Thread for Free Agency Prospects

[Sam]

In general, I'm not a fan of free agency.  I feel it too often begets over-the-hill players with bloated "last contracts" and offers nothing to offset the financial expenditure and loss of cap room as a trade does.  But, in the interest of providing space to discuss everything basketball, I'm starting off a free agency thread with an article by Steve Bulpett, a very good writer for the Boston Herald.

Sam

By:
Steve Bulpett

What began as a statement of questionably supported fact — likely by a member of the Glass is Half Empty and Is Leaking Society — has, through repetition, attained cliche status.

Major free agents don’t want to play for the Celtics. Major free agents don’t want to come to Boston.

The theme plays well with misery merchants. But therein lies the problem with easy answers for slightly more complex matters: Too much can get lost in between.

When you look a bit below the surface, the first thing you notice is how damn few times the migration of top free agents comes into play. In the modern era of maximum contracts established by the collective bargaining agreement, the list of true stars who have re-enlisted with their teams dwarfs that of those who have moved on. Some eventually have hit the road or been dealt when past their prime, but, for the most part, they stay.

Rightfully including as free agents those who were part of sign-and-trade deals after confirming their desire to leave, you’re still looking at a relatively small list. The easy example now is LeBron James and Chris Bosh departing Cleveland and Toronto, respectively, for the harmonic convergence of cap space, Dwyane Wade, sun and smoke machine in Miami.

Shaquille O’Neal left Orlando for the Lakers 18 years ago (yes, 18 . . . we’re getting old), and, with a season remaining on his contract, Dwight Howard pushed his way out of town to make the same journey two years ago. And Orlando is one of the so-called warm weather destination sites.

More interestingly, Howard turned his back on Hollywood last summer when he signed as a free agent with Houston, throwing a dart at the accepted NBA geographical wisdom in the process. (Sheryl Crow sang about leaving Las Vegas, not Los Angeles.)

The collective bargaining rules have changed to a degree since Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady got themselves to Orlando years ago. And you could say that Carmelo Anthony engineered his way from Denver to New York, but now he’s reportedly thinking about leaving there — and free agent coach Steve Kerr just turned down the Knicks and Phil Jackson to take a job with Golden State.

There are other free agents who have made a strong impact (Steve Nash in Phoenix, Dikembe Mutombo in Atlanta, etc.), but most of the signings are of complementary players. James Posey and P.J. Brown were keys to the Celtics’ 2008 championship, but neither of their acquisitions made the “A” block on “SportsCenter.”

When teams are trying to build, drafting and trades are far greater factors than the pursuit of a premium free agent. (You could ask whether LeBron and Bosh go to Miami if Wade isn’t there — helped to the Heat in the 2003 draft by Detroit taking Darko Milicic.)

Sure, franchises may market themselves through rough times by saying they’re saving up to bid on a future free agent class, but that needle gets threaded eventually so few times as to make counting on it pure folly.

And you can’t bank on just location, location, location. Looking at this year’s conference finals lineup, you won’t find many beaches in Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. And while Miami has the heat, it’s also worth noting the Heat used to curtain off a number of upper seats in the less popular pre-LeBron era. In other words, warm winters don’t guarantee success — nor do colder climes preclude it.

Which leads us back to the Celtics and Boston’s fitness as a destination for big-time free agents.

Look, no one is saying that, given a full set of druthers from which to choose, one wouldn’t rather wear flip-flops than snow boots to practice in January. But how often have the Celtics had the wherewithal to shop in the NBA’s high-end boutique and at the same time had available free agent talent worthy of the max money — talent that was truly willing to move?

Yet the word that stars don’t want to play for the Celts remains. And, as regards this area, it seems to be a sport-specific adage.

Free agents are extremely interested in what the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins have to offer, but the Celtics evidently play somewhere else because, we are told, none of the marquee people want to go to that place.

Danny Ainge obviously has a vested interest in this issue, but his points are accurate.

