Vol 6 Chapter 40: Complete the puzzle

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There is a July freezing period in the NBA from July 1 to July 8. This period is the period during which the NBA conducts audits to derive basketball-related income, and then calculate the salary cap for the next season and so on. However, due to restrictions such as salary caps, this period is a short period of trade freeze. During the freeze period, although the free market is opened and the team can contact the players, the deal will not be approved until after 8 days.
The July freezing period is also the most active period in the free agency market. There will be more frequent contact between the team and the free agency, so those players who choose to jump out of the contract to test the free agency market will choose to jump out before July 1. contract.
James chose to jump out of the contract on June 25, and his original contract had two years left, worth $42.7 million. Wade and Bosh chose to jump out of the contract on June 29, two years left, with a total value of $41.8 million and $42.7 million, respectively. Next, James's stay will be the focus of the entire NBA. There have been reports that James hopes to return to his hometown of Ohio and return to the Cavaliers. The Heat will definitely try their best to retain James.
The Heat's Big Three are falling apart, leaving free agents who are preparing to hold their thighs missing a place.
Holding thighs in the NBA is also very particular. Only teams that have proven their ability to win the championship are "real thighs". This so-called proof is at least to win a playoff title in the Eastern Conference or Western Conference. For example, the Los Angeles Clippers, each year's regular season record is very good, the team's Paul, Greenfin and Jordan Jr. are also considered "big three", the Clippers' coach is also a famous teacher Rivers, but he can't always score. The Western Conference finals, so has been called "pseudo-strong team", not a real thigh.
In addition, teams like the Spurs are not "good thighs." Although the Spurs have higher odds of winning the championship each year, the Spurs are a team that emphasizes tactical cooperation. If the players cannot be integrated into the tactical system, there is basically no room for them to play, and they may not even play the ball. .
Prior to this, the Heat had the existence of the Big Three, of course, "true thighs", and now, James may leave, the Heat is no longer a hot thigh, but the Lakers who just won the championship, become a lot of free agents yearning The place.
The first person to hug his thighs was the half-human half-god Vince Carter. Carter wants a championship, which is known to the world. Joining the Mavericks that year was for a championship ring. Now that the three-year contract signed by Carter and Mavericks has expired, so look for a new owner.
However, Carter made two requests. The first is not to accept the veteran's base salary. His annual salary in Mavericks is $3 million, so he also asked the Lakers for this price. Starting with Carter's performance last season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, 40.7% field goal percentage and 39.4% three-point field goal percentage, the annual salary of 3 million is really great value.
Carter put forward another condition is the commitment of playing time, apparently Carter does not want to sit on the bench after coming to the Lakers. The Lakers can also agree on this point. Anyway, the Lakers play run-and-run, as long as they can run and shoot three-pointers, there is a chance to play, not to mention Carter also has a good three-point shooting percentage.
The Lakers and Carter quickly reached an agreement. The Lakers awarded Carter a two-year mini-middle-class contract. This is the Lakers' first move in the free market.
In addition to Carter, Sean Marion, another player who also played for the Mavericks last season, also accepted the Lakers' one-year veteran base salary.
Compared with Carter, Marion's signing has been much smoother. In an interview, he made it clear that the purpose of joining the Lakers is to get another championship ring, which is tantamount to expressly "hug the thigh".
Marion was a starter in the Mavericks last season, averaging 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Although it is nothing compared to his peak period, his shooting rate of 48.2% is much stronger than many young guys.
In the history of Marion, after leaving the Mavericks, he fled to James and spent the last year of his career with the Cavaliers. Now, for Marion, the Lakers are obviously a better choice. The Lakers coach D'Antoni used to be Marion's mentor. When he was in the Suns, Marion also proved with strength that he was good at playing D'Antoni's running tactics.
At the same time, the Lakers' contract renewal work is mixed.
The Lakers gave Gasol a five-year 85 million contract. Although not a top salary, for 34-year-old Gasol, it is also a fattening contract for the elderly. After winning the championship this season, Gasol also intends to end the Lakers, so decided to accept this contract. However, the two sides will formally sign the contract after the Lakers signing, so that the Lakers can free up salary space to sign free agents.
Nick Young also accepted his contract equivalent to being middle class. Nick Young is a Los Angeles native, and the Lakers are naturally his first choice.
Batesmore and Whiteside also agreed to renew their contract. Although the four-year contract is somewhat long and the annual salary is only more than 2 million US dollars, but for them, it is already a rare fat contract, at least in the next few years can continue to play in the NBA.
In addition, Ci Shiping and Wesley Johnson, both continue to receive the veteran base salary for one year.
