Yeah, there's guys I wanted, but I don't think we could get them. Nobody seems to want to come here. The Dame drama and the situation with Billups really killed our momentum going into the offseason and I also really question if Neil was even trying that hard.
People act like he wanted to come here and we told him to fuck off. He went to the best team in the league lol.
Nobody ever *wanted* to come here except when we could spend more than everyone else and were championship contenders.
We don't get in demand free agents. That can not be part of our strategy. Like, still try, and if it happens great. But it's not going to happen unless we can pay more (we can't) or if we give them the best chance to win a title.
Otto Porter signed for a minimum contract (2.4M). Blazers had a full tax-MLE to use of 5.9M...which they didn't use. Technically, they used part of it on Greg Brown; but it was typical Olshey to dilute an important asset for a scrub. Blazer DID NOT need to sign Brown for 3 seasons I think, like a lot of what happened in the Olshey era, we don't really know whether or not what Portland had to offer would have been enough to land a player. Would Porter have signed with Portland for 3.5M more than he got from the Warriors?
Not likely, because there were other teams who would have given him as much or more money, a more appealing social life, or a better chance to win a title. Free agency isn't where we're going to be able make our gains. Portland is not a destination. Again, I'm not saying it can't happen, but it's incredibly unlikely to the point that it's not worth debating hits and misses in free agency. If it happens great, if not, that should be expected.
I think the more you look at how olshey would draft project and things like that the more the rumors about him wanting to trade same may have been true. signing Greg brown to 3 years is a good example
I don't think there was a line of teams offering Porter more than the minimum. I don't even know if there were any. He had too extensive an injury history and had only played in 42 games the two previous seasons I also don't think, last summer, there were very many people predicting the Warriors would be a contender this season. Not with Klay out in a very real sense, Porter was a high-risk/high-reward player made into a low-risk/high-reward because of his willingness to settle for a minimum. Olshey was a no-risk/low-reward GM
I doubt it. Porter has already cashed a max deal--$3.5M extra in one season probably wasn't a priority. I'd guess his priority was landing in the right situation to maximize his skill set to set him up for his next contract. The Warriors have a coach, system and group of players known for letting everyone touch the ball and look good if they have a good basketball IQ. Portland has no such reputation and was starting over with a rookie head coach. Situation-wise, the two teams couldn't have been more different in terms of what they offered a veteran looking to rebuild his value. And, realistically, Porter likely made the right choice. He's very similar to Covington, in that he's a former small forward who these days profiles best at power forward, his defensive skills tilt more towards team defense than individual defense and he needs a good offensive system for his shooting to flourish. Billups didn't really put Covington in the best situation to maximize his skill set until, arguably, recently. Meanwhile, the Warriors tailored Porter's role perfectly to what he does best. Covington probably would look much better in Golden State too.
Did you see the way the warriors finished the season last year? Without Klay they have twice as many all stars as we do. And a far more appealing social life. Not to mention better professional environment for players. We're a mess, especially after Stotts was fired. Sorry, we weren't going to get him if he was desirable. We have to get lucky and grab a guy nobody else wants by offering more money than other non destination teams can offer.