Suns News: The Offseason

[Split T]

I don't think we'll be players in free agency this year, maybe next year. If we can't find a taker for him by next offseason, we could Michael Beasley him where we cut him and spread his cap hit out over 4 or 5 years. Might be easier to move him next year too, would be down to 2 years 30 mil

[Split T]

Here's early minutes breakdown assuming we don't bring in any free agents, just bring back Williams

Bledsoe 32 / Ulis 16
Booker 34 / Knight 14 (Reed eventually taking these minutes)
Jackson 30 / Warren 18
Chriss 30 / Warren 12 / Bender 6
Chandler 20 / Bender 18 / Williams 10

[Split T]

Anyone interested in any free agents? I think I'd take a pass this year. We've got too many players already that need minutes, whether developmental or deserved. There are a few guys I might consider:

Durant - obvious, but zero chance of happening

Curry - another obvious but zero chance guy

Hayward - I'd entertain the idea, he's only 26, but almost zero chance he comes here

Griffin - probably a bad idea, has an injury history, he's 28 and losing athleticism, probably just gets in the way of Chriss and bender, but he did list Phoenix as 2nd on his Mount Rushmore of NBA cities. He'd provide scoring and advanced playmaking from the 4 but is a win now move and don't think booker/Jackson/Chriss/Bender are ready for that. Probably a year or two early to make this kind of splash.

Otto Porter - Restricted and Washington probably matches. Just gets in jacksons way and I think Jackson is a better prospect, although is young and could maybe defend the 4.


Side note: do we want to talk free agency in here or create a new thread?

[O_Gardino]

Anyone interested in any free agents? I think I'd take a pass this year. We've got too many players already that need minutes, whether developmental or deserved. There are a few guys I might consider:

Durant - obvious, but zero chance of happening

Curry - another obvious but zero chance guy

Hayward - I'd entertain the idea, he's only 26, but almost zero chance he comes here

Griffin - probably a bad idea, has an injury history, he's 28 and losing athleticism, probably just gets in the way of Chriss and bender, but he did list Phoenix as 2nd on his Mount Rushmore of NBA cities. He'd provide scoring and advanced playmaking from the 4 but is a win now move and don't think booker/Jackson/Chriss/Bender are ready for that. Probably a year or two early to make this kind of splash.

Otto Porter - Restricted and Washington probably matches. Just gets in jacksons way and I think Jackson is a better prospect, although is young and could maybe defend the 4.


Side note: do we want to talk free agency in here or create a new thread?

New thread please.

[Superbone]

I would be tempted to just cut Knight if nobody wants him. I would rather pay him to no be here than pay him to be here blocking the development of our other guys by killing the offense. It's true what Bobster said in another thread that he had a historically bad year. Maybe he's better next year. But I wouldn't take a chance on him.

Yeah, if he's not going to be a willing passer I don't want to see him out there.

[JCSunsfan]

I would be tempted to just cut Knight if nobody wants him. I would rather pay him to no be here than pay him to be here blocking the development of our other guys by killing the offense. It's true what Bobster said in another thread that he had a historically bad year. Maybe he's better next year. But I wouldn't take a chance on him.

Yeah, if he's not going to be a willing passer I don't want to see him out there.

Knight is going to get an opportunity or two to redeem himself this year. I just hope someone sits him down and tells him exactly what he has to do to redeem himself. Play within himself, give all-out defensive effort, be a willing passer, be efficient.

[TOO]

I would be tempted to just cut Knight if nobody wants him. I would rather pay him to no be here than pay him to be here blocking the development of our other guys by killing the offense. It's true what Bobster said in another thread that he had a historically bad year. Maybe he's better next year. But I wouldn't take a chance on him.

Yeah, if he's not going to be a willing passer I don't want to see him out there.

Knight is going to get an opportunity or two to redeem himself this year. I just hope someone sits him down and tells him exactly what he has to do to redeem himself. Play within himself, give all-out defensive effort, be a willing passer, be efficient.

He'd be such a huge addition if he played within himself, didnt force things and knock down open shots. He still falls within our timeline, but I'm pretty sure he's gone the way of Brandon Jennings, talent, but no brain.

[carey]

http://www.nba.com/suns/now

Presser about to start.

[carey]

Starting NOW.

[carey]

Watson said Marqueese has face timed him from Target at Midnight for no reason. Lol.

[carey]

Ohhh. It's totally clear McDonough and BJ Armstrong cancelled that Celtics workout.

McDonough: "We played by the rules. I guess."

[Split T]

Ya, seems like Jackson was less concerned on where he ended up. Armstrong wanted Jackson here.

[carey]

Also, it's clear Ford's report was bogus. They were keyed in on Jackson all the time. All 3 of Sarver, McDonough, and Watson.

[Split T]

Also, it's clear Ford's report was bogus. They were keyed in on Jackson all the time. All 3 of Sarver, McDonough, and Watson.

Makes you wonder where that stuff comes from. Teams leaking false info as a smokescreen? Ford making it up? Ford has sources that are misinformed and guessing? Leaking false info to cover tracks in case Jackson went #3?

[ShelC]

Also, it's clear Ford's report was bogus. They were keyed in on Jackson all the time. All 3 of Sarver, McDonough, and Watson.

How do we know that?

[carey]

How do we know that?

Watson said it in the presser. I think he's too much of a straight shooter to be lying.

[ShelC]

Oh....ok.

[wpmiller42]

Also, it's clear Ford's report was bogus. They were keyed in on Jackson all the time. All 3 of Sarver, McDonough, and Watson.

