Tuesday, January 5th, 2010...10:29 am
Duncan, Trade Market Implications
Yesterday I ran a piece that attempted to point out an obvious development that some have missed: Tim Duncan is playing very well this season. Some want to qualify this by saying Duncan is receiving less double-teams, to which my response is “so what?” and “is he really?” Honestly, I’m not sure that assertion is true. And even if it is, it’s because teams need to stay home on Richard Jefferson (at least more so than Bruce Bowen) and Duncan is shooting more often on mid-range face ups, not the sort of shot opposing teams double. On this last point, consider that Duncan is attempting 2.7 shots per game from 10 to 15 feet, up from 2.3 the previous two seasons. His FG% from that range is currently 53%, up from 34% and 46% over his ‘08 and ‘09 numbers.
Still, some insist that Duncan is playing worse this season, which is mind-boggling. I can’t find a single shred of statistical evidence to support the claim. Amazingly, most statistics indicate just the opposite. So until someone shows me otherwise, I’m operating under the assumption that Duncan still has MVP-level basketball in his bones. And that assumption is interesting now that we’ve entered into NBA trade season.
When the Spurs traded for Richard Jefferson, everyone, including the team, indicated the the remaining two years on Jefferson’s contract corresponded with the remaining championship window on Duncan’s knees. Duncan, we were told, had two years of good basketball left. And the Spurs were pushing all in.
But with Duncan playing so well this season, San Antonio has to wonder if that 2 year window is actually a 3 year window. Does the Spurs championship window extend beyond Jefferson’s deal and into the final year of Duncan’s contract, especially if one assumes gradual improvement from George Hill and DeJuan Blair? Why is this consideration important?
Simply put, the Spurs may have opportunity to cash in on another salary dump between now and the deadline. If they can reasonably assume that Duncan will give them decent production in 2011/12, Buford and company might consider a deal (it would have to be a good deal, obviously) which took back someone’s bloated contract in exchange for a dynamic roster through 2012. You follow? Let me explain.
I’ll use the Sacramento Kings and Andres Nocioni as an example. (Note: this is strictly an example. I’m not passing it off as inside information. It doesn’t even rise to the dignity of being a rumor.) Nocioni’s contract runs through 2013, but the final year is not guaranteed, so his contract effectively expires after the 2011/12 season. His contract is not horrible, but most would describe it as bad, especially when one considers the Kings’ roster and Nocioni’s current production. There is no question the Kings, who are losing money, would gladly deal Nocioni for an expiring contract or two.
The problem for the Kings is that few teams, if any, would take back Nocioni without some sort of trade sweetener. Would San Antonio consider taking back Andres Nocioni and Donte Greene in exchange for Mike Finley, Matt Bonner, Marcus Haislip and Ian Mahinmi? This summer, that sort of deal would not fly because of the long term cap implications. Now, with Duncan playing as well as he is, it’s the sort of thing that might at least make the front office pause.
Obviously, there are drawbacks to such scenarios.
- Peter Holt committed himself to two ugly seasons of high taxes by approving the Jefferson deal, and another trade such as the Nocioni example would likely tack a third season onto his tax headache. It might be too much to ask.
- The Spurs will receive offers for Manu Ginobili and his expiring contract; some of those offers might make them think, too. Yet, it’s safe to assume San Antonio is interested in keeping Manu Ginobili in San Antonio. But if San Antonio moves for another sizable multi-year contract, they are greatly limiting their ability to resign Manu Ginobili this offseason. No one, including the Spurs and Ginobili, are sure if he’ll resign with San Antonio this summer, but these sort of trade scenarios are tantamount to saying “This is it.” The team has Ginobili’s Bird Rights, but does it matter if resigning him pushes their payroll even higher into tax territory?
- The Spurs’ early season struggles have come, in part, from a lack of “corporate knowledge.” That is, from having so many guys in their first year of the system. Trading a productive, system-smart player like Matt Bonner or Mike Finley comes at more of a cost than raw statistics indicate.
