Cap space. It's priceless.
That's the mantra being pushed around the NBA as we approach the Feb. 19 trade deadline. The Rasheed Wallace sweepstakes are essentially an attempt by several teams (read: Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit) to dump a big salary or two so they'll have money to burn this summer as they eye the free-agent class of 2004.
Such an approach begs the question: Are there any free agents worth writing home about? And, even more important, will any team have enough cash and a good enough sales pitch to land the ultimate prize -- Kobe Bryant?
Kobe Bryant
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
34
21.9
4.9
4.4
.422
.852
Bryant has been hinting all year that he's serious about opting out of his contract and exploring free-agency. He's had issues with coach Phil Jackson and teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and those close to him reportedly feel Bryant is looking for a team of which he can be the leader.
If Kobe had doubts about rejoining the Lakers before, comments by Jackson over the weekend won't help matters. Jackson reiterated that the Lakers were O'Neal's team and that Bryant would have to continue to take a back seat for the next few seasons.
"I think, ultimately, that's going to be one of the understandings about Kobe coming back and being part of the Lakers, is to what extent does he want to be a coachable player in the structure that we have as a team in the present day?" Jackson told the L.A. Daily News. "Which would include Shaq being here. Shaq's going to be the focal point."
"This is what we committed to," Jackson added. "We have (two) more years with Shaquille, and it's $50 million-plus out there that are still going to paid to Shaquille, so that's all part of the package. We're not going anywhere from that. Kobe has complemented Shaq extremely well, when he's wanted to. And there's never been playoff runs like we've had. And so we know that it's possible when we want to get to that point. And that's the direction we're headed this year. We want to get to that point this year."
That, to Insider, sounds a lot like an ultimatum to Kobe. If what everyone is saying about Kobe is true (and, of course, assuming he is acquitted of the charges now against him) teams are going to have a great shot at landing him this summer.
Who? That's the real issue. If last summer was any indication ... things don't look too good. The Spurs were the big players last summer. Unfortunately for San Antonio, its big score was not Jason Kidd. Instead, the Spurs settled for Rasho Nesterovic. The Heat struck out on Elton Brand before nabbing Lamar Odom. The Nuggets claimed Andre Miller from purgatory but had to stop the rebuilding effort there. The Jazz, who had more money than anyone, convinced Corey Maggette and Jason Terry to sign offer sheets but ultimately walked away empty handed.
The common denominator? Last summer just about everything went through Kidd or the Clippers. Unlike the rest of the free agents out there, Clippers free agents are sure thing. Buy 'em a drink and they'll get into bed with anyone. They'll do anything to get out of L.A.
Will this year be any different?
Assuming the cap rises to $45 million, six teams will have enough cap room to make some noise. To get next year's cap figure, Insider took into account a team's committed salaries for '04, free-agent cap holds for players the team is likely to keep, minimum roster holds for teams that have fewer than 11 players under contract, and first-round pick cap holds based on their current standings.
2004 Cap Space
Team
Proj. Cap Space
Jazz
$30 million
Bobcats
$23 million
Nuggets
$13-21 million
Clippers
$11.8 million
Spurs
$11.3 million
Suns
$6.5 million
The results? The Jazz, Bobcats and Nuggets will be the only teams with "max" cap room without major adjustments. The Nuggets can increase their cap space to roughly $21 million if Marcus Camby either opts out of his contract or the team decides to waive him before the start of the season. The last year of Camby's contract is not guaranteed if he chooses not to opt out. The Bobcats, although they have the room, have to sign an entire team and are unlikely to go after a big-name free agent.
The Clippers stand at $11.8 million and can increase that cap room to $13.8 million if they choose not to pick up their option on Marko Jaric. The Spurs also have a signficant amount of room, but they have two players in restricted free agency, Emanuel Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu, that they are interested in re-signing.
The Suns' previously reported $9 million in cap room is lowered by the fact they have two first-round draft picks (their own and the Knicks') that figure to be in the lottery. The cap holds for those two picks should reduce their available cap space by $3-4 million.
The Pistons could be looking at $6 million in cap room but will use it to try to re-sign Mehmet Okur. The Cavaliers and Wizards will have some cap room, but not enough to make a run at a major free agent.
Here's Insider's first peek at the free-agent class of 2004. While the names on the board may leave fans breathless, there's little chance most of these guys ever leave home.
