RFA Reactions: You Won't Believe #5

[NOLa.]

To make a spin-of of the live blog for the draft, I wanted to fill in some of the silence while we wait for UFA Round 1 coming up this Friday. These reactions are pure as snow and should be taken with a grain of salt. I will only comment on those who's decisions have been made so I do not influence the process.

So let's begin.

7/25/2016 Hawks Re-sign SF Khris Middleton for $52,000,000 over 4 years.

Very solid deal for the Hawks who continue to strike for oil in the free agency portions of the offseason. Wig certainly knows how to value players, and he was able to retain Middleton for a flat $13,000,000. The flat salary is probably the sweetest thing about the contract due to the salary cap barely increasing the last few seasons. Wig feels he may have outbidded himself, but it's always best to retain your guy in RFA in order to make sure he doesn't sign and hits UFA instead. Middleton isn't a key option type of player (yet...?) so a mid-size deal makes the contract for this player valuable.

WINNER: Wig

LOSER: All the teams with cap space that needed a scorer.


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[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Mavericks Re-sign SG Bradley Beal for $60,000,000 over 4 years.

My pick for best contract of the RFA class. Mavs were able to snag a potential star (or perfect #2 option) for a flat $15,000,000 a season at 4 years. As if winning the trade against the Pistons wasn't enough, FTB ended up winning RFA too. Beal deserved a max in my eyes with his balanced potentials on offense and defense combined with his age, so it's crazy to me that the league did not offer Beal a max, because the Mavs were obviously going to accept any contract for Beal due to how little he had to give up for Beal. Beal is close to becoming a 20-3-3 guy and is on a sweetheart deal. League screwed this one up.

WINNER: Fearthebrow

Loser: Any team with cap space greater than $15,000,000.


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[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Kings Re-sign SF Harrison Barnes for $64,400,000 over 4 years.

First thing I thought of when I read this result was "that's fair" because we all know with RFA, sometimes certain teams like to try and put your team into a bind. Barnes isn't going to be a number 1 option and won't be an All Star type of player, but he has improved over the past two seasons and is the type of glue player a lot of teams want: he isn't a star, but he doesn't hurt you in any area and can score. There were plenty of whispers and talks of a max, and whether I would have accepted or not will never be known.

WINNER: Me ofc

LOSER: Anyone who needed a young wing.


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[WigNosy]

Can't wait to see who gets the verdict as Winner/Loser on the transactions that weren't straight re-signs.

[NOLa.]

Can't wait to see who gets the verdict as Winner/Loser on the transactions that weren't straight re-signs.

That's when it gets fun.


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[NOLa.]

8/4/2016 Hawks Re-sign SF Jae Crowder for $4,266,240 over 3 years.

Meet the Y/Y who may soon end up being G/G when the season begins. Jae hast played much and the contract looks like a 3 year min. His skillset isn't bad so he may end up being a decent backup.

WINNER: WHO

LOSERS: CARES


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[kucoach7]

7/25/2016 Mavericks Re-sign SG Bradley Beal for $60,000,000 over 4 years.

League screwed this one up.

WINNER: Fearthebrow

Loser: Any team with cap space greater than $15,000,000.


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It pained me to to see Beal get this sweet deal but it is an interesting artifact of the mindset of our league and the simultaneity of free agency in sim world. We are not willing to ruin our shot at a getable guy by signing an auto-resign guy that would suck up cap space. It is weird because it means sometimes the best players don't get max deals but we have to be strategic about our offers because we can't offer them sequentially.

[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Mavericks Re-sign SG Bradley Beal for $60,000,000 over 4 years.

League screwed this one up.

WINNER: Fearthebrow

Loser: Any team with cap space greater than $15,000,000.


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It pained me to to see Beal get this sweet deal but it is an interesting artifact of the mindset of our league and the simultaneity of free agency in sim world. We are not willing to ruin our shot at a getable guy by signing an auto-resign guy that would suck up cap space. It is weird because it means sometimes the best players don't get max deals but we have to be strategic about our offers because we can't offer them sequentially.

That's a good point, but there are several teams that had max money for two to three players in this RFA class.

I was thinking about last season when a lot of teams didn't have the cap space to offer big contracts, which led to some cheap deals for others. This season though I was certain we were going to see teams make other teams pay. It's possible these teams put their eggs in one basket and hoped they landed a guy they had a shot at with either a decline or S&T.


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[TheSyndicate]

7/25/2016 Mavericks Re-sign SG Bradley Beal for $60,000,000 over 4 years.

League screwed this one up.

WINNER: Fearthebrow

Loser: Any team with cap space greater than $15,000,000.


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It pained me to to see Beal get this sweet deal but it is an interesting artifact of the mindset of our league and the simultaneity of free agency in sim world. We are not willing to ruin our shot at a getable guy by signing an auto-resign guy that would suck up cap space. It is weird because it means sometimes the best players don't get max deals but we have to be strategic about our offers because we can't offer them sequentially.

