Al and Kawhi going to LAC.
I would think this the most logical destination and result.
If Kawhi doesn't sign in LAC do you think Al would still go there? LAC is the only winning team I can think of that has that kind of cap space.
I'm hoping he wants to go to a team that is already over the cap so that team would be forced into a sign and trade.
Houston comes to mind. I’m sure OKC would love him too but I’m not sure what they could offer us. I’m not interested in Adams.
I don't think either of those teams have cap space. Definitely not $25 million of it.
That's why it would be a sign-and-trade. Horford-for-Capela, Horford-for-Adams, etc.
Maybe not 4 years, but maybe Houston offers 3 years for $80m-$90m? They figure they've locked themselves into that window with Paul for the next 3 years, so lets try to keep that window open. Swapping Capela for Horford may be their only chance to try to move the needle next year. And with the C's falling apart, they'd gladly take Capela to make the trade work. Maybe C's even throw in a 1st, and now Houston has another asset to tinker with. Although looking at the math, it might have to be a max of $86m/4yrs to make the math work without Houston including other players, which they have very few of.
Similar thought with OKC/Adams.
This is an actual situation where a sign-and-trade works with the new CBA. Teams over the cap want to sign a player, and have a player they're willing to give up that the other team might actually be interested in.
And I believe Boston, Houston, and OKC were the top 3 teams on Horford's radar when he was last a free agent in 2016. OKC has the Billy Donovan connection,
and his father Tito wanted him to play in Houston:HOUSTON – Boston big man Al Horford said he was impressed with the Houston Rockets' free-agency pitch over the summer.
It was a difficult decision for Horford, whose dad wanted him to play for the Rockets.
Horford, who eventually signed a four-year, $113 million deal with the Celtics, had one of his first free-agent meetings with the Rockets, with Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler among those in attendance.
“It was a privilege,” Horford said. “[Olajuwon] and Clyde were there, and my dad went to high school [Marian Christian] here in Houston, and he was pushing Houston hard. Hakeem, to him, was a big deal, and for me to be able to talk with him and spend some time. At the end of the day, just looking at the future and everything, I felt like here in Boston was going to be a better fit for me in the long run.”
Rockets guard James Harden was also part of Horford's recruitment.
“I thought we had a really good chance, but obviously it didn’t work out, which is fine,” Harden said.
Horford said the toughest thing was making the phone call to his father telling him he wouldn’t sign with the Rockets.
“Definitely my dad, he loves it here,” Horford said. “We have a lot of friends of the family here who live in the area, and he was heartbroken. He’s happy for me at the end of the day -- it was definitely a tough call.”