I think as far as restricted free agency goes, that's true. But I think they can renounce their rights to Kuminga and make him an unrestricted free agent where they hold no Bird rights. I could be wrong though, I'm by no means a CBA expert.
You don't think there's any realistic possibility that Kawhi's contract gets voided? Why not? Joe Smith's contract was voided the last time something like this was around the NBA.
Giannis isn't realistic because the Warriors don't have the assets for him. In the case of Kawhi the Warriors could have the full MLE to offer which would be a very competitive offer given what other teams have available to them.
But don't we have a precedent of a contract being voided the last time salary cap circumvention occurred? I don't think we can call it unrealistic given that it is what the NBA did the last time this happened.
The conflict is more about logistics than anything. The tournament doesn't start till the weekend but there are setup and practices happening during the week that the org couldn't work around.
Saw this in the ESPN article on Cam Thomas, and I have a question: "While showcasing an array of scoring and playmaking skills, Thomas was double-teamed on 18% of his touches in 2024-25, according to GeniusIQ, the fourth-highest rate among players to record at least 1,000 touches, behind only Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo."
So here's the question: Steph Curry is double-teamed LESS than all four of these guys? That seems impossible.
I think the key is "per possession" not "per has the ball in his hands dribbling." This is a pretty useless stat in terms of threat analysis for Steph, who as usual, doesn't do things "right" and so doesn't make the boring expectation-driven lists. The guys at the top of the lists I see (which seem to be all over the board anyway) are all pretty exclusively ball-dominant. Steph rarely gets "double-teamed" by definition on 0.1 second possessions where he runs around, gets tackled, kicked in the shins, and generally throttled, but then pops open off a screen and fires. Despite this, he was second on last year's list after ANT, so one has to question whether there's some statistical "definitional" skullduggery afoot. If John Hollinger is involved in any way, that's a veritable certainty.
Between players taking dives (Jontay Porter) money laundering (I guess technically cap laundering) through no-show jobs, and many broken bones, the NBA becomes more of a mob operation by the day
Gambling destroys everything it touches. Once it hugs you close, you’re done. Legalizing and normalizing this shit is one of the worst decisions of the last 50 years.
Worse, it lets corruption stroll in the front door unchallenged. You'd think with all the historic gambling-related scandals since the beginning of pro sports (before that with sports that go back further than the 19th century), sports leagues would know better but in their arrogance, they think they can handle it. They never could and still can't.
For sure. I was speaking in general. We gonna have betting on elections soon. Wahoo. With unfettered capitalism who knows what dark money is gonna be betting on them
The new ASG format is so ridiculous they really should just stop trying. Go back to West vs East and live with it.
The format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is likely to be a round-robin tournament consisting of three eight-player teams -- two USA teams and one World team -- sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
I don't think anyone here (or anywhere else for that matter) is giving enough attention to the Nets' blatantly obvious gambit from day one of trying to strongarm Thomas into signing his qualifying offer.
All of the analysis that I have seen to date suggests that the Nets decided to "take themselves out" of any restricted free agent negotiations (other than Cam Thomas' situation) from day one. Even now, with Thomas' decision to take the qualifying offer having Shams' seal of approval, I cannot find a single article or video that has deigned to mention that this signing gives the Nets the option of tendering a qualifying offer of over $30 million per season to Kuminga, Giddey, or Grimes. Please correct me on this if you have encountered such a report.
At least by my current calculations, once Thomas puts pen to paper, all the Nets would have to do to present a $30+ million a year offer sheet to Kuminga is to renounce their rights to Beekman and Milutinov, then waive 4 of the players currently padding out their bloated roster. The Nets have 17 players on their current roster, and not all of these players have guaranteed contracts. If the Nets were to waive Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme, they would free up another $8+ million under the salary cap. Were they then to add Kuminga (or Giddey or Grimes) via a successful offer sheet, that would bring their roster up to the 14 player minimum.
Here is my tentative math (if anyone would like to correct me):
$8.18 million below the cap today
plus $14.18 million (by renouncing Beekman and Milutinov and signing Thomas to his QO, which would get rid of all of their cap holds)
plus over $8 million more by waiving Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme
This would allow the Nets to potentially poach any RFA whom they desired with a (front-loaded?) contract paying more than $30 million in its first season while still staying below the salary cap.
