Grand Eeezus Maxwell
"Time is when, God....lounge!!"
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Dr. Narcisse
Veteran
Why Cavaliers must re-sign Kevin Love
After watching the Cleveland Cavaliers get to the NBA Finals without injured forward Kevin Love, it's understandable that some observers might wonder whether Cleveland really needs to re-sign Love as an unrestricted free agent.
Love will hit the market on Wednesday after informing the Cavaliers last week that he will not exercise his 2015-16 player option, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. And while Cleveland found a way to win without him after he suffered a playoff-ending shoulder injury, a look at the Cavaliers' performance over the course of the year suggests they need Love back next season.
The starting lineup with Love was good -- really good
After acquiring J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks and Timofey Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets in January, Cleveland settled on a starting lineup with Mozgov and Smith alongside All-Stars Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. And that lineup proceeded to blow opponents away.
The Cavaliers' starting five (481 minutes) was one of 33 lineups in the NBA that saw at least 250 minutes of action during the 2014-15 regular season, per NBA.com/Stats. (Cleveland's lineup from early in the season, with Shawn Marion and Anderson Varejao in place of Smith and Mozgov, also qualified.) Of those 33, the Cavaliers' fivesome ranked fourth in offensive rating (116.1 points per 100 possessions) and sixth in defensive rating (96.8 points allowed per 100 possessions).
Thanks to that balance, Cleveland's starting lineup had the third-best net rating (plus-19.3 points per 100 possessions) of lineups with at least 250 minutes. San Antonio's healthy starting five outscored opponents by 23.6 points per 100 possessions in just 265 minutes of action. The only fivesome in the NBA that was both better than the Cavaliers' unit and used more frequently was the Golden State Warriors' starting five, which was plus-19.6 in 813 minutes.
The Cavs were actually at their best defensively during the regular season with Love
When Cleveland survived -- thrived, even, through the first three games of the NBA Finals -- as a defensive-minded unit without both Love and Irving in the playoffs, it reinforced the widespread view of Love as one of the league's worst defensive big men. The Cavaliers got better on D with Tristan Thompson joining Mozgov in the frontcourt, the theory went. Alas, that doesn't square with lineup data from the regular season. Of the three combinations of big men David Blatt used after Varejao's injury and Mozgov's addition, Love and Mozgov was Cleveland's best defensive pairing.
Cavaliers frontcourt pairings
Source: NBA.com/Stats
Frontcourt Min ORtg DRtg Net
Love-Mozgov 775 112.2 100.3 11.9
Love-Thompson 1081 110.1 102.6 7.5
Thompson-Mozgov 273 111.1 102.2 8.9
With Love and Mozgov on the court, opponents attempted just .177 free throws for every field-goal attempt, which would have been the league's lowest mark by a mile (as it was, the Cavaliers were No. 1 in this category in the regular season at .238 free throw attempts per field-goal attempt). That's consistent with Love's track record of foul-free play (he averaged just 2.0 fouls per 36 minutes), which worked much better when paired with a rim protector, the likes of which he never had as a teammate with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
So even when the comparison is limited to lineups that also included Cleveland's three perimeter starters, Love and Mozgov comes out as the best defensive pairing during the regular season -- with Mozgov and Thompson the worst defensively.
James was at his best with Love on the court
As impressive as James' postseason was, he was unable to play the kind of efficient basketball that he prefers and that has historically been best for his team's offense. Injuries to Love and Irving were a primary factor in James reverting to a volume scorer, an outcome that shouldn't have been surprising when looking at his regular-season statistics with various combinations of those two stars on the floor.
Teammates Minutes Usage TS%
Love + Irving 1442 .296 .607
Irving only 370 .348 .566
Love only 350 .341 .529
Neither 332 .509 .545
While James is better equipped to ramp up his usage rate without losing efficiency than mere mortals -- enabling him to post an above-average true shooting percentage while responsible for finishing more than half of the Cavs' plays with a shot, free throw or turnover as the lone All-Star on the court during the regular season -- he was predictably most efficient in a smaller role when playing with both Love and Irving.
Cleveland's cap situation makes replacing Love difficult
Maybe these numbers aren't enough to convince everyone that Love is a better fit in Cleveland than a more defensive-minded power forward like free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. The fact is, the Cavaliers have few realistic routes to acquiring such a player if Love walks because of their likely payroll commitments.
