Spurs may bring back Lower-price Jefferson

[Mhak]

not sure if its posted




Spurs may bring back lower-priced Jefferson (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Spurs-may-bring-back-lower-priced-Jefferson?urn=nba,254850)

By Mark J. Miller (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors?author=Mark+J.+Miller)


http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_rumors__50/ept_sports_rumors-977913029-1278681391_thumb.jpg?ymvULbDDVuj2IJRT (http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_rumors__50/ept_sports_rumors-977913029-1278681391.jpg?ymvULbDDFSswiVHO)Last summer, the San Antonio Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/sas/) wanted forward Richard Jefferson (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3523/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3523/news) enough to get involved in a three-team deal with the Detroit Pistons (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/det/) and Milwaukee Bucks (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/mil/) and gave up three players. This summer, it appears the team won't have to work so hard to get him. On July 1, Jefferson opted out of a contract that would have paid him $15.2 million this coming season. The San Antonio Express-News is reporting that Jefferson figured he'd cash in on a long-term deal from one of the many teams that had made room under the salary cap for LeBron James (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3704/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3704/news). But, the paper reports, Jefferson's market is "shrinking daily" and he shouldn't expect more than a mid-level exception of $5.765 million. "The Spurs are expected to offer a multi-year contract starting at a shade above that," the paper notes.
Follow Yahoo! Sports Rumors on Twitter at (http://twitter.com/MarkJMill)@markjmill (http://twitter.com/MarkJMill).
Source: San Antonio Express-News (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/decision_made_spurs_plans_for_roster_can_move_forw ard_98087024.html?showFullArticle=y)http://l.yimg.com/a/i/nt/ic/ut/bsc/newwin12_1.gif (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/decision_made_spurs_plans_for_roster_can_move_forw ard_98087024.html?showFullArticle=y)

[slick'81]

so the market wont overpay for him but we will damn u rj :ihit

[sa_butta]

so the market wont overpay for him but we will damn u rj :ihit
Don't have much choice at this point.

[EricB]

? How is the mle over paying?!

[Spurs Brazil]

Shaun (NY)


Chris, where do you think Richard Jefferson will end up. I still personally think hes a good player just had a rough year for San Antonio with there system.

Chris Sheridan (12:48 PM)


I do not believe he would have opted out of his deal if he did not have a wink-wink subsequent deal in place with the Spurs. If he leaves and is forced to sign for MLE or lower, he'll blow Bonzi Wells out of the water for worst contract decision ever (by a player).http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/newyork/chat/_/id/33343

[DesignatedT]

6-7 mil a year is definitely not overpaying. A 3 year deal with an option for a 4th worth 25-28mil is a perfect contract

[MannyIsGod]

LOL @ RJ if all he gets is an MLE type deal.

I'd love to bring him back at that price to be quite honest.

[ducks]

that price he would be very tradeable

[Ginobili2Duncan]

Maybe Cleveland is an option for RJ.

[AFBlue]

6-7 mil a year is definitely not overpaying. A 3 year deal with an option for a 4th worth 25-28mil is a perfect contract

Stated it in the other thread, but I think if a team offers full MLE it's highly likely be a five-year deal, or roughly $32M total. In that case, RJ would have a hard time accepting a Spurs offer for less total money and less overall years guaranteed.

My fear is that the closer this gets to MLE, the more pressure there is on the Spurs to offer a longer-term contract.

[jimo2305]

spurs may be bring back jefferson??? really?? woah.. O.o.....


.......

[bigzak25]

I wouldn't mind considering what the current options are.

Am I correct in assuming that re-signing Jefferson has no affect on the LLE or MLE?

[DesignatedT]

Stated it in the other thread, but I think if a team offers full MLE it's highly likely be a five-year deal, or roughly $32M total. In that case, RJ would have a hard time accepting a Spurs offer for less total money and less overall years guaranteed.

My fear is that the closer this gets to MLE, the more pressure there is on the Spurs to offer a longer-term contract.

I think it also has a lot to do with who's offering him the other deal worth more money and years. While it's obvious he wants more years and job security, I'm not so sure he would pass up a 4 year deal with us to go sign a 5 year with a team like the clippers or wolves. He still wants to be on a winner.

