OT Free Agency Round The League

Mark Price, Lenny Wilkens!

Which big marketing firm did you pay to design your new logo? Pretty sharp.

 

Kevin Pelton's Top 10 Remaining FAs (edited):

1. Clint Capela
Houston Rockets
Center
Age: 24
Restricted

2. Marcus Smart
Boston Celtics
Guard
Age: 24
Restricted

The Indiana Pacers were probably Smart's best hope of a major offer sheet before they signed Tyreke Evans instead. Because of their luxury-tax concerns, the Celtics might not mind Smart taking his $6.0 million qualifying offer. That would give them another year to sort out their backcourt of the future and whether Smart has a place in it. Meanwhile, Smart's qualifying offer isn't appreciably less than he could probably get in free agency at this point.

3. Jabari Parker
Milwaukee Bucks
Forward
Age: 23
Restricted

Parker and the Bucks could be one of this summer's most interesting standoffs. Milwaukee moved quickly to agree on a deal with Ersan Ilyasova, who looks a lot like a possible Parker replacement. The Bucks could still afford to bring back Parker on a deal starting in the $10 million range or so. A long-term deal might be particularly attractive given Parker's history of two ACL tears, the most recent of which prevented him from reaching starter criteria last season, dropping his qualifying offer to just $4.3 million.

4. Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls
Shooting guard
Age: 23
Restricted

5. Jusuf Nurkic
Portland Trail Blazers
Center
Age: 23
Restricted

I identified Nurkic as falling into the two categories (center and restricted free agent) most likely to get squeezed in free agency this summer, so it's no surprise that no offer appears forthcoming for him three days in. Nurkic taking his $4.7 million qualifying offer could enable the Blazers to avoid the luxury tax entirely, but Portland still might try to work out a longer-term deal that pays Nurkic a somewhat higher annual salary.

6. Montrezl Harrell
LA Clippers
Forward/center
Age: 24
Restricted

7. Kyle Anderson
San Antonio Spurs
Forward
Age: 24
Restricted

After agreeing to deals with Marco Belinelli and Rudy Gay in the first few hours of free agency, the Spurs have committed a minimum of $108 million to 11 players, leaving them $16 million to spend on the last four spots without going into the luxury tax. That should leave enough room for a multiyear deal for Anderson, who started 67 games last season.

8. Wayne Ellington
Miami Heat
Shooting guard
Age: 30
Unrestricted

It speaks to how quickly free agency has moved this summer that Ellington could be considered the best unrestricted free agent three days in. Isaiah Thomas had a higher projection, but Ellington's ability to stretch the floor and come off screens is an easier fit in almost any situation. He's a career 38 percent 3-point shooter who made 2.9 of them per game last season off the bench in Miami. At this point, Ellington is probably looking at offers for the midlevel exception at most.

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9. Brook Lopez
Los Angeles Lakers
Center
Age: 30
Unrestricted

10. Nemanja Bjelica
Minnesota Timberwolves
Forward
Age: 30
Unrestricted

The Timberwolves pulled Bjelica's qualifying offer after agreeing to a deal with forward Anthony Tolliver as a replacement, making him an unrestricted free agent -- and my top forward on the unrestricted market. Bjelica can defend either forward spot (he's probably better against 4s) and shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range last season (37 percent career). One small note of caution: though Bjelica has played just three seasons in the NBA, he's already 30, so he'll likely decline over the course of a multiyear contract.

 

Worked through some numbers on Sham, and OKC saves nearly $100 mil in tax payment for this year if they waive and stretch Melo.

There is no way he isn't getting bought out. Guessing he's gonna end up in LA for sure.

 

That means Kevin Love won't. So we still have a shot.

 

No there isn't. That's a stupid deal.

Dame is first team all NBA. None of those players are and neither will those low rent players you'd get at the end of the draft.

 

Or Houston

 

I don’t know how his no trade works, if it is cancelled after him waiving it the first time then perhaps they can use his expiring to bring in someone else. It sounds silly and would cost them literally hundreds of millions going forward in repeater tax but they seem so intent on trying to build something around Westbrook and George that they might actually do it.

If he still has the no trade clause then it’s hopeless.

 

He keeps it for the length of his contract.

 

Larry Nance Jr is still under contract for one more year.

 

I wonder how much shedding Singlet and Abrines would save them. We should acquire them for the TPE and see if we can get a 1st attached.

 

The problem is they can't trade a 1st until 2022.

 

I liked Ellington, but hopefully Neil is trying to accomplish a bigger addition.

 

Dumb question I’m up past my bedtime lol, but do you mean Cleveland can’t trade their 1st through 2022?

 

Well them too , but I was referring to Bones idea to get Singler and Abrines from OKC for a pick.

 

If Jimmy Butler really wants out, I wonder if the T'Wolves would take back CJ straight up. A disgruntled star who's expiring and reportedly won't resign for a slightly worse SG whos still near star level, younger, and has 3 years left on his contract....

I think both teams would have to put the trigger. A lineup of Lillard, Butler, Harkless, Love, and Nurkic would be very, very good.

Next off-season, try to convince Klay to come join via sign-and-trade. We're his hometown team and would have his buddy K-Love, and a team that would contend with him on it. Send Harkless (with maybe a 2024 1st?) back to Golden State, with Turner and a pick going elsewhere.

 

I'd take it, especially if the protections were light.

 

I probably would too, but only if we pulled off other trades (Love/Butler) and needed to either restock our future picks or used that pick in those trades.

 

If we can get a pick for our TPE, we have to try.

 

I'm completely on board with that. Although, I still really want Jonah Bolden (especially after watching that training video on him). What about Bayless, Rights to Bolden, and 2019 2nd round pick (Most favorable between Sacramento and Milwaukee)?