Teams that receive a free agent via a sign-and-trade are hard-capped at the luxury-tax apron ($4 million above the tax line). If Cleveland paid Aldridge or another free agent like Paul Millsap the maximum salary in a sign-and-trade after re-signing James at the max, the team would be limited to spending about $7.6 million on its other free agents -- enough to sign one of Smith or Iman Shumpert, but surely not both and not likely sufficient for Thompson alone. While the Cavaliers might gain a little added flexibility by dumping Varejao's contract using draft picks, adding a maximum-salary free agent would gut the rest of their rotation -- assuming those free agents and their former teams are interested in the first place.
Cleveland could sign and trade Love for players under contract, but such an arrangement is unlikely to return full value, since Love would control his desired destination. And the non-guaranteed contract of center Brendan Haywood, while a useful trade chip, won't yield a star. A player like Ersan Ilyasova, acquired by the Detroit Pistons earlier this month for similar non-guaranteed contracts, is probably a best-case scenario.
So the smartest move for the Cavaliers is to re-sign Love, providing he's amenable, and find out whether their performance with him in the lineup during the regular season can translate into the postseason. If it holds up, Cleveland might be even better in the playoffs next time around.
storyteller
Superstar
http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider/stor...32-based-their-outlook-next-three-seasons-nfl
Many thanks ahead of time.
Many thanks ahead of time.
KillaCali32
Banned
ska23wildcats0009
Banned
Re-drafting 2012: Draymond Green, Damian Lillard cause major shakeup
With the NBA draft on Thursday, we decided to do a lottery re-draft from 2012. Anthony Davis was the top pick, and that wouldn't change three years later. However, the rest of the draft would be completely different this time around.
The Charlotte Bobcats had Kemba Walker, the Washington Wizards had John Wall and the Cleveland Cavaliers had Kyrie Irving. So, where would Damian Lillard land this time around? Here's our 2012 NBA Re-Draft:
1. New Orleans Pelicans | Anthony Davis (actual slot: 1)
Davis was the clear-cut No. 1 pick coming out of Kentucky, and it's even more of a no-brainer now. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. Davis has quickly become one of the elite players in the NBA -- and could be the league's best in time.
2. Charlotte Hornets | Andre Drummond (9)
The Hornets needed just about everything, except for maybe a point guard. They went with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is a terrific defender who brings toughness to the table. However, the pick here for Charlotte, in hindsight, should have been either Bradley Bealor Andre Drummond. We'll go with Drummond since he is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game. Drummond is still scratching the surface of his potential, having just turned 21.
3. Washington Wizards | Bradley Beal (3)
The Wizards took Beal three years ago and it was the correct call. Beal and Wall form one of the league's top young backcourts. Beal does a bit of everything -- he can shoot it, finish around the basket, pass, rebound for his position and also defend. The key for him is staying healthy.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers | Damian Lillard (6)
Yes, I know the Cavs already have Kyrie Irving. However, it would be difficult to pass on Lillard. Both can really score, and Lillard is a terrific shooter as well. Sure, the backcourt would be small, but Lillard is the best player on the board. Clearly. Three years ago, former general manager Chris Grant went with Dion Waiters in a major reach.
5. Sacramento Kings | Draymond Green (35)
The Kings wound up taking Thomas Robinson with this pick, and it did not work out. Green was taken 30 picks later, but he is the right call here. He's versatile, can play power forward and would pair well with DeMarcus Cousins up front, especially due to the fact that Green is one of the best defenders in the league.
6. Portland Trail Blazers | Harrison Barnes (7)
The Blazers took the right guy back in 2012 with Lillard, but there's no way he would have gotten that far in a re-draft. Barnes was a key piece for a championship team this season and he will be able to show he can do more in the coming years. He's a wing with size who can shoot it, and he's also learned how to do the little things. He would have fit in well at the time with a group that included LaMarcus Aldridge and Wes Matthews.
7. Golden State Warriors | Khris Middleton (39)
The Warriors took Barnes with this pick, and at the time they had a healthy David Lee to go along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Middleton was drafted all the way down at 39 in the second round, but he averaged 13.4 points last season and has proven to be a big-time shooter/scorer.
