NBA Free Agency Thread

[uostudent]

I don't think Billups would have much interest in Portland. It sounds like he'll return to the Clippers. He's really good friends with Paul and appears to be a better fit at SG.

The Joe Johnson deal is absurd. He has a terrible contract and is 31 years old.

[oregontrack]

kirk hinrich would be nice, but he won't sign for the vet minimum.

a derek fisher would great from a mentoring standpoint, but he'll want to go to a contender. rightfully so.

billups would be perfect, but i agree his interest in portland likely isn't high. having olshey here probably can't hurt, i guess.

if we don't land hibbert or any of our 'b' targets, to be completely honest i wouldn't mind just throwing lillard and smith to the wolves. we've invested back-to-back first round picks in these guys, if we don't improve this team via free agency/trades we won't be gunning for the playoffs anyway, so might as well let the kids log their minutes.

[greenyellow]

Latest on Batum is that he's meeting with Portland soon and they'll discuss a straight re-sign with no offer sheet involved or a possible sign-and-trade to Minnesota. Also sounds as the asking price may be heading down since Minnesota was getting uncomfortable at the amount of money it would take for Portland not to match an offer sheet.

[greenyellow]

The Hawks are now rumored to be a player for Dwight Howard. They traded Marvin Williams to Utah for Devin Harris and also in the process getting rid of Joe Johnson's ugly contract. They've dumped enough salary to make a run for Howard and maybe even Chris Paul if he doesn't resign with the Clips.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/81244 ... ng-sources

[thomas time]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

[greenyellow]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

[uostudent]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

Good post.

Blazers fans should be excited if the Pacers don't match Hibbert's offer sheet and if Portland is also able to bring back Batum. The team is fortunate that Wesley Matthews is signed to such a reasonable deal.

[buckmarkduck]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

Good post.

Blazers fans should be excited if the Pacers don't match Hibbert's offer sheet and if Portland is also able to bring back Batum. The team is fortunate that Wesley Matthews is signed to such a reasonable deal.

Yeah, I don't know about the last part. Personally I don't view Wes as a NBA starter. He's a solid backup but much to streky to be a starter in the NBA, and it's an area Portland has to fix if they want to make a run at all in the playoffs. With Wes starting-1st round exits for life. With a legit 2 Blazers can start to make some deep runs if we get Hibbert and our PG is legit.

[bellsduck]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

Good post.

Blazers fans should be excited if the Pacers don't match Hibbert's offer sheet and if Portland is also able to bring back Batum. The team is fortunate that Wesley Matthews is signed to such a reasonable deal.

Yeah, I don't know about the last part. Personally I don't view Wes as a NBA starter. He's a solid backup but much to streky to be a starter in the NBA, and it's an area Portland has to fix if they want to make a run at all in the playoffs. With Wes starting-1st round exits for life. With a legit 2 Blazers can start to make some deep runs if we get Hibbert and our PG is legit.

I agree with this. To me Matthews is a 7th or 8th man. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can sign Hibbert. I really like the combination of Hibbert and LMA on the front line with our new draft pick backing them up.
As far as Batum goes, it's true he's not been overly spectacular during his tenure here, but we have to remember that he's still only 23. His 3 pt shooting has become a pretty decent weapon, his defense is pretty solid, and he seems to show improvement every year. I'd be more worried about resigning him if his improvement has been stagnant.
Ultimately I don't think we attract a PG or SG that we are looking for, but I'll put Gordon in here just because I really want him to be. Here's what I think our 15 man roster ends up being on opening night
PG: D. Lillard, J Flynn, N.Smith
SG: E Gordon, W. Matthews, Barton, Diebler
SF: Batum, Claver, Babbitt
PF: Aldridge, Hickson
C: Hibbert, Leonard, Thomas

[Boom]

I don't think Billups would have much interest in Portland. It sounds like he'll return to the Clippers. He's really good friends with Paul and appears to be a better fit at SG.

The Joe Johnson deal is absurd. He has a terrible contract and is 31 years old.

link?

Clippers have been linked to offering Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal.

I could see them letting Billups walk.

They're still the Clippers.

[UOducksTK1]

the nets look better (obviously), but that's a lot of money for a team that probably has a second round ceiling. i still don't see them getting past miami or chicago, and probably not boston, either, depending how boston fills out the rest of their team.

It's all about hype. New city, new logo, new faces, a pretty nice squad honestly. Like you said though, probably nothing more than a Houston Rockets team back when they had Tmac/Yao. Good enough to be a force in the first round, but nothing more than a second round team.

Boston is getting old though, and Chicago didn't even get out of the first round (just saying, injuries happen).

I like it by the Nets. This is the NBA, you've got to make some risky moves once in a while. They've been pretty bad for a while, and I really like Deron Williams and think he's a solid player to build around.

