Wednesday, June 30th, 2010...5:11 pm
Richard Jefferson Opts Out of Contract
In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, Richard Jefferson has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Spurs. This move still leaves the Spurs above the cap, but will undoubtedly ease the financial burden on Peter Holt’s wallet. The Spurs could be looking at a tax free 2010-11.
Why would Richard Jefferson leave 15 million dollars of guaranteed money on the table? He and his agent are no doubt convinced that Jefferson can secure a long term contract which guarantees Jefferson more money over, say, the next 5 years. That is, Jefferson is willing to take a financial hit this season for the benefit of more cash over the balance of his career, especially in light of the next CBA, which promises to reduce player salaries.
From the Spurs perspective, this is a financial blessing. Although, it’s not necessarily a help to the team’s on court success. Richard Jefferson’s expiring contract could have brought back a decent player for the Spurs, and now the team is woefully thin at small forward with only the MLE and LLE at their disposal.
The Spurs maintain Richard Jefferson’s Bird Rights, giving San Antonio the option of a sign and trade or simply resigning RJ to a more modest figure. The Spurs, however, would not want to resign Jefferson at the cost of a steep tax bill. There are a handful of teams-the Knicks come to mind-who might be in the market for a sign and trade piece later this summer.
If I were a betting man, I’d say Richard Jefferson has played his last game for the Spurs. And, more to the point, that the Spurs will easily replace Jefferson’ production with a less sexy player, but one who is a better fit for their system.
85 Comments
June 30th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
I agree. Holt is the real winner here. I am hoping that we use him in a sign and trade to get some good pieces.
Its also a great day for Hairston!!!
June 30th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Tim, what do you think is management’s reaction to this news? That is the reaction behind the scenes? Not the one in front of the mic which goes, “We’re sad to lose a player of Richard’s talent and wish him the best…”
June 30th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
I agree with you Tim. Although I was semi-hoping that RJ would play much improved in his second season as a Spur, him opting out does lighten the burden on Holt.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Does this mean we can give Splitter more than the MLE now? Either way glad to hear this. Even if we resign him it should be for 50%+ discount IMO.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Ignore my previous comment. I reread the post ha.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Can someone explain how the Spurs are still over the cap without RJ’s contract ??
June 30th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
James, there is a cap line and a tax line. Once a team is over the cap line, they’re limited to “exception” money, rookie contracts, vet mins and Bird deals. Jefferson’s opt out helps the Spurs with tax, but it doesn’t bring them below the cap, which is set at 56 million.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
@BigJ, Mixed. Happy that they got out from under the onerous burden that is Jefferson’s contract. But I suspect they were hoping to land a player in a trade using his expiring. Plus, now the team is even more thin at small forward. It’s a big problem to fix with limited resources.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Thank you Tim. I wondered if it was a bitter sweet moment.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
It does bring the Spurs below the cap. However, they will only have 4-5 million under the cap assuming that none of Jewell, Gee, Hairston, etc. are guaranteed contracts. Using that on the free market, they will possibly get a lesser player than Jefferson.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Timothy, thanks for the quick reply - I was just looking at the salaries on hoopshype, and saw that we were only at 52.6 million. I didn’t look closely enough to see that this figure is only for the 8 players under contract, and we’ll have to pay for the remaining number to get to the league minimum roster (13 ?). Out of interest, what is the figure for the tax line ?
June 30th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Could this be a case of RJ’s agent not wanting a trade to go down because he would be tagged as “Richard Jefferson’s Expiring Contract” ?
June 30th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Jefferson couldn’t create his own shot, couldn’t consistently hit open threes and didn’t defend well. This should be addition by subtraction. We just need hustle and effort at the 3 spot, especially defensively. Hopefully with the addition of Splitter and subtraction of RJ we can become a much better defensive team this year. In sum, HOOORRRAAAAAYYYYY!!!!
June 30th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
@PM, I’ll get the exact numbers but the contracts of Jerrells, Gee, Hairston, and Temple count against the cap. Plus there is a rookie hold on James Anderson’s contract. Moreover, even if the Spurs come in at, say, 1 million under the cap, that doesn’t help them much. Basically, they’re looking at MLE, LLE and vet mins regardless.
June 30th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andrew A. McNeill, San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio Spurs said: 48 Minutes of Hell >> Richard Jefferson Opts Out of Contract http://buzztap.com/-828c1H [...]
June 30th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
The Spurs only get to use the money under the cap or the MLE not both. They can’t use the MLE say 5.6 million if they are 7 million under the cap.
If they are 4.5 million under the cap they can use the MLE.
Basically to really wheel and deal they’d need to renounce the rights to all the smaller guys and work on a big deal which isn’t going to happen.
