How many more years will LeBron James stay with the Heat?
Not two, not three, not four …
It might just be five. And a big part of the reason why was Miami’s acquisition of point guard Shabazz Napier in Thursday night’s draft, a move that James openly praised on Twitter just moments after the deal with Charlotte went down. If ever there was a case in which you needed to read between the lines, this was it.
And how is this for irony: Napier will be the only player on the Heat next season who is coming off a championship.
Much remains to be determined in regards to what the Heat will look like moving forward. But James had openly asked for upgrades to be made, and a key one has happened. Heat fans won’t have Mario Chalmers to kick around anymore, and Napier could be in the starting lineup alongside James, Dwyane Wade and …
Carmelo Anthony?
Kyle Lowry?
Pau Gasol?
Marcin Gortat?
This is where things start to get interesting. And where the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place in understanding Pat Riley’s master plan.
Remember back during the finals when reports surfaced that the Heat would be going after Anthony? At the time, the talk was of having a Big Four that would include James, Wade, Chris Bosh and Anthony. But putting together a roster with those four players would mean the Heat’s Big Three would all have to opt out of their contracts and sign deals that would cost each of them roughly $50 million over four years, as none would be able to sign anything close to a max contract.
Now that they’ve all opted out, we will soo learn the details of Riley’s master planLook, folks: Losing LeBron was a real possibility for the Heat.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were convinced they would have a legitimate shot at getting James to come back to Ohio, and they explored trading the No. 1 pick to Minnesota for Kevin Love as a way to entice James to return, believing a Big Three of Kyrie Irving, Love and James would be talented enough to compete for a championship immediately. The Dallas Mavericks got their payroll down to a level where they could make near-max offers to both James and Anthony; the Houston Rockets offloaded Omer Asik and were ready to do the same with Jeremy Lin in order to make a near-max offer to James or Anthony; and the Los Angeles Lakers were prepared to trade Steve Nash for nothing in order to clear everyone except Kobe Bryant off their cap, which would allow them to build their own Big Three.
But it now seems that James has been placated, and the Decision II will not have half the league and half of the world sitting on the edges of their sofas as they did four years ago.
When you have done enough to ensure that you will be keeping the best player on the planet, you are a winner.
And that is what makes Pat Riley the biggest winner of Draft Night 2014.
Other winners:
_ The Philadelphia 76ers.
Go ahead and ridicule them if you wish for taking another injured player, Joel Embiid, a year after they ridded themselves of the injured Andrew Bynum and drafted the injured Nerlens Noel. Some news for you: Injuries heal, and general manager Sam Hinkie was not only able to load up on talent with his super stash of second-round picks, but he also had the foresight to hijack Elfrid Payton with the No. 10 pick and then deal him to the Orlando Magic, who had been targeting him all along, in exchange for the No. 1 draft pick in 2017 (Philadelphia’s own) that the Sixers gave up along with Nikola Vucevic in the ill-fated deal to acquire Bynum two years ago, along with a No. 2 pick next season, giving Hinkie four second-rounders next June (the Sixers’ own, the Magic’s, the Pelicans’ and the Warriors’.) It will take some time for this team to mature, but Philly can have a starting five of Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, a shooting guard to be determined later, Embiid at center, Noel at power forward, and K.J. McDaniels/Jeremi Grant at small forward until Dario Saric arrives. And if the Sixers stink next season, it’ll only give them more chances to get Jahlil Okafor or another top member of the talent-laden 2015 draft class. Philly also picked up a pair of prospects out of Serbia — Vasilije Micic and Nemanja Dangubic.
Mark my words: The Sixers will win multiple championships before we close the book on the Sam Hinkie era.
_ New York Knicks.
For all the empty talk around the NBA about “changing the culture,” we finally have a guy who is being proactive about doing it before beginning his first full season as the guy in charge of the team. Think about what Phil Jackson just did: He turned the only one of New York’s three monster expiring contracts that had any value, Tyson Chandler, into Jose Calderon — who will be the best point guard to lead the Knicks in at least a decade — Shane Larkin, Cleanthony Early and the newer Greek Freak , Thanasis Antetokoumnpo. And he got rid of Raymond Felton in the process. He is stands at risk of losing Carmelo Anthony, but he still holds the trump card of being able to pay ‘Melo a boatload more money than anyone else can. And boatloads of money still count for something in the NBA. At Knicks headquarters Thursday night, I pressed Jackson on whether he still believes Anthony might take something less than the max, and to me he sounded like a guy who wouldn’t mind bidding farewell to ‘Melo if he doesn’t back up his words with his deeds. A year from now, when Andrea Bargnani and Amare Stoudemire both come off the cap, the money that Anthony turned down — if that is what happens — could be put to use as part of an evolving master plan. Yes, the Knicks might stink next season. But one year from now, they will have the most salary cap flexibility of any team in the NBA. When was the last time they could say that? (Answer: It was 1996, when they blew their cap space on Allan Houston and Chris Childs).
_ Chicago Bulls.
Doug McDermott led the NCAA in scoring last season. You find a guy who can shoot and score like he can, and you still have the flexibility to go into the summer with wooing Anthony and/or Pau Gasol and their ilk as part of your game-plan, and you’ve looking like a very, very solid candidate to become the biggest threat in the East to the Heat. And remember, if the Bulls strike out on the highest-paid free agents, they still can bring Nikola Mirotic over from Real Madrid. He’s only the best big man in Europe. So the Bulls may not be all that deep, but a starting five of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, McDermott, Taj Gibson/Mirotic and Joakim Noah is easily a 50-win starting five.
