NBA offseason 2016-2017...NBA offseason best in sports....This offseason is lit to the 3rd degree!!
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They aren't considering his wife. She has input too. If she is like every other female in the world - She wants attention. Can't get that shit in Utah.
Suns trying to get rid of Tyson Chandler and if they cavs were smart they would try to get him
Cavs have nothing to offer!!!
They gotta give up some picks or one of their young players tho
Grading The Deal: Nuggets Sign Paul Millsap To Three-Year, $90M Contract
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 3, 2017 12:37 AM
The Denver Nuggets have one of the NBA’s best young cores in Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, but they needed to get better on defense and needed a win-now type of player in order to help them take the next step to become a playoff team again. The Nuggets found that player in signing Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million contract after his market was far more tepid than he anticipated. It's a low risk move for a perfect fit.
There is a good chance the decline of Millsap has already begun with his steady PER since the age of 25 dipping down to 17.8 in his Year-31 season. Millsap couldn’t get to the bucket as easily and settled for more long jumpers. But he still ranked 14th in the NBA in Real Plus Minus last season as he remains one of the game’s most sound defensive players.
Millsap should enjoy a reasonable amount of longevity and a gradual decline as we’ve seen from someone like David West, but the Nuggets’ mitigated their exposure to that by only guaranteeing the first two seasons. Millsap’s passing and intelligent defense should hold up but his dip in three-point shooting these past two seasons sobers up that projection, as does the fact that the entire reason he dropped to the second round in the first place was due to being an undersized power forward. Millsap still shot it well from the corner and they at least need him to knock down those shots to give Jokic space.
This move would feel a whole lot better if Millsap was three or four years younger since he’s such as perfect fit beside Jokic and you’d like to see that combo extended with Millsap operating off the ball as his own secondary focal point. But the Nuggets are about to get expensive and this was their last meaningful chance at cap space as Jokic is likely to be re-signed next offseason on a max contract as a restricted free agent.
Denver also concurrently pursued a trade for Kevin Love, but Millsap is a far better fit due to his superior defense and obviously didn’t cost them anything in terms of trade pieces. Last season, they pursued Dwyane Wade with their cap space and ask the Bulls how much they're enjoying paying Year 2 of that deal.
The Nuggets now have more work to do in balancing out their roster with an excess of power forwards and combo forwards. Denver just added Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon on draft night for example. It makes even less sense now to re-sign Miles Plumlee as it was to include a first round pick with Jusuf Nurkic for him in February.
The Western Conference is a death trap and the Nuggets may not even make the playoffs with this move, but they’re certainly giving themselves an excellent chance.
Grade for Nuggets: A
The annual average was there for Millsap, but he only gets two guaranteed seasons, which was not what he was anticipating when entering free agency. Millsap surely would have been maxed out last summer, but there was far fewer teams with space and even fewer GMs prepared to commit long-term to a 32-year-old.
Millsap did well in terms of fit and challenge, but he continues to just miss the type of paydays that merit his talent. It began in 2009 when the Jazz matched Millsap’s four-year, $32 million offer sheet in restricted free agency with the Blazers, then he only received a two-year, $19 million deal with the Hawks, and finally a three-year, $59 million deal in 2015 that fortunately for him contained a player option for 17-18 to get this contract.
Grade for Paul Millsap: C+
And just like that, the January 2015 Eastern Conference Players of the Month are all out of Atlanta. It is a rather unceremonious end for a team that won a lot of games and energized a long dormant fan base.
Even last season, the Hawks’ five-man lineup of Millsap, Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Thabo Sefolosha ranked third in the NBA amongst five-man lineups in Net Rating at +27.3. Atlanta remained a very good regular season team that was repeatedly proven incapable of playing better in the playoffs no matter how many times they shuffled their core. The fact that they routinely remained so good during the regular season ultimately led them to not trade Millsap as an expiring contract and recoup a first rounder before he inevitably walked in free agency the way they did for Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, but not for Al Horford, DeMarre Carroll or Josh Smith before that.
As soon as Travis Schlenk was hired as general manager, there was little ambiguity in his comments that he had no interest in re-signing Millsap. Even without the front office changes, it was hard to envision Millsap re-signing. The only thing worse than not getting any draft picks back for a player in his 30s on a team not going anywhere is re-signing him to a four-year or five-year deal.
The Hawks will likely pivot towards taking on bad contracts in exchange for assets the way the Nets have in recent seasons, and the Jazz before that.