By my estimation, this potential offer sheet is why all RFA negotiations (and the rosters of all teams with RFAs) have been on hold all offseason. And from the point of view of the Warriors, Bulls, and 76ers front offices, it would have been far better had the Nets and Thomas come to terms on a contract more favorable to Thomas, denying the Nets this option.
Note that I have heard nothing about the Nets' interest in any RFAs (other than Thomas) over this entire offseason. The Nets' supposed complete lack of interest has always intrigued me. At least, on paper, Kuminga would fulfill the Nets' need for a starting forward. Kuminga would also be the flashiest signing of the remaining RFA bunch from a marketing perspective.
Will the Nets offer Kuminga two years at $30+ million a year with a team option for the third year? My guess is that Kuminga would jump at such an offer at this point. Would the Warriors jettison Hield to match this sort of offer? The Nets could even offer Kuminga a no-trade clause to further poison the pill. If so, I believe the Warriors would pass.
Certainly, this would be a big overpay in the current penny-pinching apron climate. But I don't think that the normal rationales against a team's making a RFA offer apply to the Nets as long as their commitment to Kuminga is only two seasons. Yes, it would limit the Nets' immediate roster flexibility, but they are not winning anything next season without significantly upgrading their roster in any case. And this is the front office that traded Cameron Johnson for the right to pay Michael Porter, Jr. $78 million over the next two seasons.
Good call. But they have to somehow get down from 18 (if we include Ziaire Williams) to 15 no matter what they do.
However, I did make BIG mistake above in suggesting that the Nets would just need to waive some unguaranteed players to offer a RFA more than $30 million per season. They would also have to rescind their pending contract offer to Ziaire Williams to offer this much.
1. Porter, Jr. $38,333,050
2. Claxton $25,352,272
3. Mann $15,500,000
4. Demin $6,889,200
5. Sharpe $6,250,000
6. Thomas $5,992,172
7. Highsmith $5,616,000
8. Traore $3,811,560
9. Clowney $3,398, 640
10. Powell $3,372,240
11. Whitehead $3,372,240
12. Saraf $2,884,560
13. Wolf $2,801,280
These 13 add up to $123,464,534.
That's roughly $31.2 million below the salary cap of $154,647,000.
In double-checking my work, I noticed a big problem in my previous calculations, which is that I did not account for Zaire's pending contract offer of $5,769,231. So if the Nets go were to go through with Ziaire's pending contract and were to keep all 13 players listed above as well, the most they could offer to a restricted free agent in that players' first season is $25,4143,235 to complete their 15 man roster right at the salary cap.
But could this be the reason that Spotrac still lists Williams' contract offer as pending? Because with Ziaire Williams' pending contract off the Nets' books, the Nets could indeed tender any RFA an offer at a starting salary of over $31 million.
Note that my oversight makes the whole idea seem less tenable to me. I imagine that the Nets would probably rather have Williams on a $6 million deal than Kuminga on $30 million deal.
I am not fluent with the salary cap and CBA, so I can't evaluate if this is actually possible. But if it is and they offer JK $30 million, I think the Warriors tip their cap and wish him well. And I'd be good with that. Well-played by the Nets if JK is their guy.
That said, do they really want to invest so much money in the front court?
[Karalis] BSJ Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard's reported side-deal with Aspiration is nearly twice what was originally reported, which put the questionable commitment to him closer to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's $50 million investment ... which itself has a curious twist.
TLDR is at the bottom
But the Leonard deal was a curious one, a source within the company told Boston Sports Journal. According to our source, none of the high-powered executives were consulted about the massive, $28 million endorsement deal Leonard signed, and Cherny never presented the deal to Aspiration’s Board of Directors. BSJ has learned the deal was presented to the executive team as-is, with no opportunity for further analysis.
The $28 million deal was to be paid in quarterly installments over four years, but it was not the only compensation Leonard received. According to a high-level source, Leonard also cut a side deal with Aspiration to receive an additional $20 million in company stock. The stock was to be paid out from Sanberg’s personal holdings in the company over four years.
That brought the total of promised compensation to Leonard to $48 million. Around the same time as the Leonard deal, Aspiration was going through its rounds of fundraising. They had raised approximately $600 million, including the previously mentioned $250 million from Oak Tree Capital Management. That number also included a $50 million investment from Ballmer. That investment has been characterized to Boston Sports Journal as having been made with light-to-no diligence.
