2019 Free Agency Thread

[KobeMVP888]

Will it be Kawhi? Jimmy? D-Loading with pieces? A buncha pieces.

Lots of rumors are already starting to fly around, including a "mutual interest" between the Knicks and Julius Randle.

What's your preference for use of the cap space?

After much deliberation, here's mine (assuming max cap space):

1) Kawhi, of course, who I see as a long shot

2) Jimmy Butler

3) D'Angelo Russell + Terrence Ross, JJ Redick or Danny Green

4) Patrick Beverly + Terrence Ross, JJ Redick or Danny Green + Brook Lopez or DeAndre Jordan

[3Peatkb24]

I would shoot for Kawhi 1st but like you said that is a long shot. Outside of that I am for spreading the money around. I would like to see Cory Joseph, JJ Redick, Danny Green, and Kyle Korver on this team. Korver and Redick are older but age doesn't matter much for 1 or 2 years when all you do is shoot. I would also bring back McGee, we need a center other than AD playing that position. We do not need another superstar, we already have LeBron and AD + I could see Kuz having a breakout year too. There are only so many balls to go around. We need depth and shooters IMO. You can win championships with 2 superstars and a lot of depth, the depth needs to be shooters though.

[KobeMVP888]

I would shoot for Kawhi 1st but like you said that is a long shot. Outside of that I am for spreading the money around. I would like to see Cory Joseph, JJ Redick, Danny Green, and Kyle Korver on this team. Korver and Redick are older but age doesn't matter much for 1 or 2 years when all you do is shoot. I would also bring back McGee, we need a center other than AD playing that position. We do not need another superstar, we already have LeBron and AD + I could see Kuz having a breakout year too. There are only so many balls to go around. We need depth and shooters IMO. You can win championships with 2 superstars and a lot of depth, the depth needs to be shooters though.

Time to pivot to Klay Thompson! Big rumor yesterday was that if he doesn't get a max offer from the Warriors, guess where he wants to go? I think he'll get that max offer, but if he doesn't, jump all over that! He has a Mamba mentality and will be back by April. We could survive with a backcourt of Rondo, Caruso and Joseph at the point and KCP (room exception), Korver (buyout) and JR Smith (buyout) until he returns. Thoughts?

[3Peatkb24]

I would shoot for Kawhi 1st but like you said that is a long shot. Outside of that I am for spreading the money around. I would like to see Cory Joseph, JJ Redick, Danny Green, and Kyle Korver on this team. Korver and Redick are older but age doesn't matter much for 1 or 2 years when all you do is shoot. I would also bring back McGee, we need a center other than AD playing that position. We do not need another superstar, we already have LeBron and AD + I could see Kuz having a breakout year too. There are only so many balls to go around. We need depth and shooters IMO. You can win championships with 2 superstars and a lot of depth, the depth needs to be shooters though.

Time to pivot to Klay Thompson! Big rumor yesterday was that if he doesn't get a max offer from the Warriors, guess where he wants to go? I think he'll get that max offer, but if he doesn't, jump all over that! He has a Mamba mentality and will be back by April. We could survive with a backcourt of Rondo, Caruso and Joseph at the point and KCP (room exception), Korver (buyout) and JR Smith (buyout) until he returns. Thoughts?

Thompson I would bring in, I like that idea. He will be out most of the year but would be back for the playoffs more than likely. He still has 4 or 5 great years left too. Players like him fit perfect with LeBron, catch and shoot type of guys. Thompson plays great D too. Guys come back well from ACL injuries, it is the Achilles that is the bad injury. I feel bad for Durant.

Your Terrence Ross idea is pretty good too and maybe bring back KCP? KCP is a decent shooter and can play D. Regarding Russell, if we bring him back I wouldn't be mad but the money he will want will eat up a lot of cap. Looks like the Rockets are trying to trade for Jimmy Butler is the latest rumor.

[KobeMVP888]

Thompson I would bring in, I like that idea. He will be out most of the year but would be back for the playoffs more than likely. He still has 4 or 5 great years left too. Players like him fit perfect with LeBron, catch and shoot type of guys. Thompson plays great D too. Guys come back well from ACL injuries, it is the Achilles that is the bad injury. I feel bad for Durant.

Your Terrence Ross idea is pretty good too and maybe bring back KCP? KCP is a decent shooter and can play D. Regarding Russell, if we bring him back I wouldn't be mad but the money he will want will eat up a lot of cap. Looks like the Rockets are trying to trade for Jimmy Butler is the latest rumor.

