Buddy and Bogdan’s extension?

[ockingsfan]

Buddy's best opportunity to shine is with the Kings. If he gets traded to another team, there is no guarantee that he will be a 20ppg scorer again. The Kings offense was built around him last year and I suspect Walton will have a similar run and gun get the 3 up mentality.

If he gets traded to a team that doesn't run like the Kings, his average could dip into the 14-16ppg area, since he doesn't get to the line. Having only one good season (i.e over 20ppg avg) and being 28 years old come early next season, he may be shooting himself in the foot if he doesn't take a compromise at 4 years $100 million contract by Monday.

With the salary cap likely to go down from initial projections, because of the China PR disaster, teams will be limited in their over indulgence of borderline higher level (non-All NBA) type talent.

Buddy and the Kings should just do the right thing and just meet in the middle and get the 4 year/$100 million contract done by Monday's deadline. I suspect that any such deal would occur on Monday, right before the deadline.

 

[fansinceday1]

Seems like buddy is feeling himself a bit too much right now. I hope vlade doesn’t panic and offers him too much. Let him hit the market. He might need to learn a WCS type lesson.

 

[kingsfan1984]

Is there a way to see how well Hield scores in the 4th or toward the ends of games when the defense tightens up? Or even in just the halfcourt?

To me, this is the best indicator or how he stacks up with the real all stars in the league and where he should fall on the pay scale, not his inflated ppg in the kings uptempo offense that got him more attempts and more opportunities when the defenses are not set and locked in.

I recall a lot more fails with buddy down the atretch than successes. There is a reason the ball has to get into Fox or Bagleys hands down the stretch when the "boys get seperated from the men" so to speak. Barnes is even a superior option down the stretch

 

[kingsfan1984]

He might need to learn a WCS type lesson.

Speaking of which, what happened to the guy that was loudly saying everyone who thought WCS would get anything less than 15mil a year were fools?

 

[hrdboild]

Buddy just saw us give a 4 yr/$85 million contract to Harrison Barnes who projects as maybe our 4th or 5th best player? So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's not going to take 4yrs/$90 million. If you allow that Buddy is worth $5 million a year more than Barnes as our leading scorer, that pushes the deal up to 4yrs/$105 million which is only $5 million total below his reported asking price. That's a fair price based on a contract we already signed three months ago. Sure we could haggle over $5 million and pat ourselves on the back if he caves but we're talking about a nine figure contract here. What's another $5 million at that point? Just give him the $110 million and everyone's happy.

Here's the thing,... Buddy is undoubtedly a franchise player on this team. Buddy and De'Aaron are the team. That's why we picked Bagley and traded for (and subsequently extended) Barnes. These are guys that work next to Fox and Hield. We're not just going to luck into another shooter who takes 8 threes a game and makes 43 percent of them. There's only one other player in the league who's done that and he's not leaving the Bay. If you believe in this team than you have to give Buddy what he wants and furthermore, if you believe in this team as presently constructed than he's worth it. And Fox is going to get a max extension and probably Bagley too.

I've been saying this for a couple years now... if we throw crazy money around on roster filler because our core players are all on rookie scale contracts than we're going to have serious problems when it comes time to extend them all. Now it's gut check time. The question is how much do we believe in these guys. That's what Buddy is saying here. If you're going to tell me I'm the next Steph Curry and I perform for you, you've got to live up to your end of the bargain. The question here is how much we believe. Willie was the first pick of the Vlade era and he already let him go because he wasn't irreplaceable. But when we start talking about Fox and Buddy... don't get cute. Yes the market rates for front-line players are unfathomable now. Tough luck. Bajaden mentioned the Wizards and that's one cautionary tale we need to be wary of. They made Wall and Beal their foundational pieces, lost in the Conference Semis every year, and capped themselves out keeping Otto Porter to the point where they had no ability to get better. The other cautionary tale is OKC who acquired an unprecedented quantity of elite talent and then slowly penny-pinched their way out of all of it. I don't want us to be the Wizards but I really don't want us to be OKC.