I really wish we’d have somehow gotten John Salmons when Sacremento was shopping him. Always easier in hindsight but good 3 point shooting solid D and hustle, can create his own shot and doesn’t need to be spoon fed.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
@Bushka, helpful comment. Thanks.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
It’s confusing, and here is the bible on the cap: http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm
One of the things that it often forgotten is that there are “cap holds” for slots that are not currently filled, and they are calculated in various ways. The absolute lowest number are the minimums, so that even if the minimums averaged only 1m, the five extra slots to get to 13 would push the 52.6 to 57.6, which is over the cap.
Check out Coon’s analysis of the teams in the LeBron sweepstakes: http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-freeagency-100629/cap-room-summary
I bet the Spurs are in a similar situation regarding the cap that some of these teams are in regards to the number of max contracts - meaning that they can’t realistically get under the cap without giving up assets that they would just have to replace…
June 30th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
I dont know if this a good thing or a bad thing
June 30th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
From a basketball standpoint I really believe that Hairston can give us the production RJ gave us last year just as a base.
Not to mention he has more potential and understands the system better already after his time with the big club and the Toros.
Hairston needs to have a great summer league and romp into training camp and convince pop. If he can play to his ability he will give the Spurs everything RJ gave them (honestly thats almost like damning Malik with faint prasie), for cents on the dollar.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
And I forgot all about what I really wanted to say, which is that it seems strange that Jefferson wouldn’t have the confidence to think that a better upcoming year would lead to an even better long term contract than the one he might get right now after such a disastrous year. It seems like now is the worst time to be getting a new deal if he believes that he really has anything left in the tank.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
So does this make the Spurs a player in the 2010 Free Agency Frenzy?
June 30th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
This makes me feel bad for dissing RJ all season, sorry bro, but thank you!
June 30th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
“So does this make the Spurs a player in the 2010 Free Agency Frenzy?”
Sign and trade RJ and TP for Rudy Gay and ?. Not saying I’d do it, but its interesting.
Just a thought.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Three words this time. Yes, yes, yes! No, four! Hooray!!! This is terrific news for Spurs fans.
GO SPURS GO!
June 30th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
RJ is coming back. remember in an interview towards the end of the year. he said if I’m offered four years 40 million thats a situation that I will opt out. he is resigning and lets hope he does, because without him we are going nowhere given the fact that we cant sign another sf
June 30th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Anybody sure they are still over the cap? Cap is set at around $56m, but their salary is at $52.
They could mean they lose their mid-level exception as well too?
June 30th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Ronnie Brewer is a possible option? But they will have to save the money for Splitter…
June 30th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Jefferson will be back at a more manageable salary. I predict 5 year 40 million dollar contract. With lower contract and lower expectations look for Jefferson to have a better year. Adding splitter will also reduce the offense we expect from him. Another thing is having another 7 footer in the paint will make jefferson appear to be a better defender. Both pluses.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Why are we assuming Jefferson wants to leave and/or the Spurs want him to leave? Doesn’t it make basketball and financial sense for the Spurs to sign him to something like a 4 year-$25-30 million deal?
If the Spurs don’t sign and trade him for something then 1) Holt’s money must be a real issue, and 2) we’re in trouble. You can’t build a winner if you lose assets for nothing.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Obviously we know that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are off the table but what are some potential free agents we can bring in with what we have?
June 30th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
@ldhl89
Ultimately, even if RJ resigns for a long term deal and stays, or is traded away…it appears to give the Spurs more options than were on the table a few hours ago.
I call that a good thing.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
i agree that RJ is likely to be resigned, although i hope it’s more of a 4 yr, 30 million dollar contract.
so if he resigns for somewhere between $6 and $8 million a year, how much money would he save the Spurs this upcoming year? since we are still at the cap without his salary, wouldn’t the Spurs be paying $30 million (his $15 million salary plus dollar for dollar over the cap hit)? if he signs for $7.5 and he saves us $15+ million this coming year right? that’s great!!
or we could offer a 3-4 year deal at average of $3 million a year to Josh Howard, Matt Barnes, Raja Bell, Adam Morrison, or Quentin Richardson.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
In the same interview where RJ spoke of opting out to get a 4/40 deal he also mentioned his value is higher in a fast tempo system a la Phoenix. I really have no idea if he’ll re-sign here or not. This year may have been a bad enough experience that he just wants out. If he leaves we have no small forward and nothing but the 2m LLE and 1m-ish vet min to sign one. Don’t see how we can “easily replace” him in that scenario.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
i realize previous post was not easy to understand, but i hope message was understood: RJ’s decision saves Spurs money and gives front office options.
on a side note, i know LeBron has a bunch of leeches around him and “friends” in his ear, but i hope he stays in Cleveland and eventually wins a championship there.
as for the rest of the FA’s, my bold predictions
Heat: Wade, Bosh
Bulls: Boozer, Ray Allen
Knicks: Joe Johnson, via trade- Amare (with Carmelo joining next year)
Celtics: Pierce
Clippers: Rudy Gay
Mavs: Dirk (although he would look great in Silver & Black)
Suns: via trade- David Lee and Danilo Gallinari
June 30th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Excellent cap explanations so far. With the LLE, does anyone else think Raja Bell is an option? Same amount that Lakers can offer but more playing time. Plus his ability to hit the weak-side three would be perfect in this offense.
