![]() ![]() ![]() That would officially end the era of every contract looking fantastic amid an indefinitely rising cap. Howard wants a max deal that would start at $30 million per season. Howard is 30, declining and about to enter free agency as the cap spikes to around $92 million - the new estimate lots of teams are using after the league initially projected an $89 million ceiling for next season. Houston has been making calls on him for two weeks, but the Rockets have found little interest so far, per several league sources. Howard is at the epicenter of all these competing trends. Alas, Gasol is hurt, and Mike Conley is on an expiring deal, playing the league's most loaded position. The Grizz need to recoup lost picks, and in the land of short contracts, a true star locked up for years could rock the market. Before he broke his foot, Marc Gasol was my favorite sneaky theoretical trade target - even though Memphis would never have gone through with it. Trade-niks have been lamenting the lack of sellers, but that creates a void for some non-traditional seller to slide a quality player onto the market and net a bounty in return - especially when wannabe contenders like Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and Memphis are hopelessly behind the Big Four. It would take a monster offer to pry him away before the draft, but the ground is trembling (As I've written before, Rivers needs to think very hard about whether trading Griffin is a good idea). If they get wind over the next four days that they're out of the Durant sweepstakes, they could accelerate the Griffin trade timetable. The Clips are listening, even right now, and they've rarely listened before. Doc Rivers wants to give this core one last postseason shot, and the Clips need Griffin just in case Kevin Durant picks them, triggering a Griffin-for-Durant sign-and-trade.īut the Griffin noise is real. waiting until the summer to really get busy on the Griffin front. They have a rare open roster spot, and could wait for Brooklyn to buy out Joe Johnson.Ĭonflicting noise is spouting from Clipperville, but the smart money is on L.A. The Cavs are hunting for upgrades, but Love isn't the bait - yet. The Cavs might draw juicier offers in June Boston dangled four first-rounders for Justise Winslow in the heat of draft night, after all. Rejiggering things now would be a gamble. Love's fit as a third wheel remains awkward, but the Cavs want to win the title, and they know their core is good enough to approach the finish line. That applies to two of the starry names riding the rumor mill: Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Teams unsure about the implications of the cap spike might put off big choices until the draft, which means June and July could be absolutely nuts. Teams without extra first-round picks should hoard their own like gold, since they bring cheapo, set-in-stone rookie deals, but that didn't stop them last year.Īfter four days of skulking around with team executives in Toronto, let's bounce around some of the bigger questions as the NBA's annual bonanza approaches. There are only four teams with a realistic chance to win the title - something that should dull the market - but there is also a lot of angst around the league. Never underestimate what unhappy, desperate teams might talk themselves into during the frenzy. The strange brew of shorter contracts and an unprecedented cap spike brings real incentives to stand pat - "Why trade for this dude when he's about to hit free agency and we have cap space?" - but also creates harder-to-spot variables that push teams toward action. We should take two lessons from last season's trade deadline, which started quietly before descending into madness over those frantic final 45 minutes. NBA, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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