Pick-1 (or Pick-0): 2015 Restricted Free Agency

[Chinook]

Spurs best option is to try to convince Duncan to play another year and try to mold Splitter into more of a scorer.

In my opinion, the Spurs will know if Duncan is going to retire long before they have to make their off-season plan. So if they are in major free agency at all, it will be because Tim doesn't want to play (or is willing to take yet another major pay cut). There's simply no way the Spurs encourage him to retire to pursue another player.

[Chinook]

Anyone's mind changed after seeing these new cap projections?

I've sort of changed my mind on maxing out a "star", like Dallas did with Parsons. But I would be in favor of overpaying two role-players whose combined salaries fit into a lower-max slot. O'Quinn is one of them. Maybe a Burks would be another. If Rice plays well, I would be interested in him. He comes with the added benefit of being an Arenas free agent, so the Spurs could pull a Houston and strongly discourage the Wizards matching by offering Rice a 5/5/10/10 deal which would average out to $7.5 Million of the Spurs cap while being a time bomb on Washington's.

[exstatic]

Anyone's mind changed after seeing these new cap projections?

I've sort of changed my mind on maxing out a "star", like Dallas did with Parsons. But I would be in favor of overpaying two role-players whose combined salaries fit into a lower-max slot. O'Quinn is one of them. Maybe a Burks would be another. If Rice plays well, I would be interested in him. He comes with the added benefit of being an Arenas free agent, so the Spurs could pull a Houston and strongly discourage the Wizards matching by offering Rice a 5/5/10/10 deal which would average out to $7.5 Million of the Spurs cap while being a time bomb on Washington's.

Not so much of a time bomb now, with the new TV deal.

[Chinook]

It's just an expense they can't really afford with Wall making the max and them wanting to save a max slot for Durant. That is, unless they give up on keeping Beal. I can't see them handing out $27 Million or so for two-guards in 2017. With Beal's injury, it looks like Rice will get a lot minutes to start the year. We'll see if he makes himself out to be a legit NBA player.

In other recent 2015 RFA news, Tristan Thompson looks like he may get maxed out next summer. He may put up strong numbers in relief of Love, and I doubt the Cavs match offers for him unless Love shocks the league by leaving Cleveland. I don't want him, as his lack of range makes him a poor fit next to Splitter and his lack of size makes him a poor fit next to Diaw. I can't see any team signing him and not being disappointed.

I'd be interested in a short-term deal for Derrick Williams (two-year at around the MLE with a PO for the second year), but the Spurs will be inundated with combo-forwards next year.

Jeff Withey has a chance to be another Arenas FA candidate, as the Pelicans are going to have to start thinking about the amount of salary Davis is going to take on his Rose-max extension. Could be $25 Million APY.

[jesterbobman]

It's just an expense they can't really afford with Wall making the max and them wanting to save a max slot for Durant. That is, unless they give up on keeping Beal. I can't see them handing out $27 Million or so for two-guards in 2017. With Beal's injury, it looks like Rice will get a lot minutes to start the year. We'll see if he makes himself out to be a legit NBA player.

In other recent 2015 RFA news, Tristan Thompson looks like he may get maxed out next summer. He may put up strong numbers in relief of Love, and I doubt the Cavs match offers for him unless Love shocks the league by leaving Cleveland. I don't want him, as his lack of range makes him a poor fit next to Splitter and his lack of size makes him a poor fit next to Diaw. I can't see any team signing him and not being disappointed.

I, like a lot of people have noticed that Tristan Thompson agent is Rich Paul. He happens to be LeBron James' agent, so the Cavs may pay Tristan. Not that any weird agent stuff happens in the NBA.

[Chinook]

I, like a lot of people have noticed that Tristan Thompson agent is Rich Paul. He happens to be LeBron James' agent, so the Cavs may pay Tristan. Not that any weird agent stuff happens in the NBA.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. The Cavs have to be weary of paying for a third forward, especially when James is only going to play the four more as he ages. They need a center, and in order to complete a trade for a good one, they'll need room under the apron. Reupping Thompson would hurt that. I'm sure the two sides could work out a deal if there is enough mutual interest, but I think it would be really inadvisable.

[elemento]

I like O'Quinn but 9m/year for him is way too much. I doubt he makes more than 5m/year next season and I don't think that ORL matches it.

Said that, I don't see anyone worth gambling next season. Maybe some guys to fill the roster with small contracts, but that's it. I think SAS FO will focus on re-signing Danny and Leonard.

Personally, I'd like to see the Spurs getting a new young BIG. But a good one to develop, not Ayres-esque.

[Chinook]

I like O'Quinn but 9m/year for him is way too much. I doubt he makes more than 5m/year next season and I don't think that ORL matches it.

Said that, I don't see anyone worth gambling next season. Maybe some guys to fill the roster with small contracts, but that's it. I think SAS FO will focus on re-signing Danny and Leonard.

