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Right now he's not too far salary-wise from Dejounte. If the Hawks really want him, I'd dive for this in a heartbeat. Wolves get much more balanced and get out of that headache. Try to find filler, etc.
The problem is, they need to get rid of him cleanly, either into cap room, or at worst, with ending contracts. They won't get much for him, either, pick wise, because of those stiplulations.
Right now he's not too far salary-wise from Dejounte. If the Hawks really want him, I'd dive for this in a heartbeat. Wolves get much more balanced and get out of that headache. Try to find filler, etc.
I think a lot of team's wish lists and priorities have changed since the 2nd apron was first announced in April. ATL seemed dead set on getting a good return for Collins, and they settled for the corpse of Rudy Gay, and a SRP just to dump his salary. I highly doubt that they, or anyone else, is anxious to take on KAT's horrific deal.
thats their payroll this year, and the KAT and Edwards extensions dont kick in until next season
KAT's pay will jump from 36 to 52, and Edwards from 13.5 to 35.5
looking ahead to next season, their big 3 alone + the recently extended Naz Reid alone will account for 146 mil in salary against the cap. next years cap is gonna be 150 at most
The thing is, KAT is actually a very good player. About the same level as AD imo. People can bag on his at ude and such all they want but there have been plenty of examples of All-Stars being branded as losers on treadmill teams that become key contributors to le teams. AD himself and KG come to mind.
As a percentage of the salary cap, and assuming that the cap rises 10% every year, KAT's contract is 26.5/35.0/34.3/33.6/32.6% of the cap over the next five seasons. If he can be an AD to some team's LeBron that's totally worth it in terms of salary.
For the Spurs specifically I don't think he's a great target because I don't know how well he would mesh with Wemby. KAT is an elite three point shooting big but might not want to spend all his time out there, and Wemby isn't (yet?) a good enough outside shooter to play the outside half of a your-turn-my-turn inside/out pairing with KAT.
Still, the Spurs have had trouble meeting the salary floor the last couple of seasons. While Wemby is on his rookie contract, paying KAT ~34% of the cap is not onerous at all. I wouldn't want to be the team that pays him his next contract but that's a long way down the road.
KAT doesnt have the defensive impact that made AD special
KAT wants to play PF and Wemby is currently set to play PF for a season or two. I don't see them co-existing.
Super Teams are the dinosaurs looking up at the asteroid. I don't think most people here will really understand the second apron until someone get whacked by their second offense in 4 years, and has their FRP pushed to the end of the round, 5 maybe 6 years out when they won't naturally be there anyway.
It's not that KAT is a bad player, but the salary game has now changed in as profound a way as the 3 point shot changed the floor game. You cannot have one player, let alone two like Minny will have next year, making 1/3 of the cap. They're a ing play in team, and if they're not careful, they will have their picks locked and moved to the end of the first round, and be hamstrung in their re-build.
KAT is a loser. Stay away
The Wolves' salary situation is totally untenable given what they have. They are ed unless they are willing to take 50 cents on the dollar or less in trades.
You can totally have one player make 1/3 of the cap if they are good enough. Two won't work for very long if at all.
If the Spurs were to trade for KAT his contract would only overlap Wemby's extension by one year. That one year would suck, but if the Spurs think KAT is good enough (and available at the right price) it wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker. A single season above the second apron in 2027-2028, followed by letting KAT walk in free agency or taking a much smaller deal because he will be 32 by then, shouldn't be a problem if it is planned for carefully.
That one year could lock one of our picks from being traded in the future if it kicks us into the 2nd apron. KAT puts up decent counting stats, but really, he's a loser. Don't care about his talent, because if you can't lead your team to the playoffs regularly, you're not worth 1/3 of the cap. We don't need to take on their problem.