Grade for Hawks: C-
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 3, 2017 12:37 AM
The Denver Nuggets have one of the NBA’s best young cores in Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, but they needed to get better on defense and needed a win-now type of player in order to help them take the next step to become a playoff team again. The Nuggets found that player in signing Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million contract after his market was far more tepid than he anticipated. It's a low risk move for a perfect fit.
There is a good chance the decline of Millsap has already begun with his steady PER since the age of 25 dipping down to 17.8 in his Year-31 season. Millsap couldn’t get to the bucket as easily and settled for more long jumpers. But he still ranked 14th in the NBA in Real Plus Minus last season as he remains one of the game’s most sound defensive players.
Millsap should enjoy a reasonable amount of longevity and a gradual decline as we’ve seen from someone like David West, but the Nuggets’ mitigated their exposure to that by only guaranteeing the first two seasons. Millsap’s passing and intelligent defense should hold up but his dip in three-point shooting these past two seasons sobers up that projection, as does the fact that the entire reason he dropped to the second round in the first place was due to being an undersized power forward. Millsap still shot it well from the corner and they at least need him to knock down those shots to give Jokic space.
This move would feel a whole lot better if Millsap was three or four years younger since he’s such as perfect fit beside Jokic and you’d like to see that combo extended with Millsap operating off the ball as his own secondary focal point. But the Nuggets are about to get expensive and this was their last meaningful chance at cap space as Jokic is likely to be re-signed next offseason on a max contract as a restricted free agent.
Denver also concurrently pursued a trade for Kevin Love, but Millsap is a far better fit due to his superior defense and obviously didn’t cost them anything in terms of trade pieces. Last season, they pursued Dwyane Wade with their cap space and ask the Bulls how much they're enjoying paying Year 2 of that deal.
The Nuggets now have more work to do in balancing out their roster with an excess of power forwards and combo forwards. Denver just added Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon on draft night for example. It makes even less sense now to re-sign Miles Plumlee as it was to include a first round pick with Jusuf Nurkic for him in February.
The Western Conference is a death trap and the Nuggets may not even make the playoffs with this move, but they’re certainly giving themselves an excellent chance.
Grade for Nuggets: A
The annual average was there for Millsap, but he only gets two guaranteed seasons, which was not what he was anticipating when entering free agency. Millsap surely would have been maxed out last summer, but there was far fewer teams with space and even fewer GMs prepared to commit long-term to a 32-year-old.
Millsap did well in terms of fit and challenge, but he continues to just miss the type of paydays that merit his talent. It began in 2009 when the Jazz matched Millsap’s four-year, $32 million offer sheet in restricted free agency with the Blazers, then he only received a two-year, $19 million deal with the Hawks, and finally a three-year, $59 million deal in 2015 that fortunately for him contained a player option for 17-18 to get this contract.
Grade for Paul Millsap: C+
And just like that, the January 2015 Eastern Conference Players of the Month are all out of Atlanta. It is a rather unceremonious end for a team that won a lot of games and energized a long dormant fan base.
Even last season, the Hawks’ five-man lineup of Millsap, Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Thabo Sefolosha ranked third in the NBA amongst five-man lineups in Net Rating at +27.3. Atlanta remained a very good regular season team that was repeatedly proven incapable of playing better in the playoffs no matter how many times they shuffled their core. The fact that they routinely remained so good during the regular season ultimately led them to not trade Millsap as an expiring contract and recoup a first rounder before he inevitably walked in free agency the way they did for Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, but not for Al Horford, DeMarre Carroll or Josh Smith before that.
As soon as Travis Schlenk was hired as general manager, there was little ambiguity in his comments that he had no interest in re-signing Millsap. Even without the front office changes, it was hard to envision Millsap re-signing. The only thing worse than not getting any draft picks back for a player in his 30s on a team not going anywhere is re-signing him to a four-year or five-year deal.
The Hawks will likely pivot towards taking on bad contracts in exchange for assets the way the Nets have in recent seasons, and the Jazz before that.
Grade for Hawks: C-
Grading The Deal: Raptors Re-Sign Kyle Lowry, Give Core Three More Years
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 2, 2017 5:49 PM
Kyle Lowry is coming off a four-year, $48 million contract signed in 2014 that was one of the best bargains of any unrestricted free agent in recent memory. As much as we’re in a constant state of bewilderment when we consider the four-year, $4 million extension of Stephen Curry, the entire NBA had an opportunity to max out Lowry.