June 30th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Although this blindsided us fans and the media, whose to say the Spurs haven’t already been preparing for this?
June 30th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
DNITCH
June 30th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
“So does this make the Spurs a player in the 2010 Free Agency Frenzy?”
No. It’s only “known” short-term benefit is a saving to the owner on luxury tax.
It’s potential “unknown” benefit is forcing us to attempt an upgrade at a position that was a weak spot for us last season. That could result from a surprising jump through organic development (e.g., Hairston), or through most likely the LLE, or via a trade of some sort.
Unfortunately, trading RJ at this point has now lost some value. That’s why I’ve been harping on trading him since the season ended. Hopefully the FO were looking at the GSW’s (and/or other teams) in this regard, but just couldn’t get it done. I’m hoping that we can at least work out a sign & trade with him, but any leverage would only be associated with RJ’s expected future performance (not particularly tempting for most teams, I would think), and not from assuming one of the top expiring contracts (for those wanting to create cap space for 2011). All I know is that we need to get moving on this. There’s gotta be someone that could use RJ, from a more compatible system. It’s not like RJ can no longer play at a decent level. Also, it would be nice to know WHEN Splitter is expected to make his decision on coming over. Is there any procedural delay that I’m unaware of?
Finally, I’m a bit surprised that RJ opted out. Is there really enough free cap space available around the league for a player like RJ coming off a crappy year? It seems like A LOT of money is going to be used up on signing several MEGA stars, let alone all of the rest of the free agents this year. I think it’s a big gamble on RJ’s part, although the new CBA next year might have precipitated his decision. We do know one thing: he’s never going to get close to 15 mil. per year. Maybe 7-8, if he’s lucky. More likely, he ends up having to play almost three years just to equal this years salary guarantee.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
I think it’s funny that nobody is considering the possibility that the Spurs will use the money RJ would have gotten to go after someone else, regardless of tax concerns. Parker has made recent comments that he is open to beginning the second half of his career somewhere else. If we sign somebody like Rudy Gay or Ray Allen (somewhat random names) with RJ’s newly freed-up money to a long term deal, and TP leave’s next season, the Spurs won’t be in the tax once Parker’s contract is off the books. Hill will be another year toward being capable of taking the reigns. The front office would have been spending 15 million anyway if not for this miracle. If they commit to spending something close to that figure on someone else, at least they’ve locked in a player for future seasons sans-Parker. This seems to make sense, but then again, spending so much was pretty extraordinary for the Spurs last season. Seeing it again would be downright apocalyptic.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
This makes it harder to land several promising pieces, or that elsuive 4th scorer… considering that the Spurs were disappointed w/ RJ’s output at both ends, and TP’s scoring took a dip, we aren’t looking to “easily replace Jefferson’s production,” we are still looking for that production that he WAS SUPPOSED to deliver LAST YEAR.
Now we have LESS payroll to try to pay guys to fill that need, not more. We either have his lowered salary figure to trade, or just the exemptions we would have had any way.
Still, considering we are a long way from true contention, it’s a lucky break for Holt’s wallet.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Realistically we don’t get a huge upgrade to our free agency potential, we just save a heap of cash.
We still have to sign Tiago which will take us past the cap, then it’s down to LLE minimums and possible trades.
Parker/hill/Ginobli/one of Gee Jerrells etc.
Timmy, Tiago, Blair, McDyess is your front line with possibly one more vet added as insurance or they bring back Bonner on the cheap as they own his bird rights. (we really need a 5th big and Bonners fine for 7 or 8 minutes a night, we have to have depth).
The SF slot is going to be Hairston, Anderson or someone that we get in a trade.
Of all the possible trade picks for a solid SF i’d have to point to McDyess as a viable trade option. He only has a partially guaranteed contract on his last year which makes him an attractive front line fill in around the league somewhere that can be waived cheaply.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
@Caleb
Not possible when already over the cap.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
spursfanbayarea
June 30th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
“Jefferson will be back at a more manageable salary. I predict 5 year 40 million dollar contract.”
You really want to give RJ a five-year contract?! Why?
idahospur
June 30th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
“Obviously we know that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are off the table but what are some potential free agents we can bring in with what we have?”
