Time to Grab Okafor?

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I really like Okafor + #10 for little to nothing in theory .. but man, talk about a numbers crunch that would create. Something will have to give.

Generally speaking, top 10 picks play. You're now looking at a roster where you have some sort of depth chart that looks like this

Evans/Thomas
Thornton/Jimmer
Salmons/Cisco/Honeycutt/Outlaw
Cousins/Hayes
Okafor/Thompson/Whiteside

This is MY personal ideal depth chart. I don't want Evans at SF anymore. I also don't want any of our SF's at SF anymore. So under this scenario we are hopefully either drafting an SF at #5 or #10 or signing one during free agency. This is also assuming we keep JT and let Donte go. This is ALSO assuming we let Terrence Williams go, which is something I don't want to do... where do all of these middling type player fit? No one will take them, we can only legally amnesty one of them (and I doubt the Maloofs do that) ... I just don't know. I love getting talent. I love the idea of adding two potential rotation players for nothing, but Okafor is a massive cap hit plus the minutes crunch this creates.

I think another shoe would have to drop .. I just have no idea what other shoe is actually realistic. I'd like to revisit the Lowry idea after this move, but that becomes hard because we ALSO would need to move at least two guards out, and Houston has guards already. Unless the lose out on Dragic too .. then we could deal them Thomas and Jimmer? that would at least open up some minutes.

Would Thornton and Jimmer get us Iggy? is that even a worthwhile trade?

It would be nice to get Okafor and Gay, but we wouldn't have the cap room or owner money to pull off both of those deals.

It's a nice talent get .. but it does make things a lot more confusing around here.

 

[Mass]

I agree with MassachussetsKingsFan, and if the Hornets are willing to dump Okafor's contract for pretty much nothing, this is what I'd do:

1) Trade Cisco for Okafor + #10 - He is an expiring, so the Hornets should accept it
2) Draft Drummond with #5 - Now we can afford to let him develop, we don't need him to produce from the beginning
3) Draft Terrence Jones with #10 - Assuming he is still available
4) Resign JT and T-Will
5) This would be our team:

Evans - Thornton - Jones - Okafor - Cousins
Thomas - Salmons - Williams - Thompson - Drummond
Fredette - Outlaw - Hayes - Whiteside - Honeycutt

Then, we send Tyler to the D-League for the season, and we might try to trade Hayes for a second round pick (maybe the Wolves are interested). In any case, this looks like much better team, with different options in every position. Fredette would sit on the bench until he shows he can contribute, same thing for Whiteside.

Realistically though, I believe that if we get Okafor, we will let JT walk.

 

[rainmaker]

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
Draft buzz: Hearing that teams calling Hornets being told that it'll take more to get No. 10 pick than taking on Ariza or Okafor contract

As I suspect, more than a straight salary dump. Will take something of value. But we'll see, just speculation at this point.

 

[The_Jamal]

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
Draft buzz: Hearing that teams calling Hornets being told that it'll take more to get No. 10 pick than taking on Ariza or Okafor contract

As I suspect, more than a straight salary dump. Will take something of value. But we'll see, just speculation at this point.

Perhaps something along the lines of:

IT+Cisco+36 for Okafor+10. They get an expiring contract, a young, talented cheap PG and another prospect to build around. As everyone's said though. it's a matter of if the Maloofs will pony up the money to pay for 2 top 10 picks and Okafor

 

[bajaden]

No we had a lot of salary cap left but what we did was just sneak above the bare minimum allowed which was 80% of the cap. Next season that number rises to 85% of the cap. We could take on Okafor's contract without sending anything the other way if it were allowed.

There is just a wee bit of a problem. We would have to relinquish our rights to JT in order to free up enough cap space to absorb Okafor's salary. Which means, that basicly were kissing JT goodbye, and thats fine if thats what you want to do. Right now, JT is a restricted freeagent, which means a caphold of somewhere between 7 to 9 mil. If we relinquish our rights to JT, we'd have around 14 mil under the cap, which would be enough to absorb Okafor's salary.

 

[Bricklayer]

There is just a wee bit of a problem. We would have to relinquish our rights to JT in order to free up enough cap space to absorb Okafor's salary. Which means, that basicly were kissing JT goodbye, and thats fine if thats what you want to do. Right now, JT is a restricted freeagent, which means a caphold of somewhere between 7 to 9 mil. If we relinquish our rights to JT, we'd have around 14 mil under the cap, which would be enough to absorb Okafor's salary.