The commitment from Ballmer was also curious, as he paid a higher price for his shares than others. The Oak Tree commitment to Aspiration came at $10 a share, but Ballmer paid a premium of $11 per share, raising his overall investment to $50 million. Typically, an investor of Ballmer’s caliber would have been wooed with a discounted share price, so the company could tout the investment of a major player.
That's quite a coincidence (the $50 million Ballmer investment effectively covering the $48 million deal with Leonard). But I'm sure it's /just/ a coincidence...
>>>Trey Lyles is set to bring his NBA experience to Europe as he is finalizing his move to Real Madrid, BasketNews sources confirm. The 29-year-old forward played 650 NBA games and averaged 7.6 points.<<<
Giddey or Grimes getting a resolution for their situation will really turn this thing up. Cam Thomas signing that QO is whatever. He should have taken that 15m/y offer though since I believe even in UFA that's his price range or at least it should be
Taking the QO makes no sense to me because the whole point would be for him to have a year to prove himself worthy of more money than he was offered by any team this offseason, but the whole reason he wants to leave is because he doesn’t have the opportunity to show out. So, how is he going to earn that next contract that will compensate for what he loses by taking the QO? It makes more sense for Cam Thomas because, if I’m remembering correctly, he’s a starter, so he will have ample opportunity to demonstrate his value to the league. Kuminga does not and will not have that opportunity, except when Jimmy can’t play.
Right now, it seems like it. In the end, all the RFA were in a holding pattern and iirc I read something about them even having something of a group chat somewhere (though I may have imagined that one).
I think there's a little meat on the bone. I would guarantee the second year. Absolutely nothing more in terms of year 1 dollars. Any more and it messes with vet min flexibility. Absolutely nothing past year 2 as doing so impacts the clean cap sheet of 2027. But, that's it.
I think guaranteeing the second year is a blow to the trade value. I could see them partially guaranteeing the second year as their compromise, but I don't think they should guarantee the entire thing. I could also see the Warriors just leaving their offer as is and daring Kuminga to take the QO.
Why would a guaranteed second year hurt trade value? Most teams that want JK surely want him for more than half a year. They need time to see what he can do when integrated into their system. What am I missing here?
Both Sac and Phx offered longer term deals to JK that would have included that second year at that price. So, he has some level of value at that price.
He couldn't be an expiring for a bad contract, I suppose. That would limit the teams to teams who actually view JK as an asset.
It would be a bad outcome for both sides. It guarantees that the Ws won't get back anything AND that Kuminga will end up with a ton less money. But he will have stuck it to the Warriors and their fans and controlled his own destiny.
If he sticks it to the Dubs and has a no-trade clause as part of that, the Dubs could have less incentive to play him. That could cost him next summer.
Probably (I noticed his rebounding and assist numbers weren't all that), and the Nets are a crap team, so the scoring is probably inflated, too. Still, I bet he gets at least 25% more than that in another year.
For everyone who isn’t watching our WNBA sister team in the Valkyries, yall are missing out.
It’s an incredibly fun time and we’re creating at the right time and I truly think we can beat any team other than the Lynx (the prohibitive favorite) in the playoffs so . . . I think we’re gonna be championship!!
Yall gotta hop on the bandwagon, we need all the noise we can get in Ballhala!!
Draymond's value as a player is a combination of his elite defense and his ability to run the team like a point guard making plays for others. Jimmy Butler is taking over the play-making, so where does that leave Dray on offense where he is, in some ways, a liability? Could it be time for Dray to take a back seat and put someone else in the starting lineup?
>>>Thirteen, the Midtown restaurant owned by former Houston Rockets star James Harden, is currently locked and closed due to $2.2 million in "delinquent rents and other amounts due to the lease," per a notice posted on the restaurant's door.<<<
Cuban defends Ballmer, saying he's too smart to leave a paper trail. Maybe a little anxious about Dirk's ridiculous Mavs deal when he had other outsized offers? The podcast was interesting, but I doubt much comes out of it other than a hefty fine and maybe suspension for Kawhi. Silver's a wimp.
Stern never had to deal with an NBA owner as powerful as Steve Ballmer getting spotlighted like this, if they don't do anything major I don't think it'll be because of Adam Silver's proclivities.
