Roster Improvement: Free Agents Now and Later?

Lakerjones wrote:

therealdeal wrote:^ Minnesota!

I've been saying this in NBA Discussion for a couple of days!

^^ Shows how much I go over there!

Yeah, might be cool. But Weezy is right, Gay does seem to get injured a lot, which is the only thing that gives me pause (Pau's).

Still might do it anyway though. At least it's high talent back. I hate the idea of trading Pau for peanuts.

Even with Gay, it might be better to hold off and wait til the summer. Pau is our ONLY real trading chip. Have to be careful there. He's going to have so much more value then.

Also if we trade for Gay, that's kind of it for us. We'll be strapped with that contract like Memphis is now.

Finwë wrote:

therealdeal wrote:I don't understand the first one... No team in the NBA wants Dwight to sign with another team besides the Lakers more than Cleveland...

Cleveland wants Dwight to sign with another team more than most NBA teams?... Did I translate that right?

And if so, why? If Dwight signs elsewhere, then we have even MORE room to sign someone like LeBron AND someone else...

Either it was a writing mistake or he was talking about how signing Dwight would make us a more appealing destination for LeBron. In 2014 only Nash and Dwight would be on the books, right? That would probably leave room for LeBron too. I guess that's what they fear, that we sign Dwight and LeBron finds us attractive as a place to come play in

Vlade_12 wrote:Would you guys do this trade:

Gasol, Ebanks for

Derrik Williams, Brandon Roy, JJ Barea, Alexey Shed

Buy out Brandon Roy

we add a stretch 4, a nice wing backup, a solid point guard.. Give us depth and quickness

The Lakers have until January 15 to request a disabled players exception for Jordan Hill. If granted the team
would gain an exception worth half of Jordan's $3.56 million salary. So $1.78 million that can be used to sign a player outright - although it can only be used on a one-year deal.

Addtionally it can be used in trade - the Lakers would be able to acquire a player making up to $1.88 million without sending any salary out - although by new rules, the player coming in can only be on a one-year deal.

There's no guarantee the team applies for it - no guarantee the league grants it - but if the Lakers were interested, they only have a few days to put it in.

Doc Brown wrote:Delonte West isn't that much of an upgrade?

J.J. Redick Drawing Trade Interest From Several Teams



Rob Hennigan has informed J.J. Redick that several teams have an active interest in trading for him.

"First of all, you have to hope that there’s another team that wants you because there are never any guarantees there," Redick said. "The way I approach things and the way I have been approaching things recently is to just focus on the day. I do feel overwhelmed at times if I try to picture myself a month from now (at the trade deadline) or six months from now in free agency. It’s just not worth worrying right now.

"At the (trade) deadline, maybe there’s an offer that (GM) Rob (Hennigan) has to consider. But I don’t get any indication from him that they are actively looking to move me," Redick continued. "So if I’m here past the deadline, that’s the first hurdle."

Redick, 28, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Scouts Advice Bobcats To Trade 2013 Draft Pick

By Rick Bonnell
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

The 2012 NBA draft was good, not great.

It had one can’t-miss prospect (New Orleans big man Anthony Davis), another quick-emerging star (Portland point guard Damian Lillard) and a bunch of guys who’ll be solid contributors with lengthy careers.

If two NBA scouts who travel the country each college basketball season are right, the 2013 draft won’t come close to that.

The Observer consulted with two long-time scouts (neither connected to the Charlotte Bobcats) as conference seasons commence in the college game. Each works for a team likely to have a top-10 pick. Each spoke on condition of anonymity because neither is authorized by his employer to speak publicly on draft prospects.

While the two conversations were separate, each conveyed the same conclusion: This isn’t the year a franchise-changer will emerge from the draft process

“I don’t think this is a good draft,” said one scout. “This is the year you should consider trading your draft pick – no matter where it is.”

That could be important in Charlotte, where the Bobcats at 9-24 look like they’ll miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.

At their current place in the standings, the Bobcats would avoid turning their 2013 pick over to the Chicago Bulls to complete the Tyrus Thomas trade. Also, the Bobcats could end up with an extra first-round pick if the Portland Trail Blazers selection is outside the top 12, completing the Gerald Wallace trade.

It sounds unlikely the Bobcats or any other lottery-bound team would find a difference-maker in 2013.

“The draft lottery was always supposed to be about exceptional players going to the worst teams,” said one of the scouts. “We’ve eroded the concept of ‘exceptional’ – exceptional doesn’t really exist anymore.”

Both scouts say that erosion can be traced to the so-called “one-and-done” rule that governs draft eligibility. Under the collective-bargaining agreement, U.S. players can’t be in the draft until they’re at least one season removed from their high school graduating class.

The unintended consequence of that, these scouts say, is players with pro aspirations now consider one season of college ball the maximum they should stay.

