Worth $9M I believe, and is obviously going to be used to try and get some veteran scoring help from a team looking to shed salary. Phoenix fit the latter category better than perhaps any team, but I don't see anything suitable tradewise assuming we're after someone who can be the number one option and take some pressure off Durant. Maybe Diaw, but he's not a primary scorer by any stretch. Sactown could easily part with Artest and/or Bibby this offseason as they are going into full rebuild mode. PJ + Artest = disaster, but Bibby could be an option, though it would probably mean trading Luke. What about Crawford? NY always need to shed salary, especially with taking Randolph's contract on, and they have a logjam in the backcourt. Add in the Seattle roots and the fact he can plug in straight away at the two and he'd seem suitable on paper, although he doesn't play a lick of D which isn't really PJ's style. Jason Terry ticks all the same categoriess too but would be harder to get. Any other suggestions/options? Is Rip still an option given Billups is returning on big money? What about Larry Hughes? Should add I have heard Detroit were shopping Rip, but on the premise Sheed went too. No thanks.
Bibby sucks, Crawford sucks, Hughes sucks. Terry can't pass or play defense. When does this thing expire, anyway?
If we take on a player with a multi year deal will the trade exception give us a 9.5 million dollar tax relief for the duration of the players contract or just for one season? How many overpaid guards are on the trading market right now? Hughes and Crawford are definitely available but I don't think that they make us better. Landing Bibby or Jet would definitely help but is there anyone really on our roster that would entice those teams to make that trade? Tinsley is an option. I'm sure that Indiana would love to dump him. I don't think necessarily he would fit Presti mold of establishing a unified culture though. I would absolutely love to have Caron Butler but I highly doubt that he'd be available. Bobby Simmons is an option--if he were ever healthy. I was looking at some of these salaries. Do you realize that Jason Collins is owed over 12 millions the next two seasons? Unbelievable. Our best bet would be to trade for Mike Miller. I'm sure that we could put together a package that would entice Memphis to trade him. I'm not a big fan of his but he is good enough to score in the mid teens for us. And that signing would be fiscally responsible.
Maybe Andre Miller? He's played well for the Sixers, but I think they'd take a couple prospects along with the cap relief, because they're gearing up for next year's free agency anyways.
I've heard the Miller link too - doesn't really give us that reliable scorer, but certainly gives us a heady veteran who would be a fantastic guy for Durant to have around.
<div class="quote_poster">Iron Shiek Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Our best bet would be to trade for Mike Miller. I'm sure that we could put together a package that would entice Memphis to trade him. I'm not a big fan of his but he is good enough to score in the mid teens for us. And that signing would be fiscally responsible.</div> Don't we have a Mike Miller type player in Wally Szczerbiak? Sure no one likes the guy, but he can put up 15 pts a game while giving you 3 dimes. If he's healthy, he can be a good scoring threat. Is Miller a better defender? I guess the question with Wally is his health. If he's recovered from ankle surgery then he can be a good scoring option for this team. If we were to go after Andre Miller, what would happen with Watson, West, and Ridnour. I think West is too undersized to play the 2 fulltime, and I think you need to start West at the point. He's got a good jumper and plays hard every posession. We'd probably need to include Watson or Ridnour in the trade package. It'd be good to have a veteran leader, especially at the point.
Difference being Miller has just come off a career season while Wally struggles to even get on the court. A lot more athletic and a better ball-handler than Wally too.
For the record, what has Sam Presti done as a general manager that has made us any better than we were before he arrived? To think about it, how does a trade exception and a conditional second round pick make us any closer to competiting for a championship? Sam Presti hired P.J., which could be a questionable hire but I will concede that he may have hired the best candidate. He hired Scott Perry which was an extremely good hire. He drafted Kevin Durant which may have been the easiest draft selection in the history of sports. He traded Ray Allen and the 35th pick for Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally Szcerbiak. Not a horrible trade but makes our roster very unbalanced. He traded Carl Landry for a future second round pick. We already have multiple second round picks in next year's draft. Although I will not heavily criticize the trade I also feel that we could have received some value at pick 31--we will never have that high of a second round draft pick again. Essentially it is like getting a first round talent at a second round rate. Our summer league roster is atrocious. When Julius Hodge is your best free agent prospect you have not done your homework. We do a sign and trade with Orlando for Sweet Lew's rights and only receive a conditional second round pick and a trade exception. Obviously we shouldn't have offered Rashard anything remotely close to what Orlando did but I'd like to think that if Rashard's representation forced Orlando into the deal we would have been able to acquire one of their assets -- or at the very least get rid of some of our dead weight. A trade exception sounds nice but unless we are able to get an impact player with it essentially we lost Sweet Lew for nothing. I am just not on the Sam Presti bandwagon yet. I like the fact that he is willing to step out of the norm to try to improve our team but until those moves pan out in my opinion he is just a rookie GM whose reputation far outweighs his competence and decision making.
