nor should they. They never should have even offered 4 years, 24 million for a role player on a team full of role players.
Yup....that pretty much is the bottom line.
We need To dump the baggage , and sign a couple serious elite talent , THEN fill in the blanks with role players.
Ok, so lets say you "dump the baggage" so to speak. Who exactly do you intend on starting at the SG spot in Bradley's absence, assuming we dont get Wiggins/Exum/Smart in the draft?
Take in to account the fact that Boston has Bradley's bird rights, so they can go over the cap to sign him. That's not the case for any other free agents, which means (after all the cap holds etc) if Boston lets AB walk, they proboably won't be able to pay more than the MLE for a replacement SG. Who in next year's free agent class do you see who we could sign for ~$5M at most, who would be more productive than Bradley?
That's not even taking into account his upside.
Answer is: nobody.
On a Per 36-minute basis Bradley is a 17 PPG (45%/40%/80%), RPG player who ranks top 10 among shooting guards in almost every statistical category (except assists) and who was an All-Defensive Team selection only one season back, and who is only 23 years old.
Nobody is getting him for the MLE. Somebody will offer him at least $7M, and he may get as much as $8M-$10M.
The fact that he is young and a role player actually fits Boston perfectly. Boston is in a rebuilding period and what are they looking for? Young players with upside. Bradley took major strides in his game last season, and if he continues to impove at that rate the next team that signs him will get a major bargain.
Think of how much Eric Gordon is being paid right now regardless of his injury history (which is just as bad a AB's). Then consider the fact that Bradley scored just as much as Gordon last season, but did so with greater efficiency. Then factor in that Bradley actually plays defense. Yeah...$6M is a pipe dream.