And another thing, if (when) we do pay these guys, the fans don't get to boo them when they have a bad game. Yes we love underdogs here and guys who outperform modest expectations. It's why the bench crew are usually the fan favorites. But those bench guys aren't leading the team into the playoffs. There seems to be a corresponding expectation that players who earn a big contract somehow owe us peak performance at all times from that point forward. I've seen the fans turn on basically every star we've ever had and it makes my stomach turn a little every time it happens. If you watch professional sports regularly you already know how much money these players make. As a primarily working-class town this creates cognitive dissonance and that engenders jealousy and resentment. Players don't have to deal with that in large markets because the fans in LA and New York want the best players money can buy and don't care that they get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. All I'm saying here is be careful what you wish for. We don't need to be spoiled/entitled Lakers fans but I hope we can at least appreciate a kid from The Bahamas who has ascended to the top level of his sport and is happy and grateful to play with our city across his chest. It's not disrespectful to demand what you're worth.

 

[VF21]

Per SacBee article:

Hield, 26, isn’t demanding a max contract extension, but he told The Bee $100 million over four years would not be enough. League sources told Yahoo! Sports Hield and his agent, Brandon Rosenthal, are seeking a deal closer to $110 million. Hield said he was not confident the two sides could come to terms before the deadline and indicated for the first time he might seek a way out of Sacramento if that doesn’t happen.

Really Buddy? 100m not enough? You gonna look elsewhere? Demand a trade? WTF? You are not AD

You gonna raise your value off the Bench? Promote Bogi to Starter, Match both Bogi and Buddy in RFA, then trade one of them who doesnt want to be here. Maybe we can be the next Pelicans , tank this year, get #1 Draft Pick, Trade Buddy for 3 Young promising players and draft Picks, Oh Yeah that wont work Buddy is not AD

I am so sick of players demanding what they want, If you really love sacramento and our Team - Prove it

Negotiate in private, come up with a number, shut up to the press, and be part of the solution and stop trying to threaten your Team

I would "like" this post 100 times if I could.

Off the top of my head, I don't remember Buddy being the blazing-hot game-changing superstar he seems to think he is. Is he a good shooter? Yep. Is he Steph Curry or Peja Stojakovic? Hell no. In my mind, he's not even Bobby Jackson.

If you don't want to be here, Buddy, there's the door. Maybe you and Bonzi can get together at some point and talk about how to ruin a career.

I know a lot of this is posturing, but if Buddy is taking cues from his agent, he needs a new agent.

 

[burekijogurt]

This was part of his statement: "I love playing here. I want to be here. This is my home. I’m trying to buy a house here, but everything is on stall mode because I don’t know if they’ll really (ready to) commit to me.”

He wants to be here, he's just mad the Kings low balled him. He was a 20ppg scorer last year and shot 43% from 3, the 7th best mark in the league last year and they offered him Danilo Gallinari money. A deal will get done and Hield will be here long term. We absolutely need an elite shooter next to Fox and Hield is as elite as they come. This will all be forgotten soon.

Gallinary also was a 20ppg last year and shot 43% from 3. Not comparing Buddy to Gallinari just thought that was interesting.

 

[kingsfan1984]

And for the sake of old Pete, find a back door way to make buddy happy i.e. set him up with some advertising deal or funnel him money thru a shell corp. Hell he is from the Bahamas, shell companys are what that island is known for.

Let him buy a multi million dollar artwork at some dudes yard sale for a few pennies. Purchases him a yatch from Dubai etc. Buddy can suddenly take an interest in a gold mine and miraculously stumble upon some giant nuggets.

Buddy could own the most successful laundry mat in the world

Kings could make a massive donation to the Bahamas with a good portion finding its way into Buddy's family's hands

Can probably do a lot with bitcoin these days

Teams already do this. The lakers have gotten a number of players Hollywood deals..."ever want to be an ice escapade buddy?"

Get creative vlade. This is the new normal

 

[The_Jamal]

Buddy just saw us give a 4 yr/$85 million contract to Harrison Barnes who projects as maybe our 4th or 5th best player? So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's not going to take 4yrs/$90 million. If you allow that Buddy is worth $5 million a year more than Barnes as our leading scorer, that pushes the deal up to 4yrs/$105 million which is only $5 million total below his reported asking price. That's a fair price based on a contract we already signed three months ago. Sure we could haggle over $5 million and pat ourselves on the back if he caves but we're talking about a nine figure contract here. What's another $5 million at that point? Just give him the $110 million and everyone's happy.