Teams with 2 bigs as their best players will never be successful in this era. You need a big, a wing and a PG as your big 3
Whether you think Towns would be a good add or not, the idea that the Spurs are going to contend while avoiding other max contracts is ridiculous. The second apron is 34 percent above the cap. There's a lot of room for teams to give out multiple big contracts and stay under. The superteam era is still going on, with the Suns have four max contracts, Minny having three, Miami having three, Denver having three and others. Not all maxes are the same, and the Spurs are only looking at paying either 25 or 30 percent of the cap for Wemby. Towns and Wemby combined in 2027-2028 wouldn't even get the Spurs half-way to the second apron. Even if, say, Sochan or Branham got a max contract, the Spurs would still have almost 90 Million to fill out their rest of their roster. Yes, contracts are bigger, but the MLE that year would still be under $15 Million. The Spurs would also be inundated with rookie-scale players and second-round picks. The Spurs, more than a lot of teams would be able to fill out a competent roster that year.
What they might not really be able to do is keep all of their meh guys on mid-sized or higher contracts. Trying to lock guys like Keldon, Vassell, Jones or whomever into deals that stretch into that season would be risky. Obviously if they only have two max contracts, it would be even easier. Wemby's first max contract would not be anything to worry about in terms of fitting guys with him. The Spurs should 100 percent chase a max contract or two over the next couple of years. Is that Towns? I don't know. I can certainly see why it wouldn't be. But if the piece is there, the numbers aren't a problem. If Wemby's second max is the DPE, then that might be when the salary crunch kicks in.
This is exactly what I'm trying to say. Thanks for putting it better.
Saying KAT is not worth his contract is perfectly defensible. Essentially saying that nobody is worth that amount isn't imo. The Spurs can easily operate under the second apron with Wemby and one huge contract for the next 4 years, and possibly the 4 after that.
They should, to utilize the cap space and rotation players they got under rookie contracts right now to maximize their chance at winning. The problem is that there are only a handful of players who would fit here. Garland, Doncic, Giannis for example and none of these guys are available as of now.
I think Donovan Mitc could be someone to watch out for in 2025, if the Cavs don’t do much in the playoffs over the next year or two he may decide to move on or the Cavs may try to get some assets out of a trade.
That would be two teams he failed to advance in the playoffs. Not a great look, and not the way to use your cap.
The 2025 UFA belles of the ball will be headlined by Murray (DEN), Ingram, AD, George, Nef, and Lauri (assuming they don’t cut extension deals before that). Believe Mitc might still be under contract then.
Free agency isn't what it used to be.
Most players force their way out before they even hit FA or teams dump them before then.
Only players with very little leverage/market actually make it to free agency now.
Look at what happened with Harden and Irving and Porzingis and Kuzma.
I mean, Fred VanVleet was the biggest free agent to actually make a move this year lol
If the Spurs want to add a second (or third) star to play with Wemby they either need to develop that player or trade for them.
The Cavaliers should offer Allen and Okoro for Carter Jr. and Fultz. Carter Jr. can spread the floor and has the girth to defend C's, a combination Mobley requires to reach his full potential.
For the moment. In reality, probably all will have re-signed by then since superstar and star players rarely make it to free agency anymore.
If it doesn't happen organically though their draft capital, the Spurs next star is likely to come via trade in a few years time.
Last edited by TD 21; 07-20-2023 at 10:15 AM.
That’s true but players who do advance their teams in the playoffs are not likely to be a trade target unless an unbelievable offer is made or some breakdown with coaching/management happens. I’d much rather have someone like a Mitc versus most of the free agents coming up over the next couple years.
Yeah Mitc won’t be a free agent til 2026 but he’s extension eligible after this season I believe? The Cavs also have Mobley who will be up for an extension I believe in 2025. I just think the Cavs will have to make some tough decisions in a year or two and I wouldn’t be surprised if they trade Mitc for a lot of capital if they underperform over the next 2 years.
Teams are not rewarded enough for successful draft picks. If you draft superstars, you shouldn't have to lose them to teams who don't.
Hasn't this changed in the new CBA? I thought it had provisions to help teams keep their draftees.
I hope so.
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