Official: Unsubstantiated Trade Suggestions, Speculation, And Rumors

If we shed Clarkson and stretched Deng in the summer (and waived our Bird Rights to Pope/Lopez/Ennis/Bryant/Weber/Blue/Zimmerman/Beachum) we'd have:

Randle- 12.45 (Cap Hold)
Ball- 7.46
Deng- 7.362
Ingram- 5.76
Nance Jr.- 2.27
Kuzma- 1.69
Hart- 1.66
Zubac- 1.54

Total= 43.1 million (after minimum Cap Holds)

The cap is expected to rise, but if it remains the same we'd end up with just about 59 million to spend. That would be enough to do any combination of LeBron or Westbrook and George. We could max George and Cousins. Or guys could take some discounts to get us where we need to be.

 

And also, this might be where the team doing right by our players might pay off because while we might have to release some players, I believe we can still say "just wait until we sign the two big contracts, and then we will take care of you" to Lopez or Pope, or both. Still sign them to a lucrative contract that just had to be structured different to accommodate getting two stars.

Hopefully we would have enough of a track record for that promise to carry some weight with it.

 

I believe we can (will) do that with Brook if we get the chance. We could sign him to the room exception with a player option in order to keep his bird rights, then he can simply extend past that the next year for more money.

KCP might be a casualty of getting max guys. I still suspect we'll move Randle in order to clear more space though barring a season where Randle shoots 35% from deep.

Still, my ideal scenario has LeBron or Westbrook and George agreeing to take slightly less than the max to play here. That would mean we could potentially keep 2/3 of Brook, KCP, and Randle while still getting two max players.

 

He wouldn't be taking mid level because that's what he earned. He'd be taking it because he understands that we have to structure his contract creatively to add two max guys and compete for a championship.

You get mid level or something different than what he's really worth up front with the understanding that it's just an arrangement to allow for competing for a championship and we will take care of him and make up for it after a year or so.

And anticipating your response, you might not like those odds, but it is what it is unless the two max guys opt to take less to accommodate paying Lopez better up front.

 

Not to mention: tell me the team that is paying Lopez big money next year.

 

You're not getting it.

He's not settling for the MLE. He's trusting that we give him the MLE now and a big pay day later because we promise we will, and have a track record of following through on our promises, and taking care of our players.

So he's not losing out on any money. He just has to believe that we won't screw him by reneging on our agreement.

 

What we're talking about is technically illegal, but it happens all over the league. These are the sorts of rule bending that get Miami three superstars.

 

Except Miami never did give Wade a big payday in the end for all those years taking a paycut for Bosh and Lebron

 

He only has to take one year of MLE. We have his Bird Rights.

He signs a 2/8.5 million dollar deal with a Player Option on the second year "to play with a great team". The next summer he opts out, we use his Bird Rights to give him a giant extension worth 4/70 million or something.

Easy.

 

No, you're not getting it as real spells out for you above. He's not taking multiple years at MLE.

You can be a skeptic all you want, but this is our only play unless we can unload Deng, and Lopez might just do it to stay with a contended.

It's not unrealistic

 

Nowhere else. It's impoosible.