Here's the thing,... Buddy is undoubtedly a franchise player on this team. Buddy and De'Aaron are the team. That's why we picked Bagley and traded for (and subsequently extended) Barnes. These are guys that work next to Fox and Hield. We're not just going to luck into another shooter who takes 8 threes a game and makes 43 percent of them. There's only one other player in the league who's done that and he's not leaving the Bay. If you believe in this team than you have to give Buddy what he wants and furthermore, if you believe in this team as presently constructed than he's worth it. And Fox is going to get a max extension and probably Bagley too.

I've been saying this for a couple years now... if we throw crazy money around on roster filler because our core players are all on rookie scale contracts than we're going to have serious problems when it comes time to extend them all. Now it's gut check time. The question is how much do we believe in these guys. That's what Buddy is saying here. If you're going to tell me I'm the next Steph Curry and I perform for you, you've got to live up to your end of the bargain. The question here is how much we believe. Willie was the first pick of the Vlade era and he already let him go because he wasn't irreplaceable. But when we start talking about Fox and Buddy... don't get cute. Yes the market rates for front-line players are unfathomable now. Tough luck. Bajaden mentioned the Wizards and that's one cautionary tale we need to be wary of. They made Wall and Beal their foundational pieces, lost in the Conference Semis every year, and capped themselves out keeping Otto Porter to the point where they had no ability to get better. The other cautionary tale is OKC who acquired an unprecedented quantity of elite talent and then slowly penny-pinched their way out of all of it. I don't want us to be the Wizards but I really don't want us to be OKC.

And another thing, if (when) we do pay these guys, the fans don't get to boo them when they have a bad game. Yes we love underdogs here and guys who outperform modest expectations. It's why the bench crew are usually the fan favorites. But those bench guys aren't leading the team into the playoffs. There seems to be a corresponding expectation that players who earn a big contract somehow owe us peak performance at all times from that point forward. I've seen the fans turn on basically every star we've ever had and it makes my stomach turn a little every time it happens. If you watch professional sports regularly you already know how much money these players make. As a primarily working-class town this creates cognitive dissonance and that engenders jealousy and resentment. Players don't have to deal with that in large markets because the fans in LA and New York want the best players money can buy and don't care that they get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. All I'm saying here is be careful what you wish for. We don't need to be spoiled/entitled Lakers fans but I hope we can at least appreciate a kid from The Bahamas who has ascended to the top level of his sport and is happy and grateful to play with our city across his chest. It's not disrespectful to demand what you're worth.

Absolutely all of this. The Buddy slander is already out in full force in this thread and it's frankly disappointing. He's not even Bobby Jackson? Give me a break. The "shut up, work and take what we give you" attitude of some in this thread is pathetic and people should ask themselves if they'd be willing to do that in their own lives at their own jobs.

It doesn't matter what level or pay-scale a person is at, you should always fight for what your worth/value is at your job. Just because we're dealing with millions of dollars here, doesn't make it any less right for Buddy to fight for what might be his only big money contract to set himself and his family up for life. We've seen it first-hand with several former Kings (IT, Boogie), that the huge guaranteed contract that was on its way can disappear in an instant.

 

[kingsfan1984]

Buddy to fight for what might be his only big money contract to set himself and his family up for life. We've seen it first-hand with several former Kings (IT, Boogie), that the huge guaranteed contract that was on its way can disappear in an instant.

Right, which is why buddy is taking a really big role of the dice if he turns down the 90 mil.

Kings should troll him with clips of IT and cousin injuries

 

[Jkbiker]

So if Kings are at 90Mil and Buddy is at 110Mil , who made the last move?

Kings need to offer 95m, Buddy needs to lower to 105, Kings need to offer 98, Buddy needs to lower to 102
Kings need to offer 100, Buddy needs to agree to split the difference at 101.

That is how you negotiate!

Buddy telling press that 100m is not enough is STUPID! You just killed all progress!!

 

[OptimusRhyme]

what a biatch for going to the press like that. Major vibe killer.

100 million dollars to do what you absolutely love in life in front of people that absolutely love watching you do it. And hes insulted?
First world problems i guess.