I will agree though that they will be in cap hell soon. JJ's contract is going to suck in a couple seasons.

[oregontrack]

this will be a big year for wesley matthews. he's only been in the league 3 years; i haven't written him off yet. two years ago he averaged 15 ppg despite sharing time with roy and rudy, and last year he had to deal with crawford and god awful point guard play.

[UOducksTK1]

this will be a big year for wesley matthews. he's only been in the league 3 years; i haven't written him off yet. two years ago he averaged 15 ppg despite sharing time with roy and rudy, and last year he had to deal with crawford and god awful point guard play.

His defense and penetrating game need to improve. His shot is solid, but he's built well and should start attacking the rim more.

[Duck24]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

Good post.

Blazers fans should be excited if the Pacers don't match Hibbert's offer sheet and if Portland is also able to bring back Batum. The team is fortunate that Wesley Matthews is signed to such a reasonable deal.

Yeah, I don't know about the last part. Personally I don't view Wes as a NBA starter. He's a solid backup but much to streky to be a starter in the NBA, and it's an area Portland has to fix if they want to make a run at all in the playoffs. With Wes starting-1st round exits for life. With a legit 2 Blazers can start to make some deep runs if we get Hibbert and our PG is legit.

I agree with this. To me Matthews is a 7th or 8th man. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can sign Hibbert. I really like the combination of Hibbert and LMA on the front line with our new draft pick backing them up.
As far as Batum goes, it's true he's not been overly spectacular during his tenure here, but we have to remember that he's still only 23. His 3 pt shooting has become a pretty decent weapon, his defense is pretty solid, and he seems to show improvement every year. I'd be more worried about resigning him if his improvement has been stagnant.
Ultimately I don't think we attract a PG or SG that we are looking for, but I'll put Gordon in here just because I really want him to be. Here's what I think our 15 man roster ends up being on opening night
PG: D. Lillard, J Flynn, N.Smith
SG: E Gordon, W. Matthews, Barton, Diebler
SF: Batum, Claver, Babbitt
PF: Aldridge, Hickson
C: Hibbert, Leonard, Thomas

You'll have to explain to me how the Blazers are able to afford Hibbert at max contract, Eric Gordon at close to max contract, LA at close to max contract, as well as resigning Batum for $45-50 million. That would put Portland easily $10-20 mil over the cap for a team that would lose in the 1st round with a rookie PG.

[UOducksTK1]

Doesn't seem like Hawks got much in return for Joe, but probably just want his contract off their books. Sounds like the Clippers are going to offer Jamal Crawford a 3 year deal worth 15 million.

Hawks are dumping salary to make a serious run at Howard and possibly Paul, although I think he resigns with the Clips. Getting rid of Marvin Williams in exchange for Devin Harris also cleared more room.

There are going to be a lot teams that you will barely recognize from last year (Hawks, Rockets, Nets, Blazers, Hornets).

Good post.

Blazers fans should be excited if the Pacers don't match Hibbert's offer sheet and if Portland is also able to bring back Batum. The team is fortunate that Wesley Matthews is signed to such a reasonable deal.

Yeah, I don't know about the last part. Personally I don't view Wes as a NBA starter. He's a solid backup but much to streky to be a starter in the NBA, and it's an area Portland has to fix if they want to make a run at all in the playoffs. With Wes starting-1st round exits for life. With a legit 2 Blazers can start to make some deep runs if we get Hibbert and our PG is legit.

I agree with this. To me Matthews is a 7th or 8th man. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can sign Hibbert. I really like the combination of Hibbert and LMA on the front line with our new draft pick backing them up.
As far as Batum goes, it's true he's not been overly spectacular during his tenure here, but we have to remember that he's still only 23. His 3 pt shooting has become a pretty decent weapon, his defense is pretty solid, and he seems to show improvement every year. I'd be more worried about resigning him if his improvement has been stagnant.
Ultimately I don't think we attract a PG or SG that we are looking for, but I'll put Gordon in here just because I really want him to be. Here's what I think our 15 man roster ends up being on opening night
PG: D. Lillard, J Flynn, N.Smith
SG: E Gordon, W. Matthews, Barton, Diebler
SF: Batum, Claver, Babbitt
PF: Aldridge, Hickson
C: Hibbert, Leonard, Thomas

You'll have to explain to me how the Blazers are able to afford Hibbert at max contract, Eric Gordon at close to max contract, LA at close to max contract, as well as resigning Batum for $45-50 million. That would put Portland easily $10-20 mil over the cap for a team that would lose in the 1st round with a rookie PG.

Yeah it's either one or the other. Unless we do a sign and trade: ship Wesley + expirings + cap or whatever for Gordon. Then we could have

Lillard/Gordon/Batum/Aldridge/Hibbert