How many teams actually have the ability to offer Collins a max / near max?

How many teams actually have the ability to offer Collins a max / near max?

Knicks, Thunder, Spurs, and Bulls could all do so with relative ease (50-70 million in cap space).

Hornets, Heat, Grizzlies, and Rockets could all pursue if interested (24+ million in cap space).

The Celtics should only pursue Collins if they’re willing to match a max salary if offered, because he’s going to pursue such a contract.  And if he’s anything close to worth it, he’ll get it with the limited free agent pool next year.

Quote from: Celtics2021 on March 16, 2021, 04:01:39 AM

Quote from: gouki88 on March 16, 2021, 03:34:34 AM

How many teams actually have the ability to offer Collins a max / near max?

Knicks, Thunder, Spurs, and Bulls could all do so with relative ease (50-70 million in cap space).

Hornets, Heat, Grizzlies, and Rockets could all pursue if interested (24+ million in cap space).

The Celtics should only pursue Collins if they’re willing to match a max salary if offered, because he’s going to pursue such a contract.  And if he’s anything close to worth it, he’ll get it with the limited free agent pool next year.

Of those teams, how many make sense? Of all, mainly the Thunder I guess.

The Knicks have Randle and Toppin.
The Spurs are sort of in limbo at the moment, so not sure about them.
Chicago has WCJ and Lauri, not sure if they're interested.
Charlotte have Washington and Bridges.
Miami seem to be the favourites for Oladipo.
Memphis have JJJ, Clarke and Tillman.
Houston could theoretically, but they just signed a very similar player in Wood.

Just don't see the appeal for them

You can play the guessing game like that, but there are also plenty of teams not listed who could create max space by shipping a player to OKC or Houston.  I’m not a Collins fan, but he’s arguably one of the top 3-5 free agents out there, and this list depends how likely you think a given player is to find a new team:

Kawhi (player option, most likely will sign a new max deal with the Clippers)
Chris Paul (player option for $40 million, have to imagine he picks up the option)
Oladipo
Jrue Holiday ($25 mil player option, and Milwaukee seems invested and has Bird rights)
Anunoby (can’t see Toronto letting him go)
Markinen/J. Collins (I can see the argument for preferring either —Chicago can have its pick, essentially)

It’s a thin market, and there are teams with room for multiple max deals to throw around, and a salary floor that will inspire them to do something.  If I’m the Thunder or the Rockets (who will probably have room once they trade Eric Gordon), I offer Collins a max just to force the Celtics to match, so I can turn around and offer them my cap space for picks to lower their luxury tax bill.  Worst that happens is the deal isn’t matched and I get a player to either build around or trade later.

Hearing multiple rumours about Celtics interest in trading for Collins have me puzzled.

Collins is heading into restricted free agency, having already turned down a 90 million dollar contract from the Hawks, estimating he is of more value. Given the Celtics have 3 Max deals in place, I can’t see us, even able to give such a large contract without shedding Kemba. Without even a limited Walker, we lose a floor spacer, some type of playmaking (which we are short of as is) and veteran leadership. Collins solves none of our issues and as he is a restricted free agent we would have to be prepared to match a max offer from a team in need of talent.

For me this is either, fake journalism, Collins agent trying to push Atlanta to raise their offer or Atlanta themselves trying to raise the value of Collins before trade negotiations.

He's 23, uber athletic,  PF/C who's strengths are pick and roll and 3pt shooting. CBS system should improve his defense. He definitely checks done boxes. I question his intensity fwiw.

As far as $$, if we're deliberately staying out of the tax this year, it's so we can go into the tax the next couple seasons.

It’s amazing how some fans have talked themselves out of every good to very good player available this season.  No to Barnes, to Oladipo, to Collins, etc. 

If we are not willing to commit $25-$28 million to a player, why do we have the TPE in the first place? Why did we give up assets for that?

2 2nd Round picks? Not exactly a King's ransom for a team with more kid projects than a daycare.

Couldn't the Cs just SnT for Collins this summer for $28.5M a season if that's what both he and the Cs really want? Price would be considerably lower, I'd think.

Quote from: todd_days_41 on March 16, 2021, 09:13:39 AM

Quote from: Roy H. on March 16, 2021, 09:02:02 AM

It’s amazing how some fans have talked themselves out of every good to very good player available this season.  No to Barnes, to Oladipo, to Collins, etc. 

If we are not willing to commit $25-$28 million to a player, why do we have the TPE in the first place? Why did we give up assets for that?

2 2nd Round picks? Not exactly a King's ransom for a team with more kid projects than a daycare.

Couldn't the Cs just SnT for Collins this summer for $28.5M a season if that's what both he and the Cs really want? Price would be considerably lower, I'd think.

Eh.  Two second rounders is what we just got for Kanter plus Desmond Bane.  They are not meaningless.  If Danny just gave them away for nothing for a TPE that he is precluded from using financially, then that was yet another bad move this off-season.

No, we can’t sign in trade for Collins because that would hard cap us.

It will be interesting if they wait until the offseason to use the TPE. It will be another example of them expecting higher value in the future (reasonably so), but with the downside that there might not be a good deal available at that time either.

It’s amazing how some fans have talked themselves out of every good to very good player available this season.  No to Barnes, to Oladipo, to Collins, etc. 

If we are not willing to commit $25-$28 million to a player, why do we have the TPE in the first place? Why did we give up assets for that?

I am only no to Oladipo during the season (or any player who would be an unrestricted FA). 

Barnes, Collins, Gordon....worth a trading for since they would help now and definitely in the future.