Yeah.. the Spurs are just going to wait out this Free Agency

[DPG21920]

I expect a lot of teams to have max capspace when the cap goes up $16 million again, but virtually the entire league like is the case this year?

Look at how many teams have cap space. They will sign a lot of that just to get to 85M floor but many won't make it far beyond that floor + guys coming off books next year + cap jump.

I haven't looked at every team's situation but there should be a lot of teams that have at least a max slot next year with little to no effort it looks like.

[baseline bum]

Mozgov's agent must have had video of Jimmy plowing Jeannie on top of Dr Buss' grave or something to extract that $64 million contract out of Fredo.

[look_at_g_shred]

Interesting..everyone is making it seem like the Durant meeting is just to set foundation for next summer. If that was the case, why would the Spurs wait until after the meeting to make any moves?

[DPG21920]

Interesting..everyone is making it seem like the Durant meeting is just to set foundation for next summer. If that was the case, why would the Spurs wait until after the meeting to make any moves?

In the off case it's not for next year and he's ready to say yes now. There's no one out there (look at all the main FA's that re-signed at max with their own teams, which is expected 90% of the time) that they have to rush for.

[Tully365]

Don't look at the dollar amount - it's relative to size of cap. Look at fit, talent, etc.. Then look at the equivalent of what that salary should be compared to last year. Doesn't mean guys aren't getting overpaid even with that mindset, but it's important.

But comparatively & raw dollars, yeah, so many guys getting mega rich.

I think each generation has trouble comprehending salary growth... Today, every 3rd string player makes significantly more than Bill Russell did in his prime, which is kind of mind-blowing!

[look_at_g_shred]

In the off case it's not for next year and he's ready to say yes now. There's no one out there (look at all the main FA's that re-signed at max with their own teams, which is expected 90% of the time) that they have to rush for.

Makes sense.

[DPG21920]

I think each generation has trouble comprehending salary growth... Today, every 3rd string player makes significantly more than Bill Russell did in his prime, which is kind of mind-blowing!

Yup! I just read that Whiteside, despite barely being in the league is making than Jordan did his entire career with his new contract

[look_at_g_shred]

By the way, bleacher report saying that KD can make the most with the Spurs next season of all the teams he's meeting with

[BillMc]

Yup! I just read that Whiteside, despite barely being in the league is making than Jordan did his entire career with his new contract

Mozgov will make more money on his contract than Kareem did his entire career with the Lakers and that is ADJUSTED for inflation.

[SPURt]

I think each generation has trouble comprehending salary growth... Today, every 3rd string player makes significantly more than Bill Russell did in his prime, which is kind of mind-blowing!

Bill Russell's highest yearly salary was $100,001, adjusted for inflation is around $600k. Michael Jordan still got paid, his highest salary was $33 million is final year in Chicago. The NBA is approaching a max that is worth MJ.

[Chillen]

My guess is they are waiting to see what happens with Durant before making any signings, trades, etc if there is to be any. Pau Gasol definitely seems very likely to sign with the Spurs.

[dabom]

By the way, bleacher report saying that KD can make the most with the Spurs next season of all the teams he's meeting with

O saw that. More than OKC. Interesting.

[Chinook]

I was just making some assumptions that if Tim retires and this market they are going to keep Boban which leads me to believe they are staying over unless a FA gives them a reason to get rid of the cap holds/Boban.

The Spurs will need cap space to give Boban a deal that exceeds the MLE. They may well go under to lock in favorable terms.

[SpurSwag]

Maybe I'm wrong, but if we sit out this offseason with no trades or signings (though I do think we will get Pau) we aren't going to win a championship next year. I haven't been on here much lately, but in my opinion the loss to the Thunder wasn't just a loss. A lot of things about us got exposed in that series, such as our real lack of shooting, lack of athleticism at pretty much every position besides Kawhi and to an extent DG, and no good center next to Tim. Obviously it'd be difficult to address all of those things in one offseason, but if we don't address any of those problems, we will be a pretender next year.