8. Toronto Raptors | Terrence Ross (8)
The Raptors needed a big wing to go along with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry and Ross was a high-flyer coming out of Washington. He's been solid thus far in his NBA career, and worthy of this pick again. Ross averaged 9.8 points per game and also shot a more than respectable 37 percent from beyond the arc last season.
9. Detroit Pistons | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2)
The Pistons were fortunate that Drummond slipped here, but he'd be gone by now. With Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight, the Pistons could use a big-time wing who defends. MKG was a reach at No. 2, but he's ideal here because he does all the little things.
10. New Orleans Pelicans | John Henson (14)
The Pelicans took Austin Rivers, and that didn't work out well -- although he seems to have found a home in Los Angeles with his dad. New Orleans had Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez up front, with Eric Gordon and Greivis Vasquez in the backcourt. Lopez left the next season, so the best pick here would have been John Henson, who would give the team even more length up front.
11. Portland Trail Blazers | Tyler Zeller (17)
The Blazers took Meyers Leonard with the pick, and that was a mistake. Zeller would have been a better selection: a big man who has improved and can really run the floor. Zeller wound up going 17th, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 boards per game in Boston. He'd also would have allowed Aldrige to play the four spot.
12. Houston Rockets | Terrence Jones (18)
Daryl Morey wound up grabbing Jones a half-dozen picks later at No. 18 and he's been solid, especially the past two seasons. Jones is a power forward who averaged 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest last season with the Rockets.
13. Phoenix Suns | Jared Sullinger (21)
The Suns grabbed Kendall Marshall, and that didn't work out well for the organization. The choice comes down to Jared Sullinger, Dion Waiters and Austin Rivers. The Suns go with Sullinger here. When he's healthy, he's a tough matchup. Sully can score around the basket and also step away and make shots. He's averaged 13.3 points each of the last two seasons and back issues were what made him fall down to 21 on draft night.
14. Milwaukee Bucks | Dion Waiters (4)
This is a tough call since the Bucks didn't really need another scoring guard, but Waiters and Rivers are the best on the board. Waiters has done more over the course of his career, averaging 14 points per game primarily with Cleveland and also with Oklahoma City for 47 games this past season.
KillaCali32
Banned
ska23wildcats0009
Banned
Rest of D-Wade's career looks like Kobe's, and that should scare Miami
When the Miami Heat look into their crystal ball and try to plot the future of Dwyane Wade, what will they see?
It might be Kobe Bryant. And that's not necessarily a good thing.
Bryant is a five-time champion, one of the best ever to step on the hardwood. But Bryant also offers a cautionary tale about star shooting guards entering their mid-30s.
Wade will turn 34 years old next season. What did Bryant do in his age-34 season? He averaged 27.3 points per game next to Dwight Howard while playing a whopping 38.6 minutes a night. In the 80th game that season, Bryant's Achilles tendon snapped.
That was just the beginning of Bryant's injury ills. After an arduous rehab, Bryant returned in December the next season and played all of six games before suffering a season-ending fracture in his left knee. Last season, he lasted 35 games before a shoulder injury ended his age-36 campaign in January.
Who is Wade's closest statistical comparison at this point in his career? That name is Bryant, according to ESPN Insider guru Kevin Pelton's statistical model called SCHOENE, which analyzes 13 factors (including age, height and weight) to create a nifty similarity score. The 2012 Bryant was the best match, registering a 96 similarity score (100 is a carbon copy) to this current version of Wade.
And after looking at several other historical comps for Wade, the message is clear for the Heat: go long on Wade at your own risk.
Wade's tough situation
Wade's free-agency case is a tricky one. He is the face of the Heat organization. With a franchise-high 18,812 career points, Wade has scored more in a Miami uniform than the next two-highest Heat players combined (Alonzo Mourning and Glen Rice). To top it all off, he has been a superstar on all three of the team's titles.
And he has made some financial sacrifices. Remarkably, he has never been the team's highest-paid player. He took less than the max in 2010 to bring in LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Last summer, he effectively took a $5 million pay cut after he opted out of his contract to give the Heat flexibility and then signed for significantly fewer bucks.