Personally, I'd like to see the Spurs getting a new young BIG. But a good one to develop, not Ayres-esque.

I think $5 Million a year for O'Quinn would be robbery. I think he has a chance to be the Spurs' best big by 2017 (in a good way). He can score from a lot of different places, is a strong rebounder, and like Tim he gets most of his blocks below the rim. He can also legitimately play both big positions.

I have my other targets for 2015 free agency. But I want the Spurs to come out of it with O'Quinn or better, no matter what it costs.

[hsxvvd]

and then who gives a .

[jesterbobman]

Chinook, would you be willing to give up a first round pick to get O'Quinn?

e.g., Kyle O'Quinn for Jeff Ayres and a first?

To me, it gives us O'Quinn for this season, gives us his rights as a restricted free agent(And his cap hold will be much smaller than the cost to acquire him), which means we should be able to upgrade more as a result.

Early scanning of the 2015 draft at 2015 SG options (A backup 2 seems like the biggest future need) seem limited to RJ Hunter(I'd be glad to get), and a bunch of meh. Is a first for an extra 4m in cap space(Cost to sign - Cap hold, Guessing ~5m - his 1.181m cap hold).

I think it's probably worth it.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Chinook, would you be willing to give up a first round pick to get O'Quinn?

e.g., Kyle O'Quinn for Jeff Ayres and a first?

To me, it gives us O'Quinn for this season, gives us his rights as a restricted free agent(And his cap hold will be much smaller than the cost to acquire him), which means we should be able to upgrade more as a result.

Early scanning of the 2015 draft at 2015 SG options (A backup 2 seems like the biggest future need) seem limited to RJ Hunter(I'd be glad to get), and a bunch of meh. Is a first for an extra 4m in cap space(Cost to sign - Cap hold, Guessing ~5m - his 1.181m cap hold).

I think it's probably worth it.

Totally, but unlikely Orlando would do it. Spurs don't need their 2015 1st round pick ( unless something really happens, so lottery protected ) as they have a couple of rookies in Europe who might make the jump next season. No way the Spurs carry 3 rooks on the roster even if Duncan and Manu retire, which is also unlikely.

[MaNu4Tres]

Anyone's mind changed after seeing these new cap projections?

I've sort of changed my mind on maxing out a "star", like Dallas did with Parsons. But I would be in favor of overpaying two role-players whose combined salaries fit into a lower-max slot. O'Quinn is one of them. Maybe a Burks would be another. If Rice plays well, I would be interested in him. He comes with the added benefit of being an Arenas free agent, so the Spurs could pull a Houston and strongly discourage the Wizards matching by offering Rice a 5/5/10/10 deal which would average out to $7.5 Million of the Spurs cap while being a time bomb on Washington's.

Considering the Spurs are in a small market, the notion of overpaying 2 role players like Quinn and Rice ( if he pans out) to the lower max slot makes me want to puke all over my keyboard and your avatar. No offense.

[jyra]

O'Quinn has started taking and making threes in preseason after only attempting four combined 3s over his first two seasons. It's too early to tell if it's just a fluke (averaged 26% from 3 in college) but if he can sustain that level of shooting his price is certain to go up by a lot. He kind of reminds me of what Malcolm Thomas could have brought to the team.

[Chinook]

Considering the Spurs are in a small market, the notion of overpaying 2 role players like Quinn and Rice ( if he pans out) to the lower max slot makes me want to puke all over my keyboard and your avatar. No offense.

The point of it would be that the "overpayment" would really only amount to MLE contracts after a couple of years. If O'Quinn continues on his trend, he'll be worth $10-12 Million under this current cap. To get him at $8 Million APY under the new cap would be a steal, and all it would take is one year of giving him a huge deal, in a year where the Spurs will just have that cap space lying around without anyone better to spend it on.

It's not quite the same thing with Rice/Burks. Neither one of those guys projects to be the player O'Quinn can be. They're MLE players (Burks worth a little less and Rice potentially being worth a little more), so their deals won't age as well. But signing O'Quinn pretty much kills the team's chances to bring in another big ticket free agent. There will be some players who are intriguing for the $8-Million slot the team would have available, but not many, especially not many young guys. Beli would probably stay and get a largish raise as a result. I'm really not all that intrigued by that possibility.

[Chinook]

Chinook, would you be willing to give up a first round pick to get O'Quinn?

e.g., Kyle O'Quinn for Jeff Ayres and a first?

To me, it gives us O'Quinn for this season, gives us his rights as a restricted free agent(And his cap hold will be much smaller than the cost to acquire him), which means we should be able to upgrade more as a result.

Early scanning of the 2015 draft at 2015 SG options (A backup 2 seems like the biggest future need) seem limited to RJ Hunter(I'd be glad to get), and a bunch of meh. Is a first for an extra 4m in cap space(Cost to sign - Cap hold, Guessing ~5m - his 1.181m cap hold).

