How about this for a plan.... 1: Sign Lamarcus to a 1 year deal at $15mil PO for a 2nd year, with a wink and a nod to Max him next summer... He would then be a 10+ year veteran qualifying him for a 35% of cap max. If he signed max this summer, 5 years $116.7mil, Max next summer 5 years $176mill. This would save us about 5 mil in cap space this summer. 2: Now go for the home run of trying to add Gasol, or Monroe or any other top tier FA. 3: Lock Dame up for his max extension. Fill in remaining blanks. I haven't gone over the numbers with a fine tooth comb, but just wanted to throw this idea out there.
If we can lure a FA big enough to let LA be the Number 2 or Number 3 option for most of the regular season (like how Duncan moved to being the B option in his later years) while also letting him sign the biggest contract the NBA could ever allow, I think everyone wins. Monroe and Gasol would be my picks to lure, because a big-man rotation of L-Train/New FA/Meyers "Johnny Bravo" Leonard means nobody is playing more than 32 minutes a game, and that adds up over a season.
Olshey got the Clippers Chris Paul through dark sorcery and greased palms. We'll see what this summer brings.
I still think basing our plans around the hope of signing free agents is a folly. We need to use trades to improve the roster because that's the only way to take the decision away from the player. I haven't watched the Bulls in quite a while but wonder if Noah is healthy enough to be a good option. I also don't have the slightest inkling as to what CHI's plans are. But trading for Noah would be far more likely than signing Gasol, and they're fairly similar players. If Afflalo opts in perhaps Rolo/Afllalo for Noah? Thoughts, Denny? Getting Noah would vastly improve our passing game. We'd then have Noah, Nic, and Meyers as good passers with the ability to pass over the top of the defense.
I honestly think we need Lebron James. Is he available? He would be the perfect 1st option! On a serious note. The SF position is the position we really need to improve on. A player more consistent, able to post up, slash and get to the line. Any "poor man's" Lebron James. Are they even out there? There is a reason why so many professionals believe if Batum played to his potential, we would be impossible to beat. He was the missing link but his inconsistency really killed us.
Would we want to cut Wes and Lopez to make a run at a max free agent like Love or Monroe? Deng, Chandler, Hibbert, Ellis, DeAndre and Millsap will all be unrestricted. Middleton is another player I'd be interested in but he's restricted and I bet Milwaukee matches. Kanter is restricted. I don't see Aldridge excited about playing some center with the PF's on that list or a defensively limited center such as Monroe and Kanter. The big downside with trying to sign any of those guys is Wes and Lopez are going to start listening to offers from other teams and in the end we could miss out on those target free agent just as we did with Hawes last year; meanwhile Wes and or Lopez agrees to a deal with another team. Then does Aldridge even want to resign here? Its kind of playing with fire. One far fetched scenario I like the idea of is max Aldridge, sign a max free agent such as Monroe. Then somehow fit Wes under the remainder of our cap room with a ~$5million deal or whatever is left. We'd have his bird rights and could give him a big long term contract next summer when he is a free agent and proves to be healthy.
I don't know how it works or the timing of contracts, but I fully expect Paul Allen to go over the cap to bring guys back and put together an even better team next season.
Why the bloody hell do you max a guy that shot the ball like shit for last half season, then shoots 31 three pointer in the plays at .161 rate? Shit man, at least give him a substance abuse test first! What the hell do you expect next, a whole lot better performance? Why?
Why didn't you ask the same questions about LaMarcus? He shot worse in both the regular season and playoffs.
I don't, and the system would change if LA were gone. And while Damian's 3pt shot took a dip, his overall efficiency was still much higher than LAs this season, and in the playoffs. He contributed a couple good performances and LA delivered jack squat.
