Official 2016 Free Agency Thread

Raptors have a really solid team. They'll probably get to the East Finals if they stay in the second spot and they may even catch the Cavaliers. If they make it to the East Finals I have a hard time seeing DeRozan leave that team.

 

Let's hope they flame out.

 

Demar said (more than a few times), that he's more than happy in TOR. I believe him

 

Just an FYI, but auto-replace for C Bags does its magic on URLs too.

 

Just going off some of the names that stood out on the last handful of pages:

GS choosing between Barnes and Iggy is a real possibility. Barnes joins Batum and Derozan as excellent backup plans. I would have the wings as Tier 1 - KD, Butler(rumor),Iggy. Tier 2: Barnes, Derozan, Batum. Any combo of Tier 1 and Tier 2 wings would be sick signings.

Whiteside scares me more than he excites me. I'm not very high on the bigs in this class, including Horford. I think we'd be better off trying to trade for a big like Cousins, Love, Noah, Monroe and signing a wing. It's buy low time for all of them except for Cousins, and even that could be argued. Otherwise I might try to get Hibbert at good value and focus on wings and high quality depth.

I'm not sure if the Jimmy Butler talk was just dreaming out loud, but if there's a chance to acquire him I'd put that right at the top of my list. Landing Butler and Noah, then bringing Thibs in would give us the identity we've been searching for, along with the young star who is ready to lead the team right now. If we hang on to Randle I could see him thriving on that hard nosed identity and becoming even more of a monster.

If we have Thibs coaching: Any 2 of - Butler/KD/Iggy/ Barnes/Derozan/Batum - along with Noah/Cousins/Hibbert - Randle - possibly 1 of JC/DAR + role players, I think we instantly become 1 of the top defensive teams in the league.

 

DD said his two favorite players are Kobe and Wade, if we were to nab him then Kobe and Jeanie would have to sell that pitch, hard. Kobe because he idolized him and Jeanie because she can sell the playing at home factor. If he leaves, it has nothing to do with the product we put on the floor next year.

 

There are two kinds of employees with the Knicks: Jackson's guys and Dolan's guys. Jackson tried to move out some of Dolan's people, but never got his way. Within both groups, there are some real, smart talented people. Jackson has made solid personnel decisions in free agency, and wisely kept the No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft to select Kristaps Porzingis. Still, the coach, the system, will be important in free-agent recruiting, because most believe Jackson is a short-timer on the job.

The Knicks have a real chance to sell Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook in 2017 – New York and Porzingis has his attention, yes – and Jackson ought to start constructing an elite coaching staff to begin that process with Westbrook and with free agents beyond him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/if-phi...e-else-061839486.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

 

I don't see it. Westbrook is gonna pass on a chance to play with Porzingis and an over the hill Melo over coming home and playing with a young, but talented Lakers roster that he can lead?

 

Possibly. You just never know. Sometimes, people don't like the distraction of coming 'home' and typically avoid it because of all the distractions. New York is a great location for Westbrook, and has a huge fashion scene; they have a cornerstone in Kristaps potentially, too. I can see how you can make an intriguing case for Russell.

That said, I think he comes home, and we can sell him on being the man in Los Angeles and bring us back to respectability. I think he'll like that equation a bit more, IMO.

 

After accepting a buyout from the Milwaukee Bucks to step away from the NBA last season, Larry Sanders told The Vertical he plans to pursue a return to the NBA once his off-court ventures stabilize.

"Once my art, music and passions off the court feel stable, I will look into coming back," Sanders told The Vertical. "I still love basketball. I want stability around me, and part of my mindset to leave was not to put all my eggs in one basket.

“I feel highly valuable on any team. There aren't a lot of people who can bring my game to a team. I still play basketball all the time, staying in shape. I will need to make sure the situation is right for me.”

Sanders, an athletic shot-blocker at 6-foot-11, became one of the league’s most promising centers during five seasons with the Bucks. He had a career year in 2012-13, averaging 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 71 games, which culminated in his participation with USA Basketball and a $44 million extension.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/larry-sanders-to--look-into-coming-back--to-nba-151157576.html

 

Meh... we have Upshaw .