[Sean Cagney]

I'm just waiting for Bonner to sign a new deal.

That is coming soon...... You know it. Some fan boys will defend that move too.

Maybe I'm wrong, but if we sit out this offseason with no trades or signings (though I do think we will get Pau) we aren't going to win a championship next year. I haven't been on here much lately, but in my opinion the loss to the Thunder wasn't just a loss. A lot of things about us got exposed in that series, such as our real lack of shooting, lack of athleticism at pretty much every position besides Kawhi and to an extent DG, and no good center next to Tim. Obviously it'd be difficult to address all of those things in one offseason, but if we don't address any of those problems, we will be a pretender next year.

57-58 wins probably and 2nd round exit is their ceiling IMO with this team, which is not bad but for those who want a le not enough.

[Keepin' it real]

Maybe I'm wrong, but if we sit out this offseason with no trades or signings (though I do think we will get Pau) we aren't going to win a championship next year.

So? The Spurs aren't supposed to win a championship every season. That's not how it works.

But you better believe they'll be damn good and worth watching.

[tav1]

This offseason will be a great case study in market inefficiencies. Teams need to take advantage of the colossal mistake the league made in not adjusting the rookie scale. Sign your promising internationals, take a flier on a extra rookie, target "young vets" who haven't found the right fit elsewhere. This is one of the rare years when carrying multiple rookies is a sound strategy for Spurs. The end of the team's bench should be filled with Murray, Bertans, LJC, Ndoye, and Hanga, or some such combination. Even useless vets, like Andre Miller and Rasual Butler, will make too much this offseason. It's stupid to carry those sort of players on one's roster this year.

There is no way Timofey Mozgov is worth his contract, especially, as Kevin Pelton reported, because it effectively cost the Lakers two-max status next summer. I doubt the Spurs would make that kind of mistake, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they don't lose site of long term planning and commit a similar mistake of lesser degree.

This summer will likely work in San Antonio's favor, especially relative to free agency 2017. But in the short term, eating a year developing, say, Milutinov at rookie scale vs. spending on a player whom ultimately doesn't add more than a win to your record and won't move any dial in the postseason, is a no brainer. There is no question in my mind than Milutinov on a rookie deal is much better for Spurs, or any organization, than Mozgov at 4 yrs/64MM.

If I were the 76ers, I would not even worry about the salary floor. The penalty for missing the floor is so much less severe than spending foolishly on a multi-year commitment. If they can sign Crabbe or Barnes (I think he's mediocre, but whatever) to a deal, then do it. But otherwise, focus on Embiid and Simmons and Saric and Luwawu. Over the balance of the next decade, their franchise will be much better for it.

Getting Durant is still the best possible outcome for the Spurs, but otherwise returning a 67 win team with some tweaks is not so bad. The Spurs will have to catch a break (injury to Thunder or Warriors) and see a career year from someone like Green or get great minutes from Boban or a rookie, in order to win le, but those odds are so much better for Spurs than over spending on an end of rotation player.

San Antonio is in a can't lose position for the offseason. The franchise either wins small or it wins big, but the front office won't look back to rue July 1, 2016. And Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard's contract look like masterstrokes in retrospect. Two of the best contracts in the league. Kawhi's contract is probably only rivaled by Curry's deal. Parker's deal even looks really strong right now. Here's to the Spurs just not ing things ups.

[024]

Maybe I'm wrong, but if we sit out this offseason with no trades or signings (though I do think we will get Pau) we aren't going to win a championship next year. I haven't been on here much lately, but in my opinion the loss to the Thunder wasn't just a loss. A lot of things about us got exposed in that series, such as our real lack of shooting, lack of athleticism at pretty much every position besides Kawhi and to an extent DG, and no good center next to Tim. Obviously it'd be difficult to address all of those things in one offseason, but if we don't address any of those problems, we will be a pretender next year.

I don't see what the Spurs can do to improve.