I think it's probably worth it.

There are a lot of benefits. O'Quinn would be an upgrade to Baynes as the fourth big, in my opinion. He can space the floor while also being a defensive presence in the paint. He fits great with Splitter, pretty well with Tim (speed being a bit of an issue) and great with Diaw. You're right about the Spurs getting O'Quinn as an RFA, which means he'll only count for $1.7 Million as a cap hold (bigger than his QO). Also, the Spurs wouldn't have a cap hold for their first-rounder, so that would offset half of Kyle's hold right there. The Spurs would also get O'Quinn's Bird rights, which means they could offer him a five-year contract, which has the benefits of keeping his salary cheap for longer and for giving them a tool to outbid their rivals without spending more APY.

If the Spurs are okay with Anderson playing two-guard, I think they should do this deal. O'Quinn/Splitter, Diaw/Baynes is a decent enough big rotation even if they strike out in free agency. It also allows the team to bring in at least one impact player even if Tim and Manu stay on. Only real downside is that it kills the Spurs 2016 cap space, since O'Quinn and Leonard will see about $13 Million in greater cap hits between July 2015 and July 2016. If the team can secure another long-term deal next summer along with re-signing the young guys (including O'Quinn in this scenario), then the team could be set up well for four years.

[Baam]

I wouldn't give up our first round pick, way too precious at this point in time... Picks get you the kind of upside you don't find in free agency... I think we can get a big in the first round next year with the way the draft is looking, and we could even throw Mills in a deal to move up or something.

[Chinook]

I wouldn't give up our first round pick, way too precious at this point in time... Picks get you the kind of upside you don't find in free agency... I think we can get a big in the first round next year with the way the draft is looking, and we could even throw Mills in a deal to move up or something.

It's possible that the Spurs' pick is more valuable now than it will be at any point later in the year. Orlando needs some incentive to do this deal. They seem to be trying to win now, so they probably don't want to give up strong role-players for just any return. Honestly, Baynes for O'Quinn makes the most sense for both teams, as the Magic could use a legit backup center more than Ayres. Plus Baynes should be affordable to re-sign. But the Spurs probably don't want to trade Aron, and even if they did, he can't be traded until the 15th of January, I believe.

Ayres and the first for O'Quinn and a second would be nice.

[Chinook]

So Vucevic is out after he signed a $52M/4 extension last night. He and Frye are an affordable front court at $21 Million APY. Dunno how this affects the O'Quinn situation. On one hand, the starters are cheap enough to where a mid-level deal wouldn't hurt them. On the other hand, if they draft a big high next year, they'll have four long-term contracts for their four and five, which makes giving a fifth to Kyle a bad deal (not to mention the Magic also have Harris to reup and a couple of other combo-fowards on rookie deals). It might make sense to try to trade for O'Quinn rather than leaving it up to the draft to decide whether the Magic match a reasonable offer sheet. I think there's a deal to be had.

[Chinook]

Since this is the unofficial O'Quinn thread, I'll just drop this here.

[thiste]

and then who gives a .

I want Tim to retire with 7.

[hsxvvd]

I'm sure next year I'll be be saying 7 and then who gives a too....lol.

[cd021]

Enes Kantor would be my pick for this off season. It seems highly unlikely that Gasol, or Milsap leave. The only established bigs that the Spurs probably have a decent shot at would be Hibbert or maybe Monroe. Kantor has alot of offense skill and is still developing but has yet to find consistent minutes on Utah. He backed up Milsap his first two seasons after being drafted as the 3rd overall pick. Marvin Williams eat up minutes last season in small ball lineups and Golbert has been very productive this season.

There's a decent chance that they may balk at a big offer sheet and let him walk in favor of Golbert or a player taken in the lottery.

Pairing him with Splitter and having Green and Leonard (assuming both are back) should help hide any of the defensive issues he might have. He's only 23 and is averaging 14 ppg and 7 rpg in 26 mpg.

There is a decent chance that Utah could wind up the #1 pick in this draft and Okafor (C) is viewed as the favorite to be the #1 pick. If thats the case, they may not even extend a QA.

[Mr Bones]

I love what Draymond Green has done this season, and think a Kawhi/Draymond combo on the floor would be incredibly versatile, but I just don't think there's any way Golden State doesn't keep him. They'll probably need to do something with David Lee's (or Iguodala's) contract to avoid going into huge payroll tax penalties, but it looks like they'll find a way to figure it out. Outside of that, none of the RFAs seem that appealing to me, especially for a big price tag. Henry Sims, at a discount, might be intriguing as a 4th or 5th big, but that's about it.

[MaNu4Tres]

What a difference a year makes.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

1. No.
2. No one stands out tbh.