Between Henderson and Davis, we basically have the perfect wing and post reserves. Davis is locked up for two more years, but as we all know, Henderson is a UFA this summer. He's probably playing himself into a big payday, and we have other guys on the roster with similar skillsets in Crabbe and Harkless over whom we have more control (due to their RFA status), but neither of them have been as impactful or consistent off the bench as Gerald. He may be expecting to find himself in a starting role on another team next year, but he also may be happy with what he has created for himself here--we really don't know. All those factors considered, how much would you be willing to pay Henderson to stay here and continue to fill that 6th man role he's filled so capably these past few months?
He has never made the playoffs in his career, has he? If that's the case, you would think he'd be happy in Portland. While he may view himself as a starting two-guard in this league, he's really much more suited to come in off the bench and provide a scoring pop as the 6th or 7th man.
I'd give Gerald a good long contract..he's in his prime now..with the cap going up it's hard to gauge how much bench players will command. I like his leadership and toughness. I'd definitely give him Batum money.
He's been to the playoffs once, in 2014. There's a decent chance, depending on his personal perspective, that he may prefer to stay in a place where something special may be brewing, and where he can be a significant part of it. However, if we're keeping Crabbe and Harkless at significantly higher salaries than they're making now, there may still be concern about his role and minutes going forward vis-a-vis those other two reserve wings. So, maybe he would rather be a 6th man here than a starter on a worse team...but maybe not. Still the question remains, how much do you pay a 6th man, even in the new cap environment? $10m/year? $12m? With a supermax PG, a max SG (after summer 2017), and another 3-D wing in Crabbe who's likely to be overpaid to the tune of $10m+/year?
I just don't see any way we keep him, unless we completely strike out in free agency. The RFA guys (Crabbe, Harkless, Leonard) we can wait a bit. We can go out and hopefully get a commitment from someone, so even if one (or all three) of those guys get an offer sheet, we have a few days to match. Hendo could get an offer on day one, and I don't think he's going to be the first priority on Neil's list when he's making phone calls. I would like to keep him. I think he's a great asset. But with Crabbe likely getting 10+ million per year, we could potentially be spending 24-26 million per year just on those two guys coming off our bench.
I agree that I don't see us keeping all three (Henderson/Crabbe/Harkless). But if we're keeping 2 of the 3, are we necessarily best served--all things considered--to choose Crabbe and Harkless? Which pair gives us the best, most consistent production over the next 4 years?
I'd offer him a really good bench guy contract for 4-5 years. But if he's looking for starter guy money, I wouldn't give it to him unless Olshey thought he was essential to building a contender. He might be, who knows. We need guys like Hendo off the bench, and if you have to overpay to keep them, so be it.
Batum's current contract ($11M/yr), or his new 'max' contract? I would rather keep Henderson over Crabbe every day of the week.
Good question. The problem I am having is grasping how salaries are going to change in the next two years. We know the cap is going up but who will that end up effecting the most? Max players? Vet minimums? Starters who are not max players? I guess each team may have their own strategy. I agree Gerald is a great asset off the bench. He really brings the energy and can help even if his shot is off that night. And all bench players are inconsistent with their shot. So I hope they can re-sign him. The tough part for Neil is he has to make an educated guess around July 1 on whether or not he can land a super star FA. Does he take the chance of losing Gerald by not offering him a decent contract in order to maximize his cap space? Or does he decide Durant ain't coming and neither Barnes nor Parson's are worth 20 million. Hopefully GH will be somewhat patient and not jump on the first decent offer.
Ya know what's funny is before Henderson became a Blazers hardly anyone really wanted him, some didn't really give a shit. Now that he is a blazers we just don't want to see him leave.
Henderson is about as loyal as you get in the NBA....played for the team that drafted him until they traded him to us. I don't think we've done anything to make him feel like a rental so I think he'll re-sign here and look for stability during the prime of his career. We won't replace him with more talent for less money
Having RFA status gives Crabbe the upper hand. As I mentioned, we can take our time. We don't have to be proactive. We can sit back and wait. Hendo is a UFA, so someone might decide they want to call him at 12:01 AM and offer him a sizable contract. I don't think Neil is going to be calling Gerald at 12:01.
I imagine Neil will be talking to Gerald throughout May and June, since he is the only GM that can permissibly do so.