Masai Ujiri is one of the NBA’s most calm, patient and calculating general managers. Ujiri didn’t intend for the Raptors to stumble upon this level of contention when he took the job, but he adapted to the accident of the situation and has pursued two paths at once. Whether it was simply for bargaining purposes or his sincere position, Ujiri considered allowing both Lowry and Serge Ibaka leave in free agency, but he instead kept them on shorter three-year contracts that mitigate the possibility of being stuck in cap hell. This run for the Raptors has been truly special and not worth abandoning even if it continues to stall out in the playoffs.
A few months ago there was speculation the Raptors would need to offer a fifth-year to prevent Lowry from taking a four-year max contract with a rival team, but Ujiri instead re-signed him to a three-year, $100 million deal.
Lowry finished this past season ranked 10th in Real Plus Minus and fourth amongst point guards. Nobody in the NBA was better out of the pick-and-roll last season and he’s one of the league’s best spot-up shooters.
With Toronto’s low-assist offense, Lowry had an assist rate of just 29.9, which puts him on par with Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.
Toronto’s five-man lineup of Lowry, DeRozan, Patrick Patterson, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll ranked fourth in the NBA in Net Rating at 26.8. At times during the regular season, the Raptors were the best team in the Eastern Conference. They just haven’t shown capable of taking things to another level in the playoffs. Three of those five players could be gone when 17-18 opens up as Valanciunas and Carroll could be traded to clear cap space.
Zooming out, Lowry has obvious culpability in the Raptors’ playoff shortcomings. Lowry is a 39.4 percent shooter for his career in the playoffs (.514 TS%) compared to 42.5 percent (.560 TS%) for the regular season. The Raptors didn’t crater without Lowry in the weeks he missed following the All-Star break with wrist surgery, especially on defense. Toronto could have survived with Cory Joseph replacing Lowry and dropped down to a seventh or eighth seed, but you may as well try to rebuild entirely at that point.
Lowry is infinitely more valuable to the Raptors at his annual average than he would have been to any other team, and he also has a moody, unpredictable personality even if he does consistently play hard on both sides of the floor.
There would have been an inevitability of Lowry’s contract turning monstrously problematic as a five-year or even four-year deal, especially when factoring in the eight percent raises growing so much faster than the cap. On three-year deals, both Lowry and Ibaka line up with when DeRozan can become a free agent again. The Raptors will continue to see if they can figure out a formula to win the East while waiting out LeBron James and fending off the Celtics, 76ers or Wizards. When 2020 hits, Toronto will likely begin the rebuild that Ujiri expected to start working upon in 2014.
Grade for Raptors: A
Lowry’s leverage vanished quite quickly before free agency even began when the 76ers traded up to select Markelle Fultz, then the Knicks and Mavericks also drafted point guards, followed by the Rockets trading for Chris Paul. Minnesota signed Jeff Teague as soon as free agency began. Even the Bulls decision to trade away Jimmy Butler and begin a rebuild took away a realistic free agent spot.
Only getting a three-year deal will cost Lowry a significant amount of money because he won’t come close to making over $30 million in 20-21 at 34. But at least Lowry gets to stay with the Raptors for the remaining seasons of his prime with the chance of becoming the most accomplished player in franchise history.
Grade for Kyle Lowry: B+
Grading The Deal: Serge Ibaka Stays With Raptors For $65M Over Three Years
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 2, 2017 1:32 PM
The Toronto Raptors were at a genuine inflection point this offseason deciding between shifting towards a broad reset of their roster, or continuing to move forward with the most successful core of franchise history and tinkering around the edges in the dependably wide open Eastern Conference. While there will surely be cap relief moves forthcoming, Masai Ujiri’s decision to re-sign Serge Ibaka on a three-year, $65 million deal signals they will continue on the course of being a top-4 team in the East.
Ibaka has all the tools to be the perfect complementary big man for the modern NBA with his floor spacing on offense and shotblocking on defense. While never an All-Star caliber talent, Ibaka was a precursor to the new wave of unicorn big men like Karl-Antony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid and Myles Turner with their shooting and shotblocking.
Perimeter shooting and shotblocking is a rare package for any big, so it is odd for it to come in the form of a player with such a limited instinctual feel for the game.