- It’s worth noting that San Antonio does not have Bird Rights on Roger Mason Jr. If the Spurs resign Mason this summer, it will come out of the MLE. The problem there, of course, is that the Spurs will presumably use a large chunk of the MLE on a Tiago Splitter offer, limiting their ability to resign Mason. If the Spurs trade for a contract that greatly reduces their ability to resign Ginobili and are unlikely to resign Mason Jr, they leave themselves with a long term hole at shooting guard with no obvious way to fill it. Update: While this last point is technically correct, San Antonio will have “Early Bird Rights” on Mason. They can resign him for up to 175% of his current contract-so unless another team offers Mason more than 6.5 million, San Antonio should have a decent chance of resigning him. Thanks to CGD for catching the error.
Factor in those considerations, and Tim Duncan’s strong play might not change a thing about the operating game plan.
44 Comments
January 5th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
I agree that TD is playing solid ball this year. Assuming that he stays at about the same form next year, how much and for how long would the Spurs resign a then 35 year old Duncan?
With respect to current expiring contracts, I think the FO will take value where they can find it even if it’s merely trading Ian for a future 2nd. Part of the “value” calculation most likely includes a working estimate of TD’s next (final) contract.
My guess is that it’s on a scale between 65-75% of next year’s $21.3M value, and that it may tip either way depending on: (1) contract length, and (2) whether TD can continue to perform similar to what you’ve described above.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
If we can get a ridiculously good deal (think Gasol trade) then I’d say go for it. Otherwise I think its better to stand pat, resign Manu + Mason, and bring over Splitter next year.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
duaneofly,
Tim’s point about Mason is that unfortunately we can’t simply re-sign Mason and go further over the cap next summer (we don’t possess his Bird Rights) re-signing him would have to be done through the MLE, most or all of which would be necessary to bring over Tiago.
I assume the Spurs will be resigning Manu to a slightly reduced contract next summer (or even this year) to finish his career as a Spur. But what do we know about Finley’s plans? His contract is up and he may be forced into retirement.
If Finley and Mason are both out of the Spurs’ future plans (Mason for money reasons, Finley for age reasons) than might it be best to trade one or both now for a piece that can help us in the present and the future? Of course, losing both of them for another new guy might just set us back on the learning curve even further….
Who would we want to trade for at the guard or wing positions anyway?
January 5th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Some things to note, even with RJ’s contract (since a lot complain about it), Spurs (as projected if no moves happen), will be at about 54.1M to begin next season. Assuming Manu gets somewhere between 5 and 8M for the first year, they still aren’t deep in luxury taxes. So really, unless Spurs pack on the weight (extra person + Manu’s contract), they probably won’t be eating it that bad.
Still some uncertainty with Splitter coming though.
I don’t see Mason coming back (due to the personnel and cap space), unless no one offers him anything great. They can go cheap and bring back Hairston which would make a lot of sense. And it seems like they are grooming Haislip for next season. That would cover Finley, who likely retires and Bonner if he leaves.
Going to be another interesting offseason regardless of what happens this season.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I would just stand pat and play your cards that we have…
Tiaggo and Gino in the offseason is a must from my standpoint…..
I think right now….we have enough talent on this roster to win it all….will they? No one knows , but I don’t think getting another player in here late in the season would push us over the top. Throw the fact it would hurt us in getting Gino back this summer and for me it’s a no brainer….
January 5th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
“It’s worth noting that San Antonio does not have Bird Rights on Roger Mason Jr.”
I have been mentioning this all summer, immediately after the Spurs made the Jefferson trade, there is almost no way Roger Mason Jr. is a Spur next year. When the Spurs originally signed Mason they only gave him 2 years b/c they expected to be Free Agent players this offseason since that no longer is the plan I really believe the Spurs will go after one more “Salary Dump”/”Fire Sale” type trade.
