Around the League: October

[INFORMER]

A source close to Thompson said any offer shy of a max would be "absurd" considering his improvement and the influx of money to come to NBA teams from the next television contract.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--s ... 59342.html

[pickle]

they really should've sent him away for love... i don't know how he can justify anything much more than 12 or so.

[TOO]

I dont think you can justify 12.

[INFORMER]

I love the whole "give my client as much money as he wants because you have a ton of money coming in two years" angle Thompson's camp is taking.

How about your client gets paid what he's worth. I know it's a novel idea in today's NBA, but it's still a valid one.

What if Lacob and Co. think it's "absurd" for Thompson to make more than their best player when he isn't their best player? What about that?

I wonder if Flip would move Wiggins for Klay.

[Superbone]

A source close to Thompson said any offer shy of a max would be "absurd" considering his improvement and the influx of money to come to NBA teams from the next television contract.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--s ... 59342.html

Klutch could get it.

#writeouronchapter

[INFORMER]

A source close to Thompson said any offer shy of a max would be "absurd" considering his improvement and the influx of money to come to NBA teams from the next television contract.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--s ... 59342.html

Klutch could get it.

#writeouronchapter

Indeed.

[Superbone]

A source close to Thompson said any offer shy of a max would be "absurd" considering his improvement and the influx of money to come to NBA teams from the next television contract.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--s ... 59342.html

Klutch could get it.

#writeouronchapter

Indeed.

I know I was preaching to the choir.

[pickle]

i agree with you inf, but given that curry's contract was signed fresh off a series of ankle injuries, that comparison probably doesn't fly in the minds of the agent and klay. if i'm golden state i make that trade in 2 seconds.

as a side note, what other contracts would you guys consider to be most valuable over the next 2 or 3 years? if this question were asked last year, i'm sure goran's would be on there. but in the fall of 2014, whose contracts are best, not counting rookie scale ones?

i'd have to say, lebron and durant's contracts; curry's; lowry's contract was pretty good...

[pickle]

I dont think you can justify 12.

yeah TOO, i think the exact number can be debated... the max demands are ludicrous and golden state is in for a bit of drama, if they don't resolve this soon. as for the specific figure, even though it is a bit ridiculous to talk about the new cap in seeking a max offer, the fact that the cap will raise and salaries are likely to go up with it cannot be ignored. klay is a young gun that adds a new dimension to most offenses without hurting them on defense, those three things together makes him a pretty valuable player in today's nba, apparently. if i were a warriors fan i would probably feel comfortable with that figure, but i'm interested in knowing what your number is.

[Superbone]

A source close to Thompson said any offer shy of a max would be "absurd" considering his improvement and the influx of money to come to NBA teams from the next television contract.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--s ... 59342.html

Klutch could get it.

#writeouronchapter

Indeed.

Honestly, when I first read your post, I thought it was talking about Tristan Thompson.

[INFORMER]

I don't consider Lowry's contract that valuable. He's never been able to put back to back great seasons together and he still plays like a knucklehead.

Isaiah Thomas's contract has ridiculous value. Timofey Mozgov has great value.

Pau Gasol a $7 mil a season is good value.

Look out for Demar Derozan. Colangelo gambled on him with the contract extension he gave him. at the time, Derozan didn't look anywhere near worth what he got. But he has steadily improved the quality of his game to the point that he may become a modest bargain.

Ed Davis contract has an obscene amount of value. I still don't know how he only got $1 million. He should fire his agent. There has to be something wrong with his guy off the court for him to get that little with so many spend-happy GMs out there. I mean he has to be part of the Taliban or a serial rapist or something.

Danny Green at $4 million a year is nice.

$5 million a year for Chris Kaman could be a really good deal if he can stay healthy.

[SDC]

Klay thompson
44.5% FG, 41% 3ptFG, 79.5% FT, 18.4 ppg

Kevin Martin
43% FG, 39% 3ptFG, 89% FT, 19.1 ppg

in hindsight, GSW should have made the LOVE-Martin for Thompson-Lee trade.

[SDC]

Ed Davis contract has an obscene amount of value. I still don't know how he only got $1 million. He should fire his agent. There has to be something wrong with his guy off the court for him to get that little with so many spend-happy GMs out there. I mean he has to be part of the Taliban or a serial rapist or something.

i want the suns to acquire ed davis before the trade deadline, as the lakers are about to go into full tank mode.

[Ring_Wanted]

DeRozan is terrific value at 9.5M given that right now that amount barely gets you above MLE game.

3/27 for Lance Stephenson could be a big bargain too, especially with a third year team option.

[INFORMER]

Kawhi Leonard is demanding a max contract. Anyone making the case for him being a max player is being intellectually dishonest.

