Player Movement Thread (Was Free Agency Thread)

[jemagee]

Todays press reagarding iguodala floating around the interwebs is disconcerting

[Skates]

I think most of it stems from the ESPN blurb over the weekend and all of the interested newspapers, i.e. LA and Philly are picking the same story up and back to the web it goes.  The ESPN stuff had them looking at Josh Smith, Okafor, Deng and Iggy.  Iguodala makes the least sense given the Clip's needs since they have Eric Gordon, Mobley and Thornton at his positions.  I don't doubt that the Clips are doing their due diligence and that they would love to at least throw a little fear Philly's way by leaking their interest in him.  The Philly papers are quick to pick it up because they love fear-mongering for a down-trodden fan base.  I think Stefanski has already shown that he is more than capable of outmanuevering the Clips.  Front loading a contract won't scare of the Sixers since the payroll this year will be lower than last year's even if they do that (counting Webber's prorated buy-out) and attendance is already likely to rise.  A front loaded contract would likely help us avoid the luxury tax down the road when the team's salaries will inevitably rise.

[jemagee]

Andre Iguodala is in Vegas watching summer league action at UNLV, so naturally we chatted with him about his plans for next season. He admitted he thought the Sixers could be very good with Brand in the mix, but stopped well short of committing his own future to Philadelphia. He's in Vegas having some fun, enjoying what little time off he can really get as a professional athlete, but behind the scenes his agent is working hard to make sure Iguodala gets the best financial situation he can get. That may or may not be Philly.

[TheGuiltyParty]

I'm not saying that I'm locked into this idea but I would at least consider it... if word is getting around that the Clippers are prepared to offer Iguodala 5 years/$70MIL, I think the Sixers should at least investigate a sign and trade with them.

Out of curiosity, if we did a sign and trade with them... would we get a $12MIL exception? We're under the cap by about $9MIL right now (adding together Iguodala and LouWill's cap holds) so if we signed and traded Iguodala, we would in a sense actually be over the cap when the trade happens so I'm wondering if that would generate an exception.

Anyway, if it does, I think I would rather see Iguodala go elsewhere for that kind of money with us getting a big exception and a couple of first round draft picks in return. With that money, I would then turn around and try to get Ben Gordon at a much smaller price and send one of LAC's picks to Chicago. In the end, we would come away with a "shooting" gusrd at a much more reasonable price and a first round pick from the Clippers.

Of course, now that Brand has gone on the record as saying that Iguodala is a guy the Sixers have to keep... well, I don't know that you really want to mess around with Dre.

[tk76-]

Yes, definitely to many Gordan's floating around recently- but there is only one Speights- but it will take a while to learn how to spell his first name.

Especially since you still continually screw up Gordon

You know I was referring to Giri of course...  He would be the true answer to our shooting woes.  And he is a world traveller.

[jemagee]

What do the clippers have to offer in a sign and trade...more importantly, why would they do it?  They have the room to absorb iguodala's first year salary already...there's no motivation for them unless the sixers plan to match...l

[DuckyNinja]

I'm not saying that I'm locked into this idea but I would at least consider it... if word is getting around that the Clippers are prepared to offer Iguodala 5 years/$70MIL, I think the Sixers should at least investigate a sign and trade with them.

Out of curiosity, if we did a sign and trade with them... would we get a $12MIL exception? We're under the cap by about $9MIL right now (adding together Iguodala and LouWill's cap holds) so if we signed and traded Iguodala, we would in a sense actually be over the cap when the trade happens so I'm wondering if that would generate an exception.

Anyway, if it does, I think I would rather see Iguodala go elsewhere for that kind of money with us getting a big exception and a couple of first round draft picks in return. With that money, I would then turn around and try to get Ben Gordon at a much smaller price and send one of LAC's picks to Chicago. In the end, we would come away with a "shooting" gusrd at a much more reasonable price and a first round pick from the Clippers.