 

[itzcoatl]

Buddy just saw us give a 4 yr/$85 million contract to Harrison Barnes who projects as maybe our 4th or 5th best player? So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's not going to take 4yrs/$90 million. If you allow that Buddy is worth $5 million a year more than Barnes as our leading scorer, that pushes the deal up to 4yrs/$105 million which is only $5 million total below his reported asking price. That's a fair price based on a contract we already signed three months ago. Sure we could haggle over $5 million and pat ourselves on the back if he caves but we're talking about a nine figure contract here. What's another $5 million at that point? Just give him the $110 million and everyone's happy.

Here's the thing,... Buddy is undoubtedly a franchise player on this team. Buddy and De'Aaron are the team. That's why we picked Bagley and traded for (and subsequently extended) Barnes. These are guys that work next to Fox and Hield. We're not just going to luck into another shooter who takes 8 threes a game and makes 43 percent of them. There's only one other player in the league who's done that and he's not leaving the Bay. If you believe in this team than you have to give Buddy what he wants and furthermore, if you believe in this team as presently constructed than he's worth it. And Fox is going to get a max extension and probably Bagley too.

I've been saying this for a couple years now... if we throw crazy money around on roster filler because our core players are all on rookie scale contracts than we're going to have serious problems when it comes time to extend them all. Now it's gut check time. The question is how much do we believe in these guys. That's what Buddy is saying here. If you're going to tell me I'm the next Steph Curry and I perform for you, you've got to live up to your end of the bargain. The question here is how much we believe. Willie was the first pick of the Vlade era and he already let him go because he wasn't irreplaceable. But when we start talking about Fox and Buddy... don't get cute. Yes the market rates for front-line players are unfathomable now. Tough luck. Bajaden mentioned the Wizards and that's one cautionary tale we need to be wary of. They made Wall and Beal their foundational pieces, lost in the Conference Semis every year, and capped themselves out keeping Otto Porter to the point where they had no ability to get better. The other cautionary tale is OKC who acquired an unprecedented quantity of elite talent and then slowly penny-pinched their way out of all of it. I don't want us to be the Wizards but I really don't want us to be OKC.

And another thing, if (when) we do pay these guys, the fans don't get to boo them when they have a bad game. Yes we love underdogs here and guys who outperform modest expectations. It's why the bench crew are usually the fan favorites. But those bench guys aren't leading the team into the playoffs. There seems to be a corresponding expectation that players who earn a big contract somehow owe us peak performance at all times from that point forward. I've seen the fans turn on basically every star we've ever had and it makes my stomach turn a little every time it happens. If you watch professional sports regularly you already know how much money these players make. As a primarily working-class town this creates cognitive dissonance and that engenders jealousy and resentment. Players don't have to deal with that in large markets because the fans in LA and New York want the best players money can buy and don't care that they get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. All I'm saying here is be careful what you wish for. We don't need to be spoiled/entitled Lakers fans but I hope we can at least appreciate a kid from The Bahamas who has ascended to the top level of his sport and is happy and grateful to play with our city across his chest. It's not disrespectful to demand what you're worth.

most if not all of the roster filler will expire by the time fox and Bagley are up for extensions. That’s not the issue.
The issue is that buddy, as a nearly 28 yo player, who has had only one very good season, who will be a 3rd option thinks that the Kings should give in to his demands now. And because they didn’t, he thought it wise to disparage the city and team.
Buddy’s extension this year takes the risk of injury out from under him. The kings don’t need to extend him now. The extension is for his benefit. So he shouldn’t trash the city and team because they don’t value him at 25-30 million per season based on the one very good year.

 

[Cojc]

This to me is different from the WCS fiasco as Buddy is worth a lot more than Willie ever thought he was.
Rudy was a pretty decent scorer also and we moved him. We waited too long to trade Cousins so move Buddy now before it gets worse.

We are building a team and finally have players that are worth something so let vlade shop him and let’s see what he is worth. I would think one of the teams that are really going to struggle this year just might give up a nice draft pick and a player for him.
Is it possible that drafting two shooting guards vlade and Company had a good inkling that something was amiss with signing one or both of our guards?

 

[kingdivac]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1184701093995040768

This is the "bling" mentality - there's never enough.

 

[Geoff]

This will not end well for Buddy if he keeps on in that vein. He's good, but he's not THAT good.

 

[Section 101]

This is the "bling" mentality - there's never enough.

Apparently, Carmello was supposed to join LBJ Wade and Bosh in Miami. But he took the money from NY instead. So yes Buddy, players take less to win championships. TD Parker and Ginobili did too.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

But we cannot sign him to a 5 year 120MM right now, correct?

