The reason I've been using Middleton's name is he's the guy you all want. Carroll is a more realistic target given how much money we've got and that he's an Unrestricted Free Agent. I know you guys all want Middelton, but Carroll is my guy. My dream now is draft Okafor, sign Carroll, sign Mo Williams, re-sign Davis and Ellington. Draft D. Johnson and Justin Anderson. Clarkson/Williams/Price Bryant/Ellington/Brown Carroll/Young/Anderson Randle/Black/Kelly Okafor/Davis/Johnson I know it's and full deck, but you go into camp/pre-season like that and make cuts as necessary.
Pretty close to my dream offseason if you swap out Carroll for Middleton. Carroll makes me a little nervous because he's older and only has played well the last two seasons. Middleton's rookie year was a typical rookie year and then he turned it around and is growing in a way where he seems to project well. Carroll also might be a bit of a system player. That being said, I would not be at all upset if we ended up with Carroll. A plus for Carroll is while I mentioned him being older earlier as a negative, it could end up as a positive for the simple fact that we need some veteran leadership once Kobe is gone. In a perfect world we draft Winslow at 5, Upshaw at 27 and sign Middleton...then all of them end up fulfilling their potential/keep their heads on straight (Upshaw), and we have a starting 5 that is all under 25 years old with championship level talent. Problem is that won't happen. Having Carroll as a veteran leader along with maybe Mo Williams could be invaluable. If we draft Okafor (or Towns or WCS for that matter), then I think we should go for sf and pg with our 27th and 34th. Not sure if having two rookies in the center spot is a wise choice, especially since with Black and Davis, we have backup center pretty much covered. Draft Anderson at 27 and Lucas at 34 to go with Okafor. Yes, but I think Harris doesn't fit as well as Middleton. Like I said earlier somewhere, Harris is a 3-4 tweener. We have Randle already for that. If we plan on going for Durant, he's a 3-4 tweener. Middleton is a definite wing and can move to the 2 depending on our future free agent acquisitions.
I'm fine with Lucas and Anderson. I like Lucas's build. I think he could be a solid kid in a couple years. I like Carroll's age actually for exactly the reason you stated. Someone not old, but has been around the block. We can overpay for him and still have plenty of room next season to keep building. He'd come from around nd successful team and system and bring that smart basketball here. No he wouldn't likely develop into anything better than he is now, but he'd be a damn solid piece and would be a good locker room presence.
Can you guys imagine LMA on the Spurs? Parker Ginobili Kawhi Aldridge Duncan Geez. That wouldn't even be fair.
They have around 18M in cap space including Middleton's cap hold. If they match a max offer to Middleton starting at 15.8M, they don't have enough left to add anything but bench depth. They'll have space next year just like everyone else because of the cap skyrocketing, but they'll also have Henson & Plumlee becoming Restricted Free Agents. With nearly every team in the league having space next year, they'll have a tougher time bringing in FA's. Right now they're a young exciting playoff team that took everyone by surprise. They need to take advantage of the hype & recruit a big FA. Not that I'd be interested unless it was very good value, but Hibbert might also opt out. All of the talk from the Pacers about moving him to the bench next season could easily push him out the door.
Until I hear otherwise from someone in the Bucks front office, I am going to believe them when they repeatedly state they will match any offers Middleton.
Leonard wants to be a Spur, and the Spurs are expected to come calling on July 1 with the max offer that they resisted delivering Leonard in the preseason, a move born out of preserving cap space to bring on a star free agent this summer. The Spurs can't be sure how they'll proceed on July 1 until they know Duncan's and Ginobili's plans. Whatever they decide, the possibility of pursuing Aldridge on the recruiting trail could offer the Spurs the chance to do the only thing that they've never done in the NBA: Lure an All-Star free agent in his prime, beat New York and Los Angeles somewhere besides the basketball court. For those who want to win, for those unimpressed with the empty promises of sideways big-market franchises, Kawhi Leonard ought to be July's most persuasive recruiter: all action, all the time. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-ka...ee-agent-recruiter-this-summer-084241791.html So, Leonard staying with the Spurs is no surprise; obviously, we should all have expected that. Nevertheless, he's an integral part of their plans going forward as the Spurs chase Aldridge to pair with Leonard, and possibly Ginobli, and Duncan.
If thaddeus young opts out he could be a nice option. Although I suspect he won't opt out with almost 11 million owed to him
If I was Mitch, I'd offer Leonard the absolute maximum. And pitch to him that we have two young great talents (randle, clarkson) and a possible third one (lottery) himself (Kwai) and a host of great role players.
The Woj article specifically pointed to two things. Leonard wants to be in San Antonio; he doesn't desire to play anywhere else. Secondly, the Spurs are going to offer him a max-contract which will allow him to be paid more than any other team that's going to offer him on the market. So, if he's going to get paid max-money in a place he loves playing, why would he even listen to other suitors? It's not happening.
Can someone please embed the video on Kevin Ding's twitter? He talks about under the radar free agents the Lakers could potentially pursue this summer.
I saw your original post with the iframe code. I just added support for it so it should work from now on. Just use that media button and copy/paste the code into it.