Is that right? I don't say that knowing for sure its wrong, just that I was using hoopshype's salary charts here:


http://hoopshype.com/salaries/sacramento.htm

where we currently are listed at $40.2mil in salary, and that's with qualifying offers to JT and Donte built in. Salary cap was $58mil this past year, giving us 18mil of room. Even if JT's qualifying offer is increased to a $7 or $8mil caphold (and thus us at $43-$44mil), we would still have room if those numbers are right. And even at $9mil we could just renounce Donte, if we haven't already. Is there a different site with different numbers for us?

 

[Uncia03]

Is that right? I don't say that knowing for sure its wrong, just that I was using hoopshype's salary charts here:


http://hoopshype.com/salaries/sacramento.htm

where we currently are listed at $40.2mil in salary, and that's with qualifying offers to JT and Donte built in. Salary cap was $58mil this past year, giving us 18mil of room. Even if JT's qualifying offer is increased to a $7 or $8mil caphold (and thus us at $43-$44mil), we would still have room if those numbers are right. And even at $9mil we could just renounce Donte, if we haven't already. Is there a different site with different numbers for us?

I think this was an issue a month or so back when Bajaden put up some numbers. It actually appears that HoopsHype isn't properly adding up the salaries and is definitely not including JT & Donte's QOs in their total number. (If you add up the salaries they are above 40.2m even before JT & Donte)
And as you mentioned the cap hold for both those players is going to be greater than the QO.

I think that we would probably have to relinquish the rights to JT if we brought in Okafor...but the assumption would have to be that we would not be keeping JT anyway, if we took on Okafor's contract.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think that we would probably have to relinquish the rights to JT if we brought in Okafor...but the assumption would have to be that we would not be keeping JT anyway, if we took on Okafor's contract.

Not my assumption, although with two picks there if we got a PF we thoguht could make it that would turn the corner for me.

Ok then on the salary. We could still make it work by including just anyone the other way though 40.2 + JT at 8 = 48.2mil = 10mil caproom, so id we sent $4mil or 4 we'd be safe. And JT ain't going to actually cost $8 in the end.

Still all predicated on financial solvence though, hence likely no go at all.

 

[HndsmCelt]

IF taking on Okafor's salary does not stop the team from picking up another FA I say shure grab him, this is could be a win for everybody. Oakafor wants and needs a second chance to show his ability to help a team win with out the pressure to be the be number one on the team and if Sacramento has been nothing else it has been the land of second chances for many players. But there is a big if attached, the team needs to fill the hole at small forward and deal with the logjam/mess at the 1 and 2.

 

[ParniValjak]

IF taking on Okafor's salary does not stop the team from picking up another FA I say shure grab him, this is could be a win for everybody. Oakafor wants and needs a second chance to show his ability to help a team win with out the pressure to be the be number one on the team and if Sacramento has been nothing else it has been the land of second chances for many players. But there is a big if attached, the team needs to fill the hole at small forward and deal with the logjam/mess at the 1 and 2.

I think a SF need could be addressed via draft or by trading a valuable backcourt piece. It doesn't have to be a FA signing.

In ideal world we would sign Batum in the free agency and trade Thornton for that young, defensive, rebounding, shot blocking piece at PF/C. However, its not going to be that easy to be honest. We don't have owners who are willing to spend and once you are not able to spend the money to get better, and you have a mess of a roster like we do, it becomes extremely difficult to get there. The Okafor idea is just not going to happen for us because that is a lot of money for our owners to give up.

Our most tradeable assets are Thornton and pick 5 so we need to find a way get the most bang for our buck with those 2 pieces which will also be hard because of the types of players available at 5 and which SF or a PF/C would be available for Thornton. That's the answer we don't know.

And this is before we get to the question whether or not we are willing to pay market rate to keep Thompson.

I still think the best we could possibly hope for when it comes to getting a shotblocker is a Hayes for Dalembert trade. Houston might still be interested (unlikely but worth a shot). It would be great for us because we shed that terrible contract (Hayes) and get a shot blocker whose contract is not even fully guaranteed for next season.

This time last year we were in the best position possible to make our move and becomes a play off team. 12 months later we have made it into a mess and undid years of good work in one off-season.

 

[Glenn]

IF taking on Okafor's salary does not stop the team from picking up another FA I say shure grab him, this is could be a win for everybody. Oakafor wants and needs a second chance to show his ability to help a team win with out the pressure to be the be number one on the team and if Sacramento has been nothing else it has been the land of second chances for many players. But there is a big if attached, the team needs to fill the hole at small forward and deal with the logjam/mess at the 1 and 2.