Makes you wonder where that stuff comes from. Teams leaking false info as a smokescreen? Ford making it up? Ford has sources that are misinformed and guessing? Leaking false info to cover tracks in case Jackson went #3?

I think it was probably a smokescreen. Maybe you bluff the Kings into thinking Fox is our guy and they really, really, wanted him. Do they give us #5 and #10 in that scenario just so they're sure they get Fox? And we still end up with Jackson at #5? Maybe. I think it was probably the organization sending out misinformation to try and get some team like the Kings to give us an asset. It didn't work this time, but who's to say it doesn't work in the future?

[carey]

This is relevant to our interests. It's an article on the new two-way contracts that players occupying the 16th and 17th roster spots must sign: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2017/04/hoo ... racts.html

Who is eligible to sign a two-way contract?

Players with fewer than four years of NBA experience can sign a two-way contract with a team. However, teams cannot sign a player to a two-way contract for three seasons. The deals are limited to two years, and can’t include options.

Although two-way contracts can be for up to two years, a player who has three years of NBA experience can’t sign such a deal, since he’d have four years of service after the first season. As such, two-way contracts for players with three years of experience are limited to one year.

How do two-way contracts work for the teams signing them?

A team gets up to two roster slots for two-way contracts, and doesn’t need to use salary cap room or a cap exception to finalize those deals. They also don’t count against a team’s salary cap.

However, there are some limitations facing teams when they sign two-way contracts. For one, if a club wants to sign a player on an overseas roster to a two-way contract, the NBA team is not allowed to pay that player’s international buyout. Additionally, NBA teams can’t sign players to two-way contracts after January 15 of each season.

How much are players paid on two-way contracts?

Unlike the usual NBA and D-League contracts, two-way deals will vary in salary depending on whether a player is in the D-League or on an NBA assignment. When a player is in the NBA, he’ll receive the prorated portion of the minimum salary for a player with his years of experience. When a player is in the D-League, he’ll earn a prorated portion of a set D-League salary. For 2017/18, that figure is $75K. It will increase 3% annually, as follows:

Two-way contract salaries

Players on standard NBADL contracts currently earn no more than $26K annually, so two-way contracts will significantly increase the earning potential for some D-Leaguers, despite still falling well short of a full-season NBA minimum salary.

How much time can players on two-way contracts spend on NBA rosters?

If a player is on a two-way contract, he can spend no more than 45 regular-season days on an NBA roster. That doesn’t include time spent with an NBA team in training camp. It also doesn’t include time spent with an NBA team before the D-League season begins or after it ends. Still, it’s somewhat limiting.

Any day that a player on a two-way contract travels with the NBA team (including remaining with the team on the road), participates in workouts or practices, or is on the roster for a game counts toward those 45 days. If a team wants to keep its two-way player on the NBA roster for more than 45 games, it has to convert the player’s two-way deal into a standard NBA contract, after which he’d no longer count as a two-way player.

In a situation where a two-way contract is converted to a regular NBA deal, the typical 15-man roster rules would apply to that player. For instance, he could be assigned back to the D-League, but he’d continue to earn an NBA salary, since he’d no longer be a two-way player.

Additionally, a player on a two-way contract must have his deal converted to a standard NBA contract in order to participate in the postseason. A player on a two-way deal isn’t playoff-eligible.

Can players on two-way contracts be traded? What happens when their deals expire?

Players on two-way contracts can be included in trades. However, they can’t be dealt within 30 days of being signed, and their salaries don’t generate trade exceptions for NBA teams.

Additionally, players on two-way deals accrue Bird rights toward free agency. So, if a player spends two seasons with a team on a two-way contract, that team would have Early Bird rights to re-sign him when his contract expires.

Meanwhile, a two-way player whose contract expires will be eligible for restricted free agency if he spent at least 15 days on NBA assignment in the last season of his two-way contract. Otherwise, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

How will two-way contracts affect NBA roster construction?

This remains to be seen, but we can probably make a few predictions about how teams will use two-way contracts. In some cases, clubs may attempt to convince second-round draft picks to sign two-way contracts, though player agents figure to push for NBA deals.

Undrafted free agents figure to be prime candidates for two-way deals. Each fall, many teams will invite a handful of undrafted rookies to training camp even though they don’t have a path to earning an NBA roster spot. Many of those players end up being waived and subsequently joining their team’s D-League affiliate. With two-way contracts, teams will have the opportunity to retain the NBA rights to a couple of those players rather than having to risk losing them in free agency.

For instance, last fall, Okaro White was one of several players waived by the Heat after he didn’t make the team’s regular-season roster. He headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s D-League squad, but could have been signed by any NBA team, since the Heat no longer held his NBA rights. Eventually, White earned another shot with the Heat, signing a pair of 10-day contracts in January before he was locked up for the rest of the season in February. Under the new CBA, Miami would have the opportunity to secure a player like White at the start of the season with a two-way contract, even if he wasn’t one of the 15 players to make the team’s NBA roster.

Two-way contracts should also be useful for teams that find themselves ravaged by injuries during the season. If a club has two or three rotation players on the shelf, that club could bring its two-way players to the NBA to provide some depth as its regulars get healthy.

[carey]

Is it weird that I'd rather have Seth Curry who played 2 games for us 2 years ago than Brandon Knight? I was sad to see him go because I always thought he'd figure it out.

He shot 48% from the field and 43% from 3 with the Mavs last year putting up 13ppg. Better than Knight and he's making only $3M next year. Sigh.