“Listen, technically we didn’t sign KG as a free agent, but we did sort of,” he said referring to the 2007 deal with Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, which followed the trade for Ray Allen. “We extended a contract a year early, but he actually had to choose Boston as a destination. And the reason he chose Boston as a destination was because he believed we had a chance to compete for a title.

“I think that’s the key for attracting free agents. It depends on who the free agents are, but it’s all about, do you have the money to pay the guy? Do you have an opportunity for the guy to play? And do you have a chance for them to win?

“Sometimes you need all three of those. Sometimes you need one of the three, sometimes two of the three. But you’ve got to have at least one of those situations.”

The Celtics are currently working toward those ends. Unless they are able to take major steps through trades in the next couple of months, they are looking at a 2015 offseason of cap space and the need to entice Rajon Rondo into re-signing.

“Being able to attract free agents next summer, we have to show that we are a team that people want to play for,” Ainge said. “That’s our objective with every player. We want to be a team that players want to come play for.”

Kevin Garnett didn’t want to come play for the Celtics until he saw Allen join Paul Pierce. Then, after being here a while, the man whose formal residence is in Malibu didn’t want to leave.

That suggests the matter of stars and the C’s isn’t quite an open-and-shut — mostly shut — case.

Sam's Ramblings: It's not just free agents teams have to convince to change towns.  With players like Kevin Love having increasingly greater leverage in the trade game, the Chambers of Commerce in NBA cities become more important than ever.  His recent visit appears to be a virtual clinic in how to make a good impression.

Sam

[bobheckler]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9947573/nba-free-agents-2014-2015




Free agents: 2014 and 2015
Which players could be available during this summer and next? Here's the list
Updated: November 8, 2013, 5:22 PM ET
ESPN.com



Key: ETO = Early Termination Option; P = Player Option; T = Team Option

2014------------------------------------------------------2015

Atlanta

RESTRICTED
Gustavo Ayon
Shelvin Mack
Mike Scott

UNRESTRICTED
Elton Brand
Cartier Martin

-----------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Pero Antic

-----------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------DeMarre Carroll
-----------------------------------------------------------Paul Millsap
-----------------------------------------------------------Louis Williams


Boston

RESTRICTED
Avery Bradley

UNRESTRICTED
Joel Anthony (P)
Jerryd Bayless
Kris Humphries

-----------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------None

-----------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Brandon Bass
-----------------------------------------------------------Jeff Green (P)
-----------------------------------------------------------Rajon Rondo


Brooklyn

RESTRICTED
Tyshawn Taylor

UNRESTRICTED
Alan Anderson (P)
Andray Blatche (P)
Jason Collins
Andrei Kirilenko (P)
Shaun Livingston
Paul Pierce

-----------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Jorge Gutierrez
-----------------------------------------------------------Mirza Teletovic

-----------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Kevin Garnett
-----------------------------------------------------------Brook Lopez (P)
-----------------------------------------------------------Marcus Thornton


Charlotte

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Josh McRoberts (P)
Jannero Pargo
Luke Ridnour
Anthony Tolliver
D.J. White

-----------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Bismack Biyombo
-----------------------------------------------------------Jeff Taylor
-----------------------------------------------------------Kemba Walker

-----------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-----------------------------------------------------------Gerald Henderson (P)
-----------------------------------------------------------Al Jefferson (P)
-----------------------------------------------------------Gary Neal



Chicago

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Jimmer Fredette
Kirk Hinrich
Nazr Mohammed

------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
------------------------------------------------------------Jimmy Butler

------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
------------------------------------------------------------Lou Amundson
------------------------------------------------------------Carlos Boozer
------------------------------------------------------------Ronnie Brewer
------------------------------------------------------------Mike Dunleavy
------------------------------------------------------------Mike James
------------------------------------------------------------Greg Smith


Cleveland

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Luol Deng
Spencer Hawes
C.J. Miles

------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
------------------------------------------------------------Matthew Dellavedova
------------------------------------------------------------Scotty Hopson
------------------------------------------------------------Kyrie Irving
------------------------------------------------------------Tristan Thompson

