky if the Blazers are set to match. Bluff failed.
If we do match an offer for Batum we can NEVER trade him to Minny. That is a condition of all matched offer sheets the team that matches can never trade the player to the team that signed the offer sheet. That could greatly reduce Batum's trade value as I don't know if any other team in the league is interested in him at $11+ mil per. Same scenario with Hibbert, hopefully the Pacers ink him to a contract outright because if things go south there and they look to rebuild I'm sure we'd give up some assets to get him.
If so then this would have to be a bluff from Ndiande. There is no way an NBA team is going to agree to a contract then not offer it that'd destroy their reputation. Free agents would never negotiation verbally with the team again.
I think it might be smart to let him go, too, rather than pay him that much. Batum still has a lot of room for growth as a player, but he doesn't look like he's ever going to be a player that's going to be a good value at $11.5m/year. Paying him that much and crossing our fingers that he lives up to it would be a mistake IMO. While Olshey has said they would not consider a S&T, I gotta think that it would change if he actually signed an offer sheet for that much. Presumably Portland could extract a little value from MN rather than letting him walk for absolutely nothing. Ed O.
That's a very good point. If all the wolves were risking was their cap room this summer it's a no-brainer to make an offer to a player you covet (assuming you're willing to overpay and accept that risk), but when it also involves dumping contracts and players just to have a minuscule shot ... and the guy hasn't exactly been an all-world, sure thing, that's counter-productive for a team that is flirting with respectability for the first time in a decade. But I guess it needs to be said that it is David Kahn we're talking about here ... anything could happen, and expecting reason and logic might leave you a little disappointed.
If he actually signs the offer sheet, then there is no opportunity for a S&T any more. I actually think if he was going to live up to a big contract on a team, it'd be ours over theirs, assuming we add little else. He will be given a much bigger role here, potentially, depending on the coach. Maybe it's a good player on a bad team situation, but I think he could live up to 11.
I am still hoping not. Olshey said it himself. He doesn't want to bring guys in here that don't move the needle
He has a max value of $9 million. Anything more than that and he walks. It's one thing to acquire talent, it's another to be fleeced for that talent.
what does this mean he is worth over 11 million dollars a year right now, and he will likely improve in years 24-28
