Wojnarowski: Wouldn't Be Surprised If Ujiri Goes After Durant In Free Agency

[enlightenment]

Guys its Collison, not Collision. I am reading it like some car accident or something

[enlightenment]

So if we sign Amir for 3mil/yr, is it possible to keep Ross and still get KD? (We can drop Vasquez and Lou)

[enlightenment]

Something KD would allow us to do: Play Ross at the 2, where I think he can flourish.

[Scraptor]

Ah, okay. Well here is some info on how they did it:

They did so by utilising their remaining cap space to renegotiate Collison’s 2010/11 salary from $6.75 million up to $13.27 million, a raise of $6.52 million, before signing him to the extension which paid him $11.03 million over four years. In total, therefore, Collison received $17.55 million in exchange for his four extra years of commitment, for a total cap hit over the five seasons of $24.3 million. But because of the hefty up-front payment achieved via the renegotiation, the final four years of said commitment totalled only $11.03 million, a small amount made even smaller by the fact that Collison’s salary cap hit decreased across those four seasons. The extension therefore started at only $3,272,997, and got smaller from there.

[This renegotiation was misreported at the time as a signing bonus. The concept of signing bonuses, normally prorated across the life of the contract but which can be paid entirely up front by teams under the cap, could in theory achieve similar results. However, signing bonuses are capped at 15% of the total compensation of a contract and at 20% under the 2005 CBA under which Collison's previous extension was signed, and thus were not big enough to be used here.]

http://bballbreakdown.com/2014/10/30...d-cba-pioneer/

Meaning we would have to renegotiate Amir's current salary upward and we don't have the cap space to do so. I think.

[mcHAPPY]

Nick Collision will be 35 at the beginning of next season. He's also played his whole career for one organization. Also signing bonuses can be a max of 15% of total compensation. We're not getting him, nor would he make a lot of sense, even though I like the guy.

Unless it has changed in new CBA, which I don't think it has, you can use any cap space as a signing bonus.

Leave it to Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti to conceive a contract extension for glue-guy forward Nick Collison that forces me to consult every salary-cap reference book I can find.

This is a fun one.

Sources with knowledge of the contract specifics told ESPN.com that the value of the four-year extension that starts in the 2011-12 season is a modest $11 million and change. Highly favorable numbers for the Thunder.

However ...

The Thunder -- as a team slightly more than $6.5 million under the salary cap before re-signing Collison -- took advantage of that below-the-cap status to unexpectedly award Collison all of their space as a signing bonus that takes his 2010-11 compensation to a whopping $13.3 million.

Signing bonuses in extensions are usually pro-rated through the life of the contract. Teams under the cap, though, can apply the entire signing bonus at the time the extension is signed, as long as the bonus doesn't exceed the available cap space.

So Oklahoma City's motivation here is fairly obvious, no matter how out of place it looks to suddenly see All-Star dollars attached to Collison's name in this season's NBA salary documents ... and then a smaller figure for the next four seasons combined.

This is OKC's thinking:

With Nick Collison now scheduled to earn $3.3 million in 2011-12 -- and with his salary descending all the way to $2.2 million in 2014-15 -- Oklahoma City has secured a valued member of its rotation at a very cap-friendly price. That will put the smallest possible drain on its payroll in coming seasons when the Thunder have to accommodate the extension raises due to Kevin Durant as well as future extension recipient Russell Westbrook (and possibly Serge Ibaka).

Flush with other assets to use in potential trades, Oklahoma City made the determination that it couldn't do anything better with that $6.5 million in leftover cap space from the summer before the space vanishes June 30.0, when the space vanishes. It remains to be seen how risky the strategy of giving Collison such a hefty bonus is, since the cap space could have been offered up to other teams in trade discussions between now and the Feb. 24 trading deadline, but OKC isn't known for its gambles and is surely convinced it didn't really take one here. (Don't forget that Presti will always give nearly as much consideration to how a player fits into his team's culture as the player's skills.)

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ract-extension

[mcHAPPY]

Ah, okay. Well here is some info on how they did it:
http://bballbreakdown.com/2014/10/30...d-cba-pioneer/

Meaning we would have to renegotiate Amir's current salary upward and we don't have the cap space to do so. I think.

then a huge one year deal with a wink wink it is.

[007]

If KD signs, DD might take a paycut to play here.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

If KD signs, DD might take a paycut to play here.

I don't want to make this another DeRozan argument, because he's looked fantastic the past few games, but I'm not sure if there's enough ball to go around for KD, Lowry and DeRozan. I absolutely agree that having DeRozan would obviously be a huge part of the overall draw for KD, but from both a financial and 'fit' perspective, I'm not sure if a KD/KL/DD core would work effectively.

I think the development over the next two years of Valanciunas, Ross and, to a lesser extent Bruno & Bebe, will help define the attractiveness of the Raptors' core come the 2016 offseason. Lowry and DeRozan are already known quantities, but I think KD will also look closely at the C (defensive anchor, post-up game) and SG (3pt shooting, perimeter defense) positions, when determining how well he'd do in Toronto.

If you look at OKC's success, in terms of the way they were built when they were at their best:
C & PF - needed for interior defense and rebounding
SF - KD
SG - needed for lock-down perimeter defense and spot-up 3pt shooting
PG - needed as a secondary scorer and ball-handler for dribble-penetration and on-ball defense
6th man - needed to play small ball (replaced C/PF, with KD playing PF), as another scorer and floor-spreader

For Toronto:
C - hopefully Valanciunas develops into a legit post-up option, with improved defense (man and help) and rebounding
PF - position is in flux, but another shot-blocker would be great
SF - KD
SG - Ross fits Sefolosha's 3&D role, but developing consistency is key
PG - Lowry fits the Westbrook role
6th man - DeRozan actually seems to really fit the Harden role, but I don't see him becoming the 6th man, nor should he be happy with that (finances could be an issue to make everybody fit, as they became with Harden)
* Bruno - if he develops as expected/hoped for over the next couple years, he could wind up filling the PF or wing role, especially with his length and defensive potential (be it on the perimeter or as a shot-blocker)


Having said all that, if KD shows even the least bit of interest in playing for the Raptors, I don't care what moves MU needs to make to make it happen!