[Blackjack]

? How is the mle over paying?!


...he shouldn't expect more than a mid-level exception of $5.765 million. "The Spurs are expected to offer a multi-year contract starting at a shade above that," the paper notes.

I'm guessing paying a shade above that is the overpayment being alluded to and I find it more than feasible that the Spurs would pay a little more to appease RJ with a generous offer, given the guy just opted out of 15.2 and they'd have to live with him for the remainder of the deal.

A little more than the MLE isn't overpaying for RJ's talent, it's just money spent on a player you wouldn't want to normally spend it on if there was a better choice -- a better bargain, still a bad fit.

[Blackjack]

I wouldn't mind considering what the current options are.

Am I correct in assuming that re-signing Jefferson has no affect on the LLE or MLE?

No affect on their ability to use them, could affect their willingness to use the LLE, as they've still got to consider the luxury tax.

[ElNono]

I think it's still early... Teams like CHI, NJ, partly NY and TOR and now CLE still have quite some money to spend and rosters to fill.

[bigzak25]

No affect on their ability to use them, could affect their willingness to use the LLE, as they've still got to consider the luxury tax.

Thanks Blackjack. Good point about the luxury tax. I would hope if the right player is there for the LLE, the Spurs wouldn't hesitate too much.

[HankChinaski]

honestly if the spurs are able to net Jefferson back anywhere between 6-7mil that seems like a good scenario. I started somewhere before that if that scenario were possible I'd would be jump on it. I didn't see it as something that would be likely though. But after watching the week go by in free agency, it is beginning to sound like a possibility. And a wing at his skill sets and ability to PERFORM better than the last season with us sounds like a decent decision going into this season.

Just like everyone else, I just want to get a solid verbal and written confirmation from the F.O. on whether Tiago is coming or going.

If he doesn't, let the disappoint sink in a bit and then look at what they have left to pick from free agency/possible trades if they decide to make one.

[Ditty]

im cool with it as long as tiago comes and we get a backup sf in barnes who can play d but i really like matthews but i could see anderson being the same kind of player

[024]

i don't really want him back even at a low price. his defense is just awful and his offense was average. i'm kind of sad jefferson's value plummeted so fast. i was hoping for a nice $9-10 million trade exception plus a decent role player in return. then the spurs could take their time to target better players with heftier contracts.

[Dex]

Even if the Spurs have to "overpay" Jefferson by giving him slightly more than the MLE (6-7 million), he'd still ultimately be doing them the favor by halfing his cost for this year. This could be a bad move by Jefferson that ends up being the Spurs benefit.

The question remains...how many years will they be left dealing with the "benefits"?

[mingus]

honestly, i think RJ will be much better, esp offensively, in this system next year if he comes back. so at the price it's def. good.

[Fpoonsie]

im cool with it as long as tiago comes and we get a backup sf in barnes who can play d but i really like matthews but i could see anderson being the same kind of player

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set?.out=jpg&id=hNUHFPVL3hGUFdUqAtR3Mw&size=l

[SpursTillTheEnd]

wtf is happening bonner and jefferson, what the fuck is going on jefferson sucks if any of yall say this is a good idea yall are out of yalls fucking mind

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4333/bitchslap.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/bitchslap.jpg/)

[Ditty]

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set?.out=jpg&id=hNUHFPVL3hGUFdUqAtR3Mw&size=l

cant u still read though?

[AFBlue]

I think it also has a lot to do with who's offering him the other deal worth more money and years. While it's obvious he wants more years and job security, I'm not so sure he would pass up a 4 year deal with us to go sign a 5 year with a team like the clippers or wolves. He still wants to be on a winner.

Two things I think you overestimate...

1) RJs desire to be on a winner in lieu of getting paid.

2) Spurs being classified as a "winner" in years 2-4 of the contract.

Having said that, I do think that if the money is similar (i.e. Spurs offer 4yrs @ $7M/yr, or $28M, other team offers 5yrs @ MLE, or ~$32M), then the Spurs do have a legit shot at bringing him back.