Actually, brining in D'Angelo Russell at the right price (how about a 4 year deal starting at $20M, with a player option of the 4th?) makes sense because you're getting a 23 year old all-star guard who will only get better, as opposed to using the entire 32M (assuming they can off those contracts) on one player. You can then pair him with either D Green, JJ Redick or Terrence Ross at about 12 mil per season, although Redick at 35 doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Instead of hypothetically a Rondo-Butler backcourt, you'd have Russell-Green, hypothetically. Butler will have to want to go to Houston for Morey to pull this off, but I don't put it past Daryl Morey at all. They automatically become the favorites to win the West if they do, especially if they keep Capela.

[3Peatkb24]

Thompson I would bring in, I like that idea. He will be out most of the year but would be back for the playoffs more than likely. He still has 4 or 5 great years left too. Players like him fit perfect with LeBron, catch and shoot type of guys. Thompson plays great D too. Guys come back well from ACL injuries, it is the Achilles that is the bad injury. I feel bad for Durant.

Your Terrence Ross idea is pretty good too and maybe bring back KCP? KCP is a decent shooter and can play D. Regarding Russell, if we bring him back I wouldn't be mad but the money he will want will eat up a lot of cap. Looks like the Rockets are trying to trade for Jimmy Butler is the latest rumor.

Actually, brining in D'Angelo Russell at the right price (how about a 4 year deal starting at $20M, with a player option of the 4th?) makes sense because you're getting a 23 year old all-star guard who will only get better, as opposed to using the entire 32M (assuming they can off those contracts) on one player. You can then pair him with either D Green, JJ Redick or Terrence Ross at about 12 mil per season, although Redick at 35 doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Instead of hypothetically a Rondo-Butler backcourt, you'd have Russell-Green, hypothetically. Butler will have to want to go to Houston for Morey to pull this off, but I don't put it past Daryl Morey at all. They automatically become the favorites to win the West if they do, especially if they keep Capela.

If it worked out cap wise I could live with a lineup of
PG Russell
SG Green
SF LeBron
PF AD
C how about Lopez? If not, McGee would do well playing around 4 players like that.

Kuzma could be our ultimate 6th man and I like Redick despite his age. The guy is deadly from 3. I am a fan of Joseph as well. He plays great D and is smart. I am watching 1st take on ESPN which I rarely do anymore but because it is free agency week I am watching. Stephen A is saying that the Sixers would want Capela if that trade went down for Butler. Embiid has his injury issues so Capela would be a nice back up is what he was saying. He also could play a lot if needed.

[KobeMVP888]

If it worked out cap wise I could live with a lineup of
PG Russell
SG Green
SF LeBron
PF AD
C how about Lopez? If not, McGee would do well playing around 4 players like that.

Kuzma could be our ultimate 6th man and I like Redick despite his age. The guy is deadly from 3. I am a fan of Joseph as well. He plays great D and is smart. I am watching 1st take on ESPN which I rarely do anymore but because it is free agency week I am watching. Stephen A is saying that the Sixers would want Capela if that trade went down for Butler. Embiid has his injury issues so Capela would be a nice back up is what he was saying. He also could play a lot if needed.

Obviously if DLo returns and they sign someone like Danny Green, there's no way they will get Brook Lopez for the Room Exception. Perhaps they can sign JaVale McGee for the minimum and bring Muscala back for the minimum. I don't know. Given that Aaron Mintz is DLo's agent and that this would require the Nets to sign Kyrie and renounce DLo's rights, I'm skeptical. We'll start to know some shit starting on Sunday though and I'd imagine that we should have some clarity by the end of next week.

[3Peatkb24]

What if we went with:
PG Joseph
SG Terrence Ross
SF LeBron
PF AD
C McGee
6th man Kuzma
7th man Green
8th man Korver (buyout) for just 1 year
-Maybe throw Beverley in?

Is that possible? I still don't know how the cap works with 100% certainty.

Has anyone thought about bringing back Lou Williams? That guy is not good, he is very good lol, if not great. Randle is out there too. I am having fun now

[KobeMVP888]

What if we went with:
PG Joseph
SG Terrence Ross
SF LeBron
PF AD
C McGee
6th man Kuzma
7th man Green
8th man Korver (buyout) for just 1 year
-Maybe throw Beverley in?

Is that possible? I still don't know how the cap works with 100% certainty.

Has anyone thought about bringing back Lou Williams? That guy is not good, he is very good lol, if not great. Randle is out there too. I am having fun now

Well, you do know that we're going to have between 23M - 32M in cap space and the 4.2M Room Exception, right?