Okay, here’s a list. Who could we use, who might we want, and who could we afford?
Player….Team….Status…….Age….Position …2010/Sal
J. Childress ..Hawks …(R)…….26 …..SG/SF ….3.6 2008
T. Allen …….Celtics ….(U) ……28 ……..SG.……..2.5
M. Daniels …Celtics ….(U) ……28 …….SG ………1.99
T. Thomas ….Mavs ……(U) ……33 …….PF ………825
J. Petro ……Nuggets ….(U)…….24 ……..C ……….825
W. Bynum …Pistons ….(U) ……27 …….PG ………825
A. Morrow …GSW ……..(R) ……24 …….SG ……..736
C. Hunter …..GSW ……..(R) ……25 ……..C ………632
R. Bell ……….GSW ……..(U) …..34 …….SG ………..5.2
S. Blake ……..Clips ………(U) ……30 …….PG ………4.0
R. Butler …….Clips ………(U) ……31 …….SG/SF …..3.9
S. Novak …….Clips ………(U) ……27 …….SF ……….1.0
D. Mbenga …Lakers …….(U) …….29 ……..C …………959
J. Anthony ….Heat ………(R) ……27 ……PF/C ………825
D. Wright …..Heat ………(U) …….24 …….SF ………..2.9
R. Brewer ….Grizzlies …..(R) …….24 ……SG/SF ……..2.7
S. Hunter …..Grizzlies …..(U) …….28 ……PF/C ………3.7
M. Williams ..Grizzlies ….(U) …….23 ……SF ………….825
S. Rodriguez ..Knicks ……(R) …….24 ……PG ………..1.58
E. House …….Knicks …..(U) …….32 …..PG/SG ……..2.86
J.J. Redick ……Magic ……(R) ……26 ……SG ………..2.8
M. Barnes …….Magic ……(U) ……30 …….SF ………..1.6
L. Amundson .. Suns ……..(U) ……27 ……PF/C ……….855
A. Johnson ……Raptors ….(U) ……23 ……PF …………3.9
pablo
June 30th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
“i realize previous post was not easy to understand, but i hope message was understood: RJ’s decision saves Spurs money and gives front office options.”
It does not give us more options. In fact it reduces the value of the options we already had before he opted out. All it definitively does is save the owner on the luxury tax.
Cuse
June 30th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
“With the LLE, does anyone else think Raja Bell is an option?”
VERY likely not enough.
Just to clarify, other than trades, all we have available to sign FA’s is:
MLE - about 6 mil. (up to 5 yrs., I believe)
LLE - about 2 mil. (up to 2 yrs., I believe)
They can be split among more than one player, but cannot be “mixed together”.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Caleb - the Spurs can’t “use the money RJ would have gotten to go after someone else”. It’s not an issue of luxury tax. Teams at or above the salary cap cannot sign free agents unless they use an exception. The biggest exception is the MLE, which goes to Splitter (if not, we’re doomed anyway). After that you’ve got the LLE (2m) and veteran minimum (1m or so). The type of players you mention are not available anywhere near that price.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Caleb they can’t just sign a free agent if they are already over the cap. Since they have to fill out the roster at 15 players regardless those salary spots have a cap hold and yes right now we are I’m assuming at the cap or very near to it.
If you don’t have space you get to use the MLE if you use the MLE on Splitter that means there is No one you can sign to a contract of great consequence unless you bring them in via trade.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
A possible depth chart, minus RJ, is hinted at in the Spurs’ summer league roster. Hairston is listed as SG, and Gee is listed as SF. If Anderson starts and Gee comes off the bench (or vice-versa), I concur with the above commenter that the Spurs could easily replace the production they got last season from Jefferson and the backups. Our depth chart could look something (vaguely) like this:
PG - Parker, Temple
SG - Hill, Ginobili, Hairston
SF - Anderson, Gee, Free agent
PF - McDyess, Blair
C - Duncan, Splitter, Bonner (or Mahinmi)
That’s the league-mandated minimum thirteen. And - with Splitter, a healthy Parker, a promising rookie, and a steal in Gee - it still looks like a pretty big improvement over last season’s squad. If we can’t spend big money on a free agent, who is a realistic possibility for the LLE?
June 30th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
lol god I wish there was an edit ability!
What dodgyworld said.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Matt Barnes? Doubtful he’d be available at that level.
Whats the LLE at the moment anyway?
June 30th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
I don’t see why the LLE wouldn’t be enough for Bell. He’s 34 so it’s not like teams are going to be throwing money his way. This will be the last stop in his career and there are so many reasons why it would be a good fit. The only downside I see is that the FO goal of getting younger at the position wouldn’t be achieved.
