Wolves and Pek Reach Agreement

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Schartz isn't going to have a lick of say as to where Love goes. We can offer Love 5 years at max money and other teams can only offer him 4. The agent doesn't make a difference when the most money that can be offered is on the table. That comes down to the players choice and Love is going to go where he wants, not where Schartz tells him. Also, Shartz stands to make the most money from Love signing the 5 year max here, so he is not going to throw that opportunity away just because we gave Pek less. Philly is the only team in the NBA left that could have offered Pek a higher deal and they are flat out tanking this year already, so they weren't going to sign an expensive FA. Also, if Pek and Schartz take the QO in a year and leave, so be it. Pek would have to hope he could could stay healthy this year and we could just trade him at the deadline if we wanted for a serviceable C. Look at all the guys that opted out going into this summer and lost a boatload of money. The market is showing take the money now or you might not get it later. Pek had zero leverage and we gave him 5 guaranteed years when he has proved to be highly injury prone since becoming a starter. If the guy keeps getting injured, then nobody will take him off our hands for 12.5 million a year and then we are stuck with an expensive bench warmer like Amare is to the Knicks.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Amar'e makes $20M and Pek makes $12M... Not exactly the same thing.

[ace [enjin:6598567]]

Pek and his agent were trying to screw the wovles and succeeded, but I guess the door doesn't swing both ways. Why is it only business for the players, and not the teams?

It is business for both of them, and they made a fair deal for both sides. That's good business.

[Coolbreeze44]

After all the past discussion about Love not getting the 5th year when he signed his deal, wouldn't you agree that Kahn looks much smarter at this point for not offering the 5th year? We really don't know if Love can stay in the lineup at this point. Another injury riddled season and we will be celebrating that he didn't get a 5th year at max money. Kahn looks to have been right on this one - it was too early in the new CBA to fire that bullet, especially with Ricky on board.

Considering Love is our best player and he'll be labeled a superstar once we make the playoffs, Kahn not giving him that 5th year at the max is still stupid to me. It might work out alright in the end, but he pissed Love and his agent off and started the nationally known thought that Kevin wants out of Minnesota, which isn't really the case.

All those trade rumor articles we've seen about Kevin Love... Yep, that's because of Kahn. All the "Love to LA" talks are because of Kahn. If Kahn was still here, I'd feel less confident that Love would re-sign here.

Love is going to do what Love is going to do. Who cares about rumors? If you want to project that his injury problems are behind him, then I would agree that he is a max player. But the fact is that he has proven to be injury prone, and no one that can't stay on the court deserves max money and years. Today at least, Kahn looks smart for not giving him the 5th year. I hope Love can stay healthy and play like he did in 2011-12, but if history is your guide you would have to have doubts. The best predictor of the future is the past.

[Lipoli390]

Kahn's reason for not giving Love the 5th year was to save that 5th year for Ricky. I disagreed with Kahn at the time, but it may turn out to have been a great move. We are now positioned to give both Ricky and Love 5-year deals after next season. With Kahn gone, Love shouldn't have any animosity towards the organization. There is no doubt Love will re-sign with us for a max 5-year deal if we are a playoff team on an upward trajectory.

[mjs34]

We could have let Pek play for the QO and then signed him to a four year max deal for more money than any other team could have matched. Why would Pek have left? We just took unnecessary risk. Lip after looking at the numbers, I don't believe we could front load the contract because the incentives would have taken it over the max salary. About the best we could do is have a flat rate for each year.

[m4gor [enjin:6667447]]

12per for PEK is good contract for everybody, as the franchise on 9 year draught we cannot expect any kinds of discount, wolves now look much better for FAs imho, not using all the leverage everytime can actualy be good as PEK is now happy and will be loyal and work his ass off for the team

and actualy sjm34 if PEK would play for QO he would be gone or we would have to give him 4/60 next year, but i think that he would be gone anyway, as RFA who reportadly got 4/48 offer from team who has right to sign any offer, it is just not worth for teams to clear space for him and try the luck, especially without anybody to go after that in this years depleted FA class

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

We don't have any cap space to sign FA's now or in the near future. The roster is pretty much set for the next 2 years pending a move with D Will or JJ. We are never going to be a franchise where top vets take the minimum pay cut to play here anyway, so this is gonna be our team for the next two years. All we can do now is hope they actually fit together and become a winning team.

[thedoper]

With Pek, Ricky, and Love as the core we will consistently need to sign a scorer like Martin. It is tough with this arrangement. But I like our identity with that core 3.

[Lipoli390]

I think there is general agreement on this Board that the Pek deal was a reasonable one for the Wolves. Just in case there is any doubt, here's a list of annual salaries currently paid to the better centers in the League:

Brook Lopez: $14.6 million
Roy Hibbert: $14.2
Al Jefferson: $13 5
Nene: $13.0
Okafor: $14 5
Howard: $20.5
Marc Gasol: $14 8
McGee: $11.3 -- 3 year average
Aldridge: $14.7 -- 2 year average
Ibaka: $12.25
Bogut: $14.2
D. Jordan: $11.2 -- 2 year average

I'd say the Wolves did really well at $12 million per year for one of the top 2 or three low post scores in the NBA as well as a terrific offensive rebounder just entering the prime of his career at age 27. Nice job, Flip!