My question: Is RJ at an average salary of $7M/yr for the next four years going to do more harm than good in the long-run? It's debatable.

[DesignatedT]

Two things I think you overestimate...

1) RJs desire to be on a winner in lieu of getting paid.

2) Spurs being classified as a "winner" in years 2-4 of the contract.

Having said that, I do think that if the money is similar (i.e. Spurs offer 4yrs @ $7M/yr, or $28M, other team offers 5yrs @ MLE, or ~$32M), then the Spurs do have a legit shot at bringing him back.

My question: Is RJ at an average salary of $7M/yr for the next four years going to do more harm than good in the long-run? It's debatable.


1) RJ for sure wants to play for a winner or at least not a "loser" he didn't necessarily enjoy his time in milwaukee.

2) The spurs will be more of a winner than the clippers will ever be... even 2 years down the road. credit our FO.

I don't think it's that much of a risk IMO. Next year you have TP coming off the books, 2 years from now you have Duncan coming off the books and 3 years from now you have Manu coming off the books. His 6mil a year contract won't be that hard to work around when all the money becomes available. plus, Spurs are in win NOW mode... how unrealistic that may sound, they owe it to Duncan and will do everything possible to put together a team to win in the next 2 years no matter what financial burdens it might create once hes gone. They will not start to rebuild or start Hairston at SF as long as Duncan is our starting PF.

[baseline bum]

I wouldn't pay the MLE for Jefferson. I don't care what the name on the back of his jersey says or how good he used to be; he doesn't fit this team. He doesn't address a single need. All he would be is a warm body.

[Ditty]

I think a guy giving us 12 points a game for a little over the mle is not bad i believe

[in2deep]

fuck life :(

[in2deep]

i wouldn't pay the mle for jefferson. I don't care what the name on the back of his jersey says or how good he used to be; he doesn't fit this team. He doesn't address a single need. All he would be is a warm body.

+ 100000000000000

[G-Dawgg]

I think a guy giving us 12 points a game for a little over the mle is not bad i believe

Exactly. Everybody get of the Jefferson hater trip cuz if he comes back he's not gonna be making 14 Million anymore. Find me a player we can sign that is as talented as Jefferson for the mid-level exception -good luck.

Jefferson on this team for mid-level money is a steal. Period.

He can still produce at a high level if given the right situation to flourish in, all he needs is a bit of attention from the coaching staff.

You can't go from 20 a ppg player to absolutely worthless in one season without injuries, and he wasn't injured.... so obviously it's up to the Coach to utilize him properly or call his number a bit more.. utilize his skills, play him to his strenths rather than expect him to do the things he can't. Maybe add some wrinkles into the offense to accomodate him. Blame can't all be on Jefferson's shoulders the coaching staff is more to blame for not knowing how to use a VERY GOOD weapon...don't say he's not a good fit, the FO knew what he was bringing to the table when they traded for him. THE COACH has to figure out how to use him!!!!!!

[ohmwrecker]

This actually makes me feel better about the Spurs re-signing Matt Bonner.

[baseline bum]

Fucking hell. Re-signed Bonner. Now they're going to re-sign Dick. Might as well go out and get Sidney Green and Paul Pressey too.

[MaNu4Tres]

6-7 million a year for RJ is a great deal and is pretty much the best the Spurs can realistically do to fill the starting small forward spot.. I love how people are wanting a better fit at the position but can't come up with a realistic solution for it. Did RJ fit perfect? No it's impossible for a player to fit as well as Bowen. RJ still had many productive outings and gets blamed too much..he was not the problem last year.I'm all for giving him 6-7 mil a year for 3-4 years

[DrSteffo]

6-7 million a year for RJ is a great deal and is pretty much the best the Spurs can realistically do to fill the starting small forward spot.. I love how people are wanting a better fit at the position but can't come up with a realistic solution for it. Did RJ fit perfect? No it's impossible for a player to fit as well as Bowen. RJ still had many productive outings and gets blamed too much..he was not the problem last year.I'm all for giving him 6-7 mil a year for 3-4 years

Yes but not more than that because basically he sucked.

[Agloco]

I wouldn't mind considering what the current options are.