While Ibaka is a great spot-up shooter for a big man, the game speeds up for him when he needs to improvise and be more of a playmaker. Ibaka can’t put the ball on the floor and is also not a very adept passer.
On defense, Ibaka is more effective as a weakside shotblocker than one-on-one in the post. Ibaka even dropped in terms of his block rate down to 20th in the NBA this past season. Ibaka was emerging as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2012 when he had a block rate of 9.8, but he’s nowhere near that player anymore. Instead of continuing to build upon his potential, he's fallen back to merely an average starter, albeit with that aforementioned perfect skill-set.
Ibaka’s real age is a constant, unknowable question that he unfortunately felt compelled to address in the hours leading to the signing, but the eye test is showing physical decline no matter how old he is.
Toronto will have to unload Jonas Valanciunas at some point to free up salary/tax issues as well as minutes for Ibaka at center. The Raptors’ offense and defense are better and make more sense with Ibaka instead of Valanciunas.
The Raptors could have offered a five-year deal to Ibaka, but the three-year commitment at slightly above average starter money is a prudent middle ground.
Grade for Raptors: B+
Ibaka was chosen by the Thunder in 2012 for a four-year, $48 million contract instead of James Harden, which made sense at the time in keeping their roster balanced, but became far obviously less so when Ibaka slipped physically and with his skill development while Harden became a perennial MVP. Ibaka became less critical for the Thunder with the emergence of Steven Adams at center, though we did see one final glimpse of what could have been in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference when Ibaka was playing a big role in how they were switching everything and were too physically imposing for the Warriors.
Ibaka’s tenure with the Orlando Magic clearly did not go well with their incoherent frontcourt and he was saved by his trade with full Bird rights to a contender that had coveted him for years. While Ibaka surely would have preferred more guaranteed years, he will have the opportunity to re-enter the open market at 30 and have at least half a chance at another similarly lengthed multi-year deal if his current production continues. Ibaka would have struggled to find a team willing to use this much valuable cap space in a saturated big man market.
Grade for Serge Ibaka: A
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 2, 2017 1:32 PM
The Toronto Raptors were at a genuine inflection point this offseason deciding between shifting towards a broad reset of their roster, or continuing to move forward with the most successful core of franchise history and tinkering around the edges in the dependably wide open Eastern Conference. While there will surely be cap relief moves forthcoming, Masai Ujiri’s decision to re-sign Serge Ibaka on a three-year, $65 million deal signals they will continue on the course of being a top-4 team in the East.
Ibaka has all the tools to be the perfect complementary big man for the modern NBA with his floor spacing on offense and shotblocking on defense. While never an All-Star caliber talent, Ibaka was a precursor to the new wave of unicorn big men like Karl-Antony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid and Myles Turner with their shooting and shotblocking.
Perimeter shooting and shotblocking is a rare package for any big, so it is odd for it to come in the form of a player with such a limited instinctual feel for the game.
While Ibaka is a great spot-up shooter for a big man, the game speeds up for him when he needs to improvise and be more of a playmaker. Ibaka can’t put the ball on the floor and is also not a very adept passer.
On defense, Ibaka is more effective as a weakside shotblocker than one-on-one in the post. Ibaka even dropped in terms of his block rate down to 20th in the NBA this past season. Ibaka was emerging as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2012 when he had a block rate of 9.8, but he’s nowhere near that player anymore. Instead of continuing to build upon his potential, he's fallen back to merely an average starter, albeit with that aforementioned perfect skill-set.
Ibaka’s real age is a constant, unknowable question that he unfortunately felt compelled to address in the hours leading to the signing, but the eye test is showing physical decline no matter how old he is.
Toronto will have to unload Jonas Valanciunas at some point to free up salary/tax issues as well as minutes for Ibaka at center. The Raptors’ offense and defense are better and make more sense with Ibaka instead of Valanciunas.
The Raptors could have offered a five-year deal to Ibaka, but the three-year commitment at slightly above average starter money is a prudent middle ground.
Grade for Raptors: B+
Ibaka was chosen by the Thunder in 2012 for a four-year, $48 million contract instead of James Harden, which made sense at the time in keeping their roster balanced, but became far obviously less so when Ibaka slipped physically and with his skill development while Harden became a perennial MVP. Ibaka became less critical for the Thunder with the emergence of Steven Adams at center, though we did see one final glimpse of what could have been in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference when Ibaka was playing a big role in how they were switching everything and were too physically imposing for the Warriors.
