http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0718/1582499.html <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Clippers told restricted free agent Elton Brand's agent Thursday that they intended to match the six-year, $82 million offer sheet Brand signed with the Miami Heat and retain the power forward, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday. "We told them that before they got an offer sheet," Clipper Executive Vice President Andy Roeser said to the Times. "That won't be a surprise when it happens ... We've said all along that we intend to match the offer on Elton and we shared that with them again today." Brand, who could have signed a one-year tender and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer, didn't seem fazed that the historically penny-pinching Clippers were going to keep him from going to Miami. "If they match, I'm going to be excited either way," Brand said to the Times by telephone from Chicago. "I'll be ready to go in a new direction with the Clippers, start winning some games and get into the playoffs. If they're going to match, that's saying they're in the direction of trying to get players."</div>
Brand is so screwed, he should've just signed the offer sheet for like 1 year, till he's unrestricted, then sign with whoever he wants then.
I think Brand knew that the Clips would match the offer. I think he also knows that the Clips are more than likely going to match the offer on Maggette so the Clips still have a great young core on the team. With a new coach brings a new attitude so this upcoming season will probably be better than last season.
Which isn't hard for the Clips to be better than last year, because they just sucked last year. I hope the best to them, but they just always suck.
I was one of the people that thought that the Clippers were going to make the playoffs last year. I was so wrong. Hopefully they can actually play to win this year.
If the Clippers match offer made by the Heat for Brand, the Heat will go after Odom, and that was part of the plan.. it will be hard for the Clippers to keep Brand and Maggette and Odom...
I read about that too a couple days ago. It will be hard but it won't be impossible. Actually it's very possible that the Clips can keep all three. There was an insider article I read somewhere about it.
Will they be able to pay a 12 man roster if they do that? What will Brand/Maggette/Odom/Arenas earn next season?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting magicfrankie:</div><div class="quote_post">will they be able to pay a 12 man roster if they do that? What will Brand/Maggette/Odom/Arneas earn next season?</div> From ESPN Insider: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If you think about it, what Sterling may be contemplating isn't all the revolutionary. The Clippers, per NBA rules, have to spend money. The minimum salary cap number for this year is $32.8 million. Even if the Clips match both Maggette's and Brand's deals, they're still under the minimum salary cap number -- the team is still a whopping $12 million under the cap. If Sterling really wants to go for it, there are scenarios where he could pay both Odom and Arenas starting salaries of $7 million per season and still have one of the lowest payrolls in the league. All it would take is the Clips either not picking up their option on Wang Zhizhi or trading one low-priced player like Marko Jaric, Quentin Richardson, Chris Wilcox or Keyon Dooling to a team with cap space for a future first-rounder and the Clippers would be set for the next six years with a payroll that would likely never incur a luxury-tax penalty.</div>
