NBA Offseason/Labormagedon thread

where are the lakers going to get all this magic cap space?

Deal Odom and Bynum for Howard.

Deal Gasol for picks (and an expiring to make it legal). IIRC from the ugly business last summer, you can sign your picks even if it puts you over the cap.

Amnesty Artest or Walton after the season.

That leaves you on the hook for Kobe and about $13M, assuming you amnestied Artest.

Howard opts out. You now have ~$17M available under the cap. Sign Paul.

Resign Howard using Bird exception, since his rights travel with him in the trade.

Sign your picks.

A midlevel should also still be available if you want it.

All of that should work unless I'm misunderstanding the new CBA. You sold Gasol for picks you wouldn't otherwise have, which makes you strictly better off than trading for Paul. Especially given the depth of the upcoming draft.
 
Why did the league do that?

The league would not budge over systems issues to restrict player movement in the lockout negotiations supposedly to increase competitiveness of small market franchises. The last thing it wants is the league-owned team's star player from a small market going to a large market literally hours after certifying the agreement. Especially after the Kwame for Gasol trade. If Paul were being traded to a non-Laker team I doubt it would have been vetoed.

Also Dan Gilbert's letter to Stern about the trade has been published by Yahoo if you want to read it. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-nba_dan_gilbert_email_lakers_hornets_trade_120811

Please advise....

Left

EDIT: Also Dwight Howard is demanding a trade to the Nets??? This offseason is bananas and it officially hasn't even started!!!
 
Also Dan Gilbert's letter to Stern about the trade has been published by Yahoo if you want to read it.

The league created the problem Gilbert points out with the 140% rule in the new CBA. This appears to be a case of unintended consequences. In principle, this rule change was supposed to improve small market teams' ability to get deals done (and get up to the cap). However, it also makes it possible for a large market team to simultaneously improve and dramatically cut payroll.

The deal is fair for all principals. New Orleans got about as much back as they realistically could. Odom and Gasol for Paul, then trading Gasol to Houston for useful pieces, is a fantastic trade under the circumstances. This probably isn't an optimal move for L.A. unless they somehow had a deal with Orlando in the hopper (which I doubt), but it's value for value. I think Houston is crazy to make this trade (and they're the ones that make it work), but you always pay a fat premium to try to win now.

EDIT: Also Dwight Howard is demanding a trade to the Nets??? This offseason is bananas and it officially hasn't even started!!!

Yeah, my advice to Dwight would be that you don't want to end up in a trade where they have to take Hedo. That will make it real hard to assemble a winner.
 
Yeah, my advice to Dwight would be that you don't want to end up in a trade where they have to take Hedo. That will make it real hard to assemble a winner.

I don't think he has an alternative. Assuming the nets cut Outlaw and take back Hedo's deal, do they have enough money to add anybody besides Williams and Howard? Could they keep Humphreys? I didn't watch any Nets games last year, so I have no idea who else is on their team.
 
I am interested in how Odom and Gasol feel right about now :( :scan: .
 
Odom is apparently completely heartbroken. That's the big risk with making stuff like this public. Guys who get shopped around and don't get moved (Odom, Rondo) may end up as headcases when the season actually starts.

I feel really bad for New Orleans. It's going to be almost impossible to trade Paul now, and he's obviously gone at the end of the season...only now they can't get any value for him. Martin, Scola, Dragic and a pick (I assume they'd cut Odom) is actually pretty decent value. The team wouldn't bottom out, but they'd still be a fringe playoff contender. it's Houston that is making the epically stupid move.

I get why small market owners are pissed...and they should be, because when stars can force themselves into markets like NYC and LA, the lockout was for naught and they basically have an impossibly small title window...but vetoing this trade for no reason actually hurts New Orleans (and the league) more than it helps.

It's becoming harder to stay an NBA fan.
 
The trade was vetoed by the NBA a few hours ago...

This ticks me off immensely. LA would have traded away any chance it had to win a championship in the near future. Houston would have been 10x more interesting. New Orleans would have received the best possible value it could have hoped for, and maybe positioned itself for a good spot in a talent-heavy draft.

:cringe:
 
I don't think he has an alternative. Assuming the nets cut Outlaw and take back Hedo's deal, do they have enough money to add anybody besides Williams and Howard? Could they keep Humphreys? I didn't watch any Nets games last year, so I have no idea who else is on their team.

I don't think I was clear. Howard needs to go to a team that either has enough to offer that they don't have to take back Hedo's contract, or that has no bad contracts and can afford to amnesty him. The Nets have an obviously bad contract (Outlaw) and are on the hook for a lot of salary next year.

Assuming the Nets' consummate their offer and amnesty Hedo rather than Outlaw (which I believe is legal), they end up with Williams and about $19M on the books. If they more realistically amnesty Outlaw, it ends up being about $23M.

If Howard and Williams then opt out, they could go on a spending binge to add a star and some role players, but the tax hit would be excruciating. The beauty of the Lakers' situation is that they end up shelling out about the same amount in salaries that they do now.

It boils down to this: destinations like Chicago and L.A. that can trade real pieces for Howard end up also being better long-term destinations for him.
 
I don't think you can amnesty a traded player like Hedo in this case. There were rumors that the Rockets GM was going to trade for Gasol to amnesty him, but everyone reputable has been saying you can't actually do that...
 
I think those are really the only two though, and Orlando would prob still try to make LA take Hedo back. Chicago's offer is Noah, Deng and a pick...the Nets offer is 2 1st rounders and Lopez. The Nets picks are better than Chicagos, Lopez doesn't have the heath problems of Noah and is better on offense, but not nearly the defender. I don't think either option is head and shoulders above the other, to be honest.

Chicago is a better team obviously, but their ownership is also very risk-adverse. Orlando knows it can't get comparable talent back for Howard, so I imagine working to get out of cap hell is going to be a priority, and then just completely rebuild.

I don't even think the NBA has set the full amnesty rules yet, so maybe they can?

EDIT: this may all be moot, since it looks like the Nets are signing Nene.
 
This ticks me off immensely. LA would have traded away any chance it had to win a championship in the near future. Houston would have been 10x more interesting. New Orleans would have received the best possible value it could have hoped for, and maybe positioned itself for a good spot in a talent-heavy draft.

:cringe:

Blocking the deal makes the situation worse in NO than doing that deal. The irony is that it will make the Lakers less talented, but if they manage to get Howard, then it would be worth it.
 
http://twitter.com/sam_amick
sam amick said:
Orlando PR man Joel Glass calls to inform that D. Howard's agent now has permission to speak w/ Lakers, Nets, & Mavs about possible trade.

Haha yesssssssssssssssss

Mavs are also signing a freshly waived Vince Carter.

I think the Nets though are probably in the best position to offer a rebuilding package. What kind of prospects does Dallas have? Beaubois? Unless a third team gets involved I can't see the Lakers or Mavs landing him in a trade. Celtics picked up Brandon Bass in sign and trade for Big Baby and David West in sign and trade for Jermane O'Neal, re-signed Jeff Green. Interesting rotation at PF now.
 
Lamar Odom traded to Dallas for trade exception , LA abandoning the Chris Paul trade and instead focusing on Dwight. David Stern died for your sins.

Also offering Pau to the Warriors for young players to then flip for Paul. fffffffff.
 
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