Ibaka’s tenure with the Orlando Magic clearly did not go well with their incoherent frontcourt and he was saved by his trade with full Bird rights to a contender that had coveted him for years. While Ibaka surely would have preferred more guaranteed years, he will have the opportunity to re-enter the open market at 30 and have at least half a chance at another similarly lengthed multi-year deal if his current production continues. Ibaka would have struggled to find a team willing to use this much valuable cap space in a saturated big man market.
Grade for Serge Ibaka: A
League cant make owners and gms do their job; plus they only step in to try to make the players do their jobs
Grading The Deals: Warriors Re-Sign Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 2, 2017 12:45 AM
Letting Andre Iguodala leave in free agency would have either been more #LightYears maneuvering, or a decision of frugality that compromises their dynasty and sobers up the rest of the core on the limits of loyalty from ownership. Iguodala squeezed out the most money possible by playing the market with every Western Conference team possible bidding against the Warriors and ended up with a three-year, $48 million deal.
Physical maintenance is the main concern with projecting how many productive seasons Iguodala has remaining. There are only a few nights in May and June each year where they Warriors truly need Iguodala to be his healthy younger self. Iguodala was there in 2015 when they won The Finals and he was MVP, not quite there in 2016 when they lost in seven and LeBron James chased him down, and he was there again in 2017 when the Warriors won.
Iguodala is one of the most cerebral players in the NBA on both ends of the floor and is physically declining from one of the best combinations of athleticism and length on the wing, so he should remain at somewhere close to this level for Year 1 and probably Year 2. By Year 3 of the deal, McCaw will probably be outplaying Iguodala as he eases into a veteran emeritus role for as long as he wants to collect veteran’s minimum deals with the Warriors.
McCaw looks close to being ready to fill the Iguodala role, but they realistically need them both for another couple of years at the very least. The Warriors are encouraged by McCaw and would have felt cautiously optimistic that they could get by without Iguodala, but messing around on the margins and with the run of comparatively good vibes around the team is too significant of a risk to save cash.
The long-term ramifications on Iguodala’s deal will be most felt when Klay Thompson receives a raise in 2019 that jumps from just under $19 million to upwards of $33 million per season. The Warriors could be looking at more than $300 million in salary and luxury tax payments. The Warriors will also be opening their new arena in San Francisco that year, which should make that a tolerable tradeoff, especially if they’re coming off their fourth title in five years.
Grade for Warriors on Iguodala: B+
This deal is dripping with Iguodala’s hustle after he got out on the open market when the Warriors were understandably as concerned about their long-term tax obligations as they were losing him to a rival.
Iguodala is coming off a four-year, $48 million deal that he outperformed, not only in terms of on-court production, but in changing the culture of the Warriors. Golden State transformed defensively under Mark Jackson and Iguodala played a huge role in doing so along with Andrew Bogut. The Warriors took another step forward when Draymond Green became a starter and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but it largely began with Iguodala.
This will likely be Iguodala’s final major contract and this is a significant payout. Despite coming to the Warriors during the middle of his career, Iguodala deserves special player status and worked to get it.
Grade for Andre Iguodala: A
Unlike Iguodala’s grind for his contract, Shaun Livingston and the Warriors quickly agreed upon a three-year, $24 million deal soon after free agency officially opened.
Livingston became a little less essential for the Warriors this past season and his play fell off a little bit at times. When he plays with Stephen Curry, he plays more like a wing than he historically did as the point guard of the second unit. This is a bit of an issue since Livingston doesn’t shoot three-pointers, but there’s usually enough other shooters on the floor for the Warriors to not become problematic. Livingston’s passing and ability to shoot over his man in the mid-range isn’t going away.
Defensively, Livingston remains a plus option on defense and highly versatile with his switching and ability to defend most small forwards.
The Warriors have wanted to avoid the middle tier of NBA contracts and while this contract and Iguodala’s begins to approach that level, the production exceeds the value in both instances for the pair of Illinois natives of the 2004 draft class.
Grade for Warriors on Livingston: A
We’ll never know how good Livingston could have become if not for his horrific leg injury early in his career, but I think we can safely surmise it would have been excellent based on how well he’s played these past few seasons with the Warriors. Staying healthy, winning a pair of rings with the possibility of a few more, plus another $24 million is one of the NBA’s best comeback stories.
