When you have a front loaded team, its so hard to dance on the margains. The clippers went through this when they had lob city. They attached a pick just to move Jared Dudley contract. It was a terrible trade in hindsight. Here is an article on the trade details. http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-sunday-why-the-clippers-traded-jared-dudley/
They have the T-MLE and veterans minimums , other than that to add anything they have to subtract something. They also cant trade next years #1 pick as the rule states you cant trade out of the selection process in back to back years. They can trade that player once picked or use the following seasons draft pick but that has a lesser value being another year out. I think its critical that they retain Shumpert this offseason and don't overpay to do it so they can move one of him or EG to match any salary requirements via trade. Incidentally signing Shumpert to a deal equal to his salary this year puts them over the apron …. Morey has his work cut out for him this offseason …. best case is that Faried & Rivers accept the veterans minimum (unlikely for Rivers , possible for Faried) then you can use that MLE to bring in more talent. Worst case is you use the MLE on one or both of the above and are handcuffed ….
Well, hopefully there’s #newmath we don’t know about. Getting a third star in here sounds impossible going forward. I don’t see Gordon on this roster next year and I’m starting to think trading Clint is our only hope to upgrade elsewhere.
Between Gordon, Tucker and Nene, that is $26 million in salary that can be moved for a third near-star. Plus picks, of course. Might be enough to net a player like a Jimmy Butler or a Tobias Harris.
Honestly i would just buy out C paul , and trade most everyone for picks. Get a few #1 picks, and if harden is down to stay for the rebuild then fine, if not just trade him, you can always get to the 8th seed with harden playing with scrubs on his team lol. Chris paul had no right to sign that contract, all he did was bind houston for adding more pieces to a championship run, just so he can get a ridiculous contract for himself, not like he already got paid.
We are really behind the 8 ball for the future. Our ONLY plays are to use Shumpert or Gordon as expirings with 4 1sts. The danger with Shumpert is that we have to wait until December to trade him. General Soreness is going to want his money now. We lost that chance and besides PG13 he was the perfect fit. The question we have to ask now is who else fits that might be out there. That list now is very small. Wash has proved they are going to hold onto Beal. All of our plays have been for disgruntled stars and with FA and all of the previous trades we are just about out of ALL of those options. You are left begging the Celtics for their misfit scraps. BG is not getting traded, Mirotic has a home, Love is a nonstarter. Butler will be a on a new team just not ours. Aaron Gordon and Tobias Harris will not be available for us. Although overpaid, Porter has a home. Teams are pretty clearly aligned into tanking and cleaned out and building. Where is our next target and sadly for us it really is a wing and not Johnson or Bazemore?
I see the smarts in getting under the tax this year, that theoretically gives us leeway for the rest of this big 3s tenure. We can still shed Nene as well. There’s plenty of veterans and useful buyouts, g league call ups to churn up a decent bench. I see the movable pieces next year... It’s Gordon and Tucker, those 2 make 30 mil. Neither is a star and both have floundered as mega role players this year. Gordon’s crybaby act and starting at forward has lead to maybe his worst season ever, certainly his worst season as a rocket. Tucker is getting on and doesn’t have the juice to pound his chest on defense AND hit corner 3s 82+ times a season.
Well, Les got it. 14.5 percent rate of return on the initial 85 million dollar investment. Bernie Madoff wasn't offering those kinds of returns. I really wonder how much of Fertitta's own money he used in order to buy the team? I also wonder if the NBA has similar leverage limits on ownership bids, as does MLB.
Doesn't taking the non-taxpayer MLE hard cap the team to the luxury tax threshold? And I think it's already been shown by others here that this team financially and resources-wise, is the furthest thing from 'positioned well for next year'.
Nene, Clark and Hartenstien are not guaranteed to be on the team, especially Clark and Hartenstein. How about you run those numbers.
I don't think they will try and sign Austin to the MLE they can can get an upgrade with that money IMO. I also think they can get a comparable player to Faried with the minimum if not Faried.
Letting Clark and Hartenstein go increases incomplete roster charge immediately. It is about the same amount. Trade Gordon/pick for rookie contract is the best idea.
The Rockets are stuck basically because of how terrible Gordon has become. I said it last Summer he’s their one player they can maybe move for couple other players who could be more useful. Gerald Green or a Nick Young type do what he does and maybe better this season. I would say just keep recycling out spare parts and live with a 45 to 55 win team the next couple of years but that might not be a reality if Harden decides he wants out.
They're making the minimum. Anyone the Rockets add in lieu of them---and they have to carry a minimum number of players---is going to be making the minimum or more. Clark and Hart's fate with this team is essentially irrelevant as to whether and how the Rockets will be taxpayers. EDIT:All right, Nene isn't making the minimum. But it's not that much more. He'll probably be dumped or bought out-stretched.
Tucker is not available. If MDA is unable to lead this team to win the west, Tilman can easily allocate $10.5 tax room for 7 players and get luxury tax profit next year again and again.