In which case, I submit a McDyess-Childress trade. Not sure if the numbers work for straight up swap though.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
I’m shocked as hell he did this. RJ knows something we don’t. I bet he already has a deal close to being lined up. If not then he is a fool to walk away from $15mil this year. This is a mixed blessing. First of all, Hairston (even though I don’t think he’s exactly the second coming of Andre Igoudala) can reproduce most of what RJ did last year for pennies on the dollar. Where it really hurts our team is in future trades. However, RJ opting out and signing a more reasonable contract may actually force (and help) us to trade him. A sign and trade deal is very likely. I can see RJ signing a 4 year $35 mil contract, but thats about it. All in all, this is good news. RJ has actually forced the Spurs to either sign and trade him or let him walk for free. However, instead of us having to unload his salary of $15 mil (he’s super overpaid) he will be paid much less, which will make him MUCH more attractive to potential trade partners.
There is a risk involved with this situation. RJ can walk away from a sign and trade deal and the Spurs would get nothing. However, with that said, RJ’s best bet to cash in on this payday by attempting to line up a sign and trade deal.
Bottom line: RJ opting out may be a HUGE blessing in disguise.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Cuse,
The Spurs are already getting younger at the SF position. By most accounts (see DraftExpress’ brilliant write-up for this year’s draft), Anderson will play at the SF or at least be a tweener. Spurs have Gee. And isn’t Hairston capable of playing 2 and 3, as well?
June 30th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I finally thought the Spurs were going to be that team that gets to trade their bad contract/decision for real talent at the deadline. I was always jealous of those with terrible expiring deals that turned into good players.
Now our bad contract has done left us with nothing to show.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Well Hairston, it’s sink or swim time, my friend.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
One last thought: RJ for $15 mil/year is a HORRIBLE player that would present problems if we had tried to trade him. However, RJ for $9mil/year is a decent deal that many teams may want thus increasing his value. If RJ’s value is increased, we can demand more back (although only say $10mil in salary instead of the $15mil he would have made this year) than if someone had to take his albatross contract for ONLY salary cap relief.
Bottom line: It is possible that we get better players back if RJ takes a serious paycut (which he will).
June 30th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
@ Caleb
I definitely think we are getting younger as a whole and it goes without appreciation on this site sometimes.
When I look at Bell I see a guy who could handle the demands of Popovich, play solid D, and hit a three when needed. Basically do everything that RJ didn’t do but a fraction of the cost.
I’m just caught up in the free agent frenzy after the basketball gods helped us tonight.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Cuse
June 30th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
“I’m just caught up in the free agent frenzy after the basketball gods helped us tonight.”
I know the Spurs are at risk of losing RJ for nothing, but I maintain that the basketball gods have once again smiled on the Spurs. Free Agency is just beginning and it’s already getting crazy!
Bushka
“June 30th, 2010 at 7:27 pm Matt Barnes? Doubtful he’d be available at that level.”
I’ve read that Matt Barnes does not want to play in SA. He’s had the opportunity several times to come and play for us and turned us down.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
I don’t think that Anderson is a SF. He measures just under 6’5″ despite people in media referring to him as being 6’6″. He’s a backup SG not a viable SF, in my estimation.
I have always felt Raja Bell has Spurs written all over him. If he’d be willing to take less to play for a top shelf franchise with a Hall-of-Fame coach and a Hall-of-Famer in TD, plus all of those open weakside corner three point opportunities, I hope we can get him. But I fear, from what I’ve read here tonight, that we will have very few options.
The sum total of this, is we get rid of RJ. He’s a good guy, but was just God awful for this franchise. I think he feels he would be better off in another uniform and in a different system, and I think most agree with him in that regard.
The truth is, we are no longer championship contenders. I don’t know that we have that to sell to a vet that might take less $ in order to get a chance to play for a championship caliber team. I hope I am wrong. I’m not geeked to go into the season with Hairston as our SF option. Mixed feelings on this deal.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Bushka
June 30th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
“Whats the LLE at the moment anyway?”
From my previous post:
“Just to clarify, other than trades, all we have available to sign in FA’s is:
MLE – about 6 mil. (up to 5 yrs., I believe)
LLE – about 2 mil. (up to 2 yrs., I believe)
They can be split among more than one player, but cannot be “mixed together”.”
“Matt Barnes? Doubtful he’d be available at that level.”
I would suspect we would have a shot at Barnes with the LLE, if that’s the best we can get (and it’s not a BAD choice for the price). At least he’s physical & plays “D”.
Cuse
June 30th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
“I don’t see why the LLE wouldn’t be enough for Bell. He’s 34 so it’s not like teams are going to be throwing money his way.”
