I'm a proponent of looking to only sign one year contracts this year for any free agents to keep the flexibility of next summer (assuming there isn't a blockbuster deal at the deadline). Let Hood walk if he won't take a 1-year deal with a team option for year 2. Let's go into the summer with a ton of cap space and patience for once.
I mostly agree, but if Hood wanted to sign a 4 year deal at the Tax-MLE that would be a huge win this summer.
Yes, it is important for the team to have cap space. As others have stated, it gives the team flexibility. If you only think cap space is for signing big time free agents, you will just be disappointed and also clearly don’t know the other benefits it gives (we could trade for a star without giving up core players).
forget about the exact level of cap-space and remember that having some space gives a team major flexibility, something Portland hasn't had since July 2016 well, that Varejao trade is pretty questionable at this point. It's hard to keep track of everything like the salary floor, remaining salary, stretch, and tax, but it may be a really expensive 26th pick when it's all said and done (IIRC, wasn't Mike Miller part of that trade too?) but something to keep in mind is that generally, those unbalanced trades are right in Olshey's wheelhouse. Maynor, Harkless, Napier and the best one: Lopez. Olshey's only bust was TRob. Mainly, Olshey has shown that he can cut into the front of the line when another team is looking to dump a decent player. He's a master at snorkeling thru the bargain bins. And an NBA axiom seems to be that teams are always willing to dump players that can end up on another team as reclamation projects. and 12M in space, give or take a couple of million is right in the sweet spot for Portland. It's not enough space that Olshey can fuck up things big-time with a huge offer to a Roy Hibbert or a Greg Monroe or a Chandler Parsons or an Even Turner. But it's enough to be a factor in those unbalanced trades, or sign players like Aminu or Ed Davis. Mostly, that kind of space really ratchets up flexibility. Blazers could use the 12M on a free agent(s) and or trades, then use the 5M room exception to sign another player. Or they could not renounce rights to certain player(s), then use a 9.8M full-MLE and a 4M BAE (although be hard-capped) Lastly, having that kind of flexibility that some summer space (margin under the tax line) would give would mean the Blazers would be a lot less likely to let a TPE like the Crabbe one expire maybe I'm off-base, but I actually think this summer' free agency will be fairly pivotal which should be a giant flashing neon sign pointed at Olshey reminding him to NOT give out full 4 year deals that don't have team options for the final year
Let me simplify the concept even more than @hoopsjock has here: It's not about cap space, it's about cap FLEXIBILITY! /end thread Cap Flexibility allows us to play at the margins, which is really the only place small market teams get to play. With it, we can get an unheralded Rolo here, sign a budget free agent there, keep our own dudes when we don't have their bird rights..... Cap Flexibility means that we have an opportunity to outsmart other GMs. Without it, we had better be a championship team already, because improving is unlikely. In 2020, if we don't make some of the questionable moves suggest on these boards, we will finally have cap flexibility again. And what's really great is that we already have a guy who will step right into ETs minutes when we waive bye-bye to him in 2020 - Little.
Of course the results of that trade didn't end up being great, although if Skal takes a big jump at any point it may still have been worth it. I will always be of the opinion that picking up extra future 1st round picks is always a good strategy for small market teams though. Whether it's combining picks to move up in the draft, using the picks in a trade, or just having an extra pick that you hope turns into something special no matter how unlikely.
I have to disagree. Cap space isn't just about chasing big name(big ego) free agents. It's also about trade flexibility and the ability to fill out the roster with "middle class" vets instead of minimum wage cast-offs.
Portland tends to have to overpay to keep their FAs, so not having a lot of cap space is a byproduct of that
Well now everyone thinks its a bad deal, back then there was a significant portion of fans saying he is 50/40/90 seven foot unicorn that we cant risk losing, the money we spend is irrelevant because we are above the cap, the cap is going up such percent every year, all sorts of bullshit that was wrong and hurt this franchise.
You might be right, but I really don't remember anyone thinking 4/10 was good, to begin with. Again you may be right, I don't really remember it that way...
When have we had significant cap space since Dame became universally regarded as one of the best players and leaders in the NBA?
2016? But look thats not my point, my point is historically this is not a place FA’s go, and when we get guys like ET it’s massive overpays. I wont be holding my breath that, that will change. Again cap space is helpful it can bring flexibility and all that but I dont think even mildly big named FA’s are coming. Ultimately that’s ok, there are other ways to build teams.
