Reply With QuotePicks. Probably the Phoenix pick, the Memphis pick from next year, and another future first. Sterling gets those picks he loves so well. The alternative is that he gets nothing if Brand signs that qualifying offer other than one more year of Brand.
Um, who do you propse to send to the Clippers?
Didn't think so.
Picks. Probably the Phoenix pick, the Memphis pick from next year, and another future first. Sterling gets those picks he loves so well. The alternative is that he gets nothing if Brand signs that qualifying offer other than one more year of Brand.
Ghost report is he's considering it with one of the stipualtions being that Sterling pony up and make acceptable contract offers to his Clipper buddies. That happens and he'll sign the contract and stay with the Clippers.
There is some leverage though. Sterling either:
1) signs Brand and his buddies
2) does a S&T for Brand
3) Brand plays out the year and walks away with Sterling getting nothing for his asset.
From a business standpoint 1) and 2) make the most sense. Will Sterling become a real owner and at least look like he's trying to build a real team?
I don't see all those picks adding up to an equitable sign-and-trade.
Why would Sterling want a sign-and-trade instead of just offering the extra year?
If he lets Brand walk to the Spurs, he can re-up Odom, Maggette, Olowokandi, Piatkowski and/or A. Miller to fufill minimum salary requirements.
Brand may sign Sterling's initial offer. If the Spurs offer the full max and Brand accepts, the worst thing that can happen is that he's forced to sign a better deal with the Clippers.
I think this puts the Spurs in a tremendously clear cut position to get Brand or force Sterling to ante up.
You make that offer and Sterling has two weeks. He accepts and by the time the two weeks is up guys like Brown, Malone, Payton, Howard, Mourning could well all be off the board. No FA wants to be the one without a chair when the music stops. Certainly unlikely Kidd and O'Neal are going to wait around. Doubtful the Spurs want to play Russian roulette. My bet it's S&T or nothing, probably nothing.
How long does Brand have to make a decision on the Clippers' offer?
I would like to see us offer Brand the max and force Sterling's hand, but we better be very sure about our other options first. What happens if we offer Brand the max, Sterling matches it, and then we go after Jermaine O'Neal? How would O'Neal (or any other free agent) feel?
Having Brand as our first option is fine with me. I see pluses and minuses with both Brand and O'Neal, and both would be great fits in San Antonio. Do we know how interested Brand is in us?
The sign and trade sounds like a good option if necessary, Marcus.
Believe me, the Spurs will be patient if it means adding Brand even if it means bypassing those second-tier big men. And I doubt all those players will sign before the Spurs make their pitch. C'mon now.
You find out what JO'Neal is going to do first before you move ahead with any offers for Brand.
Exactly, MB.
Unrestricted.
Brand is there for the taking.
I suspect the Spurs are already in talks with Sterling regarding a possible sign and trade. In that event, there is no need to wait and see what Jermaine does.
Its arguable which is the better player/fit- and Brand comes 17% cheaper. If we have a S&T deal done for Brand- you do it on July 16.
scott, you're wrong.
First, you don't get caught up in that waiting period before you see what's up with J. O'neal first, like Marcus commented.
Lastly, what are the Spurs really going to S&T?
Why would they bother? Challenege Sterling to throw in the extra year.
You can be engaged in talks simultaneously but JO'Neal's price tag will be less than Brand's, and that is including the likelihood that the Spurs would have to send back a pick to Indiana for signing JO'Neal to the 7 year deal.
Certainly talk with Sterling about what it would take to make a deal, but you definitely see what is going to happen with JO'Neal first.
There is no waiting on a S&T.
You talk to Donald Sterling about a S&T NOW.
If we are in contact with Sterling and Brand's Agent now- there is nothing stopping argreeing to a S&T. If we can get that done before July 16- why waste time trying to woo O'Neal.
What do we S&T? Picks and cash. Sterling like profit (his team was one of the most profitable in the league last year) and he likes picks. You intice him with the idea of not having to pay a max deal (which aids profit).
Why get into a stare down with Sterling when we don't have to? That is what your challenge to Sterling entails. If Sterling matches- we lose, end of story. This way, we can gauge Sterling's desire to resign Brand now. If he is unwilling to S&T, then we focus on Jermaine. If Jermaine tells us no, then we offer Brand the max and see what Sterling does.
What is the sweetest possible deal we could give them for Brand?
This is my sweetest possible deal.
1) Manu - sorry, but he is our best tradeable asset
2)Our first-round pick for next year
3)Phoenix first-round pick
4)Our second-round pick
5)Memphis second-round pick
6)Possibly another first-round pick (2006)
7)Cash considerations.
I would hate to do it, but if the Spurs ponied up a little, we could get Brand.
-------------------
Edited: Didn't know you couldn't offer back to back first round years.
Why the fvck would Sterling entertain a S&T with the Spurs now when he's got Brand considering his intial offer?
Question.
I agree about trying to work out a deal with Sterling being the preferable strategy instead of the offer sheet...but you have to see what JO'Neal is going to do first. JO'Neal (if he wants to be a Spur) will come at a lower price.
Since you cannot trade 1st rounders in back to back years, I would float this scenario first:
2004 1st Round Pick (ours)
Conditional 1st Round Pick (Phoenix's)
see what response that gets- then offer:
Above +
2006 1st Round Pick
Cash
Marcus- Brand will come at the lower price.
His Max is 25% of the cap, whereas Jermaine's is 30%
Even Sterling is not going to settle for the Spurs picks and some cash for Brand.
Like I said, he's got 5 other free agents he can offer money to to fill out the minimum salary requirements.
Again —
Why the fvck would Sterling entertain a S&T with the Spurs now when he's got Brand considering his intial offer?
Question.
The Spurs will really need Brand on board to do this. He's gotta be prepared to do as Olowokandi did and sign take that qualifying offer if Sterling isn't amenable to a trade.
I meant the lower price in a trade. Spurs will have to send Indiana a pick in exchange for Indiana doing a sign and trade (so that JO'Neal would get the absolute max).
Brand most likely won't be so considerate of Sterling's offer when he gets offered more by a more attractive team.
You might consider a job offer that pays $100k a year... right up until you get another offer that pays $150k a year and is a better job in the meantime.
Don't you see that Sterling has all the leverage here?
If Brand accepts his initial offer, they get Brand.
If he accepts an offer from the Spurs, they can let Brand walk and re-sign some of their current free agents or they can offer Brand the full max and get him back.
There's no reason for Sterling to do a sign-and-trade with the Spurs, especially for their underwhelming picks.
Why the fvck would Sterling entertain a S&T with the Spurs now when he's got Brand considering his intial offer?
Question.
On the surface this seems similiar to the Spurs' situation in 2001 with DA. Spurs make an offer that sounds significant...but really isn't. 5 years $60 mil sounds huge to the general public...but it isn't the max. Sterling can take the posture that he's made the best offer he can and that the player received a better offer or is one greedy bastid.
The only problem is...this is Donald Sterling we are talking about. He would pass up a package of draft picks in order to squeeze one more year out of Brand before losing him with no compensation.
Gotcha, MB.
That arises another question, however.
How much do we value #1 picks? I'd say they are worth about $600k to us.
Assuming both players get the absolute Max ( 7 years, 12.5% raises) in a S&T- Jermaine would make a total of $22million more in absolute terms over seven years (assumed a 42million cap).
If O'Neal only costs us 1 pick, where as Elton might cost us 4 (for example)- if you set ONeal = Brand, are those 3 picks worth $22 million to us?
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