Grade for Shaun Livingston: A
Durant is taking a little mess money and risks not signing a long-term deal this offseason, but his sacrifice keeps the critical elements of the Warriors’ core together.
Grade for Kevin Durant keeping core together: A
Grading The Deal: Joe Ingles Becomes A Very Rich, Late Career 3&D Star
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 1, 2017 10:19 PM
Joe Ingles is already 29, arriving to the NBA from Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014 after several seasons in Europe. This was his opportunity to get a major, multi-year deal even though he was limited by being a restricted free agent and the Utah Jazz cashed him in with a four-year, $52 million contract.
With a dearth of capable defenders against small forwards who can spread the floor as well as he can, Ingles was always going to receive significant interest in free agency, even restricted free agent.
On offense, Ingles shot 44.1 percent on 7.4 three-point attempts per 100 possessions while also operating as an adept passer and occasional playmaker off the dribble. Ingles ranked 12th amongst small forwards in Real Plus Minus last season.
Ingles’ defense was showcased in the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers when he even showed how he could be versatile enough to defend Chris Paul. While the shooting should hold up over the life of this contract, Ingles could slip in a meaningful way on defense.
Utah’s five-man lineup of Ingles, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and George Hill ranked eighth in the NBA in Net Rating.
For a team with a lot of understated personalities, Ingles also gives the Jazz a bit of swagger and personality. Ingles was the guy who offered to hire a car to drive the Warriors to Las Vegas between games after they expressed their disappointment playing in Salt Lake City in the second round instead of Los Angeles. Ingles was also the guy that dared DeAndre Jordan out to the corner before hitting a three-pointer in his face.
The cost for Utah is significant but they absolutely had to keep Ingles if they want to continue the momentum of their 16-17 playoff run. Ingles also is part of the price in either re-signing Hayward or not completely cratering if he leaves. But the fact that Ingles will likely be in Utah’s meeting with Hayward, as a very good complementary piece and one of his best friends on the team, will surely help convince Hayward to stay.
The Jazz may unfortunately need to trade Ingles in a year or two as Gobert is now on a big contract, Rodney Hood is now extension eligible, and Hayward presumably re-signs for the max.
Grade for Jazz: B+
Despite a nice career in Europe with Barcelona and Maccabi that always involved NBA interest, Ingles has never made a ton of money but he certainly does now with an annual average of $13 million that will take him into his mid-thirties. Ingles jumps to that level from a two-year, $4.5 million he signed in 2015.
Ingles could have signed elsewhere but Utah was almost certain to match. If they didn't, the fit may not have been as good, and the team would have probably been further away from competing. Ingles improbably became indispensable and the second wave of the NBA's cap spike rewarded him for it.
Grade for Joe Ingles: A
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 1, 2017 10:19 PM
Joe Ingles is already 29, arriving to the NBA from Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014 after several seasons in Europe. This was his opportunity to get a major, multi-year deal even though he was limited by being a restricted free agent and the Utah Jazz cashed him in with a four-year, $52 million contract.
With a dearth of capable defenders against small forwards who can spread the floor as well as he can, Ingles was always going to receive significant interest in free agency, even restricted free agent.
On offense, Ingles shot 44.1 percent on 7.4 three-point attempts per 100 possessions while also operating as an adept passer and occasional playmaker off the dribble. Ingles ranked 12th amongst small forwards in Real Plus Minus last season.
Ingles’ defense was showcased in the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers when he even showed how he could be versatile enough to defend Chris Paul. While the shooting should hold up over the life of this contract, Ingles could slip in a meaningful way on defense.
Utah’s five-man lineup of Ingles, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and George Hill ranked eighth in the NBA in Net Rating.
For a team with a lot of understated personalities, Ingles also gives the Jazz a bit of swagger and personality. Ingles was the guy who offered to hire a car to drive the Warriors to Las Vegas between games after they expressed their disappointment playing in Salt Lake City in the second round instead of Los Angeles. Ingles was also the guy that dared DeAndre Jordan out to the corner before hitting a three-pointer in his face.
The cost for Utah is significant but they absolutely had to keep Ingles if they want to continue the momentum of their 16-17 playoff run. Ingles also is part of the price in either re-signing Hayward or not completely cratering if he leaves. But the fact that Ingles will likely be in Utah’s meeting with Hayward, as a very good complementary piece and one of his best friends on the team, will surely help convince Hayward to stay.