Look at his salary history. Plus, he has one of the best career 3-point shooting percentages of all-time. AND he can play “D” on the perimeter. Bowen was playing great “D” past 34, and I’m sure Bell has some legs left. On the injury: I don’t think it’s anything serious (not a knee, etc.). Besides, if his injury is really a problem, we wouldn’t want him anyway. Don’t get me wrong; he’s still worth looking into. Just don’t get your hopes up.
Hobson13
June 30th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
“However, instead of us having to unload his salary of $15 mil (he’s super overpaid) he will be paid much less, which will make him MUCH more attractive to potential trade partners.”
Perhaps, but not for those handful of teams looking to create significant cap space for 2011. In addition, I think RJ’s definitely lost value after this years performance. He’d be lucky to get the 8.5 mil. 4-year deal you’re talking about. His only chance would be with the relatively few truly high-octane teams around the league, and they simply might not have a spot for him. Take NY for example. If you’re NY, are you going to give RJ a 35 million long-term deal when you have a younger (8 years) Wilson Chandler on the team? I’m not.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Jefferson & McDyess to NY for Lee & Gallinari lol.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Rumors of Jeff sign and trade to Indy for Troy Murphy on The Daily Dime Live. Can anyone confirm or deny?
June 30th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
The same Indy team with Granger and Paul George?
June 30th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Indiana is so absolutely loaded at the wings, not to mention Brandon Rush is now third on the depth chart, I don’t see it at all.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’m not saying it makes sense, just seeing if anyone has any better info than a passing reference on The Dime.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Question: Assuming Jefferson signs a $9-$10 mill/year contract somewhere else, would it be possible for us to sign and trade Jefferson for Ronnie Brewer and Mike Miller? We could then use the MLE on Splitter and thrown in the BLE (around $2mil) on top of the $9-$10mil for Jefferson. Here’s what it would look like.
Jefferson traded to _____ for $9 mil/year
Ronnie Brewer signed and traded to Spurs for $5mil/year
Mike Miller signed and traded to Spurs for $6mil/year
The salaries would work so we would have essentially traded RJ and used the BLE for Ronnie Brewer and Mike Miller. Our SG and SF positions would be complete. What do you think?
June 30th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
i think that would be prett nice i will definitely put spurs right behind the lakers well anyways what do you think about shaq coming to the spurs
June 30th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
Hobson13
June 30th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
I’m sorry Hobson, but I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. Perhaps you could be a bit more “specific” in terms of “who’s” being trade for “who”. It can be hypothetical, but there seems to be too many loose ends in your example/question.
July 1st, 2010 at 2:33 am
Does anybody really think that RJ got up from bed yesterday morning, knocked on R.C’s door and told him that he was leaving?. My feeling is that Holt, R.C and Pop knew that he was opting out and they are now trying to work on how to resign him to a better deal for everybody. He is a valid player for this team.And with less pressure should be able to show all his talent. And on top of that Pop has been working with him. You don’t do that with a player if you know that he is opting out.
July 1st, 2010 at 5:59 am
In regards to where we go now, I think we’re underestimating the impact of the upcoming CBA. RJ’s entire motive was to secure one last deal before the CBA negotiations most likely limit player salaries. This is the same reason so many college players declared for the draft (hence the “deep” draft). It’s also not a coincidence that all the mega-stars planned to enter the FA market this summer (genius on the part of their agents). In 2 years, the league could look much different - shorter guaranteed contracts, smaller overall payrolls for each team, etc.
As one of the few owners who will negotiate with the player’s union (I believe there are only a handful on the committee), I’m sure Holt is hesitant to take on any/many long, guaranteed contracts.
For example, a deal that pays RJ $30M over 4 years isn’t something Holt would sign off on IMO. If the new CBA negotiations do put limits/restrictions on player salaries (by all accounts, it will), it’s going to make deals like RJ’s much more burdensome than they were under the previous CBA. Essentially, under a new CBA with smaller payrolls for each team, bigger, longer guaranteed deals will hamper teams to a greater extent. Even worse, if that player doesn’t play up to his salary (like RJ), you have the worst type of player - an overpaid, under-producing player.
All in all, it’s hard for me to see RJ resigning with the Spurs for more than $5M/year. A 3 year deal worth $15M with a team option for the 4th year might be something we take a look at, but anything more and I think you start to get into “overpaid” territiory. And with Malik, Gee and Anderson is the wings, we have a stable of young guys who most likely can replicate RJ’s production at a fraction of the cost.
July 1st, 2010 at 6:38 am
RJ in silver and black next year… write it down.
July 1st, 2010 at 7:13 am
Apparently being over the cap was not an issue to Mr. Holt last year when getting Jefferson. And in an attempt to win another title Jefferson looked to be the missing piece. Unfortunately Jefferson could not produce as expected.