Ballmer has the ability to make this very messy for the NBA, I'm sure.
If Kawhi's contract gets voided, rescind Kuminga's QO and sign Kawhi for the MLE immediately
can't rescind the QO any more, I thought?
I think as far as restricted free agency goes, that's true. But I think they can renounce their rights to Kuminga and make him an unrestricted free agent where they hold no Bird rights. I could be wrong though, I'm by no means a CBA expert.
He'd probably sign for a lesser amount if Lacob can work out something with him on the down low...
He'll probably be suspended or banned tbh.
I feel the same way about Giannis. Both are about equally likely. :)
You don't think there's any realistic possibility that Kawhi's contract gets voided? Why not? Joe Smith's contract was voided the last time something like this was around the NBA.
Giannis isn't realistic because the Warriors don't have the assets for him. In the case of Kawhi the Warriors could have the full MLE to offer which would be a very competitive offer given what other teams have available to them.
I don't really. Picks taken away, yes. Monitoring for a while, yes. A big ass fine that Ballmer can pay out of his checking account, for sure.
My own favorite idea for a penalty is to reduce the Clips cap/tax/apron numbers by the amount that Kawhi was paid off-contract.
Your setup was that the contract gets voided. That's what I was (jokingly) suggesting.
But don't we have a precedent of a contract being voided the last time salary cap circumvention occurred? I don't think we can call it unrealistic given that it is what the NBA did the last time this happened.
Valkyries first playoff game ever is confirmed to be taking place at SAP in San Jose on either Sept 16 or 17th.
Details at https://valkyrienation.substack.com/p/game-41-wrap-playoff-bound-valkyries
In short, the tennis conflict at Chase Center was booked before the Valkyries franchise was awarded.
The conflict is more about logistics than anything. The tournament doesn't start till the weekend but there are setup and practices happening during the week that the org couldn't work around.
I think it was worth a try though.
Yes, I also read that the changeover between tennis and basketball is more involved than it seems, and they can't turn it around within a day.
Saw this in the ESPN article on Cam Thomas, and I have a question: "While showcasing an array of scoring and playmaking skills, Thomas was double-teamed on 18% of his touches in 2024-25, according to GeniusIQ, the fourth-highest rate among players to record at least 1,000 touches, behind only Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo."
So here's the question: Steph Curry is double-teamed LESS than all four of these guys? That seems impossible.
I think the key is "per possession" not "per has the ball in his hands dribbling." This is a pretty useless stat in terms of threat analysis for Steph, who as usual, doesn't do things "right" and so doesn't make the boring expectation-driven lists. The guys at the top of the lists I see (which seem to be all over the board anyway) are all pretty exclusively ball-dominant. Steph rarely gets "double-teamed" by definition on 0.1 second possessions where he runs around, gets tackled, kicked in the shins, and generally throttled, but then pops open off a screen and fires. Despite this, he was second on last year's list after ANT, so one has to question whether there's some statistical "definitional" skullduggery afoot. If John Hollinger is involved in any way, that's a veritable certainty.
Adjust for playoffs and Steph is the GOAT
That’s because he’s triple-teamed. Quadruple! Quintuple!
Between players taking dives (Jontay Porter) money laundering (I guess technically cap laundering) through no-show jobs, and many broken bones, the NBA becomes more of a mob operation by the day
That’s US society lmao
Gambling destroys everything it touches. Once it hugs you close, you’re done. Legalizing and normalizing this shit is one of the worst decisions of the last 50 years.
It really is. Like maybe 1%-3% of the population are just gonna be prayed upon to make the rich richer
For real. I work in Reno and apart of the blood sucking gaming industry and see it every day.
Worse, it lets corruption stroll in the front door unchallenged. You'd think with all the historic gambling-related scandals since the beginning of pro sports (before that with sports that go back further than the 19th century), sports leagues would know better but in their arrogance, they think they can handle it. They never could and still can't.
For sure. I was speaking in general. We gonna have betting on elections soon. Wahoo. With unfettered capitalism who knows what dark money is gonna be betting on them
There is already betting on elections.
The elections could be fixed even without betting.
You don't need the word "unfettered"
The new ASG format is so ridiculous they really should just stop trying. Go back to West vs East and live with it.