Well, it would be foolish to sign Buddy to a five-year extension because that would mean either Fox or Bagley would not get one. That said, the 5-year extension has to start at 25% of the cap, so $120M would be too low.

 

[macadocious]

Well, it would be foolish to sign Buddy to a five-year extension because that would mean either Fox or Bagley would not get one. That said, the 5-year extension has to start at 25% of the cap, so $120M would be too low.

ok, so that was my original question. So we cannot sign him to a non max 5 year deal.

 

[hrdboild]

most if not all of the roster filler will expire by the time fox and Bagley are up for extensions. That’s not the issue.
The issue is that buddy, as a nearly 28 yo player, who has had only one very good season, who will be a 3rd option thinks that the Kings should give in to his demands now. And because they didn’t, he thought it wise to disparage the city and team.
Buddy’s extension this year takes the risk of injury out from under him. The kings don’t need to extend him now. The extension is for his benefit. So he shouldn’t trash the city and team because they don’t value him at 25-30 million per season based on the one very good year.

We have been fiscally responsible, which is why we're even in a position to make these offers. No argument about that. I'm just pointing out that this was an inevitability we've known was coming for a long time. To spend all season talking about how good our backcourt is and then get to the negotiating table and say "you're expendable" is going to be interpreted as an insult, and rightfully so. Buddy isn't our third option -- he was our leading scorer last year. And while Fox is essential to this team's offense and Bagley is poised to assume a much larger role, Buddy is probably still going to be our leading scorer this year. His shooting is the single most important element of the offense. Bogdanovic is coming off a FIBA World Cup performance for the ages so maybe he steps up as our primary shot maker he also struggled with his shooting for long stretches last season so I wouldn't confidently project that. Bottom line is we need Buddy more than he needs us. If you don't think that's true than trade him and see what happens but I really hope that isn't how this plays out.

 

[The Effort Police]

Absolutely all of this. The Buddy slander is already out in full force in this thread and it's frankly disappointing. He's not even Bobby Jackson? Give me a break. The "shut up, work and take what we give you" attitude of some in this thread is pathetic and people should ask themselves if they'd be willing to do that in their own lives at their own jobs.

It doesn't matter what level or pay-scale a person is at, you should always fight for what your worth/value is at your job. Just because we're dealing with millions of dollars here, doesn't make it any less right for Buddy to fight for what might be his only big money contract to set himself and his family up for life. We've seen it first-hand with several former Kings (IT, Boogie), that the huge guaranteed contract that was on its way can disappear in an instant.

In ITs case, it sorta shed light on the whole relationship between the organization and the players; tension is rising between the two after what the Celtics did.

Managing money and egos is part of the territory, and if we're not prepared to deal with this we can go back to the perennial loser. If they think some of the other talent on this team wouldn't do the same thing (Bagley, probably Fox too) when they're up for extensions, they're in for a rude awakening and we might as well jettison them off now.

These guys absolutely have egos, and if we're going to throw that away for culture or some crap, count me out.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

ok, so that was my original question. So we cannot sign him to a non max 5 year deal.

Well, technically Buddy's max is 30%, not 25%. But we can't sign him to an extension that is both five years and under 25%. If we wait until next summer, we can sign him to five years at lower total values as a free agent.

 

[Cojc]

I believe Bogdanovic waited so he could sign a good contract and not the rookie one and I can see his thinking now by waiting if he does.

Now if by chance Buddy is not around and with a healthy Bogdanovic he just may be in for a big payday next spring.

 

[VF21]

Absolutely all of this. The Buddy slander is already out in full force in this thread and it's frankly disappointing. He's not even Bobby Jackson? Give me a break. The "shut up, work and take what we give you" attitude of some in this thread is pathetic and people should ask themselves if they'd be willing to do that in their own lives at their own jobs.

It doesn't matter what level or pay-scale a person is at, you should always fight for what your worth/value is at your job. Just because we're dealing with millions of dollars here, doesn't make it any less right for Buddy to fight for what might be his only big money contract to set himself and his family up for life. We've seen it first-hand with several former Kings (IT, Boogie), that the huge guaranteed contract that was on its way can disappear in an instant.

Wow. Over-reaction much?