And now he wants his money back. The problem is -- from purely a basketball value standpoint -- that might not be a wise investment. Wade averaged 21.5 points per game last season, but saw his efficiency tumble to a 53.4 percent true shooting percentage, down from 58.8 percent in 2013-14. Not only that, Wade has had trouble staying healthy, missing 20 games in 2014-15 and 28 the season prior.
After a shaky season from a health perspective, Wade isn't in a position of leverage.
The SCHOENE comps
So, let's cut to the chase. Pelton's projection system that blends both WARP and RPM metrics says Wade will have a solid season in 2015-16, but then will fall off fast. The gory numbers: a 5.1-win season in 2015-16, 1.2 wins in 2016-17 and then a drop into the negative with a minus-0.8 win estimate for the 2017-18 season when he will be 36. It's a similar tale to Bryant's.
Indeed, Bryant is by far Wade's closest comp with a 96 rating, but he isn't the only similar player. His other four by SCHOENE standards -- Andre Miller (93.1), Sam Cassell (93.1), Stephen Jackson (92.1) and Michael Jordan (92.0) -- experienced varying trajectories at this point in their careers. Miller is barely holding on without a 3-point shot. Cassell made his first and only All-Star team at age 34 and then bounced between the bench and the starting lineup until he was 38. Jackson washed out at 34 and Jordan left the game shortly after his 34th birthday (and then came back four years later for a different organization).
In the chart below, you can see the WARP totals by season for Wade's closest comps. To clarify, Wade's 2014-15 season would be his Year 0. As you can tell at the bottom row, the average WARP falls sharply in Years 2 and 3.
WARP Totals For Wade's Closest Comps
Ranked by SCHOENE similarity
Player Year Sim Year0 Year1 Year2 Year3
Kobe Bryant 2012 96.0 8.6 13.0 -0.2 2.4
Andre Miller 2009 93.1 8.0 6.5 5.8 1.0
Sam Cassell 2003 93.1 11.7 14.8 4.1 7.9
Stephen Jackson 2011 92.1 2.8 -0.1 -1.0 -0.4
Michael Jordan 1996 92.0 21.7 18.8 15.3 0.0
Paul Pierce 2011 91.9 11.6 11.2 11.0 6.0
Scottie Pippen 1999 91.4 12.4 7.5 5.9 5.5
Gary Payton 2002 91.3 17.5 13.1 7.1 4.9
Grant Hill 2006 91.2 1.2 1.6 3.5 2.2
Rod Strickland 1999 91.0 12.9 6.0 2.9 4.6
Allen Iverson 2008 90.9 11.8 2.1 -0.5 0.0
Clyde Drexler 1995 90.7 15.9 9.7 12.0 11.7
Vince Carter 2010 90.1 5.6 3.0 2.5 8.1
Average 10.9 8.2 5.3 4.1
Not sold on the names that SCHOENE drew up? We can look at some other go-to wing scorers. Dominique Wilkins was a shell of himself after his age-34 season. Clinging to his 3-point shot, Clyde Drexler made the All-Star team in his age-34 season, but missed 20 games before hanging it up for good after his age-35 season. Allen Iverson, another star who made a living drawing contact? Technically out of the league at 34, but the writing was on the wall well before that.
What it means for the Heat
By all indications, the Heat want to take care of their own. But going beyond a one-year deal with Wade is a huge risk given the worrisome history of ball-dominant wing scorers. Using a sample of the 13 players who registered a similarity score north of 90, production declined 23 percent after Year 1 and a total of 52 percent after Year 2. Evidently, Father Time comes at you fast.
However, if the Heat have commitment issues, they can still take care of Wade in the short term with a max contract. Because of salary-cap rules, Wade is eligible for a $22 million contract for the 2015-16 season, which would help make up for Wade's contract shortfall last summer and allow Wade to return to the market for the massive spike in the salary cap.
Not only would a max one-year deal do Wade a solid, it would keep the cap sheet relatively clean for the summer of 2016 free-agency bonanza. But that doesn't come without a gargantuan tax bill for Heat owner Micky Arison.