The format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is likely to be a round-robin tournament consisting of three eight-player teams -- two USA teams and one World team -- sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46150134/sources-nba-all-star-game-2-usa-teams-1-world-team
I don't think anyone here (or anywhere else for that matter) is giving enough attention to the Nets' blatantly obvious gambit from day one of trying to strongarm Thomas into signing his qualifying offer.
All of the analysis that I have seen to date suggests that the Nets decided to "take themselves out" of any restricted free agent negotiations (other than Cam Thomas' situation) from day one. Even now, with Thomas' decision to take the qualifying offer having Shams' seal of approval, I cannot find a single article or video that has deigned to mention that this signing gives the Nets the option of tendering a qualifying offer of over $30 million per season to Kuminga, Giddey, or Grimes. Please correct me on this if you have encountered such a report.
At least by my current calculations, once Thomas puts pen to paper, all the Nets would have to do to present a $30+ million a year offer sheet to Kuminga is to renounce their rights to Beekman and Milutinov, then waive 4 of the players currently padding out their bloated roster. The Nets have 17 players on their current roster, and not all of these players have guaranteed contracts. If the Nets were to waive Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme, they would free up another $8+ million under the salary cap. Were they then to add Kuminga (or Giddey or Grimes) via a successful offer sheet, that would bring their roster up to the 14 player minimum.
Here is my tentative math (if anyone would like to correct me):
$8.18 million below the cap today
plus $14.18 million (by renouncing Beekman and Milutinov and signing Thomas to his QO, which would get rid of all of their cap holds)
plus over $8 million more by waiving Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme
This would allow the Nets to potentially poach any RFA whom they desired with a (front-loaded?) contract paying more than $30 million in its first season while still staying below the salary cap.
By my estimation, this potential offer sheet is why all RFA negotiations (and the rosters of all teams with RFAs) have been on hold all offseason. And from the point of view of the Warriors, Bulls, and 76ers front offices, it would have been far better had the Nets and Thomas come to terms on a contract more favorable to Thomas, denying the Nets this option.
Note that I have heard nothing about the Nets' interest in any RFAs (other than Thomas) over this entire offseason. The Nets' supposed complete lack of interest has always intrigued me. At least, on paper, Kuminga would fulfill the Nets' need for a starting forward. Kuminga would also be the flashiest signing of the remaining RFA bunch from a marketing perspective.
Will the Nets offer Kuminga two years at $30+ million a year with a team option for the third year? My guess is that Kuminga would jump at such an offer at this point. Would the Warriors jettison Hield to match this sort of offer? The Nets could even offer Kuminga a no-trade clause to further poison the pill. If so, I believe the Warriors would pass.
Certainly, this would be a big overpay in the current penny-pinching apron climate. But I don't think that the normal rationales against a team's making a RFA offer apply to the Nets as long as their commitment to Kuminga is only two seasons. Yes, it would limit the Nets' immediate roster flexibility, but they are not winning anything next season without significantly upgrading their roster in any case. And this is the front office that traded Cameron Johnson for the right to pay Michael Porter, Jr. $78 million over the next two seasons.
That would be such a gutsy move and super high risk because if GSW match, then BRK cut a quarter of their team for nothing
Good call. But they have to somehow get down from 18 (if we include Ziaire Williams) to 15 no matter what they do.
However, I did make BIG mistake above in suggesting that the Nets would just need to waive some unguaranteed players to offer a RFA more than $30 million per season. They would also have to rescind their pending contract offer to Ziaire Williams to offer this much.
1. Porter, Jr. $38,333,050
2. Claxton $25,352,272
3. Mann $15,500,000
4. Demin $6,889,200
5. Sharpe $6,250,000
6. Thomas $5,992,172
7. Highsmith $5,616,000
8. Traore $3,811,560
9. Clowney $3,398, 640
10. Powell $3,372,240
11. Whitehead $3,372,240
12. Saraf $2,884,560
13. Wolf $2,801,280
These 13 add up to $123,464,534.
That's roughly $31.2 million below the salary cap of $154,647,000.
In double-checking my work, I noticed a big problem in my previous calculations, which is that I did not account for Zaire's pending contract offer of $5,769,231. So if the Nets go were to go through with Ziaire's pending contract and were to keep all 13 players listed above as well, the most they could offer to a restricted free agent in that players' first season is $25,4143,235 to complete their 15 man roster right at the salary cap.
