What will it take to sign Sully this summer, is it worth it?

[otherdave]

His agent says max contract or bust, which made me wonder what a max deal for a player with 0 - 6 years experience would be next year.  According to Larry Coon's great CBA website, this year with a 70 mil cap the max is 16.4 mil.  Assuming a 90 mil cap next year, the max for a 0 - 6 player would be in the 21 mil range (if you read Larry's fine print, it really isn't 25% of the cap, more in the 23% range without getting to technical).

Given the crazy state of current NBA salaries (see T Thompson, E Kanter), if Sully stays healthy and keeps producing, I could maybe wrap my head around 16 mil, but 21 mil seems like so, so much.

What do you think?

Depending on what DA does with the rest of the roster, he could pay Sully a lot and still have room for one FA in the 20 mil + range.  Crazy, crazy world (I am old enough to remember the outrage when the Reds paid Pete Rose ("he's only a singles hitter") $100,000)

[kozlodoev]

I'd much rather sign pay more and sign a better player. There are a handful of good FA bigs out there.

[mef730]

$16m? I hope Sully likes (insert name of city that isn't Boston).

Mike

[TheTruthFot18]

Given the crazy state of current NBA salaries (see T Thompson, E Kanter), if Sully stays healthy and keeps producing, I could maybe wrap my head around 16 mil, but 21 mil seems like so, so much.

OKC and Cleveland are both contenders and top 1-2 in each conference. They can afford to overpay for a player that's not LeBron or KD. We can't, but not because of the money available but because you don't do that when you're a middle of the pack team.

[danglertx]

Good role guy but with his weight issues and injury concerns, along with his not so great defense and transition abilities you'd be out of your mind to pay him max money.  Even 16mil would be too rich for me.   

I've been wrong before, it just takes one GM to lose their minds and pay a player ridiculous money but I don't see it.  The market will dictate it.  If a team wants to sign Sully to a max 5yr deal, the ball is in Ainge's court.  No way I see him matching it but we will see.  Typically, being restricted limits the offers from other teams.  Occasionally it seems like it pumped up a player's value, I'm thinking maybe in Batum's and Hayward's cases, but usually it seems to bring some reality to a player.  With the salary cap going up, who knows?

[max215]

At least 4/60 IMO. Despite how great he's been this year, I hope we move him at the deadline. I just don't feel comfortable making that sort of commitment to someone with Sully's injury/conditioning history.

[Vermont Green]

I am not sure that someone will overpay for Sullinger the way that Cleveland overpaid for Tristan Thompson.  Cleveland is up against the clock to win now before LeBron gets too old.  That may be the same case for some other teams who may have interest in Sullinger but I don't see it playing out that way.

I think what would be smart for both sides would be a shorter contract that sets Sullinger up for life but also puts him back on the market for an even bigger payday if he plays to that level (and I suspect that he will feel he can).

So maybe 3 years, $15M/$16M/$17M (Total $48M)?  Then he will have the years in to qualify for even bigger contract.  I think other players have taken this approach.  There is risk of course but it is a way to maximize career pay also.

[bdm860]

Given the crazy state of current NBA salaries (see T Thompson, E Kanter), if Sully stays healthy and keeps producing, I could maybe wrap my head around 16 mil, but 21 mil seems like so, so much.

OKC and Cleveland are both contenders and top 1-2 in each conference. They can afford to overpay for a player that's not LeBron or KD. We can't, but not because of the money available but because you don't do that when you're a middle of the pack team.

A couple of months ago when Zach Lowe was talking about the Tristan Thompson situation, he called signing players like that to big contracts the "championship tax" that contending teams have to pay.  Pretty much same thing your saying here.

And you could argue the C's tried to avoid paying that tax when they failed to re-sign guys like Posey and and to a lesser extent Tony Allen, and when they traded away Perk because they didn't want to re-sign him at his asking price.  Maybe 2010-2012 turns out a little differently if Danny chose to pay that "championship tax".



About Sullinger though.  You really have to take a weight-and-see approach with him.  Two of the three seasons he's played so far have ended with him missing significant time due to injury (which may have been weight related).  His conditioning looked terrible towards the 2nd half of last year, and his game deteriorated with it (even before the injury).  He's playing well now, but how is playing in March and April (and hopefully May and June)?

[i believe in brad]

I just went through the top free agents for 2016:

http://hoopshype.com/2015/12/10/nba-free-agency-2016-the-top-players/

Here are who I see as possible big body replacements who will/could be available, in no particular order:

-Dwight (Player Option) - could opt out but is soft as doo-doo, also too expensive

-Horford (Unrestricted) - I think this would be our best case scenario but I don't see him leaving ATL

-Pau (Player Option) - I see him opting out if bulls can't find their way this year, but I see him choosing a team much closer to a ring than we are

-Whiteside (Unrestricted) - would happily take

-Big Al (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Noah (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Hibbert (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Zaza (Unrestricted) - would happily take

-Mozgov (Unrestricted) - no thanks


Thoughts?

[Androslav]

Id try to resign him.
I'd offer him backloaded 62m/4y deal with a team option for the 4th year.
We need him and there are not many quality options beside him.

[PhoSita]

About Sullinger though.  You're really have to take a weight-and-see approach with him. 

 

[kozlodoev]

Thoughts?

Drummond is an UFA...

...one can dream, right?

[Who]

I just went through the top free agents for 2016:

http://hoopshype.com/2015/12/10/nba-free-agency-2016-the-top-players/

Here are who I see as possible big body replacements who will/could be available, in no particular order:

-Dwight (Player Option) - could opt out but is soft as doo-doo, also too expensive

-Horford (Unrestricted) - I think this would be our best case scenario but I don't see him leaving ATL

-Pau (Player Option) - I see him opting out if bulls can't find their way this year, but I see him choosing a team much closer to a ring than we are

-Whiteside (Unrestricted) - would happily take

-Big Al (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Noah (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Hibbert (Unrestricted) - no thanks

-Zaza (Unrestricted) - would happily take

-Mozgov (Unrestricted) - no thanks


Thoughts?

No interest = Mozgov, Zaza, Hibbert, Big Al.
Possible interest = Whiteside
Interest in = Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol could be a good choice. No longer good enough to lead a team but he'd be a nice side-kick should Ainge find a trade for a superstar player at some point over next 14 months. I think Pau would do very well in Brad Stevens' offense. Give some shot blocking and rebounding.

Although, I agree, Pau is more likely to look for an instant contender. Maybe Cleveland. Give the Cavs more offensive versatility. Not many other contenders out there who need a starting center. Or maybe Oklahoma if the Thunder move Enes Kanter. Both of those are scary-good destinations for player and team.

[ThePaintedArea]

About Sullinger though.  You really have to take a weight-and-see approach with him. 

Cruel, but clever.

[Big333223]

He's just not a max player. Even in this financial climate in the NBA, he's basically a rebounding specialist that does most everything else decent-to-good but not great. Unless I'm underestimating just how much money will be flying around this summer. I just don't see a team offering a player like Sully a max deal, especially in the wake of Tristan Thompson's free agency last summer.