1) I should have added "almost"... I forgot about the Cavs salary explosion yesterday. I'm sure there might even be others. But most will indeed have cap space.
2) and 3) Towns and Wiggins isn't enough to make Minnesota attractive yet. This is still a very cold place. In "flyover" land. And very white. Those things have mattered in the past... I imagine they'll be brought up again, especially when guys are being courted by many teams all at once. Sure, MN has a bright future... on paper. But as of today, it's still a 66-loss team. And where will those max guys fit into the pecking order? Are they cool being the 2nd option? 3rd option?
Sorry, I think the training facility is great and all. And it can't hurt, especially for guys already here. But I highly doubt it's high on the list of priorities when a player is trying to choose between Miami, LA, NY, et al and Minnesota.
4) Found an article on the state income taxes. As you note, I seemed to have overstated its importance. http://midlevelexceptional.com/2014/07/23/exploring-true-value-contract/
Essentially, it's a few hundred thousand dollars or so? Not as much as my rudimentary math skills/tax knowledge had led me to believe.
[Note: One surprise I took from yesterday was the length of contracts. Players took the guaranteed money over the risk. And that cuts into the number of guys who will even be available next season and beyond. I'm happy by the way that there were so many 4- and 5-year deals doled out.
Yeah, I was surprised at the number of long deals too, and so were the experts. Most of them were saying the big boys would sign one-year deals, in hopes of much bigger deals next year. But I think you're right...they took the security over the home run. And I think it's the right choice. Take Kevin Love, for instance. Rumors were he was going to sign a 1-year deal, and then a max deal next year when the numbers increased, but he took the 5-year deal instead and it was smart. There are rumors that his back may be a recurring issue. If he had signed a 1-year deal and then injured himself in a way that made teams wary of his future, he could have lost a lot money. Instead he has a guaranteed $110 million, with a chance of adding to that in 6 years if he is still healthy.
Now, it's the teams that are taking the big risk. We're agonizing over having to pay Pek $12.5 a year for only 85 games the past two years. Imagine being on the hook for $110 million, and learning that your player can't play anymore. Obviously the teams are doing what they have to do to secure the players they want, and they are banking on the cap going up so high that a $22 million deal seems like a bargain in a few years. But they are also taking an enormous risk.
It's been talked about many times before here, but all of a sudden the Martin and Pek deals seem rather insignificant in terms of cap impact. So insignificant that they might become much more tradeable, especially Martin. I can see a contender parting with a first round pick knowing Martin is only going to cost them $7 large. I think his trade value is going up every day due to the dollars being spent.
Great point Cool. I feel this crazy offseason and spending frenzy to lock up talent is a knee jerk reaction, and teams are pushing all in to expose the teams serious about gathering mega teams and those that want to build via draft and quality role players. Pek at 13 and Martin at 7 are cheap now. Add Rubio being cheap also. All we have to do as a squad is keep players happy, healthy and winning and build the Spurs mantra of team over super star....then we are set for years and can be heavily in the market for a superstar max contract when our guys get there to recruit one. Fingers crossed....this could be a perfect storm for the Wolves and the youth build prior to this cap jump.
12218085 bestfour wrote:"WojYahooNBA: Free agent Greg Monroe will sign a maximum contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, league source tells Yahoo Sports."
I'm sorry, I didn't know much about his potential suitors...was this expected? This blindsided me.
This makes my day. Still have a soft spot for the Bucks, and love to see a small market team win one.
I find it hilarious and awesome. We can debate whether he's overpaid now or not, but what's REALLY important is the fact he chose Milwaukee over LA and NYC.
What was I just reading in this thread about MN not being that attractive yet? Look at the Bucks. We were 3 injuries away from being in a similar boat as them and now we add Towns/Jones. This shit is about to go off then next 2 years. WE'RE ON THE RISE!
12218085 bestfour wrote:"WojYahooNBA: Free agent Greg Monroe will sign a maximum contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, league source tells Yahoo Sports."
I'm sorry, I didn't know much about his potential suitors...was this expected? This blindsided me.
This makes my day. Still have a soft spot for the Bucks, and love to see a small market team win one.
I find it hilarious and awesome. We can debate whether he's overpaid now or not, but what's REALLY important is the fact he chose Milwaukee over LA and NYC.
What was I just reading in this thread about MN not being that attractive yet? Look at the Bucks. We were 3 injuries away from being in a similar boat as them and now we add Towns/Jones. This shit is about to go off then next 2 years. WE'RE ON THE RISE!
Are we really that excited over the Bucks giving a second-tier player a max contract?
CoolBreeze44 wrote:It's hard to fathom that a team winning only 16 games could have virtually no cap space. That's hard to do.
It's not that we have no money, it's just that after we sign Bjelica (4+ mil), Garnett (? mil) and 2 rookies for 7 mil total, we won't have any cap room. Many of the teams with a lot of cap room only need to keep 1-2 mil for rookies. And don't have a future owner as a FA.
I will say this: once we see the contracts that guys like Aminu and Mo Williams receive, we'll probably be just fine with Bjelica's contract.
Per Rotoworld "The Knicks and Lakers may attempt to trade for David Lee if they miss out on all the big name free agents. Lee would see a major boost in value if he is shipped out of Golden State, and on either of the aforementioned teams he would have a good chance to average close to 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. Neither the Lakers nor the Knicks are likely to land a marquee player during free agency, so shifting their focus to Lee (who is still a solid offensive player) could make sense."