------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
------------------------------------------------------------Alonzo Gee
------------------------------------------------------------Anderson Varejao



Dallas

RESTRICTED
Bernard James

UNRESTRICTED
DeJuan Blair
Vince Carter
Devin Harris
Shawn Marion
Dirk Nowitzki

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Jae Crowder

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Samuel Dalembert
-------------------------------------------------------------Wayne Ellington
-------------------------------------------------------------Monta Ellis (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Brandan Wright



Denver

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Darrell Arthur (P)
Aaron Brooks
Nate Robinson (P)
Jan Vesely

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Kenneth Faried
-------------------------------------------------------------Quincy Miller

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Anthony Randolph


Detroit

RESTRICTED
Greg Monroe

UNRESTRICTED
Chauncey Billups (T)
Jonas Jerebko (P)
Rodney Stuckey
Charlie Villanueva

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Luigi Datome
-------------------------------------------------------------Josh Harrellson
-------------------------------------------------------------Kyle Singler
-------------------------------------------------------------Peyton Siva

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Will Bynum


Golden State

RESTRICTED
Jordan Crawford

UNRESTRICTED
Steve Blake
Jermaine O'Neal

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Draymond Green
-------------------------------------------------------------Ognjen Kuzmic
-------------------------------------------------------------Klay Thompson

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Hilton Armstrong


Houston

RESTRICTED
Chandler Parsons (T)

UNRESTRICTED
Francisco Garcia (P)
Jordan Hamilton

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Troy Daniels
-------------------------------------------------------------Patrick Beverley

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Omer Asik
-------------------------------------------------------------Omri Casspi
-------------------------------------------------------------Jeremy Lin
-------------------------------------------------------------Josh Powell


Indiana

RESTRICTED
Lavoy Allen
Evan Turner

UNRESTRICTED
Rasual Butler
Lance Stephenson

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Chris Copeland

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Roy Hibbert (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Luis Scola
-------------------------------------------------------------Donald Sloan
-------------------------------------------------------------C.J. Watson
-------------------------------------------------------------David West (P)



L.A. Clippers

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Darren Collison (P)
Glen Davis (P)
Danny Granger (P)
Ryan Hollins
Hedo Turkoglu

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------None

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Jared Dudley (ETO)
-------------------------------------------------------------Willie Green
-------------------------------------------------------------DeAndre Jordan


L.A. Lakers

RESTRICTED
Kent Bazemore
Ryan Kelly

UNRESTRICTED
MarShon Brooks
Jordan Farmar
Pau Gasol
Xavier Henry
Jordan Hill
Wesley Johnson
Chris Kaman
Jodie Meeks
Nick Young (P)

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------None

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Steve Nash



Memphis

RESTRICTED
Ed Davis

UNRESTRICTED
Mike Miller
Zach Randolph (P)
Beno Udrih

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Nick Calathes

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Marc Gasol
-------------------------------------------------------------Kosta Koufos


Miami

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Ray Allen
Chris Andersen (P)
Shane Battier
Michael Beasley
Chris Bosh (ETO)
Mario Chalmers
Toney Douglas
Udonis Haslem (P)
LeBron James (ETO)
James Jones
Rashard Lewis
Greg Oden
Dwyane Wade (ETO)

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Norris Cole
-------------------------------------------------------------Justin Hamilton

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------None


Milwaukee

RESTRICTED
Ekpe Udoh

UNRESTRICTED
Jeff Adrien
Ramon Sessions

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Brandon Knight
-------------------------------------------------------------Khris Middleton
-------------------------------------------------------------Chris Wright

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------None


Minnesota

RESTRICTED
Robbie Hummel
Othyus Jeffers

UNRESTRICTED
Dante Cunningham

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Ricky Rubio
-------------------------------------------------------------Alexey Shved

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------J.J. Barea
-------------------------------------------------------------Chase Budinger (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Kevin Love (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
-------------------------------------------------------------Ronny Turiaf