[DanH]

FYI, it HAS changed in the new CBA. It can still be done, but the drop off from one year to the next is much more limited. Meaning no drop off from 22M to 3M is possible - not by a long shot. 40% is the max drop off.

Note also that that rule only applies to renegotiations/extensions. So for Amir, we would have to do it this year - and this year we have no cap room. You can't just sign a player to a new contract and have a big drop off like that.

[Sig]

You gotta swing for the fences so of course he should go for it. They probably need to give up DD or JV or both to get it done though.

Sent from my Note 3 using Tapatalk

Aren't we talking about free agency here? why would the Raptors give up anything?

[Other Scott]

I think that if Durant and Westbrook can co-exist, Durant and DeRozan can co-exist.

Also, using the Oklahoma City model as the ideal is dangerous as OKC never actually made it over the top, despite having one player that's top 2 in the league, one that's top 10, and one that's top 30-40.

[mcHAPPY]

FYI, it HAS changed in the new CBA. It can still be done, but the drop off from one year to the next is much more limited. Meaning no drop off from 22M to 3M is possible - not by a long shot. 40% is the max drop off.

Note also that that rule only applies to renegotiations/extensions. So for Amir, we would have to do it this year - and this year we have no cap room. You can't just sign a player to a new contract and have a big drop off like that.

The way I phrased it was $3M per year with a $22M signing bonus not a year one salary of $22M.

DOesn't matter, can't be done anyways.

[DanH]

The way I phrased it was $3M per year with a $22M signing bonus not a year one salary of $22M.

DOesn't matter, can't be done anyways.

Oh, well, signing bonuses are limited to 15% the value of the full contract, so yeah, no way that is even remotely possible. Assumed you meant a renegotiation like Collison's technically was rather than a signing bonus.

[mcHAPPY]

Oh, well, signing bonuses are limited to 15% the value of the full contract, so yeah, no way that is even remotely possible. Assumed you meant a renegotiation like Collison's technically was rather than a signing bonus.

Yeah, I had a combination of forgetting on some things and flat out being wrong on others.

[JawsGT]

I don't want to make this another DeRozan argument, because he's looked fantastic the past few games, but I'm not sure if there's enough ball to go around for KD, Lowry and DeRozan. I absolutely agree that having DeRozan would obviously be a huge part of the overall draw for KD, but from both a financial and 'fit' perspective, I'm not sure if a KD/KL/DD core would work effectively.

I think the development over the next two years of Valanciunas, Ross and, to a lesser extent Bruno & Bebe, will help define the attractiveness of the Raptors' core come the 2016 offseason. Lowry and DeRozan are already known quantities, but I think KD will also look closely at the C (defensive anchor, post-up game) and SG (3pt shooting, perimeter defense) positions, when determining how well he'd do in Toronto.

If you look at OKC's success, in terms of the way they were built when they were at their best:
C & PF - needed for interior defense and rebounding
SF - KD
SG - needed for lock-down perimeter defense and spot-up 3pt shooting
PG - needed as a secondary scorer and ball-handler for dribble-penetration and on-ball defense
6th man - needed to play small ball (replaced C/PF, with KD playing PF), as another scorer and floor-spreader

For Toronto:
C - hopefully Valanciunas develops into a legit post-up option, with improved defense (man and help) and rebounding
PF - position is in flux, but another shot-blocker would be great
SF - KD
SG - Ross fits Sefolosha's 3&D role, but developing consistency is key
PG - Lowry fits the Westbrook role
6th man - DeRozan actually seems to really fit the Harden role, but I don't see him becoming the 6th man, nor should he be happy with that (finances could be an issue to make everybody fit, as they became with Harden)
* Bruno - if he develops as expected/hoped for over the next couple years, he could wind up filling the PF or wing role, especially with his length and defensive potential (be it on the perimeter or as a shot-blocker)


Having said all that, if KD shows even the least bit of interest in playing for the Raptors, I don't care what moves MU needs to make to make it happen!

I've had similar thoughts. I'm not sure I'd say there isn't enough ball to go around, because I get the sense that all 3 of those guys would be willing to sacrifice some touches or shots in order to win. Lowry, I imagine, probably doesn't care at all if he scores. But scoring is Derozan's greatest asset, so how would he fare with the best scorer in the game playing next to him?

From a team perspective, both on the court and financially, would there be any reason to have Demar with KD on board? The team would certainly need a secondary scorer, and I'm sure most would agree that Demar fits that role very well. However, Kyle can score quite well, and we are all hoping JV develops a more potent offensive game.

I would seriously look hard at what can be done with the money that Demar will command in his next contract if KD were to sign here. Of course, if Demar's presence is a prerequisite for KD signing, then that's it you keep Demar of course.

Honestly, I hope Demar is on this team for a long time to come with or without KD. But Demar is gonna be a max level type contract soon, and that money might be more useful to fill out the roster with good to great role players. Unless Demar becomes a better floor spacer and defender, I'm not sure keeping him is ideal in the event of a KD signing.

Now, after saying all that, I have 0 confidence KD will ever play for the Raptors.