As expertly outlined by salary-cap guru Albert Nahmad of HeatHoops.com, the Heat would be exposed to the repeater tax hammer that kicks in after a team pays the luxury tax in four of the previous five years. Goran Dragic saved Arison some cash by verbally agreeing to a five-year, $90 million contract instead of the $108 million he was eligible for. If the Heat maxed both Wade and Dragic, the Heat could have been looking at a luxury tax bill of $58 million on top of a $100 million payroll.
They likely will be spared from that CBA guillotine. Depending on where the 2015-16 salary cap officially lands after the moratorium ends July 9, the Heat will still nudge up near the luxury tax line. They won't want to go over, but they might have to if they're going to keep the core together.
The question is whether Arison, one of the most successful owners in the sport, will have the stomach (and the hard cash) to sign on the dotted line to take care of Wade and a pay luxury tax for a team that basically hasn't played together before. Remember, Dragic hasn't played with Bosh or Josh McRoberts, two key pieces to the Heat's core who suffered season-ending injuries last season.
As a free agent, Wade has every right to want a three-year deal that will lock in long-term security. He can knock on the doors of the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks to see if they'd be willing to offer him a monster multiyear deal. And, hey, the Milwaukee Bucks, who have Wade's Marquette jersey hanging in the rafters at the Bradley Center, will have cap space too.
But more than likely, the Heat are the only team that can offer him the tempting trifecta of a big payday, a starring role and a winning roster. Bryant is still searching for that last item. Wade can lock in all three. Just maybe not for the long haul. Yet.
ska23wildcats0009
Banned
Analyzing Day 1: Love deal a win for Cavs
The NBA's 2015 free agency has moved fast. Less than 24 hours after the market opened for business at midnight Eastern, 10 of the top 20 free agents on my rankings of projected value have already agreed to terms. (Players can't officially sign contracts until the 2015-16 salary cap is set and the league's moratorium period ends on July 9.)
If you've had a hard time keeping up with the enormous amounts of money getting thrown around in anticipation of how dramatically the salary cap will go up when the NBA's new television deals kick in, you're surely not alone. Let's take a look at all the deals and the implications for their teams.
Kevin Love
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers (re-signed)
Contract: Five-year maximum contract worth approximately $110 million (exact figure will be determined when salary cap is set)
Iman Shumpert
Team: Cavaliers (re-signed)
Contract: Four years, $40 million
What it means: For all the speculation over Love's future during the 2014-15 season, as he struggled to figure out how he fit in a loaded Cavaliers roster, the consensus had developed recently within the league that Love -- as he repeatedly said -- wasn't going anywhere. So the surprise here is less that Love re-signed and more the length of this deal, the maximum possible five years. The long-term security is useful for Love in case the back injury that limited him lingers. Still, this looks like a win for Cleveland, which has Love locked in at a reasonable price as the cap escalates. Shumpert's number might have come in a little higher than the Cavaliers expected. Fortunately, that doesn't really affect their flexibility at all, and I project he'll be worth more than $10 million a year over the next three seasons.
What's next: ESPN's Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday the Cavaliers are close to a five-year, $80 million deal with restricted free agent Tristan Thompson. Cleveland also has to re-sign shooting guard J.R. Smith and backup point guardMatthew Dellavedova to bring back the core of last year's team. Then the Cavaliers can look to use the non-guaranteed contract of center Brendan Haywood to add another piece. Windhorst tweeted Wednesday that Cleveland has "numerous options" for Haywood trades.
Draymond Green
Team: Golden State Warriors (re-signed)
Contract: Five years, $85 million
What it means: So much for the impasse in contract talks between Green and the Warriors reported Wednesday afternoon. Hours later, the two sides reached agreement on a five-year deal that will pay Green about $5 million less than the maximum salary he could have gotten as a restricted free agent. If I were Green, given the other contracts that have been signed in the last 24 hours, I'm not sure I would have signed for a penny less than the maximum. But that could have dragged things out and forced Green to sign an offer sheet with another team to get his money. Still, consider this a victory for Golden State, which will be paying both Green and Klay Thompson sub-max amounts on their new contracts. Even in the offseason, the Warriors keep winning.
What's next: Golden State has some minor work to do around the edges of the roster, but the biggest offseason priority now that Green is locked up will be finding a new home for forward David Lee. The Warriors have to hope that teams like the Lakers and New York Knicks strike out on top-tier free agents and want Lee as a one-year stopgap before trying free agency again next summer, which might reduce the draft-pick compensation Golden State has to send out with Lee to get another team to take his $15.5 million salary.