“Now they think one season is the ceiling, not just the floor,” one scout said. “That creates a problem.”

The problem, both said, is while this is better than kids turning pro out of high school, you’re still using high picks on players a long way from finished products. The days when a Tim Duncan, Grant Hill or Chris Mullin entered the NBA, with a clear understanding of how those players would fit, are long over.

To describe this dynamic’s effect, one scout mentioned UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad and projected him hypothetically with the Bobcats. He mentioned that while Muhammad will be a high pick, he is flawed and inexperienced and would be redundant to much of what Michael Kidd-Gilchrist already provides the Bobcats.

“That’s what we all do,” the scout concluded. “We draft guys who are a lot like the ones we already have, only the guys we already have are better at least right now.

“But these guys are younger, so we get excited in the moment. And then you come to realize you haven’t changed much with your high pick.”

Source: Rudy Gay Likely To Stay With Grizzlies This Season



By Ronald Tillery
Posted January 13, 2013 at 7:32 p.m.

There is plenty of talk about the Grizzlies and by the Grizzlies these days as it relates to the immediate future of key players and head coach Lionel Hollins.

However, members of the team's new ownership group and front office continue to remain quiet — at least publicly.

Griz CEO Jason Levien declined to comment when asked recently about persistent reports that the team is shopping Rudy Gay and gauging the value of other core players such as Zach Randolph.

It's true that the franchise's mode of operation is now predicated on a delicate and tricky task of trying to sustain winning while addressing financial concerns.

It is true that Griz brass has spoken to every team in the NBA about their roster over the past month. That league tour by the team's new management has produced daily rumors about possible deals, most of which involve Gay.

It's also true that the Griz have shown no desire to simply give away their top talent, according to sources with knowledge of the team's mild trade discussions. Although Levien has chosen not to respond publicly to the rampant speculation, he has talked to Gay and his representative.

According to a person with knowledge of those conversations, Gay is likely to remain a Grizzly through the end of this season. The message to Gay at the moment is that if he is dealt by the league's Feb. 21 trade deadline, then the Griz will have been offered a no-brainer scenario.

For example, the Griz have entertained the Washington Wizards' offer for Gay. The crux of that exchange would have the Griz receiving rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal in a larger package. The proposals for Randolph have been even weaker.

None of the potential deals has merit because they aren't believed to be strong enough to keep the Griz on their current pace.

Memphis (24-11) stands fourth in the Western Conference standings. The Griz are just two games behind San Antonio for the Southwest Division lead and 3½ games behind Oklahoma City for the West's top spot.

Gay and Randolph are the Grizzlies' highest-paid players. Each will earn about $16.5 million this season and both players are due more than $17 million for the 2013-14 campaign. The reality is that one of them will be traded in the next two years because Griz ownership doesn't want to be a repeat luxury-tax payer — something that is more punitive in the league's new collective bargaining agreement.

Memphis will have a $4 million luxury tax bill for this season unless it sheds salary.

Finances could be a factor in several decisions by the Grizzlies' new ownership group, which is made up of more than 50 people. In fairness, former Griz owner Michael Heisley gave Gay a maximum-salary contract and Gay simply might not be worth the money to his new bosses.

Meanwhile, Hollins is coaching the final year of his contract without knowing where the organization is leaning with regard to a new deal. Hollins, the team's all-time winningest coach with a 10-10 playoff record, surely will seek a raise from his $2 million salary.

There have been no concrete talks about a contract extension between the Griz and Hollins' agent, Warren LeGarie.

While Levien and his newly assembled management team have been routinely visible and graciously accessible, Griz principal owner Robert Pera is only known to have attended two games. Pera last saw the Griz play Wednesday when they finished a three-game trip with a win at Golden State. Pera also sat courtside in FedExForum for the Grizzlies' home opener against Utah on Nov. 5.

He's had little to no contact with the players, coaching staff or media.

The reserved style is a departure from what Griz fans were used to during Heisley's ownership. Heisley was known for his regular interaction with players and coaches, and his public discourse regarding any issue facing the team on and off the court.

That was then.

Now, with Hollins' future suspect and trade winds blowing hard around players, there is absolute quiet from Pera and Levien's perch at the top as a reasonable question looms: What kind of storm — if any — might be coming?

Tayshaun Prince Assured Pistons Won't Include Him In Trade Discussions



Tayshaun Prince has been assured the Detroit Pistons won’t field trade offers for him, and the two sides have “never” discussed dealing Prince, agent Bill Duffy told RealGM in an extended feature profile.

“I know there are a lot of contending teams that I can help,” Prince told RealGM. “But right now, this is the team I have to help. Everybody wants to be in the position where they have a chance of winning a championship every year, but obviously it doesn’t work that way.”