New Orleans

RESTRICTED
Darius Miller
Brian Roberts
James Southerland

UNRESTRICTED
Al-Farouq Aminu
Anthony Morrow (P)
Jason Smith
Greg Stiemsma

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Jeff Withey

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Luke Babbitt
-------------------------------------------------------------Melvin Ely


New York

RESTRICTED
Toure' Murry
Jeremy Tyler

UNRESTRICTED
Cole Aldrich
Carmelo Anthony (ETO)
Andrea Bargnani (ETO)
Kenyon Martin
Amar'e Stoudemire (ETO)

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Iman Shumpert

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Shannon Brown
-------------------------------------------------------------Tyson Chandler
-------------------------------------------------------------Raymond Felton (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Lamar Odom
-------------------------------------------------------------J.R. Smith (P)


Oklahoma City

RESTRICTED
Grant Jerrett (T)

UNRESTRICTED
Caron Butler
Derek Fisher
Thabo Sefolosha

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Reggie Jackson

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Nick Collison
-------------------------------------------------------------Kendrick Perkins
-------------------------------------------------------------Hasheem Thabeet


Orlando

RESTRICTED
E'Twaun Moore

UNRESTRICTED
None

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Tobias Harris
-------------------------------------------------------------Doron Lamb
-------------------------------------------------------------Kyle O'Quinn
-------------------------------------------------------------Nikola Vucevic

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Arron Afflalo (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Jason Maxiell
-------------------------------------------------------------Jameer Nelson
-------------------------------------------------------------Ronnie Price


Philadelphia

RESTRICTED
Adonis Thomas

UNRESTRICTED
Byron Mullens (P)
Jason Richardson (P)

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Henry Sims

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------James Anderson
-------------------------------------------------------------Earl Clark
-------------------------------------------------------------Thaddeus Young (ETO)


Phoenix

RESTRICTED
Eric Bledsoe
P.J. Tucker

UNRESTRICTED
Channing Frye (P)
Emeka Okafor

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Dionte Christmas
-------------------------------------------------------------Marcus Morris
-------------------------------------------------------------Markieff Morris

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Goran Dragic (P)
-------------------------------------------------------------Gerald Green
-------------------------------------------------------------Shavlik Randolph
-------------------------------------------------------------Ish Smith


Portland

RESTRICTED
None

UNRESTRICTED
Earl Watson
Mo Williams (P)

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Will Barton
-------------------------------------------------------------Victor Claver
-------------------------------------------------------------Joel Freeland

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------LaMarcus Aldridge
-------------------------------------------------------------Robin Lopez
-------------------------------------------------------------Wesley Matthews
-------------------------------------------------------------Dorell Wright


Sacramento

RESTRICTED
Isaiah Thomas

UNRESTRICTED
Jared Cunningham
Rudy Gay (P)
Aaron Gray

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Quincy Acy
-------------------------------------------------------------Willie Reed
-------------------------------------------------------------Derrick Williams

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Reggie Evans
-------------------------------------------------------------Travis Outlaw
-------------------------------------------------------------Jason Terry


San Antonio

RESTRICTED
Aron Baynes

UNRESTRICTED
Matt Bonner
Boris Diaw
Tim Duncan (P)
Damion James
Patrick Mills

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Cory Joseph
-------------------------------------------------------------Kawhi Leonard

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Jeff Ayres
-------------------------------------------------------------Marco Belinelli
-------------------------------------------------------------Austin Daye
-------------------------------------------------------------Manu Ginobili
-------------------------------------------------------------Danny Green
-------------------------------------------------------------Tony Parker


Toronto

RESTRICTED
Nando de Colo
Patrick Patterson
Greivis Vasquez

UNRESTRICTED
Kyle Lowry

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Dwight Buycks
-------------------------------------------------------------Julyan Stone

