Because of BYC rules, we'd basically have to use our MLE to be able to S&T Ant. Not to mention he'd have to want to go to whatever team we might theoretically S&T him to. It's really hard to find a situation where Ant would be a good fit for the other team, and that other team has assets the Blazers would want in exchange for him. Like, they could probably trade Ant for Grant, but that feels like an even further degradation of our existing assets.
He probably can get it? 4 year $20 million. Not being argumentative at all but that might be the going price?
The pay structure of the NBA has changed in that teams need flexibility, and a lack of big money spent on players that aren't stars. And as much as I like Nurk, and he's still young, he's injury prone, still insecure/immature, and moody, and if another team wants to pay him 18+ million, I hope the Blazers think long and hard about it. But since his agent is klutch sports, I suspect he'll want the max.
with a 121M salary cap; here are the teams that theoretically have the cap-space to give out a 20M deal: https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/ (cap-holds not counted in those numbers) * Memphis has Steven Adams; and the cap-holds for Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson wipes out their space * Chicago has Vucevic and their 21M in space doesn't account for LaVine * Indiana traded a better version of Nurkic to make room for Turner as starting C. They also want to re-sign Jalen Smith * Detroit has Stewart, Olyniyk, and Garza at C; and, they have a 28M cap-hold for Bagley that wipes out their space * Orlando has committed to Wendall Carter Jr. at C; they also have a 22M cap-hold for Bamba and may re-sign Gary Harris (32M cap-hold) * San Antonio has Poeltl, Zach, and Landale at C; and a 13M cap-hold on Lonnie Walker there are also going to be other free agent C's, many of whom may be willing to sign for cheap (some did this season): Serge Ibaka Tristan Thompson Montrezl Harrell Mo Bamba Chris Boucher Kevon Looney JaVale McGee Robin Lopez Gorgui Dieng Dwight Howard Enes Freedom LaMarcus Aldridge Ed Davis Hassan Whiteside Andre Drummond Cody Zeller Bol Bol Frank Kaminsky Nemanja Bjelica Drew Eubanks Isaiah Hartenstein Moses Brown between Nurk's skills and his injury history, I don't see any team that would be inclined to give Nurkic much more than 12M let alone 20M. Just about every team with cap-space on that list above already has C's as good as Nurk; and many are more suited to the modern NBA. He may actually be capped around the MLE. *************************************************************** I'll suggest something else too: I've gone thru the teams with cap-space and my 'hunch' is that the market for Simons at 20M/year may be even more limited than Nurkic at 12M/year. I'm really hoping that Cronin does not pull an Olshey and bid against himself for Ant & Nurk. I started out thinking that they might combine for 40M in first year salary. After looking at the markets for them, I'm thinking there is a chance the Blazers might get them for closer to 30M than 40M obviously all it would take is one GM to blow my notion out of the water; I'm just hoping that GM isn't Cronin
We'll bid against ourselves and give Nurk a three year deal that starts at 15M. That's my prediction. Ant on the other hand is a whole different story completely. I am pretty sure both guys shut it down because we'd come to terms with them and now that Cronin is in place for the next four years, you can bet those deals already figured out will hold up. I think Nurk getting a 3M dollar raise makes sense for a player friendly deal... I hope we have team options on both of the following years. Ant is probably a four year deal with a player option on the fourth year and I'm betting it starts around 25M and comes in at ~205M total. I hope both guys get much less but we have to remember this is the same front office and since Olshey's departure they haven't shown themselves to be more shrewd but maybe they'll surprise me and sign both guys for a couple million less a year.
15M is an overpay. I expect us to bid against ourselves and pay him more than the full MLE which is what I think anyone else would pay him because his last deal was right around that and he did not outplay that contract not while he was on the floor and definitely by only playing 173 out of 310 regular season games and missed over half our playoff games having missed our only successful playoff run during his contract completely. So yeah, we'll overpay Nurk because no one else would give him north of 12M and we'll give him 15M next year and probably more than that the next two seasons but like I just said, I'm just hoping we don't guarantee those years. Who knows though, maybe our front office will manage to pay him like you're suggesting and we can all be furious.
Meant 105M but you're right it probably will be 108M. Just a guess though. Maybe we get him for a few million less and maybe we overpay by even more.
It can't be a good sign that half that list has Blazer ties. We specialize in value contracts and late career retreads, I guess?
4 year $50 million. $12.5 million a year sounds perfect to me. If he wants more than that it absolutely NEEDS to be on a Team Option. I really don't even want them to keep Nurk but they will.
in the last decade or so, a very real discount market for C's has developed; enough so that I think teams know they can fill their big man rotation cheaply and spend money elsewhere. There is still a market for elite big men, especially those that are comfortable on the perimeter. But elite big men are not key to contending any more
I am not the biggest Nurk fan on this board, but who can we get that is better? I agree that we should not overpay for him, but again who can we get that is better. If he can play the way he did before they sat him, I want him back.
Hart is a dog no question. But gun to my head I'd choose Ant's shooting and play-making. I feel like he's still underrated on this board.
https://www.blazersedge.com/2022/5/...ed-free-agency-miles-bridges-wing-cody-martin So this story isn't just going away. If we could trade back in the draft from 7 to 13 & 15 and in the process told the Hornets that we were getting ready to make Bridges a max offer and we would include Nas for a scrub in the draft pick deal if they would just agree that they would immediately not match the offer sheet if Bridges accepted one from us, it would that make sense. We would have to let Hart and Nurk walk. The depth that the team looks like they'll have next season would no longer be there. I would really only entertain the idea if we could get Mark Williams and any one of Sochan, Eason or Dieng with 13 & 15. Dame, Ant, Bridges, Sochan, Williams, Justise and then a really young bench that we would have to hope will grow up quickly: pick 36, Trendon, Keon, Greg, pick 57, Didi and one min player because if we use cap room to sign Bridges we will have no exceptions. I don't think that's the plan though because it's more of the way we would go if we were trading Dame not if we were building around him. If that is what happens I think everyone is playing a game where we will feature how great Dame still is early in the season and then trade him well before the trade deadline for a couple of good young players with high upsides and future picks (see James Harden to the Nets).
I would gladly trade the 7th pick for Miles Bridges, if Charlotte is willing to S&T him for 7 and EB. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens, if the Blazers draft Duren. Hornets need a big man in the worst way. Duren could be a great fit with Melo.