Continued..............
That's the mantra being pushed around the NBA as we approach the Feb. 19 trade deadline. The Rasheed Wallace sweepstakes are essentially an attempt by several teams (read: Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit) to dump a big salary or two so they'll have money to burn this summer as they eye the free-agent class of 2004.
Such an approach begs the question: Are there any free agents worth writing home about? And, even more important, will any team have enough cash and a good enough sales pitch to land the ultimate prize -- Kobe Bryant?
Kobe Bryant
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
34
21.9
4.9
4.4
.422
.852
Bryant has been hinting all year that he's serious about opting out of his contract and exploring free-agency. He's had issues with coach Phil Jackson and teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and those close to him reportedly feel Bryant is looking for a team of which he can be the leader.
If Kobe had doubts about rejoining the Lakers before, comments by Jackson over the weekend won't help matters. Jackson reiterated that the Lakers were O'Neal's team and that Bryant would have to continue to take a back seat for the next few seasons.
"I think, ultimately, that's going to be one of the understandings about Kobe coming back and being part of the Lakers, is to what extent does he want to be a coachable player in the structure that we have as a team in the present day?" Jackson told the L.A. Daily News. "Which would include Shaq being here. Shaq's going to be the focal point."
"This is what we committed to," Jackson added. "We have (two) more years with Shaquille, and it's $50 million-plus out there that are still going to paid to Shaquille, so that's all part of the package. We're not going anywhere from that. Kobe has complemented Shaq extremely well, when he's wanted to. And there's never been playoff runs like we've had. And so we know that it's possible when we want to get to that point. And that's the direction we're headed this year. We want to get to that point this year."
That, to Insider, sounds a lot like an ultimatum to Kobe. If what everyone is saying about Kobe is true (and, of course, assuming he is acquitted of the charges now against him) teams are going to have a great shot at landing him this summer.
Who? That's the real issue. If last summer was any indication ... things don't look too good. The Spurs were the big players last summer. Unfortunately for San Antonio, its big score was not Jason Kidd. Instead, the Spurs settled for Rasho Nesterovic. The Heat struck out on Elton Brand before nabbing Lamar Odom. The Nuggets claimed Andre Miller from purgatory but had to stop the rebuilding effort there. The Jazz, who had more money than anyone, convinced Corey Maggette and Jason Terry to sign offer sheets but ultimately walked away empty handed.
The common denominator? Last summer just about everything went through Kidd or the Clippers. Unlike the rest of the free agents out there, Clippers free agents are sure thing. Buy 'em a drink and they'll get into bed with anyone. They'll do anything to get out of L.A.
Will this year be any different?
Assuming the cap rises to $45 million, six teams will have enough cap room to make some noise. To get next year's cap figure, Insider took into account a team's committed salaries for '04, free-agent cap holds for players the team is likely to keep, minimum roster holds for teams that have fewer than 11 players under contract, and first-round pick cap holds based on their current standings.
2004 Cap Space
Team
Proj. Cap Space
Jazz
$30 million
Bobcats
$23 million
Nuggets
$13-21 million
Clippers
$11.8 million
Spurs
$11.3 million
Suns
$6.5 million
The results? The Jazz, Bobcats and Nuggets will be the only teams with "max" cap room without major adjustments. The Nuggets can increase their cap space to roughly $21 million if Marcus Camby either opts out of his contract or the team decides to waive him before the start of the season. The last year of Camby's contract is not guaranteed if he chooses not to opt out. The Bobcats, although they have the room, have to sign an entire team and are unlikely to go after a big-name free agent.
The Clippers stand at $11.8 million and can increase that cap room to $13.8 million if they choose not to pick up their option on Marko Jaric. The Spurs also have a signficant amount of room, but they have two players in restricted free agency, Emanuel Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu, that they are interested in re-signing.
The Suns' previously reported $9 million in cap room is lowered by the fact they have two first-round draft picks (their own and the Knicks') that figure to be in the lottery. The cap holds for those two picks should reduce their available cap space by $3-4 million.
The Pistons could be looking at $6 million in cap room but will use it to try to re-sign Mehmet Okur. The Cavaliers and Wizards will have some cap room, but not enough to make a run at a major free agent.
Here's Insider's first peek at the free-agent class of 2004. While the names on the board may leave fans breathless, there's little chance most of these guys ever leave home.
Continued..............