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Landry Fields
-------------------------------------------------------------Tyler Hansbrough
-------------------------------------------------------------Chuck Hayes
-------------------------------------------------------------Amir Johnson
-------------------------------------------------------------John Salmons


Utah

RESTRICTED
Gordon Hayward

UNRESTRICTED
Richard Jefferson
Brandon Rush
Marvin Williams

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Alec Burks
-------------------------------------------------------------Ian Clark
-------------------------------------------------------------Diante Garrett
-------------------------------------------------------------Enes Kanter
-------------------------------------------------------------Erik Murphy

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Jeremy Evans
-------------------------------------------------------------John Lucas III
-------------------------------------------------------------Malcolm Thomas


Washington

RESTRICTED
Trevor Booker
Kevin Seraphin

UNRESTRICTED
Trevor Ariza
Drew Gooden
Marcin Gortat
Al Harrington
Chris Singleton
Garrett Temple

-------------------------------------------------------------RESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Glen Rice Jr.

-------------------------------------------------------------UNRESTRICTED
-------------------------------------------------------------Andre Miller



bob
MY NOTE:  Chandler Parson's situation has changed because Houston declined to pick up his option.  Also, look at Portland's Unrestricted list for 2015.  Aldridge and Lopez will both be coming up.  Will they/can they pay for both in that small market?


.

[Sam]

Thanks for posting that list, Bob. A great frame of reference.

Sam

[kdp59]

bob,

that's always the list I go to also, when looking at who might be available and when.

a couple of thougts;

when looking at two years we all need to remember that some players will be extended and never become UFA.

the best Centers on the 2015 list (assuming Ainge waits for a center) are:

1) D. Jordan- while the Clippers may not have cap space now, IF Doc is still there and they are competing I can't see him walking away. They will get a deal done somehow.

2) Gasol- I think Memphis will offer the max for him , unless he has some major injury. So if he leaves it'll be because he doesn't want to play at Memphis anymore. Highly likely he ends up with another team, though probably through trade.

3) Aldridge-he supposedly wanted out before this year, but the team started winning and they have a young solid core or players. I think he'll stay for at or near a max deal. on another note Ainge could draft a player that may develop into an Aldridge type NBA player in Vonleh.

4) Lopez- If Portland continues to improve and looks like a contender, I can see them paying him in the $8-10 range to stay. he probably is the most likely player to hit UFA form the list, IMO.

in the end come the 2015 Free agency period, I think teams will be in the about the same place as this year with signing NBA centers.

we have Gortat and Hawes basically as the only real options as Starters.

[sinus007]

Bob,
Thanks for the info.

Admins,
Can you make it a sticky and updateble, so there's no need to search. Thanks.

AK

[bobheckler]

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-free-agency-whos-staying-and-whos-going/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nba-free-agency-whos-staying-and-whos-going&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook


Player Options

Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings — $19.3 million — best guess: opt-in
Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies — $17.0 million — out, if no extension agreed to
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs — $10.4 million — in
Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns — $6.8 million — in
Jason Richardson, Philadelphia 76ers — $6.6 million — in
Udonis Haslem, Miami HEAT — $4.6 million — in
Jonas Jerebko, Detroit Pistons — $4.5 million — in
Joel Anthony, Boston Celtics — $3.8 million — in
Darrell Arthur, Denver Nuggets — $3.5 million — in
Andrei Kirilenko, Brooklyn Nets — $3.3 million — out
Josh McRoberts, Charlotte Hornets — $2.8 million — out
Mo Williams, Portland Trail Blazers — $2.8 million — out
Nate Robinson, Denver Nuggets — $2.1 million — in
Darren Collison, Los Angeles Clippers — $2.0 million — out
Chris Andersen, Miami HEAT — $1.4 million — out
Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets — $1.4 million — out
Francisco Garcia, Houston Rockets — $1.3 million — out
Danny Granger, Los Angeles Clippers — $1.3 million — out
Glen Davis, Los Angeles Clippers — $1.2 million — out
Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers — $1.2 million — out
Alan Anderson, Brooklyn Nets — $1.1 million — out
Anthony Morrow, New Orleans Pelicans — $1.1 million — out
Byron Mullens, Philadelphia 76ers — $1.1 million — out