Among the other players, Kaman knew he would not be renewed and had already started to negotiate contracts with other teams. Meeks insisted on a big contract with an annual salary of more than 8 million, and Farmar hoped to get a middle-class contract. After Kupchak made it clear that it was impossible, the two also began to look for other next homes.
As for Jordan Hill, there was a lion's mouth, asking for ten million annual salary!
Nash retired and Kobe’s salary was also reduced by 5 million compared to last season. In addition to the normal renewal of the contract, the Lakers can theoretically free up 15 million in salary space. Jordan Hill’s agent is precisely aware of this salary space Not to mention the departure of Kaman, the Lakers have only Gasol and Whiteside left, which is also the capital that Jordan Hill relies on. ,
The Lakers’ pick in the second round, Yodzic, obviously did not make Jordan Hill’s agent feel pressured. Whether an overseas player can gain a foothold in the NBA is still a problem, so the agent believes that he will not treat Jordan- Hill poses a threat.
The renewal of Jordan Hill was in a stalemate, and Kupchak also made another move. He used the one-year veteran's base salary to sign the former All-Star center Jermaine O'Neal.
O'Neal played for the Warriors last season, averaging 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, and also became the team's starting center during Bogut's injury. Although the current O'Neal is not as good as before, he can basically ignore it on the offensive side, but he is still there in the body, and can also cope with the league's top insiders in low post defense.
The Lakers chose O'Neal Jr., but also prepared to give up Jordan Hill to a certain extent. For the team that is currently shelling, it will not shoot three-pointers inside. Whiteside and O'Neal are enough. There is no need for an additional Jordan Hill.
...
"The Los Angeles Times" reporter Brad Turner revealed that informed sources revealed that the Kings and defender Darren Collison reached an agreement. Collison left the Clippers and will sign a period with the Kings. A three-year full-protection contract worth $16 million. Many people have speculated that the Kings signed Collison, meaning Isaiah Thomas will leave Sacramento?"
After seeing the news, Zhang Guan immediately dialed Kupchak's phone.
"Did you see the King's signing of Collison?" Zhang Guan asked.
"Well, I knew it two days ago. When Collison jumped out of the contract, the King had started to contact him. In Los Angeles, nothing could hide us." Kupchak said.
"Can we quote Thomas?" Zhang Guan then asked.
"Thomas? For what use is he, he is too short." Kupchak said.
"He has a strong scoring ability...Forget it, let's talk about the specific situation, I will go to your office." Zhang Guan said and put down his phone.
...
There are also several "big fish" in the free agency market this year. In addition to the Heat's Big Three who jumped out of the contract, such as the Mavericks Nowitzki, the Knicks' Anthony, the Spurs' Duncan, the Bulls' Ruhr-Deng, The Grizzlies Randolph and the Raptors Lowry will all become free agents. In the restricted free agency market, both the first round rookie in 2010 and the second round rookie in 2011 will become restricted free agents.
Among the rookies in 2010, many have already renewed their contracts with the team in advance, such as Wall, Cousins, Paul George, etc., they have all received a large contract of 10 million levels. And some players have not been renewed, such as Bledsoe and Hayward, they are now restricted free agents, allowing other teams to offer, their owners obviously hope to lower prices.
The second-round rookie in 2011 was still half of the face in the NBA. Among them, only two players were worthy of quotation from other teams. One was the Parsons of the Rockets and the other was Thomas of the Kings.
The Rockets Parsons originally had a one-year contract, but the Rockets did not implement Parsons' last year's contract, taking the initiative to turn Parsons into a restricted free agent. The Rockets originally wanted to free up salary space to sign Bosh, but Bosh chose to stay in Miami, and Parsons was also robbed of a Mavericks contract.
And the Thomas of the Kings, the real contract expired.
Thomas was drafted 60th overall in the second round, which was the penultimate pick. There are two main reasons why the team is not optimistic about him. The first is that Thomas is only 1.75 meters tall. This height is a little too short to play in the NBA; the second is because he only participated in the election after graduating from Thomas University. The rookie, which also lowered his draft pick.
But Thomas has proved his performance. He performed very well in the Kings last season, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game, just like the performance of an All-Star guard.
But even so, the Kings still have no intention of leaving Thomas, they still use Cousins ​​as the core of the team, so as early as December last year, Thomas has been put on the shelf.
In the offseason, Collison was signed in the past. Collison's technical characteristics are similar to Thomas, and the shooting rate is also comparable to that of Thomas, but it is 8 cm higher than Thomas. This is obviously telling the entire league that the King is not going to leave Thomas anymore.