Of course, now that Brand has gone on the record as saying that Iguodala is a guy the Sixers have to keep... well, I don't know that you really want to mess around with Dre.

Well, it depends if Iggy is a BYC, and if he's a BYC, the value of the trade exception is...

*head explodes*

The Sixers apparently plan to match.  I think any S+T with Iggy would have to include the other team taking Willie Green.  As for the S+T, I would say that if it were to occur, which I hope it doesn't, the Clippers would probably hafta give Gordon, Jordan, Knight, and a first to satisfy me even a little bit.  If it was Iggy and Green for that package, assuming a 12.4ish mil starting salary (I don't know exactly what the first year of a 5/70 comes out to), that still gives us a 10ish mil trade exception (assuming BYC doesn't screw things up) and a lot of trade pieces/young guys.  And like I said, I wouldn't want to do it, but in the theoretical where it must happen, that's what I would want.

[Skates]

What do the clippers have to offer in a sign and trade...more importantly, why would they do it?  They have the room to absorb iguodala's first year salary already...there's no motivation for them unless the sixers plan to match...l

Or, since we are into hypotheticals, maybe they want to preserve some cap space to fill their hole at PF with someone bigger than Al Thornton by clearing some salary in the S&T for Iggy.  See, we are nearly as good as the media at taking a rumor and running with it, and probably for the same reason - it's a slow news day. 

[jemagee]

Except that, i'll ask again, what do the clippers HAVE to offern in a sign and trade of any value execept minimally salaried rookies?  I mean Mobley becomes exependable, but who wants him?

And Tim Thomas is the current Clippers starting PF - with Thornton at the three

[TheGuiltyParty]

What do the clippers have to offer in a sign and trade...more importantly, why would they do it?  They have the room to absorb iguodala's first year salary already...there's no motivation for them unless the sixers plan to match...l

Two examples to resolve your "no motivation" theory...

1) This situation would be similar to when the Nets traded K-Mart to the Nuggets. The Nuggets had the space but the Nets threatened to match. The teams worked out a trade where the Nets got an exception and three first round picks.

2) Look at last summer with Rashard Lewis who was a UFA. He ended up being traded to Orlando so that the Magic could foolishly add a 6th year to the contract. Again, the Sonics ended up with a huge trade exception that they then flipped to Phoenix for 2 first round picks.

[TheGuiltyParty]

As for what they have to offer... it would be a 1st round pick or two plus a huge trade exception that would then be converted into any number of other players (Gordon, Redd, Richardson).

[jemagee]

 Valid points, damn i'm tired

[anklebreaker]

Okafor and Josh Smith make much more sense for LA.  They have two young players in Gordon and Thornton at Dre's positions and they just watched their starting PF walk away getting nothing in return.  Having just inked Baron to a long term deal, I think they'd have a big man on their radar if they have any intention of being taken seriously in the Western Conference for the next few years.  We'll see though, it is the Clippers.  They haven't been taken seriously for the last few decades, why should they start now? 

[DuckyNinja]

Okafor and Josh Smith make much more sense for LA.  They have two young players in Gordon and Thornton at Dre's positions and they just watched their starting PF walk away getting nothing in return.  Having just inked Baron to a long term deal, I think they'd have a big man on their radar if they have any intention of being taken seriously in the Western Conference for the next few years.  We'll see though, it is the Clippers.  They haven't been taken seriously for the last few decades, why should they start now? 

They're probably a lot more interested in trying to screw the Sixers than actually compete.  It's the Clippers.

[jemagee]

They're probably a lot more interested in trying to screw the Sixers than actually compete.  It's the Clippers.

There's no history to indicate that 'revenge' is a motivation for the clippers, sure dunleavys ranting and raving on the radio but he rants and raves...tweeter drank beer, cause tweeter drinks beer...billy bob cried, cause he's a bit of a cry baby.

There's no historical precendent really for what happened to the clippers so trying to predict what they'll do is kind of like listening to dionne warwick about your future