Offseason Thread

[Celtics2021]

De?Andre Ayton is working on a buyout from Portland. I forget if it?s being over the first or second apron that prevents you from signing a buyout player who makes more than the MLE, but if we are eligible to sign him, are we interested?

he can sign with anyone

Totally, but he will presumably look at playing time where he lands, and our depth chart would have to be attractive.

agreed, my response was to ?the first or second apron? part. he can sign with any team since its the offseason

Got it.  I forgot that was an in-season restriction.  (And I bothered to look it up and see that it is a first apron restriction when it is in-season.)

[MattyIce]

Would be shocked if he went anywhere besides the Lakers or Warriors.

yup, and i?m not sure but i think he and luka have the same agent

[slightly biased bias fan]

Would be shocked if he went anywhere besides the Lakers or Warriors.

yup, and i?m not sure but i think he and luka have the same agent

Ayton is washed. If you have seen his pathetic effort level the last few years, you would agree. Think about it, Portland bought out his contract at age 26. How bad must Ayton be that no team would give up anything for him.

I highly doubt any contender would want him, but I guess you never know. They might believe in a different environment Ayton could work harder.

[slightly biased bias fan]

Video on Ayton and his lazy defence:

https://youtu.be/pMgSJxBaBNU?feature=shared

[tazzmaniac]

How much did he get bought out for?  Ayton's agents almost certainly have already negotiated where he's going to land.  Smells like Lakers but Warriors are a good 2nd guess. 

[Who]

Jabari Smith just signed a 5/122M extension. My god

That is only 24.4 million a season. That is a steal for Houston.

Terry Rozier is making more than that this season.

Agreed. Good contract. He should be making $25mil + extra money for potential. Houston got him to sign a contract without paying him anything for potential. He is probably a $30-33mil player with potential put into the contract.

Jabari Smith Jr doesn't get enough credit. He is a good starting quality PF who is a two way player. A very good defensive player. A solid rebounder. A guy who can spread the floor on offense. Athletic. He has some one-on-one game in the post / mid post. There is room for more growth offensively. There is still potential. But even without potential, that guy is a starting PF for the next 10-12 years.

[Who]

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania

Bobby Portis intends to sign a three-year, $44 million contract to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, with a player option for 2027-28, sources tell ESPN.

Bucks and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports reach a new deal for the sixth man extraordinaire and fan favorite in Milwaukee.

Great deal for Milwaukee. $44mil 3yrs. That is basically the Full MLE for B Portis. Great value.

It would be nice to see him leave MIL and be a starter somewhere. He is too good to keep being a bench player / 6th man. Likes to stay in his comfort zone I guess.

[Moranis]

Jabari Smith just signed a 5/122M extension. My god

That is only 24.4 million a season. That is a steal for Houston.

Terry Rozier is making more than that this season.

Agreed. Good contract. He should be making $25mil + extra money for potential. Houston got him to sign a contract without paying him anything for potential. He is probably a $30-33mil player with potential put into the contract.

Jabari Smith Jr doesn't get enough credit. He is a good starting quality PF who is a two way player. A very good defensive player. A solid rebounder. A guy who can spread the floor on offense. Athletic. He has some one-on-one game in the post / mid post. There is room for more growth offensively. There is still potential. But even without potential, that guy is a starting PF for the next 10-12 years.

he has  basically been a 12/7 guy every season.  He hasn't taken a leap in production at all really.  He has gotten better, but it hasn't changed has production.  So maybe that is just who he is.

[Who]

Jabari Smith just signed a 5/122M extension. My god

That is only 24.4 million a season. That is a steal for Houston.

Terry Rozier is making more than that this season.

Agreed. Good contract. He should be making $25mil + extra money for potential. Houston got him to sign a contract without paying him anything for potential. He is probably a $30-33mil player with potential put into the contract.

Jabari Smith Jr doesn't get enough credit. He is a good starting quality PF who is a two way player. A very good defensive player. A solid rebounder. A guy who can spread the floor on offense. Athletic. He has some one-on-one game in the post / mid post. There is room for more growth offensively. There is still potential. But even without potential, that guy is a starting PF for the next 10-12 years.

he has  basically been a 12/7 guy every season.  He hasn't taken a leap in production at all really.  He has gotten better, but it hasn't changed has production.  So maybe that is just who he is.

Maybe so. But guys like that still get paid for possible upside. Houston did not have to do that here. This is a win all the way for Houston.

[Who]

I was partial to the idea of LAL getting Nic Claxton in a trade in a similar package as they offered for Mark Williams. That 1st way off in the future in 2031 or whenever it was is more valuable to a rebuilding team like the Nets than N Claxton is.

Then getting Clint Capela in FA as a backup. 48 minutes a night of those two hustling on defense, rebounding, and rim running on offense.

DeAndre Ayton would be a great get for LAL but I'd rather have Nic Claxton. Claxton will play with more commitment and defensive effectivectiveness.

[Who]

Ziaire Williams and the Brooklyn Nets have agreed upon a two-year, $12 million deal. The Nets will hold a team option for Year 2 of the deal ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Meh. Minimum contract player. Overpaid at $6mil per.

Ajay Mitchell and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a three-year, $9 million contract after declining their team option for the 2025-26 season.

Mitchell was the 38th overall pick by the Thunder in the 2024 draft and converted from a Two-Way to a standard NBA deal in February.

Nice signing. I like his game. Strong D. Good size & athleticism. Ball-handling. Basic passing. He can drive. If he can develop his outside shot, he could become a quality starting PG in the league for a long time. A high level glue guy sort of guard (if he can develop his outside shot).

[Who]

I missed this one

Bojan Bogdanovic has announced his retirement from the NBA after 10 seasons in the league.

"Sometimes in life, you don't choose the moment. The moment chooses you," the 6-foot-7 forward wrote in a social media post. "After 14 months of battling a foot injury, two surgeries and countless efforts to get back on the court, the time has come to close a chapter."

He missed the 2024-25 season because of the foot injury.

Bogdanovic spent the first 55 games of the 2016-17 season with the Nets then finished the campaign with the Washington Wizards after a trade-deadline deal. He also played for the Indiana Pacers (2017-19), Utah Jazz (2019-22), Detroit Pistons (2022-24) and New York Knicks (2024).

He was a nice player for Indy, Utah and Detroit.

A shame injuries have cut his career short.

[Birdman]

Sharpe resign with Nets 2 years at 12 million

[Donoghus]

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
50s
Free agent forward Nicolas Batum intends to sign a two-year, $11.5 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. Deal includes a team option as well as a trade kicker. Batum's agent, Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport, negotiated the contract for the reunion.

[Who]

The Lakers are bracing to lose forward Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency to a multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets, according to team sources.

- Dan Woike, The Athletic

The journo writes that if DFS leaves, LAL will have more room to chase free agent centers.

Sounds like you are fixing one problem (center) by creating another problem (DFS, two way wing / forward).