2016 Official NBA Off-Season Thread: Former Greatness

[Proposition Joe]

I'll take Dwight here in San antonio

 

[Bend_The_Knee]

 

[EddieDoyers]

Women's soccer is way more entertaining than the WNBA
Women's volleyball too

Easily..

But to be honest, I'd rather watch the us women's soccer team before I watched the us men

And women's tennis > men's

Oh man I forgot about woman's tennis too
I will make a concession though
WNBA is better than golf

 

[shoeking2102]

the Hamptons are less than an hour from my house

might need to head over there & make my pitch

Give my doc my best. 

 

[nick.]

Marc Stein is saying the Celtics & Hawks will meet with Dwight Howard July 1st

 

[shoeking2102]

View media item 2085046

 

[shoeking2102]

I should add that if KD did make it clear that he wanted to go to SAS the spurs could and would maneuver to make it happen financially, and it wouldn't be too hard. Just throwing that out there.

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

@highkin
Danny Ainge: "Dwight, you do know that our city is nicknamed Beantown, and beans are a food that make you fart."

Dwight: "Done."

 

[Proposition Joe]

View media item 2085046

Manu and Duncan are done

 

[Peep Game]

View media item 2085052

 

[shoeking2102]

What nobody is talking about: The Clippers can outright sign Durant, w/o having to part with Griffin, and Durant doesn't have to take a massive paycut for it to happen.

 
"I don't quite understand, however, why more people aren't talking about the Clippers just... signing Kevin Durant.  By my estimation, the team can move all of their salary except for the big 3, and offer Durant a salary pretty damn close to his max--a little over 24 million as opposed to his maximum salary of 26.6 million.  If the salary cap comes in higher than the projected 94 million, that gap shrinks, because the Clippers' room grows as the cap does while Durant's max grows approximately 30 cents for every dollar the cap goes up.  That means if, for example, the salary cap goes up from 94 million to 96 million, the Clippers would now be able to offer a little more than 26 million to Durant, and his maximum salary would only have moved up to approximately 27.2 million--shrinking his potential pay cut in half.

What would it take to get that money for Durant?  Well, it wouldn't be pretty, but it's definitely possible.  Right now, the only non-big three contracts that the Clippers have are J.J. Redick  ($7.4M), Paul Pierce  ($3.5M), and C.J. Wilcox  ($1.2M).  Wilcox and Redick are both valuable pieces for their salary and the Clippers could move them to any number of teams free of issue, maybe bringing back future picks in return.  Pierce's contract is a little rougher, but if he refuses to retire the Clippers could easily make him a package deal with Redick, and teams would still line up to take on 11 million of salary for the sharpshooter.  Beyond moving those guys, the Clippers would have to cut Branden Dawson's non-guaranteed contract, trade or renounce Brice Johnson's draft rights, and renounce all of their free agent cap holds.  Then there you have it: the Clippers' cap sheet would consist of Paul, Griffin, Jordan, a $24,063,927 salary for Kevin Durant, and eight roster holds.

The obvious criticism is that the roster would have to be filled out with all minimum-salaried players, but if you put those four stars together in your starting lineup, they will come.  Players like David West  last summer would take less money to join a stacked roster, and we saw it in Miami with the big three: if you put enough star talent on a team, limited role players and ring-chasing veterans can do enough around the edges to win you a championship.

In my estimation, this is probably the most attractive offer that the Clippers can make to Durant--not "we'll trade Blake for you" or even "we'll trade Blake or DJ for a cheap package and then sign you", but "we'll get rid of everything else and put you together with three other superstars".  It's a long shot, and the rest of the roster would be thin, but if Kevin Durant makes a commitment to join your team then the other pieces around the edges become incredibly less important.  Why are we willing to discuss the Warriors and Spurs trading an important piece (Danny Green  and Boris Diaw, or Andre Iguodala) and letting their free agents walk (Boban, Duncan, Manu or Barnes, Ezeli, Rush) to grab Durant, but the Clippers doing the same thing (with Redick and Rivers, Crawford, and Green) is off the table?

When the Clippers' three stars travel with Doc Rivers  and Steve Ballmer on Friday to meet with Kevin Durant in the Hamptons, I think that this might be the pitch that they put forward.  It could end up being a very hard one for Durant to say no to. "

- It is still a longshot that Durant leaves OKC, but LAC I think would be extremely appealing to Durant if they sold him on this. GSW aside, The Clips Big 3 plus KD is probably the most appealing aside from staying in OKC. The team would be thin as hell, but players would come to play with them and some sort of creativity and maneuvering would have to happen in order for KD to join SAS or GSW. Getting KD for GSW would be a for sure upgrade, but they too would have to lose a lot of support pieces just like LAC. Also good for LAC that apparently Blake, CP, and DJ will be at the meeting for KD.

- The Warriors are obviously the most appealing from a ring perspective, but I just can't imagine Durant joining a 73 win team that beat him in the postseason. Not ruling it out but it's one of those things that I would have to see to believe. 

- I think the big 3 in LAC plus durant is a bit more appealing than what SAS could offer but that may be a bit of bias on my part. 

