it actually makes sense for russ, even with a partial guarantee on the third year. nobody is even using 25 per on him on the open market, and he risks becoming a vet min guy if he plays out his 47 million next year, imo. mle tops. so you figure, at best, he gets his 47 then gets a three year mle deal after that somewhere (again, i think if you look at others with his profile, that's optimistic). 3 years 75 gets you all that in one fewer year. say only 50% is guaranteed in the third year, you still net 62.5 in two years (more than 47 + one year of full mle) AND are free to sign elsewhere should you be cut. from our side, the free agent crop this year is super weak, and the following year (when we theoretically have a ton of space) looks fairly bleak too. accepting russ for an extra year or two could help use replenish some of the mid-tier salary players (and trade assets) we lost in acquiring three stars. and as svtzr said, russ becomes tradeable should things go south in a hurry. this is probably the route i'd pursue. and honestly, i'd probably use the savings just to bring guys back. monk in particular, but maybe nunn, too, depending. if this year taught us anything, we need some continuity if we're going to compete. the west really isn't that strong right now, and we made a strategic error by showing up with an entirely brand new squad. i think it's part of why the FO gave vogel bradley, tbh. throwing the poor guy a bone.
two years from now? if he wants to win, he might be on vet mins. i'm sure dwight howard, andre drummond, blake griffin and a bunch of other current serial vet mins didn't see it coming either.
Guards who can't shoot in their mid 30s are getting paid? he's more of a big man in a lot of ways (i.e. dunker spot on offense)
kemba got mle, but for one year. next contract will be smaller. and like pioneer said, russ is only kind of a guard. guards who can't shoot are not at a premium in the league.
He's a point guard not a two. Every one is in love with scorers. Meh..assists and rebounding count a bit more than some of you guys think. Washington actually panned that trade twice, because they valued Russ more than for his shooting.
Kemba is a career 5 assists guy too, he's another small two masquerading as a point. They are not the same caliber player.
I think you're being delusional frankly. Just go thru teams and see who needs/want Russ above the MLE: Maybe Boston? They need someone who can push the pace and distribute. They have guys who can space the floor ATL: lol (young) Brooklyn: lol (kyrie, mills) Charlotte: lol (lemelo) Chicago: lol (ball, caruso) Cleveland: lol (garland) Detroit: lol (they're going to give the key to Cade for awhile) Indiana: lol (brogdon) Miami: lol (lowry, he doesn't fit all with Butler) Milwaukee: lol (holiday) New York: lol (The coach would have an aneurysm having to deal with Russ' defense) Orlando: why? Philly: lol (about the worst fit for Embiid as you can get) Toronto: lol (they value shooting and length) Washington: lol (Dinwiddie) Dallas: lol (terrible fit with Luka) Denver: lol (Murray) GS: lol Houston: lol Memphis: lol Minnesota: why? NO: terrible fit with Zion OKC: lol Phoenix: lol Portland: maybe if trade Lillard? Sac: lol SAS: another coach who would have aneurysm coaching Russ) Utah: lol
Bunch of nonsense man. "Fit" is another one of the most overused phrases in basketball. Higher end players, fit with other higher end players period,. Westbrook has been more successful than Paul, Lillard, or basically every PG you can name besides Steph(the best small two masquerading as a point guard) and Lowry in the regular season or playoffs, Poor shooting numbers and all. The Lakers are going to the Finals this season (IF HEALTHY) because of Westbrook too.
I'm sorry but this is insane: the Lakers would instantly swap out Paul, Lillard for Westbrook without hesitation. Players game (the loss of athleticism in particular for Westbrook making it harder from to cancel out his weaknesses) and the nature of game changes
minny, NO, portland, maybe dallas, maybe the knicks. and none of them exceed MLE, imo. there's not a huge market for russ, imo. and he's not getting better. this is why i think it makes sense for him to opt out and re-up with us for substantially less--because it will still be more than he'll make overall if he opts in and enters FA in 2023.
I agree with this. Unfortunately nothing Russ has said this year makes me think he sees any decline in his game or ability. I would not be surprised if he thinks he can still command top dollar in 2023.
That said, gotta think (or hope) the front office sees the upside with Monk and is already figuring out some ways to keep him here.
