re: Official Pelicans Free Agency Thread(Updated with transactions)

I dunno probably

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wanting him =/= almost drafting him

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You're right

I remember in the weeks leading up to the draft he was projected to fall a bit, but as it got closer to the draft he was pretty much a lock to Portland.

What could have been...Lillard or Drummond

one piece at a time guys, our guys are still very young minus ryno.

We could add Asik this year, end up shipping gordon off mid season if he blows up and pick up a decent 3&D SF, and contend for a middle of the pack playoff seed.

Offseason comes, we have a bit more wiggle room to attract suitors to fill our roster out with better bench players.

All of that in a pipe dream and we could end up keeping ryno off the bench as well.

Can Melo and Lebron just hurry up and sign already? Most boring free agency ever

I'm pretty sure ryno isn't old at all to whoever said that.

Here's Nate Duncan on the players wanting Bron to take a max.

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the union believes it sets a bad precedent if the best player in the league does not take the most he can get.

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In the grand scheme of things, it matters little that certain players may take less, as that slack will be taken up by the salaries that must be given to other players to reach the minimum salary. In practice, almost all teams spend up to the cap, and many spend well over it.

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Some of the upset communicated in the article was over the fact that players should not have to sacrifice further to appease owners who already won the last CBA negotiation which installed the current punitive luxury tax. But the money foregone by stars taking less generally does not go to the owners, but to other players.

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If the union is really concerned about maximizing player payments, what it should be doing instead is encouraging stars to re-sign with their original teams who are over the cap using Bird rights, especially with so many teams having cap space around the league

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LINK

I get pushing for this in a sport without max salaries like the NFL. They actually are setting precedent. But in the NBA there is no precedent to set so does it really matter?

Derek Fisher I think.

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Fisher sounds right, teammate vs diva

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That's a bit of a #HOTTAKE right there. Most players were fundamentally unhappy (and rightly so) with the work the Fisher and Hunter did in the most recent lockout.

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I think the Union may pick different battles to fight this time.

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I don't think they have any realistic options (BRI isn't going up, contracts aren't getting longer, et al)- that is they aren't going to strike. If there is a work stoppage, it will be a lockout.........again.

If you're implying they will try a "star" agenda, it won't matter. I very much doubt owners are giving up the max. Plus Patrick Ewing (and David Falk at the peak of his powers) was NBAPA President in 98/99 when max salaries were created. Their influence didn't do much to sway the rank and file, Paul's won't either.

Between Ewing and Fisher, such heavyweights as Antonio Davis and Michael Curry led the union. Union President seems more like a headache than any sort of real position of power. The best move the players have made is tossing Hunter overboad (for which Fisher deserves credit). TBD if they replace him with anything more than an empty suit.

Probably my least favorite player in the league along with KG but that would be a great fit.