I believe this is a good thing for Spur fans. Jefferson becomes a higher value trade asset in a “restructured” contract that pays him less money over a longer period of time than what the Spurs probably would have received from his expiring contract at the end of next year if he did not opt out.
July 1st, 2010 at 7:43 am
Jim Henderson
June 30th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
“I’m sorry Hobson, but I’m not really sure what you’re talking about.”
Jim, this was just a sign and trade scenario involving RJ for Mike Miller and Ronnie Brewer. I threw in the BLE ( of $2mil) just to make sure the salaries lined up. BTW, Brewer is now an unrestricted FA so he should be easier to get from Memphis.
rob
July 1st, 2010 at 7:13 am
“I believe this is a good thing for Spur fans. Jefferson becomes a higher value trade asset in a “restructured” contract that pays him less money over a longer period of time than what the Spurs probably would have received from his expiring contract at the end of next year if he did not opt out.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
July 1st, 2010 at 7:57 am
[...] the NBA off-season were a game of poker, the San Antonio Spurs just lost a big stack of chips when Richard Jefferson opted out of his contract. For all the financial relief it provides Peter Holt and Spurs ownership, it comes at the cost of [...]
July 1st, 2010 at 10:59 am
[...] big news of the day for Spurs fans may Richard Jefferson opting out of his contract, but we have more. It was reported a couple of weeks ago, but became official today: Quin Snyder is [...]
July 1st, 2010 at 11:20 am
Good. Now we can sign Splitter and have enough money to get SF(Barnes,Outlaw,Gay,Josh Howard) and pick some pure shoter(Mike Miller,Korver,Morrow,Ray Allen, Salmons, or Redick. A lot of options for Pop an RC.
July 1st, 2010 at 1:58 pm
manufan
July 1st, 2010 at 11:20 am
No, our options are actually more circumscribed now that RJ has opted out.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:15 pm
@Jim Henderson
Never said I wanted Jefferson at that deal. I stated thats the most likely deal. That is the deal I was predicting. If jefferson is going to give up an annual salary of 15 million to cut in half, he will definetly want the years.
My predictions have come to be pretty close as the circulating rumors suggest. Also this is backed up by mysa.com spurs “One unconfirmed report circulating the league Thursday had Jefferson discussing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Spurs. Another placed the terms at a more robust five years for $45 million, with the final season likely only partially guaranteed.
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 pm
spursfanbayarea
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:15 pm
“Never said I wanted Jefferson at that deal. I stated thats the most likely deal. That is the deal I was predicting.”
Okay, so you think the Spurs FO is going to give RJ a 5-year deal for about 40 mil. Why?
“One unconfirmed report circulating the league Thursday had Jefferson discussing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Spurs. Another placed the terms at a more robust five years for $45 million, with the final season likely only partially guaranteed.”
Either these rumors are clueless or the Spur FO needs their head examined. RJ should be happy to get 24 mil. for three years, or maybe 30 mil. for four, with the 4th year only partially guaranteed. The guy is coming off his worse season, and he’s past his prime at age 30. If someone wants to give him more than that, lets hope it isn’t the Spurs. I’d rather not even give him the 24 million. Do a sign & trade, or let him walk.
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:04 am
@Jim Henderson
Jefferson knows this is his last big contract. No way he settles for 3 years. He will definetly be looking for 4-5 years from anyone who signs him. All the players are scared of the new CBA. They will all be going for the most amount of years and guaranteed money that is out there. Signing him allows us to do a sign and trade. Not signing him lets him walk away with more holes in our roster.
Unfortunatly for the spurs the only way we can upgrade our team without blowing it up is to keep Jefferson. The spurs are pretty much maxed out and will not be able to sign anyone other than splitter. And in your opinion the spurs are 3 players off of contending. So we have to hope he signs and plays well and then can be traded for some younger assets. This would help the transition toward the post duncan era while keeping us out of the lottery.
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:03 am
spursfanbayarea
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:04 am
“Jefferson knows this is his last big contract. No way he settles for 3 years. He will definetly be looking for 4-5 years from anyone who signs him.”
Then we let him go, unless we do 7.5 mil per over 4 years, last year only partially guaranteed, which I’m not in favor of.
“Signing him allows us to do a sign and trade.”
The more ($ and years) we sign him for, the harder to unload, and get much back in return. If we already have a deal in place to trade him as a part of the signing, fine. But we can’t sign him and just hope for a deal.
“Unfortunatly for the spurs the only way we can upgrade our team without blowing it up is to keep Jefferson. The spurs are pretty much maxed out and will not be able to sign anyone other than splitter.”
Untrue. We have McDyess as well, and the LLE. (not to mention, Parker).