Leonard averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, two assists and 1.7 steals a game in 29 minutes in the 2013-14 season. He averaged 14.3 points in the playoffs on the Spurs' way to the NBA title and a Finals MVP performance.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--n ... 09203.html

This is essentially AK47 all over again. He wasn't a go-to guy, wasn't even a natural scorer, but was able to to finagle a max deal out of Utah, and it blew up in their face. You can't give guys averaging 12-14 ppg max deals, especially non-bigmen.

I know where Kawhi's "camp" is coming from. "HE WAS THE FINALS MVP!!! IF YOU WIN FINALS MVP YOU'RE A MAX PLAYER!" Only a simpleton would buy that argument. Never mind the fact that he plays with potentially 3 HOFers. Kawhi's not even an All-Star OR, more importantly, an All-NBA caliber talent.

I'm sure his camp is also pointing to Chandler Parson's ridiculous deal. I've always hated that tatic of looking around the league and finding a terrible contract and saying, "my client is as good or better than that guy. Pay him!" (And actually, Parsons has been statistically superior to Leonard).

Giving Leonard a max deal is just like the Ravens giving Flacco the deal he demanded after the great playoff run he had to win the Super Bowl. How did that contract taste the following season?

[pickle]

did not realize derozan was on such a low contract.

agree with the stephenson deal, particularly since it's charlotte who managed it.

while pau gasol's deal is a good one, we know he signed with chicago for a chance to win so ... technically it's great. in reality, since not everyone could've gotten that deal, it isn't as nice and shiny. (same goes with any ray allen/rashard lewis/mike miller at vet minimum type deals).

ed davis deal is a bit of an anomaly. but how good is ed davis the player, in general? what kind of stats would he put up if we had him instead of plumlee? what would be a fair deal for his level of production on the open market?

[INFORMER]

agree with the stephenson deal, particularly since it's charlotte who managed it.

Sorry, can't call Stephenson a good value. If you only consider his talent, then you might be able to make that claim. But unfortunately, the fact that he's a nutcase and plays hero ball a bit too much counts for a lot.

His deal is juts about right, all things considered.

[pickle]

i know what you are saying. i considered that nutcase factor, but seeing as it's charlotte, who constantly has to overpay to get people to play there, this gives them a bit more relevance. it's a deal with plenty of upside that can be terminated in two years, so overall i would have to say that's a quality pick up for them. helps solidify their playoff status, even if that's really just the right to get bounced in the first round.

[ShelC]

I think Leonard is severely overrated by most. People talk as if he's going to carry the torch and take over the reigns in SA when TimmyD and Manu are gone and it's mind boggling. He put up 12 and 6 last year. He's a SF who can't do much off the dribble and gets open looks because of the talent around him. He's not a go-to player by any means. He's a role playing SF...Trevor Ariza on the Lakers 5 years ago for all intents and purposes. Nic Batum is a better all around player.

Giving Leonard a max deal is just like the Ravens giving Flacco the deal he demanded after the great playoff run he had to win the Super Bowl. How did that contract taste the following season?

Yea the contract hurts when you don't have any talent around you but Flacco's a top 6-7 QB IMO. They gave him that contract but then lost Boldin (because they couldn't afford him) and the defense fell off a bit. Football's a different beast. You NEED a QB to have a chance and Flacco's right up there. It's also easier to find WRs and defensive players than it is to find a franchise QB.

Leonard's worth 45, maybe 55 most, if you want to consider Hayward, Parsons, Batum and the CBA salary structure coming up.

[carey]

Yea the contract hurts when you don't have any talent around you but Flacco's a top 6-7 QB IMO. They gave him that contract but then lost Boldin (because they couldn't afford him) and the defense fell off a bit. Football's a different beast. You NEED a QB to have a chance and Flacco's right up there. It's also easier to find WRs and defensive players than it is to find a franchise QB.

Leonard's worth 45, maybe 55 most, if you want to consider Hayward, Parsons, Batum and the CBA salary structure coming up.

Are we talking about what he's worth or what he's worth to the Spurs? I think there's a number of arguments to be made. You can argue that his stats are deflated playing with 3 potential HoF guys, and he would average more on a team devoid of superstars. You can argue the reverse and say that he's only averaging what he does because of all the attention Parker, Ginobili and Duncan attract. It's hard to deny that he's one of the best two way SFs in the league. I think he's at least as good as Batum and he got 4/$44. I think his current value to a team looking to sign him as a FA is currently somewhere between $11M/yr and what Bledsoe got. It's hard to want to break the bank for a glue guy. Someone that can put you over the hump if you already have 2 All-Stars on your team. He isn't going to carry the load by himself though.

On the Flacco thing... you can't compare QB contracts to any other position in any other sport. I see what you were getting at with the playoff performance and the following year being a let down of sorts, but similar to big-men in the NBA, QBs are in high demand. If you're even marginally good you're going to get paid well. If you're better than good you'll be handsomely rewarded. If you win a Super Bowl? $20Mil a year, just don't tell Russel Wilson.