Then they can sign as many players to fill out the roster on minimum deals as they need.

There is also the cap hold to consider for Reggie Bullock which is about 4.5 mil that you subtract from the 23M - 32M number if you want to be able to retain Bullock. Let's say hypothetically that they want DLO back and he agrees to a haircut (say 18M) the first season on a 4 year deal so they can pair him with Bullock in the backcourt. Then they want a backup point guard or shooting guard (Joseph or KCP at the Room Exception). Then you sign JaVale McGee or Robin Lopez, Muscala, Rondo, etc to minimum deals and give minimum contracts to Korver and JR Smith when they're bought out. That's how one scenario would work. I hope Pelinka finds a place to dump Wagner, Bonga and Jones, but if he can't they can occupy the 14th, 15th and 16th roster spots, with the rookie (THT) the 17th (unless they cut him). This is going to be a wild ride and one that may lead to some disappointment.

[3Peatkb24]

What if we went with:
PG Joseph
SG Terrence Ross
SF LeBron
PF AD
C McGee
6th man Kuzma
7th man Green
8th man Korver (buyout) for just 1 year
-Maybe throw Beverley in?

Is that possible? I still don't know how the cap works with 100% certainty.

Has anyone thought about bringing back Lou Williams? That guy is not good, he is very good lol, if not great. Randle is out there too. I am having fun now

Well, you do know that we're going to have between 23M - 32M in cap space and the 4.2M Room Exception, right?

Then they can sign as many players to fill out the roster on minimum deals as they need.

There is also the cap hold to consider for Reggie Bullock which is about 4.5 mil that you subtract from the 23M - 32M number if you want to be able to retain Bullock. Let's say hypothetically that they want DLO back and he agrees to a haircut (say 18M) the first season on a 4 year deal so they can pair him with Bullock in the backcourt. Then they want a backup point guard or shooting guard (Joseph or KCP at the Room Exception). Then you sign JaVale McGee or Robin Lopez, Muscala, Rondo, etc to minimum deals and give minimum contracts to Korver and JR Smith when they're bought out. That's how one scenario would work. I hope Pelinka finds a place to dump Wagner, Bonga and Jones, but if he can't they can occupy the 14th, 15th and 16th roster spots, with the rookie (THT) the 17th (unless they cut him). This is going to be a wild ride and one that may lead to some disappointment.

There will be some disappointment but I haven't been this happy since 2013. Of course bringing in Howard and Nash didn't work out but we are on the verge with LeBron, AD, and Kuz of getting back on top. I am excited but nervous too. Fun times.

[3Peatkb24]

Rob Pelinka is my new hero.

[KobeMVP888]

Rob Pelinka is my new hero.

He's free from Magic, who frankly didn't know what the fuck he was doing outside of (maybe) getting LeBron here. My guess is that LeBron would have come regardless. Kobe Bryant would never have had a numbskull as his agent. He required intelligence, savvy and a through the roof work ethic. That is what he expected from his teammates and I'm sure anyone who works with him. So this narrative that somehow Pelinka is incompetent has always been a farce. He might be disliked by certain agents like Aaron Mintz who are jealous of him, but he obviously knows how to make deals. I am certain that the Lance, Rondo, Beasley, McGee signings were more Magic than Pelinka. Pelinka understands the modern game better than that.

The irony of all this is that from the time Kobe retired (and even before that), the Busses have never waffled from their grand plan, which was always to bring in superstars. The tanking not only worked, but in every draft, the ping pong balls bounced our way. So in large part, we have to give some credit to Jim and Mitch, too. They helped create the pool of assets they enabled us to create cap space and eventually land LeBron and trade for AD. Now we are one superstar away from creating one of the greatest Big Threes in history. This is similar to what Pat Riley pulled off with the Heatles, although that was more player collusion than anything else because they all took discounts so they could sign a shooter (Mike Miller). What Rob Pelinka is pulling off is much more difficult IMO.

So now there isn't one bad contract on the team. Max contracts have the most value because superstars typically outplay the capped value of their contracts. Kuzma is cheap and the Lakers can extend him next season like they did with Clarkson. The second round pick, THT, will also be cheap. I can assure you that the rest of the roster will also come on reasonable deals, whether we get Kawhi, Kyrie or Butler as max players or bust it into multiple players.

If and when Pelinka rounds out a solid, deep roster, any of us who questioned him will simply eat crow. So far he's flipped the narrative. Stay tuned.

[3Peatkb24]

Rob Pelinka is my new hero.