This summer I was a big time advocate for Shane Battier and the fact that his contract perfectly aligns itself with Jefferson’s and Parker’s giving the team a new offseason to shoot for. With Bonner playing as well as he has I see the Spurs keeping him due to the Corporate Knowledge that has been spoken of but would not at all be surprised to see Finley gone but coming back 30 days later after being bought out by whatever team he is traded to.
Hopefully the Spurs shoot much higher than Noc, as much as I like him and his style I think that much more can be had.
A trade of :
Mason- $3.78
Finley- $2.5
Manhimi-$1.0
Haislip-$855K
Gets us up to a total of $8 million in expiring contracts.
This trade to the Hornets for David West saves the Hornets $1 Million this year plus whatever they would save by buying out Finley this is on top of what they would save by no longer having to pay out the rest of West’s contract. This is just one proposed deal with a team, The Hornets, that is rumored to be reaching Fire Sale level!
Other possible targets I think will be Battier, Antwan Jamison, possibly Troy Murphy, and whole lot of other players.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
If the Wizards decide to blow up their team and start over, that puts some really useful players on the market. I’ve always really liked Antawn Jamison and would love to see him in a Spurs uniform.
How about this unsupported speculation: Bonner, Finley, Mason, and McDyess for Jamison and Haywood? (works in Trade Machine).
The Spurs might have to throw in some picks or even Tiago Splitter’s rights, but that trade gives the Spurs the front court size and versatility that would rival the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic.
The only way the Spurs can get significant talent back is in a fire-sale situation like the one that may be brewing in DC. We would have to send all our expiring contracts to get anything significant back…I would consider Jamison and Haywood (and increased minutes for Hill and Hairston) an upgrade over Bonner and McDyess (and Mason and Finley).
January 5th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Also that trade with the Hornets didnt mention luxury tax savings, so once we got to all the final numbers the above mentioned trade could save about $4 million dollars this year alone. That is a good amount of money.
And this trade could be tweaked a variety of different ways, maybe add Antonio McD and along with Mason and Manihimmi, the Hornets could save money and even try to sell “added depth” to their fans.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Let’s not forget Bonner’s 3.2M that comes off the books too. That’s roughly 9.5M between Mase, Fin, and Bonner.
Also, it’s my understanding that the Spurs may sign RMJ for up to 175% of his last year’s salary ($3.7m) without exceeding the cap (the so called “early bird rights”).
January 5th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I think Bonner has found his niche off the bench and I don’t think Pop will trade him. And in all honestly I’m ok with that, Bonner has been eating up other teams 2nd units!
January 5th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I’ll just throw it out there because it makes for interesting discussions: The Raptors are not contenders and speculation is that Chris Bosh is gone. Assuming we can put a new deal in place for Bosh, are core pieces like Parker or Ginobili untouchable?
I’m not advocating it. I’d love to see Manu finish his career here. I think Tony will. But I thought I’d see where many of you stand on it because emotionally and logically, it’s difficult to say what I would do if I were a decision maker.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
I don’t think either that Bonner will have to go, Pop likes him to much. And he has played well very often coming from the bench…even if I don’t like his D too much. Jamison and Haywood really would be great, I would love to have both those guys. I don’t know if David West would be the right fit. But let’s wait and see, we’ll certainly see some surprise(s).
January 5th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I kind of like the idea of Anthony Randolph and Corey Maggette. I was watching a Warriors game last week and a comment was made that they would be willing to move Randolph only if someone took Maggette’s contract as well. The chance the Spurs take with this move is with Randolph’s maturity. Is he mentally tough enough this season for a championship run? I know he has enormous potential.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Hum good question….I heard Bosh would love to play for a team in Texas. Is that true?
It would be very difficult to see Manu or/and Tony leave at any point or for anyone. Tony because he is still young and has still potential to improve. Manu because he has done so much for this team and the city and I would just hate to see him end his career somewhere else. It’s really hard to formulate this but I don’t know if the Spurs shouldn’t consider trading Manu(because of his injuries) and some other player beside Tony,
if they had a chance to get a player like Chris Bosh instead. Because he really is a very very good player.