Early Termination Options

Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks — $23.4 million — best guess: opt-in
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks — $23.3 million — out
Chris Bosh, Miami HEAT — $20.6 million — in
LeBron James, Miami HEAT — $20.6 million — in
Dwyane Wade, Miami HEAT — $20.2 million — in
Andrea Bargnani, New York Knicks — $11.5 million — in


Team Options

Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons — $2.5 million — best guess: opt-out
Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets — $965k — out
Jae Crowder, Dallas Mavericks — $915k — in
Troy Daniels, Houston Rockets — $816k — in
Grant Jerrett, Oklahoma City Thunder — $816k — out


bob



.

[Sam]

Blatsche at $1.4 million—even if his free agent price had a substantial increase? He has turned into a nightmarish big man (at least against the Celtics) who would make a great backup at both center and power forward and would, among other things, make it less onerous for the Celtics to part with Sully, Kelly or Bass (plus Humphries).

Sam

[kdp59]

living relatively close to DC I can tell you that Blatche was a big time head case there.

one of the reasons, he's had to settle for less money.

maybe he's grown up, I dunno. But I for one wouldn't;t want to give a lot of guaranteed moo-lah to him.

[Outside]

Blatche has ability -- the ability to make plays when he stays within himself, the ability to waste possessions when he tries to be a wing player, and the ability to drive his coach and teammates nuts with low-IQ plays.

I took a chance on him with my fantasy team this year. I figured when Brook Lopez was out for the season, Blatche was perfectly positioned to have a solid season with all those veterans on Brooklyn around him. It was a golden opportunity for him, but it turned out to be an opportunity wasted, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, Brooklyn used a small lineup and Blatche got only 14 minutes per game.

When I do a search for "Kevin Love low", the suggestions for completing that string are "low post moves" and "low post". When I do a search for "Andray Blatche low", the first suggestion is "lowlights", and there are multiple video compilations for that.

Sometimes these guys eventually "get it" and become productive, but more often than not, they have careers marked by unrealized potential. Take him at your own risk.

[bobheckler]

Joel Anthony does, officially, exercise his player option and will be with the Celtics next year (barring Trader Danny walking past a used car dealership and negotiating a trade-in).

$3.8M, this is the last year.


bob


.

[beat]

Joel Anthony does, officially, exercise his player option and will be with the Celtics next year (barring Trader Danny walking past a used car dealership and negotiating a trade-in).

$3.8M, this is the last year.


bob


.

3.8 MILLION ???????????????

lets see................that will be about $15,000 per point for the season @ (2.3 PPG)

beat

[gyso]

$3.8Million . . . so that is how much will be added to the pot when he is traded.

gyso

[bobheckler]

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/nba_coverage/2014/06/channing_frye_opts_out_of_phoenix_suns_contract


Channing Frye opts out of Phoenix Suns' contract
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 PrintEmailBe the first to comment
By:
Associated Press

PHOENIX — Channing Frye has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Phoenix Suns and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Frye, at 31 the oldest player on the otherwise young Suns roster last season, will look for a longer-term deal with the Suns with other teams expected to show interest.

Frye, who grew up in Phoenix, was one of the leaders of the surprisingly successful Phoenix team.

After missing the entire 2012-13 season for treatment of an enlarged heart, Frye came back to start all 82 games last season, averaging 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is best known for his long-range shooting, making 37 percent of his 432 3-point attempts last season.

Frye would have made $6.8 million next season had he not opted out.



bob
MY NOTE:  Not a fan of stretch 4/5s and, if I was, we've already got Kelly.  HOWEVER, someone will want him and that will draw away interest and resources from signing players we do want.  If Phoenix re-signs him, fine, that will still take resources away from their pursuit of Love.  I see this as a generally good thing for the Celtics, indirectly.


.