The Kings obviously made a mistake. Cousins ​​did not bring good results to the Kings. In the end, they were traded to the Pelicans. The King also completely entered the reconstruction period, but at the same time, Thomas Jr. led the Celtics. He finished second in the Eastern Conference, averaging 29.4 points per game in front of Harden, which is nothing more than Wei Wei, and he is also a popular candidate for MVP in the regular season.
The most important thing is that Thomas' salary is not high. Although Thomas has performed well last season, due to his height, it is difficult for him to get a big contract. In the eyes of many team managers, Thomas is not even a qualified Starting guard. In the NBA with an excessive number of point guards, Thomas averaged 20+6 stats per game, making it difficult for him to get a tens of millions contract.
Zhang Guan knew the potential of Thomas, he felt that Thomas should be dug up, this is for the future of the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant’s contract is still two years away, and Zhang Guan is preparing to leave the NBA for another season because he will prepare for the Rio Olympics in 2016. At that time, someone needs to support the Lakers’ guard line. Thomas is obviously a A good candidate.
After Zhang Guan left and Bryant retired, the Lakers had Gasol and Whiteside inside, Thomas outside, and Jokic potential stocks. The lineup is still very strong. Then sign a superstar. For example, Durant, the Lakers will be another set of winning teams.
...
Zhang Guan persuaded the management of the Lakers, the Lakers offer Thomas for 5 years 40 million.
To be honest, this is somewhat beyond the current value of Thomas. In history, Thomas Jr. only got a four-year 27 million contract this season, and the average year is not even 7 million. Now, the quotation of 40 million yuan in 5 years makes many people think that the Lakers are stupid and have more money.
"The Lakers are really generous. Thomas has been quoted at 40 million in five years! Such a short player, at best, is the second Nate Robinson! No, Thomas is not as good as Nate Robinson. Nate Robinson can fly. After Howard dunked, Thomas was afraid it would be difficult to complete the dunk!" Someone on the Internet immediately said.
The Kings have seven days to consider whether to match this offer. There is no doubt that the Kings will not match. They have signed Collison to replace Thomas, so Thomas has long been out of the King's plan.
As for Thomas, he had long been eager to join the Lakers. Thomas's father was a Californian, and a hard-hitting Lakers fan. Influenced by his father, Thomas had always wanted to play in the Lakers. When he was drafted, Thomas also participated in the Lakers rookie training camp. However, because of his height and age, the Lakers didn't care about Thomas at the time.
...
With the addition of Thomas, the Lakers list has reached 14 people, which means that they have one seat left. In terms of salary space, the Lakers can also open a contract of about 4 million, and can also sign a good role player.
The Lakers originally intended to give Rashad Lewis a contract. As a big man who can shoot three points, Lewis was in the Heat last season and was an important helper for the Big Three. However, Lewis did not pass the final medical examination. His knee has hidden dangers and requires surgery, and it will take up to six months to recover. The Lakers obviously could not wait for half a year, so they could only give up signing with Lewis.
In the end, the Lakers and free agent Chris Humphries reached a three-year 11 million contract.
Humphries has just concluded a two-year contract of 24 million. He was with the Celtics last season and averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.
This player has a high sense of presence outside the court. In the past few years, he often appeared in the entertainment news of the United States and was often stolen by the paparazzi, because he married American entertainment celebrity Kim Kardashian. However, this marriage lasted only more than two months, Kardashian also generously gave Humphries a breakup fee of 10 million dollars. Humphries was also very sturdy and didn't need a penny.
However, this player's presence in the field is very low, and sometimes even the playing time is unstable. As a power forward, his height of 2 meters 06 is a loss in the match, but if he is placed in the position of small forward, his speed can not keep up with the opponent. His strength is good, he has a good mid-range shot, and he has a three-point range, but his offense is almost zero. In terms of strength, I'm really sorry for the 12 million annual salary.
However, based on the annual salary of 4 million, Humphries is considered a great value. His three-point shooting ability is also what D'Antoni needs.
In fact, the Wizards also took a fancy to Humphries. He gave Humphries an annual salary of 13 million for 3 years, which was 2 million more than the Lakers. However, Humphries finally decided to join the Lakers. The championship ring and the appeal of Los Angeles are not something that can be exchanged for 2 million.
Subsequently, the Lakers used the Byrd clause to sign that 5-year contract with Gasol. At this time, the Lakers' salaries exceeded the luxury tax threshold. But for the Lakers, paying luxury tax is normal.
At this point, the Lakers have also made up the 15-man roster next season, namely Zhang Guan, Kobe, Gasol, Nick Young, Batesmore, Whiteside, Ci Shiping, Johnson, Carter, Marion, Thomas, Rodney Hood, Jokic, O'Neal and Humphries.