What is a feasible free agent scenario you would hate to see play out. Mine is Blazers come to an agreement to sign Greg Monroe for the max. They think they'll be able to work out a sign and trade for Batum. Meanwhile LaMarcus is undecided; but Rolo, Wes and Afflalo can't be offered deals until a sign and trade or LaMarcus contract is decided on. So feeling they are not getting the attention they deserve Rolo, Wes and Afflalo accept offers with other teams. Eventually LaMarcus decides to just sign with the Spurs. The Blazers decide not do do a sign and trade with Detroit and just sign Monroe to the previously agreed deal for cap space. Kaman is cut for cap space. All the major free agents sign with other teams so the Blazers use their remaining cap space to bring in Marco Bellineli and sign Kosta Koufous. Ed Davis is signed for the room exception. The opening day roster is Koufous/ Meyers Monroe / Ed Davis Batum / Crabbe Bellineli/ CJ Dame / Blake / Frazier Back to the lottery!
The Spurs are not in the mix for LMA. They would have to gut their team to make him an offer. LMA to the Spurs is not feasible.
If LaMarcus goes to the Spurs, it won't just be him signing with them. They have too much to get rid of to sign him to a decent contract, and if they get rid of those players, they're a much worse team. Home is one thing, money and competing for a title is another. The best way for the Spurs to get LaMarcus AND still be a competitive team is to engineer a sign and trade. The problem? They don't have shit to trade.
My doomsday scenario is all of the Blazers decide to become French citizens. They spend their entire summer playing for Team France and come back banged up and playing shitty for the next NBA season.
Unsigned FAs are still a huge cap hold. You can't defer signing LMA to create cap space to sign someone else.
I think that's a fact that many fans seem to forget (esp when they're convinced LaMarcus is going to San Antonio or Dallas).
I'd actually be surprised if Lamarcus decides to sign in the western conference again if it's not Portland. In the east he'd be 1st team everything and would go deep in the playoffs every year on the right team..Cavs, Bulls, etc..if he ended up on the Lakers, that would be doomsday
I guess the worst case scenario for me would be: LA leaves without any compensation. Sign Wes to a large deal and then not have him ever really return to form. Rolo leaves without any compensation. Waste cap space on some shitty free agent consolation prize.
Batum stays and the forum freaks the F out every time he turns the ball over... oh wait. I guess LA leaving then.
First of all anyone who thinks LA to the Spurs is not an option is a moron. Trading either Splitter or Diaw would open up enough money for them to easily sign LA or Gasol if any of them wished to sign there. But overall not adding any gritty players to this soft team and bringing back the same old core imo would be the worst case.
Trading splitter for cap space? Since when? This is the time where teams can sign good players for a cheap multi year before the mega cap comes in. No one is giving up their space this summer
If you ask Blazer fans where they think LaMarcus Aldridge is going to end up next season, a lot of them would probably say San Antonio. One report a while back listed the Spurs as the most likely choice. But that's a lot easier said than done. The Spurs have some free agents of their own they want to keep. And some other players making a lot of money. It's a complicated mess trying to figure out what the Spurs can do in an offer for Aldridge, but "Pounding the Rock," a reputable Spurs' fan site, took on the project and found it's possible. Kind of. You should go there and read the entire piece but here's a couple of summaries: I've crunched the numbers, and I have good news and bad news. The good news is yes, it is theoretically possible. The bad news is that it is so unlikely and would take so many convoluted steps to make it happen, that it is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. Like, less than one percent unlikely. Also, and this can't be stressed enough: I'm not even sure if the Spurs would be a better team even if they pulled it off. And... Aldridge is fun to daydream about, but it's never been remotely realistic for the upcoming season and it doesn't make much sense, if the goal is to win. The Spurs would have no bench with him for a year and wouldn't be much better than the Blazers team he's supposedly leaving once Duncan and Ginobili retire. It's better for the Spurs to play this straight, make a couple of quality under-the-radar signings and to wait until 2016, and the bigger salary cap, to explore the market. The way I figure it, if they re-sign everyone but Leonard and Green to one-year deals, and those two combine to make something like $27 million in 2016, then the Spurs would have around $26 million to work with next season, once they renounce everyone's cap holds. It'd be $33 million if they decline Diaw's option. Maybe the best-case scenario is for them to hope that Aldridge opts in for one more season in Portland. http://www.csnnw.com/blazers/really-its-less-one-percent-likely-spurs-can-land-aldridge
Cmeese saw the word 'Doomsday' and said hmmmm there's my cue! Seriously though, I believe you are right. Splitter I think will get it done. But I'm not about to call anyone a moron.
It does make me wonder at times if it pisses him off at times that he can't make a big splash in free agency and his Seahawks don't seem to struggle with this.
Spurs can easily trade Splitter to the 6ers or another team by giving up a crappy draft pick. Then they have cap space to sign Aldridge and bring back everyone else.
They could only do that IF they didn't get any contracts back. And I really doubt that there are teams out there who will take back almost 32 million in guaranteed money for nothing, especially considering the age and talent levels of the two players. And on top of that, they have to re-sign Leonard first too. His cap hit still counts, especially if he is given an offer by another team (and signs the offer sheet). IF they somehow conned a team into taking those two w/out receiving anything in return, and resign Leonard (I think his contract would be about 5 million. he'd have to sign an extension, I think) , they'd have somewhere around 33-34 million dedicated salary. And that's NOT counting cap holds of Duncan, Ginobli, Green, Belinelli, Ayers, Bonner and 3 others. So you're suggesting they trade 2 players (and 32+ million) for nothing in return, sign Leonard, and LaMarcus and hope they don't have to renounce 4 or 5 players in the process (one being Duncan, since his cap hold is huge)? Yeah, I guess that's possible. Not probable though.