I don't think he intends for this season's team to be better than last season's. It's quite clear that he wanted to break down the roster, rebuild this team, and contend for a championship with Kevin Durant. And that's most likely because he didn't feel that the core that he had inherited could lead to a championship. I think he's done a good job of executing that plan so far.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think he's done a good job of executing that plan so far.</div> If the plan was to rid ourselves of everything of value in exchange for magic beans, I believe you are right.
<div class="quote_poster">odde23 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">If the plan was to rid ourselves of everything of value in exchange for magic beans, I believe you are right.</div> He's clearing cap space (there's some good FA's coming up) and probably setting himself up for more lottery picks while his young players develop. I don't think Presti's done a perfect job either, but half the GM's in the Eastern Conference have spent years trying and failing to do what he's done in a month.
Rebuilding is better than having a team that will contend for the eighth spot in the playoffs every year.
I realize that. I agree whole heartedly. I am also in Shiek's boat a little bit, in the sense that he hasn't shown us anything very impressive . . . yet.
Someone please tell me the last team to win a championship that completely blew up a competent roster in order to rebuild. I have never endorse the idea of blowing up a roster in order to compete for a championship. I would rather be fighting for a playoff berth every year than give up proven talent in hopes of landing a franchise player in the draft. We were able to add Payton and Durant to our franchise without having to tank to do it. Teams that are successful compete to win every night. Management groups that are successful do the same thing. I guarantee when Tim Duncan gets older you will not see the Spurs trade away all of their assets to start over from scratch around an 18 year old kid. Championship caliber teams retool they don't rebuild. Our roster at full strength definitely was not a championship caliber team, but at the same time the players that we do have have enough value that we could maneuver our way into becoming one. I hope that Presti is competent enough to start making some moves. I will not root for a team that is being managed to lose. <div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He's clearing cap space (there's some good FA's coming up) and probably setting himself up for more lottery picks while his young players develop. I don't think Presti's done a perfect job either, but half the GM's in the Eastern Conference have spent years trying and failing to do what he's done in a month.</div> Again what high level free agent has ever decided to play in Seattle? The free agent pool will never land us an All-Star caliber player unless we are willing to offer Rashard Lewis money to get them. I do not think that Presti is willing to do that so I imagine that we will not be a major player in free agent negotiations if this team remains in the Emerald City. We are going to have to get better players another route.
<div class="quote_poster">Iron Shiek Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> We do a sign and trade with Orlando for Sweet Lew's rights and only receive a conditional second round pick and a trade exception. Obviously we shouldn't have offered Rashard anything remotely close to what Orlando did but I'd like to think that if Rashard's representation forced Orlando into the deal we would have been able to acquire one of their assets -- or at the very least get rid of some of our dead weight. A trade exception sounds nice but unless we are able to get an impact player with it essentially we lost Sweet Lew for nothing. </div> In Presti's defense, Shard was going to sign there whether they got involved or not, so whatever they get is much better than nothing, even if does just end up being a 2nd rounder. You'd think Orlando wouldn't even want the Sonics involved because they have to pay him more money that way, so I'd say it's a good thing that Presti was able to walk away with something of value. A 9 million exception is the largest I can remember a team ever having. I'd be shocked if they went a full year without utilizing it somehow.
<div class="quote_poster">44Thrilla Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">In Presti's defense, Shard was going to sign there whether they got involved or not, so whatever they get is much better than nothing, even if does just end up being a 2nd rounder. You'd think Orlando wouldn't even want the Sonics involved because they have to pay him more money that way, so I'd say it's a good thing that Presti was able to walk away with something of value.</div> Sweet Lew's agent played hard ball with the Magic. If he wasn't going to get the sixth year from the Magic he would have negotiated another deal with another team who was willing to do a sign and trade with Seattle. After the Magic lost Billy Donovan they didn't want more egg on their face by losing Rashard. That is why the Magic felt compelled to give Rashard the sixth year. All he had given the Magic was an oral commitment. The Warriors also have a very large trade exception that they received from the Bobcats in the Jason Richardson/Brendan Wright deal. I don't know if it is over 9 million but I'm sure that it is close. Presti hasn't done anything to deserve the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying that he is a bad general manager but until we turn the corner I'm not going to say that he is the answer either. Only time will tell.
Presti to me is a bad GM. he got seattle to many SF use the 5th pick for Jeff Green!!! They shoulda got Yi. Seattle got a nice asian population. It might keep the sonics in town. but yeah maybe next year hes gonna shine he got the sonics set up nice for next years draft to draft overhyped Mayo...
