Will Eisley Get Cut?

[George O'Brien]

At the end of the season, the Suns had 13 guys on the full roster, including Keon Clark. We know for certain that Clark will not be back and generally assume that Harvey won't be back since the Suns are talking about the need to get bigger. The other guy who seems likely to be moved or cut is Eisley.

The ideal would be for the Suns to unload Eisley onto the Bobcats along with the Suns first round draft pick. This may not be enough for the Bobcats to do the deal, but it might be possible to agree to an under the table deal whereby the Suns would give the Bobcats the Cleveland pick in a supposedly separate transaction.

While I hate giving up draft picks, the advantages that come from moving Eisley are so powerful it might be worth it:

--- Clears $6.3 million this year and $6.9 million next year.

--- Does not commit the $1.8 million for the first round pick who would likely end up on the IR if the Suns get any free agents.

--- Clears roster space for a free agent and Vujanic so the Suns would only be carrying 5 guards rather than 6.

--- Permits the Suns to keep White who is a useful role player and good future trade bait due to his expiring contract.

It would clear enough cap space to sign Kobe yet still sign Vujanic and Dice.

$33.8 million (current salaries)
(6.3) million (Eisley)
------
$27.5 million in salaries

Even at a cap level of $45 million, this is $17.5 million in cap space this year plus another $5.9 million next year when White comes off cap.

I'm not sure the Suns can get away with it, but it would be worth two picks if the Suns have a serious chance of getting Kobe. By contrast, if the Suns get rid of White by using the Cleveland pick, it still leaves them with only four inside guys assuming Harvey does not come back: Stoudemire, Voskuhl, Lampe, and hopefully Dice. The Suns could use their draft pick to take a center, but it would not help much next season.

If the Suns could sign Kobe it would give them a lineup of:

C - McDyess
PF - Stoudemire
SF - Marion
PG - Johnson
SG - Byrant

Voskuhl, White and Lampe backing up the C & PF positions

Carbakapa backing up SF

Barbosa, Jacobsen, and Vujanic backing up the guard positions

With any luck at all, this is at minimum a playoff team and they would still have the space from the expiring contract of White to use for a FA the following season.

If the Suns can't get the Bobcats to do this deal, then they may be foreced to simply buy out Eisley's contract or unload him while carrying part of his contract. If the Suns sign Vujanic and a FA guard, it would give the Suns six guards if Eisley stays. Eisley may end up on IR, but it is hard to see him having a future with the Suns.

 

[Dan H]

I could swear I've read this before . . .

 

[playstation]

...

while i agree with your logic for getting howard out of here, I don't know if its that far-fetched that it could happen.

Eisley will not count against charlotte's cap, which means Robert Johnson will essentially be paying about $10M (13 in salary minus 3 we're allowed to give them) for the #7 pick in this draft, and something most likely between 15-20 in next years draft. I don't know how deep his pockets are, but from a fans perspective, its a no-brainer.

I do however have one point of contention: when jahidi's contract comes off next year, we'll also have to extend jj's contract, which will at least cover the spread. right now, jj's looking like a 7-8M guy (he's currently getting 1.9M), which means if they want to keep him, they'll have no cap space to work with next summer. Of course, if we trade white during the season, its a different story.

That means that this year is our best shot to get free agents to help our core and then just run with what we have. That's why I like your plan, except that we probably won't get mcdyess because someone will offer him the MLE, i'm guaranteeing it. we gotta get kobe (i know chances aren't high, but give it a shot), which will leave us about 4m, and 2 of it will go to vujanic. then we need to sign a point guard and fifth big man for 1M each (obviously on the lower end of the talent pole) and we look like this:

pg - jj/vujanic/ 1M guard
sg - kobe/barbosa
sf - marion/zarko
pf - amare/lampe
c - voskuhl/white/ 1M big man

this team fights for homecourt next year

here's a question: has any team EVER given up a top 10 pick simply for cap room???

 

[George O'Brien]

I could swear I've read this before . . .

Certainly. My "contribution" is the notion of doing a secret deal which gets Charlotte a second draft pick in a separate transaction. The logic of moving Eisley is so overwhelming that it may be worth the second pick.

Playstation: That's why I like your plan, except that we probably won't get mcdyess because someone will offer him the MLE, i'm guaranteeing it.

I am quite sure he will NOT get MLE, at least not for more than one year or with a team option on the second year. Dice has had three serious knee operations in two years. He played only 10 games in 2001-02, none in 2002-03, and only 42 this season with just the last 16 or so with any effectiveness.

The only way Dice gets MLE is if nearly every other big FA this summer gets MLE: Camby, Dampier, Okur, Divac, Rasheed Wallace, Mark Blount, Ostertag, Foyle, Kenyon Martin (RFA), Swift (RFA), and Etan Thomas (RFA). I won't mention Fizer and Mihm who are RFA's but won't come close to getting MLE.

At the same time, by giving a long term contract to Dice, teams would make it harder to go for someone next year: Shareef Abdur Rahim, Donyell Marshall, Boozer, Ilgauskas, Dale Davis, Jerome James, Troy Murphy (RFA), Gasol (RFA), Jason Collins (RFA), Dalembert (RFA), Kwame Brown (RFA), Brendan Haywood (RFA),Chandler (RFA), and Curry (RFA).

The only way Dice gets MLE is if there is a total feeding frenzy on big men. Otherwise, I think his injuries will keep teams from offering their entire MLE to him.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

I do however have one point of contention: when jahidi's contract comes off next year, we'll also have to extend jj's contract, which will at least cover the spread. right now, jj's looking like a 7-8M guy (he's currently getting 1.9M), which means if they want to keep him, they'll have no cap space to work with next summer. Of course, if we trade white during the season, its a different story.

JJ's contract extension will not kick in till the 2006 season, regardless of when he signs it. His extension will have no effect on our cap room in the summer of 2005.

 

[SweetD]

Why not give the Bobcats a future pick? Why can't we just give them next years #1 or lotto protected pick like the CAVs IMO we only are 1 or 2 players away from being a great Team for now and the future.

 

[slinslin]

Because we owe the Spurs one.

 

[F-Dog]

While I hate giving up draft picks, the advantages that come from moving Eisley are so powerful it might be worth it:

One thing that bothers me about this idea is that the Suns would be giving up five years worth of benefits to improve their position over just this year and next--and the Suns won't be serious contenders for a championship in either of those years, Kobe or no Kobe.

The other thing that bothers me is that the Suns have had much better luck in the draft than they have had in free agency over the last ten years or so; with the highest draft pick in recent Suns history, they should be able to come up with a great player, even if another franchise couldn't.


With the luxury tax seemingly reinstalled for next year, I think the Suns have a better chance than before of trading Eisley for a worthless player in the last year of a big contract. Because we're talking about the Suns, I feel a lot better about that idea than this one.