But could this be the reason that Spotrac still lists Williams' contract offer as pending? Because with Ziaire Williams' pending contract off the Nets' books, the Nets could indeed tender any RFA an offer at a starting salary of over $31 million.
Note that my oversight makes the whole idea seem less tenable to me. I imagine that the Nets would probably rather have Williams on a $6 million deal than Kuminga on $30 million deal.
I am not fluent with the salary cap and CBA, so I can't evaluate if this is actually possible. But if it is and they offer JK $30 million, I think the Warriors tip their cap and wish him well. And I'd be good with that. Well-played by the Nets if JK is their guy.
That said, do they really want to invest so much money in the front court?
More Balmer/Kawhi blarghity blargh.
r/nba
•
1 hr. ago
AashyLarry
[MIA] Dwyane Wade
[Karalis] BSJ Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard's reported side-deal with Aspiration is nearly twice what was originally reported, which put the questionable commitment to him closer to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's $50 million investment ... which itself has a curious twist.
TLDR is at the bottom
But the Leonard deal was a curious one, a source within the company told Boston Sports Journal. According to our source, none of the high-powered executives were consulted about the massive, $28 million endorsement deal Leonard signed, and Cherny never presented the deal to Aspiration’s Board of Directors. BSJ has learned the deal was presented to the executive team as-is, with no opportunity for further analysis.
The $28 million deal was to be paid in quarterly installments over four years, but it was not the only compensation Leonard received. According to a high-level source, Leonard also cut a side deal with Aspiration to receive an additional $20 million in company stock. The stock was to be paid out from Sanberg’s personal holdings in the company over four years.
That brought the total of promised compensation to Leonard to $48 million. Around the same time as the Leonard deal, Aspiration was going through its rounds of fundraising. They had raised approximately $600 million, including the previously mentioned $250 million from Oak Tree Capital Management. That number also included a $50 million investment from Ballmer. That investment has been characterized to Boston Sports Journal as having been made with light-to-no diligence.
The commitment from Ballmer was also curious, as he paid a higher price for his shares than others. The Oak Tree commitment to Aspiration came at $10 a share, but Ballmer paid a premium of $11 per share, raising his overall investment to $50 million. Typically, an investor of Ballmer’s caliber would have been wooed with a discounted share price, so the company could tout the investment of a major player.
Source: https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2025/09/04/exclusive-kawhi-leonard-endorsement-deal-that-triggered-nba-investigation-actually-worth-48-million
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1n8hjyw/karalis_bsj_exclusive_kawhi_leonards_reported/?share_id=CvJNPwQkiRLAGFrYukTuz&utm_content=1&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1
That's quite a coincidence (the $50 million Ballmer investment effectively covering the $48 million deal with Leonard). But I'm sure it's /just/ a coincidence...
>>>Trey Lyles is set to bring his NBA experience to Europe as he is finalizing his move to Real Madrid, BasketNews sources confirm. The 29-year-old forward played 650 NBA games and averaged 7.6 points.<<<
https://basketnews.com/news-230798-trey-lyles-nearing-move-to-europe-after-10-year-nba-career.html
He should fit in well in Euro-ball.
Maybe we just need to get Kuminga a nice tree-planting job on the side.
Giddey or Grimes getting a resolution for their situation will really turn this thing up. Cam Thomas signing that QO is whatever. He should have taken that 15m/y offer though since I believe even in UFA that's his price range or at least it should be
>>>Free agent forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has agreed on a two-way NBA contract with the Memphis Grizzlies<<<
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/8f7566d232b94
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/1c94b15f627d4
So the first RFA made the move. I would not be surprised if the Kuminga business one way or another is resolved in the next 48 hours.
Taking the QO makes no sense to me because the whole point would be for him to have a year to prove himself worthy of more money than he was offered by any team this offseason, but the whole reason he wants to leave is because he doesn’t have the opportunity to show out. So, how is he going to earn that next contract that will compensate for what he loses by taking the QO? It makes more sense for Cam Thomas because, if I’m remembering correctly, he’s a starter, so he will have ample opportunity to demonstrate his value to the league. Kuminga does not and will not have that opportunity, except when Jimmy can’t play.