BUT I don’t think the Spurs would trade Manu or Tony anyway.
This really is a tough one…What would you do, Jesse?
January 5th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
i dont hing jamison would be a smart move seeing that hes another 34 or 35 yr old, as a wing player we dont need that!! i say we keep mason, and bonner for the bench. unless were getting someone big young and dominate. we are never going to trade tiago’s rights and that would be relly stupid to do, esp. for haywood and jamison. if we can sign manu at a lower cost, let finley go, i think that alone will help this team out tremendously!! as far as parker goes i wouldnt mind trading him in a small package for torronto. parker is not going to finish in s.a i guarantee it!
January 5th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
sorry for all the mistakes above ^^^
January 5th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I am quite sure Finley will retire after this year and Manu will stay a Spur until he retires.
Trade Tony Parker? Maybe yes, if we can get Bosh instead. Even if, as I said, I love Tony and what he has done for SA. Chris Bosh probably has even more potential than TP. Plus, George Hill is improving and he’s a pass-first PG which Tony isn’t and Pop said before the season that George Hill is one of his favorite players on the team. (Actually he said he IS his favorite) It’s worth to think about it for sure. Logically, I think trading Bosh for Tony would be an upgrade.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
As you see : the inconsistency of my comments shows that I don’t know what I would do!
January 5th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Emotionally, I’d hate to part with any of the big three. From a business persepctive, I think TP is the guy the Spurs may try to move at some point assuming Hill’s tragectory stays constant. Hill also seems to be of the physical mold of the PGs emerging in recent drafts (Rose, Bayless, Evan, Wall next year).
With respect to Bosh, I am increasingly of the opinion that he will be moved before the deadline. Toronto is obviously concerned about losing him, but probably more afraid they’d get no value in return. True they’ll free up 17M next summer, but Bosh is a special talent on the right side of 30. I think we’ll miss out, but won’t be surprised if our neighbors up I35 try to make a move…
January 5th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
@ CGD:
You are right about Dallas. Even if he isn’t traded he might very well sign with the Mavs after the season, considering that he was born there and has played there in HS.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Ummm
just seen on ESPN that Jamison might be on the market….
I have always liked him…wondering what it would take….
Should be intresting to watch since I think we were in talks with them last year for Jamison or Butler for Manu( rumored, but Pop did say they were offered a deal from Was.)
January 5th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Trade Parker and Bonner for Bosh.
Parker on 82games.com is shooting .378 on jump shots. No other Spur is below .411. He is .200 in crunch time!!
Guards are a dime a dozen in the NBA. Spurs can get a Kyle Lowery, Randy Foye, CJ Watson, Jerryd Bayless all current backups, to do what Parker does if given those minutes. See Rose, Jennings, Lawson, Rondo, Paul, Williams, Brooks against Parker. He struggles. Jason Williams, Rafer Alston, Steve Blake, Carlos Arroyo, current backup vets could fit easily with a Spurs playoff run.
Active, multi-faceted big men like Bosh are rare. An Olympic caliber, 20 point scoring, 10 rebounding, shot blocking, floor running, jump shooting forward would help the Spurs more than a current Tony Parker can.
We need a player to match Nowitski, Aldridge, Gasol, Nene, West, Stoudamire, Griffin, Jefferson, etc.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I think trading Tony Parker would be a huge mistake. Hill, despite what many of you write, is not a pass first point guard. He simply doesn’t try and create very many plays or over penetrate…so because the ball is not in his hands a lot, you confuse him as a pass first point guard. Trading Parker would leave all the playmaking pressure on Manu Ginobili, which would have been dicey even in 2005.
