CSN Wizards @CSNWizards
BREAKING: Trevor Ariza signs a 4-year, $32 million deal with the Houston Rockets. Lots more to come on this #WizardsTalk
Time for Otto to step up.
I like that they are keeping Booker as well.
Please forgive my ignorance, as I haven't followed the NBA closely in a decade, but is there some sort of capgeek equivalent for basketball?
(I'm interested in seeing where the Bullets are, cap-wise, when Durant may become a UFA, how realistic signing him would be, etc.)
Flexibility for the future
The other key element to this: Pierce's deal expires right before the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant (and maybe LeBron James) is a free agent. The Summer of Durant is a real consideration with the Wizards, especially now that James provided the path for returning home. It's obviously a longshot to snare him from Oklahoma City, but a longshot is better than no shot. The Wizards, like many other teams, are preparing for it.
In doing so, the Wizards needed to balance two factors: winning and flexibility. That's hard to do, but with this signing, they came closer to accomplishing these two goals. The Wizards currently have Wall ($17 million), Gortat ($12 million), Webster should he play enough games ($5.8 million) and Porter ($5.9 million) under contract. Beal's also due an extension that's surely going to be for the four-year max, whatever it is. That still should leave enough room for a max deal for Durant depending on how much the cap rises, though there are tons of other factors (future draft picks, other deals that'll be signed and minimum cap holds) that'll factor in.
Keeping Ariza at his price would have eaten too far into that number. Signing Pierce instead keeps it open, all while the Wizards continue to succeed on the court.
My brother just texted me that Otto lit up the summer league in game 1 with 25 points
We have to use the Trade Exception this year, no? Curious why they'd bother doing it. They won't be looking to dump and if they're really trying to gear up to go after KD, if he hits the market, they won't want to bring anyone big on board in the median?
I love wins over the Yankees.
Please forgive my ignorance, as I haven't followed the NBA closely in a decade, but is there some sort of capgeek equivalent for basketball?
(I'm interested in seeing where the Bullets are, cap-wise, when Durant may become a UFA, how realistic signing him would be, etc.)
We have to use the Trade Exception this year, no? Curious why they'd bother doing it. They won't be looking to dump and if they're really trying to gear up to go after KD, if he hits the market, they won't want to bring anyone big on board in the median?
Yes, the trade exemption expires next summer. They can also split it up (say, use $2M in one trade and $6.5M in another). It appears they're trying to use a portion of it on DeJuan Blair in a sign-and-trade.
Ernie's actually done some good work this summer. I'm surprised and impressed.
The Webster money is what's looking problematic regarding Durant. It'd also be nice to have used a few of the 2nd rounders they've sold recently to provide some depth if they do have their entire cap spent on 4 players in two years.