Wasn't there talk just a week ago that the Warriors might have to part with a first round pick to entice some team to take on David Lee's contract. Apparently he now has trade value. A lot has changed in a week. Maybe Bennett and Pek's contract will suddenly become valuable. LOL
TeamRicky wrote:Per Rotoworld "The Knicks and Lakers may attempt to trade for David Lee if they miss out on all the big name free agents. Lee would see a major boost in value if he is shipped out of Golden State, and on either of the aforementioned teams he would have a good chance to average close to 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. Neither the Lakers nor the Knicks are likely to land a marquee player during free agency, so shifting their focus to Lee (who is still a solid offensive player) could make sense."
Wasn't there talk just a week ago that the Warriors might have to part with a first round pick to entice some team to take on David Lee's contract. Apparently he now has trade value. A lot has changed in a week. Maybe Bennett and Pek's contract will suddenly become valuable. LOL
I don't see the need to trade Bennett, he is young and he can be a FA next year. No need to trade him to get his salary off the books. Also with pek I want to see how he does with injuries playing 20 minutes a game. The wolves could be getting a damn good backup center. No reason to trade any player imo, only if we are getting a first round pick back. I am also not sure if I would trade Martin for a 1st his contact is good now and with the cap increase it is amazing for a guy who can put up 20 a night and is a floor spacer
Nobody wants to go to NY or LA because they have the two biggest dickheads in the game. How many pitches is Kobe gonna blow talking like he's still "the guy" when he was over the hill 3 years ago? If he's gone after this year why is he even in the pitch meeting for Aldridge? Melo's a hero ball superstar that hasn't won anything so nobody wants to join him. If Melo were more of a team player everyone would want to join him because you could guarantee yourself a top 2 seed in the East with 2 stars and doing that for the Knicks is a big deal. Kobe needs to retire and the Knicks should trade Melo to Philly for Embiid, Stauskas and half their pick stable. Swing for the fences on Embiid and Porzingas and take Simmons with the top pick in the draft next year cause they'll be the worst team in the league by far.
I felt it was a mistake for the Knicks to resign Carmelo. I would seriously explore trade options. Try and get a bounty for him. They may have to wait for the deadline to do so however.
khans2k5 wrote:Man you put Horford or Durant on our team with Wiggins, Towns, Lavine and Ricky. That might be the top team in the West that first year or the year after. I wish one of these max guys would see what we are building and just say fuck it, I want titles and I can do it in MN with what they are building. Could you imagine a small ball lineup of Ricky/Lavine/Wiggins/Durant/Towns? Or a big lineup of Ricky/Lavine/Wiggins/Towns/Horford?
Yeah, it's really exciting to think what we are going to do in free agency next year. Flip will have the year to analyze what this team needs to compete for a championship, and will clearly have the cap space to get it done. And while we have not been in the conversation ever for the top free agents, I have to believe that is going to change. Any free agent visiting here next July will see a roster stacked with young talent, a state of the art workout facility, and a beautiful early July Minnesota day...and the ability to offer one or two max deals without restructuring. I can't imagine many more attractive situations than that. We should at least be in the conversation for Durant, but I think Flip will conclude that we are set at SF and look elsewhere. Maybe Ricky suffers another injury or doesn't improve his shooting, and Flip decides he needs a PG who defends better, shoots better and plays 75 games a year...Mike Conley. Or maybe Towns proves he is a very good stretch PF and Pek doesn't put his injury issues behind him, and all he needs is a great center to contend...Horford or Noah. Or maybe he goes after a PG and a C.
The point is this. This team is on the rise and may become an attractive free agent destination, and Flip will have lots of space to play with in a year.
1. EVERY team will max cap space. Many of them can add two MAX guys.
2. Practice facilities? We talking about practice facilities?
3. We're not in the conversation for Durant. In fact, I highly doubt we land anybody of significance... or even in discussions with them. Remember, the Wolves are JUST entering a honeymoon phase as we found out about the young guys.
4. I think one thing that needs to be looked at in the next CBA is state income tax. Texas and Florida teams can offer a HUGE advantage because of no state income tax. So, over a $100M contract... that can be millions of dollars. I think it's even greater compared to Toronto who takes out even more taxes...
1. "Everyone" doesn't have the last 3 number 1 overall picks in the draft to play next to. If we get a true superstar, that highly likely keeps Wiggins and Towns home for at least 9 years a piece. Not many teams can offer that kind of security with your future teammates. We basically control over half our team for a while because they're all on rookie deals so we can make them restricted free agents and match what we need.
2. Practice facilities do matter. This is what these guys make a living off of so they spend a lot of time in the gym practicing and we have the best gym in the league right now. It's a bonus.
3. It's gonna be pretty hard to call us flyover country with Lavine winning dunk contests on national tv and Rubio making highlight plays with our young guys all year long. Players will notice. Don't forget that the rookie sophomore game was basically half T Wolves last year and should have a strong showing again this year. That gets our young guys in the building for All-Star weekend to mingle with the real All-Stars who might join them. It's just gonna be hard to overlook us from here on out.
Winning ironically is winning out over big markets when it comes to free agents right now. We have the best of the young pieces out there right now. We aren't ready yet, but we're only 2-3 years away from being a consistent contender. At some point that has to matter doesn't it?