July 4th, 2010 at 10:17 am
@Jim Henderson
If Jefferson already has his mind set on a team to go to, many teams do sign and trades. We do not have to keep him to do a sign and trade. We can see where he wants to go and at least get some good pieces.
The LLE will not bring back anything useful. What impact player do you get at 2 million?
Trading McDyess will not get us any young players. What team will give up young talent for an old dude who has one year remaining plus a team option year? His contract doesnt clear a huge amount of money. Trading Jefferson will at minimum get us a rotation player.
Im not opposed to trading parker as long as we can get equal value back. Allstar big man is a must. Possible 3 way trade with knicks I wouldnt be opposed to. Parker to Knicks, David Lee to Minnesota and Jefferson to Spurs.
July 4th, 2010 at 10:52 am
spursfanbayarea
July 4th, 2010 at 10:17 am
“If Jefferson already has his mind set on a team to go to, many teams do sign and trades. We do not have to keep him to do a sign and trade. We can see where he wants to go and at least get some good pieces.”
What is your point? This is what I said:
“If we already have a deal in place to trade him as a part of the signing, fine. But we can’t sign him and just hope for a deal.”
From your recent post:
“The LLE will not bring back anything useful. What impact player do you get at 2 million?”
You said, the “ONLY way to UPGRADE” our team was to do a sign & trade with RJ. I simply said that no, we can still UPGRADE our team with a Dice trade & an LLE signing. I didn’t say anything about “impact player”, whatever that means, which we’re not likely to get with an RJ sign & trade either. But it is not true that we cannot get someone “useful” with the LLE.
“Trading McDyess will not get us any young players.”
No, we don’t know that.
“Trading Jefferson will at minimum get us a rotation player.”
No, we don’t know that.
And the bottom line is: I want to do a sign RJ, but ONLY if a sign & trade deal has already been agreed to with RJ and another team. I also want to trade McDyess, AND look for a good LLE prospect, like Joel Anthony of Miami.
“Im not opposed to trading parker as long as we can get equal value back. Allstar big man is a must.”
That’s not the only type of piece(s) that would make it worthwhile to trade Parker. For example, Parker to the Knicks for two promising young players, Gallinari & Douglas, and a 5-6 million dollar trade exception, might be tempting enough to make the move.
July 6th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
@Jim Henderson
So you want to trade Jefferson but you do not think we will get back a rotation player? What exactly do you propose we trade him for? A bag of basketballs and some old jock straps? Also I dont think the Knicks are keen on dumping Gallinari as he is in their future plans of rebuilding. If the knicks want to lure any top free agents they need to keep something on the roster.
Who do you think will give us young promising talent in exchange for McDysess?
There are many ways of upgrading our team. My point is that there are not many ways to upgrade without closing our short championship window.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
spursfanbayarea
July 6th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
“So you want to trade Jefferson but you do not think we will get back a rotation player?”
RJ is a FA. As such, we don’t have complete control over doing a sign & trade for one. If RJ agreed that it was in his interest to do a sign & trade, we also would not have as much leverage as we would if he was under contract. I’m hoping (and I believe it’s likely) we get a solid rotation player in the deal, but it’s far from guaranteed.
I have proposed multi-player trades recently involving RJ & McDyess. They’re outlined on the most recent thread, as of July 6th, if you’re interested in taking a peak. We would be fortunate to pull such trades off. Of course, I’m sure that there are several other possibilities, as well.
July 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Reasons why I’ve lost faith in the front office in the past year.
1) Thinking the trade for Jefferson, signing McDyess, and drafting Blair meant the Spurs had to stand pat and hope for the best.
It appears the Spurs said if this does or doesn’t work, we won’t do anything until next year. Always look to upgrade when possible!
So when the chance to trade the 7th(Bonner) and 8th(Mason) best players on the team for Stephen Jackson - $7 mil, they decided not to do so. Stephen Jackson, 1 of 6 NBA players, to avg a minimum of 20 pts, 5 reb, 5 asst. (The others were Kobe Bryant - $21 mil, Lebron James - $ 15 mil, Dwayne Wade - $15 mil, Chris Paul - $12 mil, Andre Iguodala - $12 mil).
You’d think every team in the NBA would have a 20 pt, 5 reb, 5 asst player on it, especially all good teams and all bad teams, right?
So, production @ half price for the year and next 3(could jettison as a trade chip in last year), a player with knowledge of the system(no acclimation time needed), proven winner ( 3 - 3pt baskets in the 4th qtr of a clinching game 6 vs Nets to win a championship), the Spurs don’t want him.
Kept Bonner and Mason instead.
July 20th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
[...] flashes of what Spurs fans expected when the team acquired Jefferson were few and far between, Jefferson surprisingly opted out of the final year of his contract. That final year would’ve paid Jefferson $15 [...]
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