Looks like Thompson is going to get 5 yrs, 80 million from the Cavs as well.  They will have 4 max players and Varejao at basically half max.

Draymond Green and the Warriors have reached an impasse and broken off talks.

Two biggest dominoes are DeAndre Jordan (Mavs or Clippers) and LaMarcus Aldridge (Suns, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Rockets(?))

The contracts for Aminu, Middleton, and Carroll seem absurd, but everything has to be put into a lens of a huge salary cap jump two years from now.

Kyle Singler sucks, and the Thunder gave him a 5 year deal. It's a matter of time until Enes Kanter gets huge offers from teams that struck out on the elite players.

Paul Pierce to the Clippers is interesting, but if they lose DeAndre Jordan that team is going to drop a notch.

Celtics gave Amir Johnson 12 million a year for 2 years though the last year is non-guaranteed.  Crazy.  12 million dollars for Amir Johnson.

Knicks sign Afflalo for 2 years, 16 million.  Probably the most reasonable contract aside from the young max guys I've seen.  Good signing for the Knicks.  If they end up with Monroe, it will be a decent off season for them.

Monroe to Bucks.  They have a nice little team building there

Monroe, Henson, Parker, Middleton, MCW, Giannis, Mayo, Pachulia, Ennis, Plumlee, Dudley

Dwyane Wade re-signs for 1 year $20M
Monta Ellis goes to the Pacers, 4 years $44M
Wesley Matthews to Mavericks, 4 years money to be determined later
Ed Davis to Blazers, 3 years $20M
Aron Baynes, to Pistons 3 years $20M
Thomas Robinson/Shane Larkin minimum-ish contracts to Nets

I don't understand the Monta Ellis fit. Pacers have had a defensive identity and Ellis is terrible at defense. They also don't have a PF with David West not coming back.

Wesley Matthews is huge question mark as players coming back successfully from achilles injuries is almost non-existent.




Sacramento Kings made a horrific trade with the 76ers. Salary dump that cost them a 1st rounder and 2 1st round swaps, and players are declining the Kings higher offers to take less money elsewhere.

LaMarcus Aldridge goes to Spurs. The rich get richer.

No one wants to be a Laker. All the fan boys on this site and elsewhere were sure that worthwhile free agents would flock to the Lakers because of their history and tradition and blah blah blah. Their biggest get is Roy Hibbert in a salary dump by the Pacers.

Posted by stinenavy on 7/5/2015 1:16:00 PM (view original):
LaMarcus Aldridge goes to Spurs. The rich get richer.

No one wants to be a Laker. All the fan boys on this site and elsewhere were sure that worthwhile free agents would flock to the Lakers because of their history and tradition and blah blah blah. Their biggest get is Roy Hibbert in a salary dump by the Pacers.

Bash the Lakers all you want. Better do it now, while you can though, because you know after Kobe's gone, LA WILL be attracting FAs. Add a couple guys to Russell, Clarkson and Randle, and that's not a bad team. Add-in possibly the biggest bargain of this FA class so far, in Lou Williams, and that's a decent team. I'd say it makes more sense to bash teams who are greatly overpaying players (see entire above list) than it does to bash the Lakers.

Cavs and Nets talking a Joe Johnson swap for the Haywood contract and probably Varejao. Makes a lot of sense for the Cavs and would save the Nets a ton of money. If Varejao is leaving it also makes the David West rumor a lot more plausible. Probably means the end of JR Smith as a Cav.

Posted by all3 on 7/5/2015 5:12:00 PM (view original):

Posted by stinenavy on 7/5/2015 1:16:00 PM (view original):
LaMarcus Aldridge goes to Spurs. The rich get richer.

No one wants to be a Laker. All the fan boys on this site and elsewhere were sure that worthwhile free agents would flock to the Lakers because of their history and tradition and blah blah blah. Their biggest get is Roy Hibbert in a salary dump by the Pacers.

Bash the Lakers all you want. Better do it now, while you can though, because you know after Kobe's gone, LA WILL be attracting FAs. Add a couple guys to Russell, Clarkson and Randle, and that's not a bad team. Add-in possibly the biggest bargain of this FA class so far, in Lou Williams, and that's a decent team. I'd say it makes more sense to bash teams who are greatly overpaying players (see entire above list) than it does to bash the Lakers.

We know after Kobe is gone that the Lakers will attract players. How exactly do we know that? The Lakers have basically signed one major free agent in their entire history and have consistently struck out especially recently. And you can blame Kobe all you want, but it isn't Kobe, it is because the Lakers front office is a mess and the team doesn't have enough real talent.

The new age of the NBA free agent is all about winning. The teams that are signing the stars are the ones that are most set up to win. I mean Greg Monroe choose Milwaukee over both the Lakers and Knicks for that exact reason.

And Clarkson, come on, he is a role player. Randle is coming off a broken leg in his first game and Russell has yet to play in the league. They both may be stars, the both could flame out, or anywhere in between. Lou Williams is a bench player/spot starter type player (which reflects his salary). Hibbert is slow as crap and a terrible offensive player. I do like the rumored Bass signing. That is a quality underrated player who is actually a good fit next to Hibbert. The Lakers aren't going to make the playoffs this year and they owe their pick to the Sixers so next years draft won't help them either. They won't be terrible like they were last year, but they are a very long way away from title contender.

So now the Lakers need Kobe to leave, and then they'll get stars to sign with them. Keep moving those goalposts all3.

If Cavs trade for Joe Johnson they are going to end up paying a ridiculous amount in luxury tax payments. I get that Gilbert is going to pay regardless, but everyone has a limit.

Where did I say Hibbert and "the kids" would make the Lakers contenders? Where did I say the kids were more than "not bad", even with FAs added? Never. Heell, even with Williams (who's on-court performance dwarfs many guys signed for much more $ per season) and Bass added, they will probably miss the Playoffs. Again, bash away all you want, but don't twist my words to do it. I was obviously wrong about guys wanted to play with Kobe. I'll admit that. Today's spoiled players want no part of somebody who will try to drive them and call them out when they deserve it. That, combined with his salary and his style of play (dominating the ball) absolutely has a ton to do with guys not signing with the Lakers. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. Keep enjoying the Lakers down-time while you can, because I know I'm still enjoying the 60 years of banners and almost 50 years of winning memories.

Oh yes it is the spoiled players of today that don't want to play with Kobe.  It can't be that Kobe sucks and the Lakers front office is a total disaster.  Or that there is just no real talent on the team (Randle and Russell aside who MIGHT be good players SOMEDAY).  Nope it is all about spoiled players not wanting to play with Kobe.  Give me a break.

Now don't get me wrong Kobe is a complete and total ******* and I get why players might not like playing with him, but it has nothing to do with being spoiled.  I mean is Pau Gasol a spoiled player of today.  He couldn't stand playing with Kobe, not because he is spoiled, but because Kobe is just a dick and is no longer a talented dick so you can't overlook the dickdom.

But here is the thing.  Kobe has 1 year left.  No one rejected the Lakers this summer because of Kobe because Kobe isn't going to be there past this season.  They rejected the Lakers because the Lakers have limited talented, no vision or plan, and are a complete and utter wreck in management and coaching.