Playing around with the trade machine…the most intriguing I could come up with was Jefferson and Mahinmi for Maggette, Randolph and change.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
But since I’m the one that asked if the core was untouchable. Well from a basketball standpoint the Raptors could use a starting SG and Splitter would seem to be a good fit with Bargs. And Bosh would immediatly give us the best frontline in the league and I think his offensive game (jumpers and drives) can resemble David’s at times, so I think he’d work with Duncan.
That being said, when it comes to Ginobili I find it impossible to remove the fan in me from decisions. And I still believe that, at the top of what we might reasonably expect his game to be (where he left last year), Ginobili gives us such a high ceiling. I think I stay put. But that’s why I’m not a general manager.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Or, playing with the trade machine I came up with this 4-team trade that could happen if we somehow manage to get George Gervin or David Robinson into the Toronto front office to give us a “Jerry West” deal.
Spurs get: Chris Bosh, Cory Maggette.
Raptors get: Anthony Randolph, Roger Mason and Brandon Wright, (Rights to Tiago Splitter?)
Warriors get: Richard Jefferson, draft picks (figure that out later)
Memphis Grizzlies get: Matt Bonner, cash.
The thought process: The Spurs go all in, cashing in yet again on a franchise’s misfortunes while passing out collection plates at games to cover luxury tax payments (I’d gladly throw some cash in). Duncan and Bosh form the best front line in the NBA. We keep Manu and Tony. And Duncan goes out in a blaze of glory some time in the next 3-5 years.
For this to happen, the Raptors have to accept they’ll lose Bosh and want to replace him as much as possible. Roger Mason gives them a starting shooting guard who fits into their offensive gameplan. Anthony Randolph is an elite talent (whether or not he develops is a question) who would form a versatile frontcourt with Bargs. Wright has promise and might be worth a look at for Toronto. We might have to throw in the rights to Splitter. A physical presence who might be a good fit next to Bargs.
For this to happen, the reports of the Warriors willing to move Randolph if someone takes Maggette would have to be true. Jefferson is a more useful player and has two less years on his contract. We might have to throw out some draft picks, Splitter rights, or Blair as a sweetner.
Of course, we still need numbers to work, which is where the Grizzlies come into play. Pay them some cash to put Bonner on their books and if their summer was any indicator, they’d be happy to do it.
Again, even if we lose any combination of Hill, Splitter and Blair, it would still be worth it.
Whew, the trade machine is addicting…Well, thoughts? Pipe dreams are fun.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Jesse,
I’m not sure how I really feel about Bosh, I haven’t seen him play all that much, so he’s kind of a question mark for me. Ideally, the Spurs would want to immediately lock him down for the next 5 years or so upon receiving him by trade. If that happened I might support it.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Updated, with a thank you to CGD.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Naturally a deal would have to be in place. But Bosh is good. Real good. It’s not happening, but it is a blog and so wild speculation and fan dreaming always makes for good talk while we await the stretch run.
Besides, you don’t play with the trade machine to see if you can get Adam Morrison or Sebastian Telfair, it’s all about homeruns.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Like it was mentioned above, George Hill is without a doubt not a pass first point guard, in fact he was thought of mainly as a shooting guard prior to becoming a Spur and is still learning the pg position.
As for Bosh, I think Toronto would need to be bowled over to trade him and even if they were willing to trade him I really don’t think Parker would be enough to bring him to SA.
Also according to the recent B.S. Report w/ Bill Simmons, Ric Bucher, and Marc Stein, Chris Bosh has come out and said he DOESN’T want to play in Texas due to it being too big of a distraction playing that close to home.
As for Jamison, he is 33 years old, not 35 like mentioned in an earlier comment, now while 33 isn’t a great age, with the NBA getting smaller and smaller, I can see him being a very effective stretch 4 for the rest of his contract. On a team like the Spurs you guys don’t need to be told how valuable those type players are to Pop. If we got him in a salary dump like I mentioned earlier with the prinicple players being involved being some combination of Mason, Finley, Haislip, Manihimi, and/or Mcdyess than I am all for it.