Honorable mention goes to the Denver Nuggets, who have Arron Afflalo back and were able to get Michigan’s State’s Gary Harris along with Eurocenter Jusuf Nurkic (nicely profiled here, along with the Sixers’ Saric) in the Doug McDermott trade that also allowed them to offload Anthony Randolph; the Brooklyn Nets for taking out Mikhail Prokhorov’s checkbook and buying three second-round picks to get No. 44 pick Markel Brown (from Wolves for $1.1 million), No. 59 pick Xavier Thames (from Raptors for $500,000) and No. 60 pick Cory Jefferson (from Sixers for $300,000); the Los Angeles Lakers for getting Julius Randle at No. 7 and Jordan Clarkson, the Missouri combo guard who somehow dropped to No. 47.
What about the losers, you might ask? Well that is a topic for another column, perhaps far down the road. Because let’s be honest, the losers are not as readily apparent as the winners one day after the draft.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
Also, Heat can’t receive a player in a S&T unless first get under the Tax. To do that, the rights to LeBron would have to be forfeited (He has a 20+ million cap hold). But then there wouldn’t be enough cap space to re-sign LeBron, and even if there was, it would be for four years.
And even if both teams under the Tax, I don’t think you S&T two unrestricted FA’s for each other?
Of course both players would have to agree, which isn’t happening.
Lowry will get way more than $10 million per year, for 5 years, by staying with TOR.
Story about TOR was false.
End of story.
Charlotte extorted a couple of second round picks and some cash out of Miami for a player they didn’t really intend to draft themselves. Better than just letting Miami draft Napier without giving up anything.
Also, I really can’t see drafting Napier as THE tipping point of Miami keeping LeBron or not. If that’s the case you may as well berate the Bulls or the Thunder or any other wannabe contender for not drafting Napier to keep him out of the Heat’s hands.
The Hornets took advantage of a situation to get a little sugar for themselves, not to strengthen Miami.
Also there is no way the Lowry and Melo to Miami stuff is ever going to happen.
So the Raptors, who actually have a competitive roster, will dig their own grave? They willingly S&T Lowry to the team that closes the door to an Eastern Conference Championship for the next 4 years?
OR
If they can’t keep Lowry, S&T him to one of 28 other teams, quite possibly for a better haul than Bosh.
Another point about Sixers. They have to hit the minimum of 90 % of the cap. So about $ 56 million ( 90 % of projected cap of $ 63). Right now, their players are at $ 19 million. Add in their draft picks, they are at $ 29, $ 30. So, they have to get to $ 56. They have to make Granger type trades , acquire big contract, waive them ( but pay them !!) just to get to the $ 56. ( that’s why they had to make that move last year). so, paying $ 26 million for guys you don’t want, and will not play for you. How’s that for opening the checkbook. Again, they have to do this under the CBA, they have no choice. Can they pull a Utah- Golden State type trade and take salaries, and get draft picks. Maybe, not sure what team out there is in Golden State’s position from last year.
I used to think the floor was a big deal but it’s not. Sixers are at $29 mill if they pick up options on all FAs. Embiid gets them to about 35, second round picks get them to about 38. Couple of free agent signings get them to 48, and they cut a check to Players Assn for 8-10 mill. BTW, all our salary pages are updated
Stop using Duncan as an example of a guy taking less to help his team. Duncan was making $21 million when was 36. He started to make less at 37 and 38 years old. You’re asking Melo to take a big paycut at 30 (his prime) when Duncan never did that.
A better comparison would be Kobe Bryant. Similar age when they signed their extensions. TD took a huge pay cut, while Kobe got as much as he could.
Your ages are a little off. Duncan was 35 when he made the 21 mil. 36 and 37 with the lower salaries. Those are the ages when the season started and what he was for most of the season.
I don’t begrudge Kobe for getting all that cash. That is his right. He just can’t complain when they can’t get everyone they want because of his salary. It amazed me that Kobe’s salary this yr was basically equal to the Big 3 in SA. That is telling.
The Sixers ” hoard 2nd round picks” is a joke. You can buy these !!!! Brooklyn bought 3, Knicks 1, Lakers 1 , etc. Why trade players and moving up spots in draft for 2nd rounders. you merely substitute $$ to acquire the same 2nd rounders. They are for sale every year. Who is smarter, Brooklyn in that regard, or Sixers? Brooklyn for sure. They’ll buy 1 or 2 more next year, as well. You should always be looking to trade your 2nd rounders every year. its silly and stupid to have any at all. Then, you just grab them at the draft. trust me, Phil, Mitch, Billy King, etc. will be doing that every year. You can’t say $$ matter, it apparently was $ 1 million or so per pick. If the Sixers are running their team for $ 1, 2 million per year, well ?? The Sixers spent more acquiring Granger and waving him ( paying balance of his $ 17 million salary), than that. So, don’t throw $$ argument.
Brotherhoops, you’re completing missing the point and you missed the boat. They now have second-round picks to use in future transactions, probably not to actually use for selecting a player. Brooklyn bought the three picks and then used them all to select players. You can’t buy a second-round draft pick in February, can you?
Your comment about Granger is nonsense. Phiadelphia had to pay that money anyway to meet the payroll floor. So who cares if they spent it to buy out Granger. If they didn’t give it to Granger, the money would have had to have been split between the other players on the 76ers’ roster.
If Cleveland didn’t accumulate second-round picks in other deals, then they couldn’t have acquired Spencer Hawes from Philadelphia, right? That’s just one example. Philadelphia can use those picks later for players, or in the alternative, for cash during the draft. For pick #46, Los Angeles paid a little under $2 million to Washington.
A draft pick doesn’t hog up payroll, cap space or a roster spot. Teams all over the NBA keep acquring second-round picks for future use, so they obviously have value. Tell me who was selling 2017 second-round picks straight up for cash in 2014.
comical