The Jazz may unfortunately need to trade Ingles in a year or two as Gobert is now on a big contract, Rodney Hood is now extension eligible, and Hayward presumably re-signs for the max.
Grade for Jazz: B+
Despite a nice career in Europe with Barcelona and Maccabi that always involved NBA interest, Ingles has never made a ton of money but he certainly does now with an annual average of $13 million that will take him into his mid-thirties. Ingles jumps to that level from a two-year, $4.5 million he signed in 2015.
Ingles could have signed elsewhere but Utah was almost certain to match. If they didn't, the fit may not have been as good, and the team would have probably been further away from competing. Ingles improbably became indispensable and the second wave of the NBA's cap spike rewarded him for it.
Grade for Joe Ingles: A
Not really, load the west up. Only one of those teams can make it to the finals so Im good with it. Let them beat the hell out of each other...
Grading The Deal: J.J. Redick Joins The Process On One-Year, $23M Contract
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 1, 2017 4:51 PM
The worst kept secret in the NBA was J.J. Redick was leaving the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason and his destination became quite interesting in joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year, $23 million deal. The 76ers don’t compromise their 2018 cap space while Redick can get back onto the market for a potential multi-year deal with Philadelphia for less annual money or for a more obvious ring chasing opportunity.
Redick became a passable two-way player during his time with the Clippers, improving his strength, lateral movement, technique and work ethic on defense. Redick doesn’t come close to shutting anyone down, but there’s a level of confidence in his competency that doesn’t negate his shooting and floor spacing. Redick’s minutes will have to decrease to sustain that level of play
There’s a tangible value in shooters like Redick, even as they age and become less efficient, in the gravity they command against a defense. With Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz dominating the ball, Redick will take at least one defender out of their way regardless of whether he’s stationary in the corner or coming off screens.
The almost universal concern over The Process was the irrevocable deterioration of the culture where players would never want to sign there again in free agency. This signing has quickly proven that theory to be wrong as Redick is going there specifically for the culture that Brett Brown has cultivated. Redick’s influence as a veteran that has played for a number of teams and with a variety of superstar personalities will go a long ways with Simmons, Fultz and Joel Embiid.
It is impossible to accurately gauge the value of signing veterans for their locker room presence and I generally downplay their importance, but it does make sense when the on court fit is as obvious as this one.
Grade for 76ers: A
This is an inspiring choice by Redick, joining one of the NBA’s most promising young cores as the savvy veteran. Redick bought a place in Dumbo, Brooklyn last year and he was always more likely than not ending up somewhere on the East Coast. With the 76ers far closer to contention the Nets and with a more obvious need for him, this was an easy choice even beyond the call of $23 million. The only potential downside for Redick is the chance of signing a multi-year deal, but he should have a similar market next season as long as the years stay short. Redick almost certainly would have received a bigger contract last year when there was more teams with cap space available.
Grade for J.J. Redick: A-
doesnt he have a huge contract i will like to have him off the bench. come in and protect the him..
Grading The Deal: Tony Snell, Bucks Quickly Agree Upon Four-Year $46M Deal
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 1, 2017 11:34 AM
Tony Snell and the Milwaukee Bucks wasted no time when free agency opened by agreeing upon a four-year, $46 million deal. Snell is a perfect example of how a wing with switchability on defense and the ability to hit open three-pointers has never been more valuable and now he’s signed to a deal that’s below average for a starter.
The Bucks’ decision to trade Michael Carter-Williams for Snell was a brilliantly one-sided move by John Hammond, one of his final moves with the franchise. Carter-Williams cost the Bucks the opportunity to acquire the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018 unprotected pick but trading away Brandon Knight when he's about to get expensive and ending up with an affordable 3&D wing isn't a bad outcome at all.
Snell shot 40.6 percent on 7.7 three-point attempts per 100 possessions with the Bucks after hitting 37.1 percent and 36.1 percent his previous two seasons with the Bulls. Snell is a proven three-point shooter and could be even better as hit 39.4 percent from the corner.
Snell’s value hitting open three-pointers and rarely turning the ball over is as much as offense the Bucks need alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton. Snell also is good enough defensively to typically take the tougher wing cover instead of Middleton. The Bucks’ defense improved by 4.4 points per 100 possessions without Snell on the floor, so his actual value may be best described as expending energy on that side of the floor to free up their scorers.