Amir Johnson
Team: Boston Celtics
Contract: Two years, $24 million
Jonas Jerebko
Team: Celtics (re-signed)
Contract: Two years, $10 million
What it means: The Celtics were one of the few teams to lure a free agent away from another team, signing Johnson from the Toronto Raptors. The favorite of ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM) fills a need in Boston for a rim protector. While he played both frontcourt positions in Toronto, Johnson was far more effective as a center -- per NBA.com/Stats, the Raptors outscored opponents by 7.7 points per 100 possessions with Johnson in the middle but were minus-0.8 per 100 when he played power forward. That should probably be his primary role going forward. The Celtics also brought back Jerebko, who was effective off the bench as a stretch 4 after being acquired at the trade deadline. Notably, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported that both deals are non-guaranteed in 2016-17,maximizing the team's flexibility going forward. Later in the day, the Celtics brought back forward Jae Crowder on a five-year, $35 million deal that looks good in the context of other deals for similar players. Crowder will make slightly less per year, for example, than the less accomplished Al-Farouq Aminu. At worst, Crowder should be a useful rotation player for the life of the deal. At best, he'll add a 3-point shot and be a tremendous bargain.
What's next: The three signings give Boston 14 players under guaranteed contract, with point guard Phil Pressey (non-guaranteed through July 15) the favorite for the last spot on the roster.
DeMarre Carroll
Team: Toronto Raptors
Contract: Four years, $60 million
What it means: Toronto's offseason priority has clearly been upgrading the team's shaky perimeter defense. Step one was trading backup point guard Greivis Vasquez and replacing him with first-round pick Delon Wright. Adding Carroll is step two, and while the money is remarkably for a player who made just $2.4 million last season, my projections show Carroll as worth every penny for his two-way production.
What's next: One of Wednesday's surprises was the Raptors meeting with free agent Wesley Matthews after signing Carroll, since the two players are similar. Sam Amick tweeted that Toronto pitched Matthews on a lineup where he'd play small forward with Carroll as an undersized power forward. The Raptors could probably find enough cap space for Matthews by renouncing the rights to Lou Williams and trading Terrence Ross. Stay tuned.
Jimmy Butler
Team: Chicago Bulls (re-signed)
Contract: Five-year maximum contract worth approximately $91 million (exact figure will be determined when salary cap is set)
Mike Dunleavy
Team: Bulls (re-signed)
Contract: Three years, $14.4 million
What it means: The Bulls quickly ensured the return of their starting wing players, both free agents. Chicago's maximum qualifying offer to Butler moved him away from the idea of taking an offer sheet from another team to hit the market again as soon as possible. Instead, he settled for getting an option on the final season of the contract, which could put him back in free agency in 2019. The Bulls managed to re-sign Dunleavy for less than the mid-level exception. While he might not still be a starter by the end of the contract, which takes him through age 37, the value is still strong -- I project Dunleavy worth more than $30 million over the next three years.
What's next: Chicago may add a player or two to the back end of the roster -- backup point guard is a need with incumbent Aaron Brooks a free agent -- but the most important part of the Bulls' offseason has already concluded. The lingering question is whether Chicago will pay the luxury tax for the second time in franchise history. These two deals put the Bulls about $5 million over, so they'd have to move a player to dodge the tax.
Kawhi Leonard
Team: San Antonio Spurs (re-signed)
Contract: Five-year maximum contract worth approximately $91 million (exact figure will be determined when salary cap is set)
Danny Green
Team: San Antonio Spurs (re-signed)
Contract: Four years, $45 million
What it means: The Spurs locking up both their wing starters means no other team can mess up their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge with a monster offer for Green or Leonard. Both players will wait until after Aldridge makes his decision to sign, allowing San Antonio to keep their smaller cap holds on the books rather than their larger first-year salaries. The Spurs also got great deals. Leonard projects to be worth more than the five-year max over just the first three seasons of such a contract, while I projected Green's value at $73 million over the next three years. He surely could have done better on the open market but showed loyalty to San Antonio.
What's next: Aldridge?