Once Thomas puts pen to paper, how big of a contract could the Nets offer Kuminga?
How do you think this will influence JK? Will he also sign the QO?
Right now, it seems like it. In the end, all the RFA were in a holding pattern and iirc I read something about them even having something of a group chat somewhere (though I may have imagined that one).
I can't say it fills me with confidence he won't. And that would be a bad outcome for the team.
It would be but pretty much anything other than Kuminga signing the offer they have out there right now would be
I think there's a little meat on the bone. I would guarantee the second year. Absolutely nothing more in terms of year 1 dollars. Any more and it messes with vet min flexibility. Absolutely nothing past year 2 as doing so impacts the clean cap sheet of 2027. But, that's it.
I think guaranteeing the second year is a blow to the trade value. I could see them partially guaranteeing the second year as their compromise, but I don't think they should guarantee the entire thing. I could also see the Warriors just leaving their offer as is and daring Kuminga to take the QO.
Why would a guaranteed second year hurt trade value? Most teams that want JK surely want him for more than half a year. They need time to see what he can do when integrated into their system. What am I missing here?
Both Sac and Phx offered longer term deals to JK that would have included that second year at that price. So, he has some level of value at that price.
He couldn't be an expiring for a bad contract, I suppose. That would limit the teams to teams who actually view JK as an asset.
> I think guaranteeing the second year is a blow to the trade value.
Yep, this is the problem exactly
It would be a bad outcome for both sides. It guarantees that the Ws won't get back anything AND that Kuminga will end up with a ton less money. But he will have stuck it to the Warriors and their fans and controlled his own destiny.
If he sticks it to the Dubs and has a no-trade clause as part of that, the Dubs could have less incentive to play him. That could cost him next summer.
Wow. Nets were only offering $15 mil a year, with a team option on the second year.
For a guy who scored 27.6/36 minutes on OK efficiency (.575 TS).
Crappy year to be an RFA.
Tell me you don't really want me back without telling me that you don't really want me back...
Cam Thomas's counting stats are (significantly) better than his actual value, IMO.
That said, it is a crappy year to be an RFA, and also a team with an RFA...
Probably (I noticed his rebounding and assist numbers weren't all that), and the Nets are a crap team, so the scoring is probably inflated, too. Still, I bet he gets at least 25% more than that in another year.
No bet :)
For everyone who isn’t watching our WNBA sister team in the Valkyries, yall are missing out.
It’s an incredibly fun time and we’re creating at the right time and I truly think we can beat any team other than the Lynx (the prohibitive favorite) in the playoffs so . . . I think we’re gonna be championship!!
Yall gotta hop on the bandwagon, we need all the noise we can get in Ballhala!!
Off season scimmage...Draymond, Moody and I'm not sure who else.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1n7qtob/draymond_green_tried_to_post_up_moody_and_missed/
Draymond's value as a player is a combination of his elite defense and his ability to run the team like a point guard making plays for others. Jimmy Butler is taking over the play-making, so where does that leave Dray on offense where he is, in some ways, a liability? Could it be time for Dray to take a back seat and put someone else in the starting lineup?
That ain't your game!!
Careful Moses...
>>>Thirteen, the Midtown restaurant owned by former Houston Rockets star James Harden, is currently locked and closed due to $2.2 million in "delinquent rents and other amounts due to the lease," per a notice posted on the restaurant's door.<<<
https://www.chron.com/food/article/james-harden-restaurant-lockout-debt-21029236.php
Cuban defends Ballmer, saying he's too smart to leave a paper trail. Maybe a little anxious about Dirk's ridiculous Mavs deal when he had other outsized offers? The podcast was interesting, but I doubt much comes out of it other than a hefty fine and maybe suspension for Kawhi. Silver's a wimp.
> Silver's a wimp.
First, and only, question: Who does Silver work for? Who pays his salary? Who decides if he keeps his job or not?
Billionaire defending a billionaire.
Stern never had to deal with an NBA owner as powerful as Steve Ballmer getting spotlighted like this, if they don't do anything major I don't think it'll be because of Adam Silver's proclivities.
Ballmer has the ability to make this very messy for the NBA, I'm sure.
I expect Silver to use this an opportunity to severely penalize free endorsements for Kelenna's cornbread.
I think there's much more likely to be consequences for the team rather than the player.