Am I correct in assuming that re-signing Jefferson has no affect on the LLE or MLE?

Correct. Unless, for some inexplicable reason the Spurs used one of those exceptions to resign him. That would make no sense though because they hold his bird rights.

[Agloco]

I wouldn't pay the MLE for Jefferson. I don't care what the name on the back of his jersey says or how good he used to be; he doesn't fit this team. He doesn't address a single need. All he would be is a warm body.

/thread

It's not about RJ's market value. It's about his value to this team. Given that, IMO 6-7 million is overpaying him.

[spursfan1000]

I hope this situation gets resolved soon.

[DesignatedT]

just bring him back then start lookin to sign some shooters with the lle and vet min.

[DPG21920]

Gross. Bonner & RJ for 4 more years!

[DPG21920]

Like I said, LLE Dorell Wright is a better fit.

[Agloco]

/thread

It's not about RJ's market value. It's about his value to this team. Given that, IMO 6-7 million is overpaying him.


6-7 mill for what he provides is about right. He just needs to work on the 3 a bit and play more at an even level. If Dice is worth 5.7 Rj is worth 7.

You missed my point. He doesn't provide much of anything that the team requires. I'm not arguing his "market" value. That's for foolish franchises like Minny.

1) Good three point shooting.
2) Solid perimeter D

In addition to being a generally bad fit, RJ does neither particularly well thus lowering his value to the team IMO.

[Mark in Austin]

You missed my point. He doesn't provide much of anything that the team requires. I'm not arguing his "market" value. That's for foolish franchises like Minny.

1) Good three point shooting.
2) Solid perimeter D

In addition to being a generally bad fit, RJ does neither particularly well thus lowering his value to the team IMO.


Really good point. Best case scenario if resigned is if he can recapture the chemistry developing between RJ, Manu & Blair off the bench before Parker went down.

[Vic Petro]

Best scenario is a S&T for a trade exception and then doing a 2nd S&T to acquire Morrow, Matthews or Korver. If the FO can't find a way to get that done, then yeah, just sign RJ up for the least amount of years possible.

[kaji157]

I really don´t like him very much, but is hard to argue that a player that can give you 12 points on his worse season and can drop 30 any given night is a good signing at or below 7 millions.
But i would explore every sign n trade scenario before signing him.
Getting guys like Ariza, Battier or Pietrus should be a priority after signing Splitter or any other big.

[jimo2305]

no jefferson has scored under 10 pts numerous times.. i'd be happy if we got 12 pts outta him

[ohmwrecker]

no jefferson has scored under 10 pts numerous times.. i'd be happy if we got 12 pts outta him

He averaged 12 ppg.

[objective]

he averaged 9 ppg in the only games that matter: the playoffs

[ohmwrecker]

he averaged 9 ppg in the only games that matter: the playoffs

Just stating fact. And yes, I do realize that 12ppg was his lowest since his rookie year . . . However, that could be easily remedied with the Spurs running more plays for him. I expect him to have a much better year.

We might as well accept that we are stuck with the guy and wish him success.

[objective]

Just stating fact. And yes, I do realize that 12ppg was his lowest since his rookie year . . . However, that could be easily remedied with the Spurs running more plays for him. I expect him to have a much better year.

We might as well accept that we are stuck with the guy and wish him success.

run more plays for him? When TD, Parker, and Manu are around and Hill can create his own shot?

[Danny.Zhu]

I think it's still early... Teams like CHI, NJ, partly NY and TOR and now CLE still have quite some money to spend and rosters to fill.

Exactly. He will get much more than that, mark my word.

[cdcast]

Exactly. He will get much more than that, mark my word.

So there's a good chance the Spurs out-bid themselves like they did with Bonner.

[Da Spurs]

Look, the only way in the world Jefferson opted out of his contract is because he had an agreement with the Spurs for a certain dollar amount for a certain number of years. That doesn't mean he can't go out and see if he can better that. But if he can't or he decides he doesn't want to leave, then he can fall back on the Spurs deal. All this talk about getting "surprised" when he oopted out and about how we're bidding against ourselves is all bogus bullshit.

[MaNu4Tres]

I love it