1. Parker's contract + loyalty to not salary dump him stops the Spurs from clearing any real space.
2. Duncan opted in, Spurs can't control that. Even if they could, they should let Duncan do whatever he wants. This further restricts cap space.
3. Free agency class are getting overpaid and most of the good FA's are restricted. Can't even remember a time where the Spurs tried to outbid for a RFA.

There's no real way to clear cap space available and even if they can clear $15-20 million, at best they can add one solid rotation player for that much. That's why they opted to keep Diaw, and extended a restricted offer to Boban. They might even re-sign West but the Spurs should let him walk if he wants more than a 1 year deal. They also called in their draft and stashes.

Just got to hope Boban, Simmons, and one of Bertans/LJC/KA become good bench players (not getting my hopes up, all 3 look bad). But Boban, Simmons, Mills, and a retained Ginobili + Diaw is still a respectable bench. All improvement will have to come from the players we already have though. There's not going to much outside help coming.

[tmtcsc]

I wouldn't be surprised if they've already talked to the FA's they have interest in. Probably spoke to Pau as soon as they could.

[mo7888]

This offseason will be a great case study in market inefficiencies. Teams need to take advantage of the colossal mistake the league made in not adjusting the rookie scale. Sign your promising internationals, take a flier on a extra rookie, target "young vets" who haven't found the right fit elsewhere. This is one of the rare years when carrying multiple rookies is a sound strategy for Spurs. The end of the team's bench should be filled with Murray, Bertans, LJC, Ndoye, and Hanga, or some such combination. Even useless vets, like Andre Miller and Rasual Butler, will make too much this offseason. It's stupid to carry those sort of players on one's roster this year.

There is no way Timofey Mozgov is worth his contract, especially, as Kevin Pelton reported, because it effectively cost the Lakers two-max status next summer. I doubt the Spurs would make that kind of mistake, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they don't lose site of long term planning and commit a similar mistake of lesser degree.

This summer will likely work in San Antonio's favor, especially relative to free agency 2017. But in the short term, eating a year developing, say, Milutinov at rookie scale vs. spending on a player whom ultimately doesn't add more than a win to your record and won't move any dial in the postseason, is a no brainer. There is no question in my mind than Milutinov on a rookie deal is much better for Spurs, or any organization, than Mozgov at 4 yrs/64MM.

If I were the 76ers, I would not even worry about the salary floor. The penalty for missing the floor is so much less severe than spending foolishly on a multi-year commitment. If they can sign Crabbe or Barnes (I think he's mediocre, but whatever) to a deal, then do it. But otherwise, focus on Embiid and Simmons and Saric and Luwawu. Over the balance of the next decade, their franchise will be much better for it.

Getting Durant is still the best possible outcome for the Spurs, but otherwise returning a 67 win team with some tweaks is not so bad. The Spurs will have to catch a break (injury to Thunder or Warriors) and see a career year from someone like Green or get great minutes from Boban or a rookie, in order to win le, but those odds are so much better for Spurs than over spending on an end of rotation player.

San Antonio is in a can't lose position for the offseason. The franchise either wins small or it wins big, but the front office won't look back to rue July 1, 2016. And Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard's contract look like masterstrokes in retrospect. Two of the best contracts in the league. Kawhi's contract is probably only rivaled by Curry's deal. Parker's deal even looks really strong right now. Here's to the Spurs just not ing things ups.

I agree with everything you said with one caveat....The 76ers shouldn't just save their money. Yes, they should focus on the rooks and young guys and yes they should make offers that will probably be matched to Crabbe and Barnes but, after that they should spend money on solid vets that can show those rooks how to be professionals and help develop them. They just need to keep the contract length to 3 years or less so those contract will be coming off the books at the same time that the young guys are stepping up and due extensions.

[BillMc]

This offseason will be a great case study in market inefficiencies. Teams need to take advantage of the colossal mistake the league made in not adjusting the rookie scale. Sign your promising internationals, take a flier on a extra rookie, target "young vets" who haven't found the right fit elsewhere. This is one of the rare years when carrying multiple rookies is a sound strategy for Spurs. The end of the team's bench should be filled with Murray, Bertans, LJC, Ndoye, and Hanga, or some such combination. Even useless vets, like Andre Miller and Rasual Butler, will make too much this offseason. It's stupid to carry those sort of players on one's roster this year.