Know why I said he's not Bobby Jackson? It's really simple. Bobby was a sparkplug. He came in and made magic. He energized the team and the fans every time he stepped onto the court (hence his nickname "Energizer Bunny").

You're acting like they're offering him some paltry fee. They're not. They're in the $100 million range. If that cannot set his family up for life, I don't know what to say.

Slander? Frankly disappointing? Pathetic? Nope. It's Kings fans expressing their feelings over a player who is deciding to negotiate his contract in public. You know why they do that? To garner sympathy and try and force the issue. In this case, a lot of fans here on KF and elsewhere aren't buying into the scenario.

 

[SacTownKid]

The Kings seem to have their priorities wrong. They were busy splurging on the bells and whistles (Ariza) while trying to skimp on the necessities (Buddy).

You have to secure the foundation first and that starts with keeping Buddy. He is the most consistent player and the best offensive option on the team. It doesn't make any sense for the Kings to lowball him with a 4 year, 90 mil contract when they just handed out a 4 year, 85 mil contract to Barnes. If this is how they are undervaluing a core player, what chance do they have of retaining Fox or Bagley without a solid foundation? Further, a guy like Buddy, with his gravity, provides improved spacing for Fox and Bagley to be more efficient. The fit is there, the chemistry is there - why do you want to mess that up?

Way overpaying, even if on a short term deal for players like that and then balking when it's time to start throwing down some $$$ on your core is how rebuild scenarios get extinguished real quick. They already watched a top 7 pick walk out the door in Willie. Rightfully so but assets can't go to waste.

 

[VF21]

In ITs case, it sorta shed light on the whole relationship between the organization and the players; tension is rising between the two after what the Celtics did.

Managing money and egos is part of the territory, and if we're not prepared to deal with this we can go back to the perennial loser. If they think some of the other talent on this team wouldn't do the same thing (Bagley, probably Fox too) when they're up for extensions, they're in for a rude awakening and we might as well jettison them off now.

These guys absolutely have egos, and if we're going to throw that away for culture or some crap, count me out.

You have to admit, however, that in hindsight not meeting IT's demands was the right thing to do.

 

[VF21]

Way overpaying, even if on a short term deal for players like that and then balking when it's time to start throwing down some $$$ on your core is how rebuild scenarios get extinguished real quick. They already watched a top 7 pick walk out the door in Willie. Rightfully so but assets can't go to waste.

WCS may have been a top 7 pick on draft night but he certainly did nothing during his time here to justify/rationalize him being drafted that high. He was a sunk cost. If we weren't getting any decent offers for a possible trade, then the absolute right thing to do was just what we did...waive buh-bye.

 

[VF21]

most if not all of the roster filler will expire by the time fox and Bagley are up for extensions. That’s not the issue.
The issue is that buddy, as a nearly 28 yo player, who has had only one very good season, who will be a 3rd option thinks that the Kings should give in to his demands now. And because they didn’t, he thought it wise to disparage the city and team.
Buddy’s extension this year takes the risk of injury out from under him. The kings don’t need to extend him now. The extension is for his benefit. So he shouldn’t trash the city and team because they don’t value him at 25-30 million per season based on the one very good year.

EXACTLY. If he's as good as he thinks and we hope he is, then let him step up and prove it. Do such a good job that the Kings will reward him handsomely.

 

[kingsfan1984]

Way overpaying, even if on a short term deal for players like that and then balking when it's time to start throwing down some $$$ on your core is how rebuild scenarios get extinguished real quick. They already watched a top 7 pick walk out the door in Willie. Rightfully so but assets can't go to waste.

I think you have it backwards. Handing out big 9 figure deals like they are cheese burgers will derail a rebuild pretty quick

 

[SacTownKid]

if buddy gets the 27 mil a year. Fox and Bagley will be looking at 30-35 a year looking at 90 mil for 3 players

Welcome to the NBA. Your best players are going to get those contracts. My goodness, they just gave their 4th option 20 million plus a year. Either bite the bullet or start consolidating. They just went out and put all their eggs in the one basket by doling out the contracts they did this summer and by just kind of letting the draft whizz on by, they can't walk it back now. This is why saving some cap space would have been wise if they had any doubts. That would have been another trade asset to utilize in a worst case scenario. The loud ticking sound of their flexibility running out started prior to last season. This is why you can't waste time in a rebuild. They took the long view, now they pretty much have to see it through.