David West is a player similar to Jamison only without as much range but much younger. I think his game would mesh very well with Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
No way would I make the trade for Maggette and Randolph, while Randolph has a ton of potential I don’t think he helps a team win a title in the next 2 years and Maggette’s contract due to it’s length is worse than Jefferson’s.
Again my favorite trade proposal is my scenario that brings us Shane Battier, he fits our needs, contract lines up with Jefferson and Parker, and I really don’t think Houston turns down the chance to become an impact shopper this coming offseason.
Finally my thoughts on the topic of Parker and Manu being untouchable. I think either player could be traded in certain situations, it is becoming more and more obvious that while Parker is a very special scorer, he does not get other players on the team as many easy scoring opportunities as other elite pg’s. Seeing the difficulty that he has jelling with Jefferson solidifies this for me, before I always blamed the way the Spurs were put together for Parker’s lacking assist numbers, that is no longer the case. Having said all of this, the Spurs are still capable of winning a title with Parker as long as Manu is at the top of his game. When Manu is playing like Manu, he is the playmaker that Parker is not and that is why Manu’s health is so vital to the Spurs chances to vie for a title. The preceding statement is my way saying if Manu has any type of injury before the trade deadline I can see him being traded. Parker I could see being traded in the offseason especially if Manu does not end up coming back.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I don’t see how trading an all-star point guard and 18 pts per game scorer (not to mention trade chip for next season) for a glue guy/role player (Battier) makes the Spurs better. Battier would be a nice addition to any team but if your shopping Parker and Jefferson I think you can do way better than Battier.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Great conversation so far. I agree that there are going to be some fire sales here by the trade deadline. The economy has been bad for close to two years and it’s starting to wear on teams. Manu’s expiring contract of almost $11 million and Tony’s reasonable contract are the two biggest assets the Spurs have not including smaller ones like Bonner, Mason, etc.
Here’s how I see the Spurs situated. As currently constructed, the Spurs have four big name players, one great post presence and three good wing players. In order for this team to go head to head with the larger teams, I say we need to trade a wing. I don’t believe anyone wants Jefferson’s contract and do we really want to trade Tony? Just 6 months ago everyone thought he was a top 3 PG. He’s had a tough stretch, but at 27 he is still young and reasonably paid. To me the only thing that makes sense is to trade Manu or a combination of other people’s expiring contract to get a Jamison, Boozer, West, or Bosh type (even though I think Bosh is WAY out of the Spurs league)
P.S. On Hollingers chat a week ago he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Spurs make a trade come deadline time.
My dream trade: Jefferson for Maggette, Randolph, and Anthony Morrow. Not gonna happen but fun to think on…
January 5th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
@JP, I don’t know who mentioned trading Parker for Battier, but yeah that obviously wouldn’t be a good trade. Now the option of trading our expiring contracta for Battier is a different story and that is why I brought it up in earlier comments on this thread.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Not to burst anyone’s bubble here but the last thing we need are any Warrior players.. Those guys have been playing Nellie-ball for too long. It would take 2 seasons just to teach them what defense is.
If we bring anyone in before Feb deadline it’s got to be a pro with a great basketball IQ.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Wow, Jesse, great deal for Spurs. Keep big 3 intact with Hill and Blair for youth role players. Add Bosh. Sub Maggette for Jefferson. Phenomenal.
Reasoning for all teams makes sense except maybe Warriors, but if they’re for sale and Nelson dislikes Randolph like he did Webber, Harrington, Crawford, etc., then great.
If Pau Gasol can be had for Kwame Brown, I don’t see why Bosh can’t be had for peanuts.
Somebody get Jesse’s proposal to R. C. Buford quick.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
@Ivmainman -
Collangello is not a tard like Chris Ford. He makes Isiah Thomas not feel all alone. With that said, Marc Gasol isn’t bad, so you need at least a good prospect, aside from money dumping, generally.