- No other teams in regards to this durant chase really matter.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

LAC Big 4 plus 8 minimum salary players, I don't see it happening but it's interesting none the less 

 

[shoeking2102]

 
LAC Big 4 plus 8 minimum salary players, I don't see it happening but it's interesting none the less 

The idea of KD actually leaving OKC to me is farfetched in general. It's a great situation and from the outside looking in, there's no pressing need for him to leave unless he leget is fed up w/OKC.

That being said, if he does want to leave and is open to it, joing LAC with Paul, DJ, and Blake is ofr sure appealing, I think. The fact that he wouldn't have to take that big of a paycut for it to happen is even more appealing.

Also, the official Cap hasn't actually been released yet. If it ends up being a bit more than 94 million, the distance between wha tthe Clips would pay and the actual max could shrink even more. 

I think the pitch to KD will be this, not trading blake griffin.

 

[MVP]

Why would he take a dime less than the max salary? Especially even it doesn't even guarantee you a conference finals birth let alone a chip.

 

[jumpmanpro97]

Dwight to the Celtics? The LA hate for that guy would go thru the roof!

 

[MVP]

Dwight to the Celtics? The LA hate for that guy would go thru the roof!

Actually it'd be the exact opposite as he destroys that locker room as well.

 

[wavycrocket]

Clips gotta push Paul pierce's retirement. If they could somehow keep JJ...and add KD without losing DJ or Blake...my lord.

Paul Pierce was the most washed player in the league last year on the low. Dude really should not be playing basketball anymore

 

[jumpmanpro97]

Wade to the clippers and Griffin for Melo. Team banana boat 3/4 complete

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

 
The idea of KD actually leaving OKC to me is farfetched in general. It's a great situation and from the outside looking in, there's no pressing need for him to leave unless he leget is fed up w/OKC.

That being said, if he does want to leave and is open to it, joing LAC with Paul, DJ, and Blake is ofr sure appealing, I think. The fact that he wouldn't have to take that big of a paycut for it to happen is even more appealing.

Also, the official Cap hasn't actually been released yet. If it ends up being a bit more than 94 million, the distance between wha tthe Clips would pay and the actual max could shrink even more. 

I think the pitch to KD will be this, not trading blake griffin.

Yeah definitely agree on your points. It was encouraging for OKC fans that KD actually commented on the Vic move "it was good, he's my buddy" but at the same time nothing surprises me anymore.. leaving would be shocking but not surprising if that makes sense

 

[jumpmanpro97]

Clips gotta push Paul pierce's retirement. If they could somehow keep JJ...and add KD without losing DJ or Blake...my lord.

Paul Pierce was the most washed player in the league last year on the low. Dude really should not be playing basketball anymore

Felt like he wasn't used as the right way. Not sure if it was his age or just Doc Rivers using him and every other SF wrong. He played really clutch for the Wizards the year before.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Yeah, doesn't seem at all possible for LAC to keep JJ and get KD

He'd already be leaving money on the table with JJ gone

 

[wavycrocket]

Felt like he wasn't used as the right way. Not sure if it was his age or just Doc Rivers using him and every other SF wrong. He played really clutch for the Wizards the year before.

Had nothing to do with how Paul Pierce was used. Father Time just caught up to him.

Words can't describe how bad he was last year. He was literally unplayable. KG, Duncan and Pierce need to hang it up.

It's time.

 

[shoeking2102]

 
Yeah, doesn't seem at all possible for LAC to keep JJ and get KD

He'd already be leaving money on the table with JJ gone

It isn't, I don't think. In order to free up that space to sign KD to close to the max, they need that bread that's being taken up by PP, JJ, and dawson, CJ, etc.

All I was trying to point out is that the huge misnomer with LAC is that they need to trade BG to get KD which is not only not true, but probably not the avenue that LAC would use to go about trying to grab Kevin Durant. 

 

[shoeking2102]

Why would he take a dime less than the max salary? Especially even it doesn't even guarantee you a conference finals birth let alone a chip.

To join the Clippers duh 

This is all on the proposition that he's leaving OKC. If he wants to leave OKC, then in my eyes the Clippers big 3 plus him is the most appealing move in regards to trying to win right now, gsw aside. Also him staying in OKC doesn't guarantee him a conference final birth next season either. (Even though I would have them there) 

I just don't see KD joining up with the warriors. I keep saying this but they won 73 games...without him. Almost went back to back...without him. I can't imagine KD going there.

And I just think the Clips big 3 plus him is more appealing than what SAS has to offer. W/ or W/o KD I've felt that SAS has some question marks.

And no other teams really matter right now in regards to signing KD. So that's why he would take about a 2 to 3 million dollar discount to join LAC if he wanted to leave OKC IMO. Keep in mind that that discount could shrink depending on what the actual cap becomes, not the estimated 94M that's being thrown around.

 

[leavemeglazzies]

If Durant went to the Warriors it would be fun as hell to read all the defense essays justifying him joining the Warriors because of what happened in 2010 with Miami Heat, even though it wouldn't be nearly the same thing.