There is no way Timofey Mozgov is worth his contract, especially, as Kevin Pelton reported, because it effectively cost the Lakers two-max status next summer. I doubt the Spurs would make that kind of mistake, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they don't lose site of long term planning and commit a similar mistake of lesser degree.

This summer will likely work in San Antonio's favor, especially relative to free agency 2017. But in the short term, eating a year developing, say, Milutinov at rookie scale vs. spending on a player whom ultimately doesn't add more than a win to your record and won't move any dial in the postseason, is a no brainer. There is no question in my mind than Milutinov on a rookie deal is much better for Spurs, or any organization, than Mozgov at 4 yrs/64MM.

If I were the 76ers, I would not even worry about the salary floor. The penalty for missing the floor is so much less severe than spending foolishly on a multi-year commitment. If they can sign Crabbe or Barnes (I think he's mediocre, but whatever) to a deal, then do it. But otherwise, focus on Embiid and Simmons and Saric and Luwawu. Over the balance of the next decade, their franchise will be much better for it.

Getting Durant is still the best possible outcome for the Spurs, but otherwise returning a 67 win team with some tweaks is not so bad. The Spurs will have to catch a break (injury to Thunder or Warriors) and see a career year from someone like Green or get great minutes from Boban or a rookie, in order to win le, but those odds are so much better for Spurs than over spending on an end of rotation player.

San Antonio is in a can't lose position for the offseason. The franchise either wins small or it wins big, but the front office won't look back to rue July 1, 2016. And Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard's contract look like masterstrokes in retrospect. Two of the best contracts in the league. Kawhi's contract is probably only rivaled by Curry's deal. Parker's deal even looks really strong right now. Here's to the Spurs just not ing things ups.

Excellent post. We had our Christmas last year with getting LMA and putting Kawhi and Danny on favorable contracts. Now flesh out the roster with cheap young ones (mostly foreign picks) and let them grow. We'll be very good and if GSW or the Thunder (if Durant returns) or Cavs stumble we'll probably be right there. If not in a year or two, if any of these guys pan out, we may become the favorites again. During the days of Kobe-Shaq Lakers and the Heatles that's how it worked. Spurs kept themselves really good and when those guys stumbled they were there to capitalize. That's probably how its going to be for a year or three. Short of getting Durant we're not the favorite. And given that Durant and Curry both have a history of injuries I'd say we have a damn good chance of returning to the Finals sometime in the next 3 years. That puts ahead of all but 2 or 3 teams in the league.

[DPG21920]

I wouldn't be surprised if they've already talked to the FA's they have interest in. Probably spoke to Pau is soon as they could.

Absolutely - these players know nothing happens until KD meetings. There is probably offered already tee'd up in the event KD is a no go and there is mutual interest.

[tav1]

Short of getting Durant we're not the favorite. And given that Durant and Curry both have a history of injuries I'd say we have a damn good chance of returning to the Finals sometime in the next 3 years. That puts ahead of all but 2 or 3 teams in the league.

Totally agree with this.

[tav1]

They just need to keep the contract length to 3 years or less so those contract will be coming off the books at the same time that the young guys are stepping up and due extensions.

This is probably right. The Bayless contract is right in line with your thinking here. My contention is just that you might miss salary floor, even if you spend. Don't sign a guy to a big number, unless it's a one year deal, in order to miss the floor. The floor isn't a big deal.

If I were the 76ers, I'd offer contracts to Barnes and Crabbe and then wait and try like to absorb old, good contracts, like Bogut or Green and Diaw.

[tmtcsc]

Here's some of the potential 2017 Free Agents:

Stephen Curry, LeBron James (if he signs another one-year deal this summer), Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward, Greg Monroe, Derrick Rose, Rudy Gay, Andrew Bogut, Jrue Holiday, Danilo Gallinari, Andre Iguodala, J.J. Re , Taj Gibson and George Hill among many others.