Having said that, Spurs got their version of it already, getting RJ.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Haha, again a great wish. And who knows, with the Warriors inept franchise it’s at least worth a call. But even if Blair and/or Hill were part of a package like that, I’d do it in a heart beat.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Jesse,
Listening to the Warriors broadcast tonight (I live in SF bay area), the GM emphatically states that they will move Randolph ONLY if the deal will procure a star player who has at least 2 years on his contract. Through the Amare fiasco this summer, the Warriors seem to finally realize that any quality player they get will opt to leave when they become a free agent.
So I don’t see them doing business in this case unless it results in Ginobili, Parker or Bosh.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Grego,
Bryan Colangelo is not going to let Bosh walk away for nothing. They didn’t let Marion walk away, see the 3 way team deal with the Mavericks.
Colangelo signed Turkoglu to 5 yr - $53 million. Calderon 4 yr - $37 million. Bargnani 5 yr - $45 million. Jack 4 yr - $20 million
Now he’s going to sign Bosh to 3 yr - $55 million??
They just cut Pops Mensah-Bonsu to save $400,000. The deal Jesse proposed saves $7.5 million!! Add $3.75 million for luxury tax purposes thats $11.25 million saved.
And if you don’t think Anthony Randolph has potential, you haven’t seen him play. Think a more athletic, but less cerebral David Lee.
Colangelo would salivate over a deal like that.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:40 am
Spurs get Chris Bosh, Marcus Banks
Raptors get Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry
Rockets get Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, and Rasho Nesterovic
Spurs compensate for loss of Jefferson with Finley, Mason, Hill and Hairston.
January 6th, 2010 at 6:25 am
Raptors will not deal Bosh February. Sorry guys, not happening. Colangelo will lose his job if he does a panic Bosh trade, unless he gets 100% value back which no one will gave him. Raps will likely stand still (maybe dealing Calderon as Jack is playing well and Calderon has value despite being the worst 1 on 1 defender in league history) and hope for the best. And they have a good shot of get a sign and trade deal out of him to either NY (Lee-Robinson), New Jersey (Harris), Miami (Beasley) or Dallas (Howard). All of them better deals then what we would likely offer.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:18 am
These Bosh posts are all nice pipe dreams but the topic was Duncan’s productivity leading the Spurs to take on more salary from a team in Fire Sale mode, Toronto has done nothing to make us think they are anywhere close to being at that level.
Teams like New Orleans, Washington, Utah, are teams that are looking to slash salary.
Teams like Chicago, Houston, Clippers, and Miami are looking to get as much cap space for this coming offseason as possible.
These are the types of teams the Spurs will potentially be dealing with.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:31 am
@lvmainman
Also, just b/c a team cuts a fringe player to avoid that player’s contract being guarunteed for the rest of the year does not mean that the team is in a cut cost at all expense mode. In fact alot of teams will probably being doing the exact same thing today.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
[...] Tim wrote a piece questioning how Tim Duncan’s continued level of elite performance could alter the Spurs trade market plans as the season moves towards the trade deadline. I believe that a lot of what happens over the next [...]
January 7th, 2010 at 12:43 am
@Ivanman - Toronto wouldn’t do that either. They don’t gain much for giving up such a prize. Even though he could walk away for nothing ,they have better odds of holding out and doing a sign and trade which generally happens, especially on one of the biggest contracts of Bosh’s career (coming up).
Spurs are already undersized. They just removed their one and only real 3. All the other guys who’d replace Jefferson would not really make up for it. And this was the previous issue in years past. RJ is the best 3 they’ve had in ages. He also have the potential given the rest of the year really to pay off. He’s showing promise that he’s starting to round that corner in terms of his comfort zone and knowing when and how to get his points. Helps that Pop is setting up plays to get him open such as back screens or hand offs.
Bosh will likely end up playing his career in Chicago, New York or NJ. Maybe even Miami if Riley can convince Wade to stay. That would be a stellar combo. Got some young talent for a sign and trade and both are under the cap next year so they don’t need a 3rd team.
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