Free Agents Still Available

[Jack Strop]

Yeah, but the CBA's since then drastically changed the dynamics of S&T's, right?

I think only in terms of not being able to add the fifth year and the max raises. Also some stipulations regarding cap space. There's no reason for players to demand S&T's any more. They can only get 4 years, with 5% increases via a S&T.

 

[NUMBERICA]

But why would Ainge help us out? There's nothing in it for him. If anything, it sets Utah up to be a competitor in the trade market. A TPE isn't coming our way, unless Utah includes a unprotected future first. That's the way Danny rolls.

Most of that makes no sense, and what's left makes little. Nobody thinks less of Danny than me, but:

- Utah's market with that TPE is going to be taking on ONE possibly large contract. Boston will be well over the cap. The nature of the trades each team would be looking for would for the most part be mutually-exclusive. Speaking to your point on the contrary, that TPE would be 28-30 times more likely to negatively affect a team that isn't Boston, which would be a good reason for Boston to facilitate.
- I'm not talking about Crowder...? Even if I were, no mind in the NBA would find it reasonable to demand an unprotected 1st rounder from the Jazz in this scenario. But did you just say Ainge would demand an unprotected 1st rounder in exchange for generating a trade exception that costs them nothing?

 

[SCS]

Because a 2nd round pick is pretty much worthless. Ainge is ruthless. He doesn't want to help anyone. He's just going to say, give me Hood, Exum or an unprotected 1st. Ainge doesn't need anything else. He doesn't need to dump salaries; he already did that.

It's a second round pick for free. It's an asset. He has no leverage to ask for Hood, Exum or a 1st. Just like we had no leverage to get Crowder before. There's no logical reason for him to not take a free asset even if it's small. The only reason he wouldn't do it is if he decided to be a d*** like I said.