Woj - Horford Decision Expected Saturday Evening (ATL upping offer)

[PhoSita]

The consolation of being Mavs East is that our core guys are still young and cheap, plus we have plenty of picks still in the pipeline. Though so far the picks haven't produced a star savior.

[RJ87]

Nets might not get as bad a pick in a deep draft next year as people originally thought. Celts falling behind in the east pecking order. That pick swap for Brooklyn will still likely hurt but not as bad as expected.

Umm, no.

As of today, here are the changes from last year's teams, assuming Horford stays in ATL:

1. Cavs, same team (minus Delly probably).
2. Toronto, lost Biyombo
3. Heat, lost Deng, lost Joe Johnson, might lose Wade, Bosh is likely done
4. Hawks, swap Howard for Milsap, lost Teague
5. Celtics, gained Brown, lost Turner
6. Hornets, lost Jefferson, lost Lin, might lose Courtney Lee
7. Pacers, gained Teague, gained Jefferson, gained Young, lost both Hills and Lawson
8. Pistons, gained Ish Smith and Jon Leuer

Of the playoff teams last year, the Pacers have taken a big step forward.  Every other team has tread water or fallen back.  The Celtics aren't falling behind in any sort of pecking order.  The Wizards at 9th haven't done anything.  The other teams to make major additions are the Knicks and Orlando.  Both of those teams were nowhere near the Celtics last year.

I think you're underrating Orlando. Yes, they've now got a logjam in the front court. But the addition of Frank Vogel as coach is the biggest move they've made in years. He's one of the better coaches in the league and has an assortment of weapons now.

[saltlover]

Nets might not get as bad a pick in a deep draft next year as people originally thought. Celts falling behind in the east pecking order. That pick swap for Brooklyn will still likely hurt but not as bad as expected.

Umm, no.

As of today, here are the changes from last year's teams, assuming Horford stays in ATL:

1. Cavs, same team (minus Delly probably).
2. Toronto, lost Biyombo
3. Heat, lost Deng, lost Joe Johnson, might lose Wade, Bosh is likely done
4. Hawks, swap Howard for Milsap, lost Teague
5. Celtics, gained Brown, lost Turner
6. Hornets, lost Jefferson, lost Lin, might lose Courtney Lee
7. Pacers, gained Teague, gained Jefferson, gained Young, lost both Hills and Lawson
8. Pistons, gained Ish Smith and Jon Leuer

Of the playoff teams last year, the Pacers have taken a big step forward.  Every other team has tread water or fallen back.  The Celtics aren't falling behind in any sort of pecking order.  The Wizards at 9th haven't done anything.  The other teams to make major additions are the Knicks and Orlando.  Both of those teams were nowhere near the Celtics last year.

I think you're underrating Orlando. Yes, they've now got a logjam in the front court. But the addition of Frank Vogel as coach is the biggest move they've made in years. He's one of the better coaches in the league and has an assortment of weapons now.

I think Orlando could be a solid team.  I don't think they're going to sniff 48 wins.  I see no reason why we shouldn't, unless Ainge sells off some players.

[walker834]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

[straightouttabahstun]

Seriously though....the Hawks...THE HAWKS?! Come on Al, come be a winner in a real sports city.

[saltlover]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

[CoachBo]

Seems pretty clear at this point what is happening.

Horford is looking for a reason to stay in Atlanta.

[walker834]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

I understand but it's still ridiculous. We are doing everything we can to win a championship.  The Hawks added Howard but up until this point they haven't done that.  They are also trading Millsapp possibly to make room for Horford.  We are doing what we can as an organization to win a championship.  The Hawks that's questionable.  Seems like Horford just wants to get paid when in the long run there is no guarantee he is even going to get paid more.

[RJ87]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

I understand but it's still ridiculous. We are doing everything we can to win a championship.  The Hawks added Howard but up until this point they haven't done that.  They are also trading Millsapp possibly to make room for Horford.  We are doing what we can as an organization to win a championship.  The Hawks that's questionable.  Seems like Horford just wants to get paid when in the long run there is no guarantee he is even going to get paid more.

Mathematically speaking, $153m is more than $114m so there is a guarantee RIGHT NOW he'll get paid more. Who knows if the cap will continue to skyrocket or if there's a lockout on the horizon. That may not be a risk he's willing to wait out.

[walker834]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

I understand but it's still ridiculous. We are doing everything we can to win a championship.  The Hawks added Howard but up until this point they haven't done that.  They are also trading Millsapp possibly to make room for Horford.  We are doing what we can as an organization to win a championship.  The Hawks that's questionable.  Seems like Horford just wants to get paid when in the long run there is no guarantee he is even going to get paid more.

Mathematically speaking, $153m is more than $114m so there is a guarantee RIGHT NOW he'll get paid more. Who knows if the cap will continue to skyrocket or if there's a lockout on the horizon. That may not be a risk he's willing to wait out.