Similar to how the Bucks approached the restricted free agency of Middleton in 2015, they moved quickly before Snell could truly test the market and this is a value contract for a small market franchise that has tax concerns, particularly if they keep Parker on a raise coming off his rookie contract within the next 12 months.
Grade for Bucks: A
As much as the trade greatly benefitted the Bucks, getting out of Chicago for a perfect fit on a team that was on the cusp of taking the next step beside a top-15 talent was perfect timing for Snell as he approached restricted free agency. Snell never played more than 1,412 minutes during his three seasons with the Bulls, but that jumped to 2,336 as he became a starter with Milwaukee.
As the 20th overall pick who looked like he would max out as a rotation guy, Snell is now an eight-figure a year player.
Grade for Tony Snell: A-
BY CHRISTOPHER REINA
JUL 1, 2017 11:34 AM
Tony Snell and the Milwaukee Bucks wasted no time when free agency opened by agreeing upon a four-year, $46 million deal. Snell is a perfect example of how a wing with switchability on defense and the ability to hit open three-pointers has never been more valuable and now he’s signed to a deal that’s below average for a starter.
The Bucks’ decision to trade Michael Carter-Williams for Snell was a brilliantly one-sided move by John Hammond, one of his final moves with the franchise. Carter-Williams cost the Bucks the opportunity to acquire the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018 unprotected pick but trading away Brandon Knight when he's about to get expensive and ending up with an affordable 3&D wing isn't a bad outcome at all.
Snell shot 40.6 percent on 7.7 three-point attempts per 100 possessions with the Bucks after hitting 37.1 percent and 36.1 percent his previous two seasons with the Bulls. Snell is a proven three-point shooter and could be even better as hit 39.4 percent from the corner.
Snell’s value hitting open three-pointers and rarely turning the ball over is as much as offense the Bucks need alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton. Snell also is good enough defensively to typically take the tougher wing cover instead of Middleton. The Bucks’ defense improved by 4.4 points per 100 possessions without Snell on the floor, so his actual value may be best described as expending energy on that side of the floor to free up their scorers.
Similar to how the Bucks approached the restricted free agency of Middleton in 2015, they moved quickly before Snell could truly test the market and this is a value contract for a small market franchise that has tax concerns, particularly if they keep Parker on a raise coming off his rookie contract within the next 12 months.
Grade for Bucks: A
As much as the trade greatly benefitted the Bucks, getting out of Chicago for a perfect fit on a team that was on the cusp of taking the next step beside a top-15 talent was perfect timing for Snell as he approached restricted free agency. Snell never played more than 1,412 minutes during his three seasons with the Bulls, but that jumped to 2,336 as he became a starter with Milwaukee.
As the 20th overall pick who looked like he would max out as a rotation guy, Snell is now an eight-figure a year player.
Grade for Tony Snell: A-
thats actually not bad.
Is Simmons still hurt?
From Bleecher Report
"The Sixers have been notoriously cautious with their players during their full-scale rebuild, so holding out Embiid and Simmons should come as no surprise. They're their two most valuable commodities, the shining beacons of the so-called Process that should develop into franchise building blocks if they stay healthy.
Keeping them on a conservative gameplan to have them ready for the regular season was always the advisable and expected move"
A mid 30s Tyson Chandler won't get the Suns much even though he had a good year last season and he was a healthy scratch along with others dude to tanking for some games they are really just trying I get rid of him and use their young players
I can imagine them getting anything of significance for him
Man in this market that's not bad at all actually
Didnt you tell us they both would be playing summer league? And thats why CoAngelo didnt rush them back?
Didnt you tell us they both would be playing summer league? And thats why CoAngelo didnt rush them back?
Dam.
man at some point niggas gonna have to play.
like seriously
minute restrictions and all of this shit rest days and i mean i get it sure hurt is hurt and gotta ease back but enough is almost enough
This all these niggas wanna do... Quote bad rap songs, wear skinny leg sweat pants, and drive a bentley. Look at this guy... hes never played a fucking game.
spolied niggas...LOL
First game homie. They'll be out there. And I didnt say summer league, I said no minutes restrictions for the season. I dont see Embiid playing summer league at all, doesnt need too
Didnt you tell us they both would be playing summer league? And thats why CoAngelo didnt rush them back?
They wont have minutes restrictions this season. Been going full tilt this summer. Ben will be out there but I dont expect Embiid to play this summer at all
No worries man these young dudes won't be young too much longer lol
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