[Sam]

Frye is just a nickname for Hawes.

Sam

[bobheckler]

Andray Blatche Opts OUT of his option with the Nets.


bob


.

[bobheckler]

Nick Young of the Lakers (formerly of the Sixers) has declined his $1.2M player option and will become a free agent.





bob


.

[Sam]

Depending on other deals, the Celtics could do worse than Blatche as a backup center.

Sam

[Outside]

Depending on other deals, the Celtics could do worse than Blatche as a backup center.

Be afraid of that scenario. Very afraid.

[Sam]

Outside,

I understand that his is not the most dependable situation.  But what are your reasons?  For one thing, I'm sick of seeing him kill the Celtics.

Sam

[Outside]

Sam,

I wrote a post about Blatche earlier in this thread. Just scroll up and find it. It's about 10 posts up.

[Sam]

Outside,

I read that post and understand his unpredictability.  But I'm not a fantasy devotee, and my main evidence of his ability comes from his play versus the Celtics.  He's had pretty consistent impact against the Green.

It's unlikely that they'd make a play for him, but I wouldn't mind seeing him working for Brad.  I'm not at all sure Blatche was the reason the Nets went small so frequently, and I don't believe he had the benefit of playing for a coach who was adept at getting the most out of his players.

Sam

[Outside]

Sam,

You make a good point about having a coach who can utilize him properly. I have no idea if Kidd did that, but there's a decent chance that he didn't.

Don't get hung up on the fantasy league aspect. For purposes of this discussion, it served a purpose in that it provided a reason for me to follow Blatche's play when I otherwise wouldn't, and the key point is that I followed him after Lopez went out for the season, which provided an opportunity for Blatche to step up and fill the void at center, an opportunity that he absolutely failed to capitalize on.

When I combine that failure to seize such a huge opportunity with my longstanding observation that he has a low basketball IQ and a propensity to make boneheaded plays (how many players have video compilations of their terrible plays?), that leads me to be highly suspicious that he would be a player you'd want.

I trust those factors observed over long stretches of games and multiple seasons over getting a player because he happens to play well in the few games you see him play against Boston. His 28-point game against Boston may be seared into your memory, but that was his highest scoring game of the last three seasons.

I've watched him play, and the potential is definitely there. He has shown he can score and rebound, and he's big and athletic. You remember those great games against Boston, but I can't forget all the plays that ended up on those lowlight videos. He's a trick-or-treat player, and the question is if the treats are enough to offset how many times you get tricked.

[bobheckler]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/233916/Carmelo-Not-Expected-To-Consider-Heat-Lakers



Carmelo Not Expected To Consider Heat, Lakers
Jun 25, 2014 6:14 PM EDT


Carmelo Anthony will visit the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls once free agency begins on July 1.

"Those three teams plus the Knicks seem to be the ones he's going to consider," one source said.

There does not appear to be a frontrunner at this point for Anthony.

Anthony is not expected to meet formally with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he's being recruited by Kobe Bryant. The two spoke by telephone earlier this week and Bryant told ESPN via text message that he plans to meet with Anthony as well.

The Miami Heat do not appear to be a viable option for Anthony. There had been reports about Anthony joining the Heat with the proposed Big 4 taking significant pay reductions, but sources said there has been no talk about that possibility from his camp.

Via Chris Broussard/ESPN



bob



.

[Sam]

Outside,

I understand all your points, including the entree that fantasy basketball provides (I guess) to get a read on players.  I've always been about recognizing potential and then trying to figure out how to tap it.  I've also believed that, if a player achieves a certain level, he's usually capable of achieving it again—once more necessitating a plan for tapping his potential.

The basketball IQ thing is obviously something to be considered.  But I believe it's less of a problem if he's playing as backup center against lesser competition and not involved for big minutes down the stretch.

The whole thing may be moot, because it's beginning to appear as though the average age on the Celtics roster in 2014-15 will be 12.

Sam

[KyleCleric]

Pau would look pretty good in green.

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