You be the GM: Nurkic extension this summer?

Not this summer. That decision would have to wait until after next season. And even then, I'd plan for keeping all three (unless CJ were traded for Butler or another all star).

 

I'm not comparing Kaman to Nurk by any stretch....what I'm saying is that they both came from teams with bad blood and embraced Portland and Stotts....Kaman said it was the first coach he's liked and Nurk says he feels home and welcome for the first time....we all know how old they are. Kaman was a beast his first couple months here...then got injured....Nurk is a beast his first couple months...then got injured.....let's not twist it into a Kaman vs Nurk skillset debate..my comment was more about circumstances and results...I like both guys

 

Lock that shit up. Don't dick around. Offer him the most you can as soon as you can. Give the guy the keys to the kingdom.

Remember who we are. We are Portland. We can't attract top, or even 2nd tier, free agents - even when we can offer a max contract, which we won't be able to do in the foreseeable future. We have found the 3rd piece of our big 3 and he's only 22. I repeat, lock that shit up.

Nurk's inspired play shows he wants to be wanted and he wants to win. Show him the organization wants him and is also dedicated to winning.

And don't just show him. Show Dame and C.J. that we aren't going to piss away their primes because we are too cheap to offer our third star the contract several other teams would be happy to offer him - if they could. We are in the driver's seat. Don't run this car into the ditch.

Everything has risk. That's the problem with guaranteed contracts, but honestly, with the money we gave Crabbe, Turner, Leonard, Harkless and Ezeli now is not the time to suddenly decide to be frugal. It sends a bad message to Nurk, his agent, his teammates, their agents, other players around the league, other agents and other GMs. Would you rather be known as the team that's willing to spend whatever it takes to build a winner, or the team that tries to low ball the player that transformed your team's entire season?

Any extension he signs this summer won't go into affect until the 2018-19 season. Any luxury tax calculations involving his extension won't happen until that last day of the 2019 regular season. That gives you this summer, next February's trade deadline, the summer of 2018 and the February 2019 trade deadline to figure out how to dump some salary. If Neil can't do that, he deserves to be fired. And, I don't even think, if we're winning (like we were when Nurk was playing), he even has to worry about getting under the tax threshold. Just move a couple bad contracts to make things more reasonable moving forward. Paul Allen has said he'd be willing to pay the tax if we're moving toward contention. Giving Nurk a max. extension would do more than any other move we could possibly make to help move us toward contention.

And yes, it's only been 20 games, but in those 20 games Jusuf Nurkic had a bigger influence on this team's success than Allen Crabbe, Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless and Festus Ezeli combined. Those guys were signed for a total of $241 million, and you want to cut corners on Nurkic because it's only been 20 games? If anything, those five (Harklesss is the only one who isn't vastly overpaid for what they contribute) showed us they WEREN'T worth the contracts they received. Nurk, in just 20 games, has shown us he is.

BNM

 

That would make zero sense. You don't move one of your Big 3 for cost reasons, especially if you're Portland and have a proven inability to attract top grade talent. You lock up your Big 3 and then shuffle the other pieces to save money and suck it up and pay the tax when the time comes.

BNM

 

Fair enough, but I’m a book reader, not a mind reader.

 

The middle one is shorter than the other two, but it only looks small in comparison to the size of his balls, which may be the biggest in the entire NBA.

BNM

 

I am interested to see when Olshey makes his moves this summer. I'm sure he's got a plan of attack that may change I'd an opportunity arises. I'm sure he will sign Nurkic but with three potential rookies on the team, the future makeup of the team is in the air.

 

You'd have two full years - two summers and two trade deadlines to shed some salary before Nurk's extension would impact the luxury tax calculation. You use that time to move some of those ridiculous contracts you handed out last summer, and by February 2019, those massive four year contracts you handed out to Crabbe, Turner and Leonard have less than a year and a half left on them and become a lot easier to move.

Plus, with three picks in this deep draft, hopefully we'll have some young, cheap talent that can replace the production we get from Crabbe, Turner, Leonard and possibly Harkless. At least by the time you actually have to move those guys you'll know what you have in their replacements.

BNM

 

Or, with the richest owner in sports, you suck it up and pay the tax for a couple years. Wouldn't be the end of the world, especially if you're Paul Allen and would like to see your team go deep in the playoffs one more time before you die.

BNM

 

I would at least kick the door to see where they stand. If they can come up with a fair enough contract for both side then sign him extension. If not then you let league figure out much he is worth either way you sign him. The only way I don't sign him next year if he come up with some serious injury. Either way there going be a risk.

 

1. Sign him

2. Dont look back.

 

I do not sign him to the max this summer. If he insists on the max, wait a season. There will be no RFA "circus" - no one will offer him a contract. Every team knows we'll match, and make them tie up their money for too long during free agency.....

Other Team's Fans: "Sign him to the max!"
Other Team's GM: "They matched Allen Fucking Crabbe, you don't think they'll match Nurkic?"

All that being said, I think you sign him to a large, but not max contract this summer, and I think he'll bite.

 

Why do you assume the tax penalty would be $100 million? Did you just pull that number out of the air?

And as I said, Neil would have two full years to dump some salary. Even if he doesn't get under the tax threshold, he could get close by dumping a couple of our truly bad contracts and replacing them with guys on rookie deals (our three draft picks) or vet minimum contracts.

BNM

 

Your math is off. Those three won't be making $90 million/year in 2018-19. Dame and C.J. will be making a combined $53,737,455. Even if you max out Nurk, that's about $80 million, not $90 million. The projected tax threshold for the 2018-19 season is $130 million. That leaves us $50 million for the other 12 spots. I suspect at least three of those will be rookie contract, end of bench guys making about $1 million/year. That leaves $47 million for 9 players, over $5.2 million/year each for guys who will actually play (10 deep rotation + two to cover injuries). Some will make more, a couple guys in the $10 - $12 million range and some will make less. It's doable. And that gets us to paying zero in taxes. If Paul's willing to pay some tax, it get's even easier to fill out the roster. We just can't afford to have bench players making $18.5 million, like Allen Crabbe.

The key to picking up cheap ring chasers is to be on the verge of contention. As you note CLE was never a free agent destination until they became a contender. Now guys are tripping over each other to get paid the league minimum for the privilege of landing one of those limited ring chaser roster spots.

BNM

 

FUCK YOU MAN !!! Sheessss I almost drawn with a sip of coffee reading this oh man hahahahahahahahahahhahaahhahhha