He's free from Magic, who frankly didn't know what the fuck he was doing outside of (maybe) getting LeBron here. My guess is that LeBron would have come regardless. Kobe Bryant would never have had a numbskull as his agent. He required intelligence, savvy and a through the roof work ethic. That is what he expected from his teammates and I'm sure anyone who works with him. So this narrative that somehow Pelinka is incompetent has always been a farce. He might be disliked by certain agents like Aaron Mintz who are jealous of him, but he obviously knows how to make deals. I am certain that the Lance, Rondo, Beasley, McGee signings were more Magic than Pelinka. Pelinka understands the modern game better than that.

The irony of all this is that from the time Kobe retired (and even before that), the Busses have never waffled from their grand plan, which was always to bring in superstars. The tanking not only worked, but in every draft, the ping pong balls bounced our way. So in large part, we have to give some credit to Jim and Mitch, too. They helped create the pool of assets they enabled us to create cap space and eventually land LeBron and trade for AD. Now we are one superstar away from creating one of the greatest Big Threes in history. This is similar to what Pat Riley pulled off with the Heatles, although that was more player collusion than anything else because they all took discounts so they could sign a shooter (Mike Miller). What Rob Pelinka is pulling off is much more difficult IMO.

So now there isn't one bad contract on the team. Max contracts have the most value because superstars typically outplay the capped value of their contracts. Kuzma is cheap and the Lakers can extend him next season like they did with Clarkson. The second round pick, THT, will also be cheap. I can assure you that the rest of the roster will also come on reasonable deals, whether we get Kawhi, Kyrie or Butler as max players or bust it into multiple players.

If and when Pelinka rounds out a solid, deep roster, any of us who questioned him will simply eat crow. So far he's flipped the narrative. Stay tuned.

I have no ill will toward Magic, he got the ball rolling by getting LeBron and the McGee signing was actually good as well. I know the way he left the team eats at people but he did bring in LeBron. Having said that what Pelinka is doing right now is exceptional. We may end up with Kawhi. That would be unreal. Jeanie did well by keeping Pelinka and not firing him. We have all kind of options, this is going to be fun come Sunday.

[lakerevolution]

I like Beverly's fire and tenacity. It just seems that players play differently when they throw on the P & G. Like it's a shroud of darkness. Kareem, Silk, Shaq, Horry, Fox, Odom and Gasol flourished but with the arrival of Metta World (after his championship 3-pointer and beginning with his Harden elbow) we have had some Baaad Ju-Ju. Kobe's avalanche of injuries, Cliff Paul, Dwight Coward, Steve Nash, the whole Ball sack , Ingram's health issues . . hopefully LeBron has some serious gas left in the tank or that deal will be a bust.

I like what we are doing though. It all centers around Vogel and his vision.

[KobeMVP888]

It all centers around Vogel and his vision.

I have to disagree with that somewhat. How can Frank Vogel have a vision when all he knows right now is that he has 3 players to work with? If its LeBron-Brow centric, that's one thing, but if Kawhi joins the mix, it's another thing altogether. Then again, he'll likely be in this rumored meeting with Kawhi, so he's bound to lay things out, but this meeting will probably have more of a LaMarcus Aldridge flavor to it because Kawhi knows damn well who he'll be playing be playing with. Tim Harris and perhaps Judy Seto might be importantpeople at this alleged meeting. Superstars at that level are willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Rev, you don't have to look further than a few miles from your home to know that. The Heatles did it. The KG-Pierce-Shuttlesworth threesome did it right out of the gate. Timmy-Tony Parker-Manu-Kawhi did it. Magic-Kareem-Worthy did it. Yet I digress.

I do love Frank Vogel for this job, although 3Peat would obviously have a better feel for him and he isn't wild about him. Vogel made it work with a Big Three of Paul George, David West and Roy Stiffert (and there was Lance, of course). He is an analytics geek and defense fanatic, which to me is invaluable. Never mind Kawhi, but LeBron and Brow will "two man game" teams to death, so putting the ball in the hoop will be academic. Kawhi adds the Killer that LeBron needs; we simply do not know whether Brow has that last minute of the game killer instinct in him. Yet I digress again ..

The latest rumor is that KD and Kawhi are collaborating on teaming up either on the Knicks or LogoClipps. I have no idea how anyone would know that, given that Kawhi is in Barbados right now and they are the two most button lipped free agents of all-time.

Starting tomorrow, we will be on the wildest free agent ride in NBA history. There are TWELVE roster spots to fill! Wow!! May the ping pong balls bounce our way once more. STAY THE FUCK TUNED!!!