 He is getting a 5th year which is designed to do that yes.  It's guaranteed money. But signing a 4 year with us having rights we can then extend him or offer him a newer bigger contract after that 4th year.  We can set up the contract with player provisions as well which give him the option to look for an extension after such and such years where we can extend him.

We could do an under the table promise ala the patriots where we extend him after such and such years where it basically is guaranteed money.

[Denis998]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

I understand but it's still ridiculous. We are doing everything we can to win a championship.  The Hawks added Howard but up until this point they haven't done that.  They are also trading Millsapp possibly to make room for Horford.  We are doing what we can as an organization to win a championship.  The Hawks that's questionable.  Seems like Horford just wants to get paid when in the long run there is no guarantee he is even going to get paid more.

Mathematically speaking, $153m is more than $114m so there is a guarantee RIGHT NOW he'll get paid more. Who knows if the cap will continue to skyrocket or if there's a lockout on the horizon. That may not be a risk he's willing to wait out.

 He is getting a 5th year which is designed to do that yes.  It's guaranteed money. But signing a 4 year with us having rights we can then extend him or offer him a newer bigger contract after that 4th year.  We can set up the contract with player provisions as well which give him the option to look for an extension after such and such years where we can extend him.

We could do an under the table promise ala the patriots where we extend him after such and such years where it basically is guaranteed money.

its unlikely that Horford finishes the contract as a Celtic if he signs here.

[crownontherocks]

Breaking: As we reported last night, we can once again confirm Al Horford intends to sign with Boston Celtics. @BillSimmons

Pregame_stream

[walker834]

What's ridiculous is we just can't offer him that 5th year right now.  After the 4th year he will be our player so we can offer him another contract then  or even an extension before then.  I don't see any reason why we wouldn't.  After 5 years or 4 he is going to be up for a new contract and may have declined more after 5 years where he won't get as big a deal after 4.  It's nickel and diming. He is being offered 4 years 114 mil.

he wants his money now and that security.  It's a lot of money regardless and there is no guarantee he will make more in the long run by signing a 5 year deal vs 4.

Per th CBA, the most we can offer is 4 years.  His original team can give 5.  This is designed to give the home team the advantage.

I understand but it's still ridiculous. We are doing everything we can to win a championship.  The Hawks added Howard but up until this point they haven't done that.  They are also trading Millsapp possibly to make room for Horford.  We are doing what we can as an organization to win a championship.  The Hawks that's questionable.  Seems like Horford just wants to get paid when in the long run there is no guarantee he is even going to get paid more.

Mathematically speaking, $153m is more than $114m so there is a guarantee RIGHT NOW he'll get paid more. Who knows if the cap will continue to skyrocket or if there's a lockout on the horizon. That may not be a risk he's willing to wait out.

 He is getting a 5th year which is designed to do that yes.  It's guaranteed money. But signing a 4 year with us having rights we can then extend him or offer him a newer bigger contract after that 4th year.  We can set up the contract with player provisions as well which give him the option to look for an extension after such and such years where we can extend him.

We could do an under the table promise ala the patriots where we extend him after such and such years where it basically is guaranteed money.

its unlikely that Horford finishes the contract as a Celtic if he signs here.

I think he would be here for the full 4 years. 

 The nba is different where you don't have signing bonuses or hidden money like that but we could still promise an extension. Whether that's wise for a player his age is something else but we could.

But Horford is going to be here for 4 years at least if we sign him.  If the celtics could sign him to 5 they would.

Whether we want to go beyond that is in question for a player his age. I think the celtics would sign him to 6 years if they could.

AFter that how he fits into our championship aspirations that contract may be steep.  But with him as a max player our window is about 6 years with trade options.

[RJ87]

Mathematically speaking, $153m is more than $114m so there is a guarantee RIGHT NOW he'll get paid more. Who knows if the cap will continue to skyrocket or if there's a lockout on the horizon. That may not be a risk he's willing to wait out.

 He is getting a 5th year which is designed to do that yes.  It's guaranteed money. But signing a 4 year with us having rights we can then extend him or offer him a newer bigger contract after that 4th year.  We can set up the contract with player provisions as well which give him the option to look for an extension after such and such years where we can extend him.

We could do an under the table promise ala the patriots where we extend him after such and such years where it basically is guaranteed money.

What you're saying is hypothetical though. From a purely financial perspective, why walk away from an extra $40m guaranteed because there's a chance in 4 years - at age 34 - that he'll make more money? Why not apply the same logic to ATL when he hits year 5?

Yeah, it sucks we may lose out but you can't really argue that he'd be in better position here financially. The CBA allows the home team to offer more for this exact reason.

[Who]

Horford should take the money and run.

He is not going to sniff that type of payday in 4 years time.