We shouldn't even be thinking of signing FAs. The last good one to come here was Vlade.While most teams get better through the standard 3 methods of trade, draft, and free agency, we need to forget FAs. Hell, even fans get all concerned abour overspending so not even the some of the fans support improving through free agency.

 

[Bricklayer]

So much for that:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/221612/Wizards_Trade_Lewis_For_Okafor_Ariza

Given the non-price, tells you everything you need to know about our interest/willingness to absorb those salaries.

 

[Bballkingsrock]

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Kingster]

So much for that:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/221612/Wizards_Trade_Lewis_For_Okafor_Ariza

Given the non-price, tells you everything you need to know about our interest/willingness to absorb those salaries.

It certainly is a "tell" about where the Kings org stands. Also, it reduces the likelihood of MKG going to the Wizards, imo.

 

[Uncia03]

So much for that:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/221612/Wizards_Trade_Lewis_For_Okafor_Ariza

Given the non-price, tells you everything you need to know about our interest/willingness to absorb those salaries.

Yep.

Looks like we could have easily beaten that trade just by using our 2nd Rnd pick, if we were willing to absorb the salary.

Definitely calls into question the Owner's resolve to truly pull the team out of the mess its in.

We'll obviously have a much better picture by the time the draft and early season trading frenzy is finished, but I'm trying hard to not get my hopes up too high.

 

[Glenn]

Yep.

Looks like we could have easily beaten that trade just by using our 2nd Rnd pick, if we were willing to absorb the salary.

Definitely calls into question the Owner's resolve to truly pull the team out of the mess its in.

We'll obviously have a much better picture by the time the draft and early season trading frenzy is finished, but I'm trying hard to not get my hopes up too high.

Our owners seem primarily interested in saving money. Even the fans have bought into this mind set. How many "trade down" scenarios incude getting a less skilled basketball player because it gives us the possiblity of getting rid of a bad contract? That's absurd. We should be trying to get skilled basketball players. This is no fun and maybe I'll take up stamp collecting for my primary entertainment.

 

[bajaden]

One positive! It enhances our chance of landing MGK. However, if you take a closer look at the deal, its possible we couldn't have done it anyway. We're around 14 mil under the cap. Okafor and Ariza's combined salaries add up to close to 20.8 mil. The Wizards were able to send back almost an equal amount of salary with Lewis who is destined to make 22.7 mil next season. The trick of course is that Lewis has an expiring contract, which will give the Hornets cap relief after next season.

We, unfortunately don't have any expiring contracts, and if the Hornets weren't willing to take back some salary in return because of that, we dont' have the space to absorb both those contracts. And assuming we found a way, it would automaticly mean that JT is history. Now maybe we could have gone after just one of the two, but the other team has to be willing to make the deal, and since they already had a bird in hand, why not just do the deal you have. My point is, sometimes its not that simple. And, sometimes the best deal you make, is the one you don't make. I guess we'll find out.

 

[bajaden]

Our owners seem primarily interested in saving money. Even the fans have bought into this mind set. How many "trade down" scenarios incude getting a less skilled basketball player because it gives us the possiblity of getting rid of a bad contract? That's absurd. We should be trying to get skilled basketball players. This is no fun and maybe I'll take up stamp collecting for my primary entertainment.

Not saying you, or anyone of like mind is wrong. But maybe we should wait and see what the results are after the draft, and freeagency, before being critical of what no one has done yet. I'm probably not feeling much more positive about things than you are, but I'm willing to wait before launching my missles.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Looks like we could have easily beaten that trade just by using our 2nd Rnd pick, if we were willing to absorb the salary.

Definitely calls into question the Owner's resolve to truly pull the team out of the mess its in.

Far be it from me to defend our terrible, broke, sandbagging, please-sell-the-team-now owners, but that Okafor salary is looking pretty hefty right about now. Sometimes before it even comes down to a question of what you are willing to pay, things already butt up against the wall of what the salary cap and future constraints allow you to pay and whether the contract is worth it in the first place.

Okafor for the second rounder would have bumped us over the salary cap already, effectively precluding us from going after other free agents. Is Okafor good enough to justify not only paying him $14M a year for two years but also to take the team out of the free agent market for that time period? I kinda don't think so at this point.

 

[Bricklayer]

Also, it reduces the likelihood of MKG going to the Wizards, imo.

There's the silver lining. Perhaps we were jsut being incredibly saavy, and manipulating the draft through Machiavellian means, allowing teams ahead of us in the draft to snag the shotblockers and SFs we need so that they won't draft the guys like that in the draft.