That's a good point, but there are several teams that had max money for two to three players in this RFA class.

I was thinking about last season when a lot of teams didn't have the cap space to offer big contracts, which led to some cheap deals for others. This season though I was certain we were going to see teams make other teams pay. It's possible these teams put their eggs in one basket and hoped they landed a guy they had a shot at with either a decline or S&T.


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Some teams made other teams pay.

[kucoach7]

That's a good point, but there are several teams that had max money for two to three players in this RFA class.

[NOLa.]

7/22/2016 Clippers Sign PG Damian Lillard for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Pelicans)

As expected, Lilliard gets a max. I think it's telling that the Pelicans either didn't offer a 5-year max, or it was turned down. If Nick did not offer the full 5 years, it means Lilliards consecutive bad training camps have definitely put a negative light on the young-ish PG and may speak towards his future as a Pelican in later seasons. It's one thing to be hit by TC, it's another situation when Damian Lilliard can possibly fill out his 10-punch card for a free TC.

Clippers did their civic duty in making sure teams paid for their superstars. I don't think the team had enough to offer for Lilliard, but Nick was pretty quick on accepting the deal.

WINNER: Clippers mainly even though they didn't get anything in return

LOSER: Potentially the Pelicans of Lilliard continues to have negative training camps on a max contract now.


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[IamQuailman]

7/22/2016 Clippers Sign PG Damian Lillard for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Pelicans)

As expected, Lilliard gets a max. I think it's telling that the Pelicans either didn't offer a 5-year max, or it was turned down. If Nick did not offer the full 5 years, it means Lilliards consecutive bad training camps have definitely put a negative light on the young-ish PG and may speak towards his future as a Pelican in later seasons. It's one thing to be hit by TC, it's another situation when Damian Lilliard can possibly fill out his 10-punch card for a free TC.

Clippers did their civic duty in making sure teams paid for their superstars. I don't think the team had enough to offer for Lilliard, but Nick was pretty quick on accepting the deal.

WINNER: Clippers mainly even though they didn't get anything in return

LOSER: Potentially the Pelicans of Lilliard continues to have negative training camps on a max contract now.


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Is this #5? Because I totally believe it.

[WigNosy]

7/22/2016 Clippers Sign PG Damian Lillard for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Pelicans)

As expected, Lilliard gets a max. I think it's telling that the Pelicans either didn't offer a 5-year max, or it was turned down. If Nick did not offer the full 5 years, it means Lilliards consecutive bad training camps have definitely put a negative light on the young-ish PG and may speak towards his future as a Pelican in later seasons. It's one thing to be hit by TC, it's another situation when Damian Lilliard can possibly fill out his 10-punch card for a free TC.

Clippers did their civic duty in making sure teams paid for their superstars. I don't think the team had enough to offer for Lilliard, but Nick was pretty quick on accepting the deal.

WINNER: Clippers mainly even though they didn't get anything in return

LOSER: Potentially the Pelicans of Lilliard continues to have negative training camps on a max contract now.


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Is this #5? Because I totally believe it.

[NOLa.]

7/26/2016 Bulls Sign PF Thomas Robinson for $57,500,000 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Wizards)


Wizards Receive:
•5 points
•2017 Bulls 2nd

Bulls Receive:
•Thomas Robinson


Thomas Robinson may have been paid more than most of the league would value him at, and the S&T from the Wizards is telling me that x1st did not value Robinson at this price. Maybe the Bulls threw out more than others value Robinson, but in RFA this is what you have to do: overpay for a young player you would otherwise have no shot at. Robinsons strength comes in the form of rebounding the ball.

While not particularly strong for a PF with a 50 strength rating, he does make up for in quickness. He has a healthy rebound rate and can convert from inside, but the biggest issue I have is his tendency to foul. The Bulls are in need of frontcourt pieces, so we will see how this experiment works.

WINNER: Bulls for not giving up much of anything for a young big.

LOSER: Wizards, it's hard to get pieces in return for a mid-level player in RFA.



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[NOLa.]

7/24/2016 Bulls Sign PF Anthony Davis for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Pistons)

One of the biggest surprises of the RFA is that Anthony Davis turned down a supermax from the Pistons and new owner Wombataholic in favor of a contract for a one less year and left a lot of money on the table. It should speak volumes to the new owner that Davis wanted no part in coming back to Detroit, but ultimately knew he would be matched no matter what. At least by taking a 4 year deal, ADizzle can leave a year earlier and send a message to the new owner at the same time. Clock is ticking for for the Pistons to put talent around Davis and start winning. Credit to the Bulls for making sure their civic duty was performed by maxing Davis.

WINNER: the league because Davis may not sign a supermax next go-around.

LOSER: Wombataholic and the Pistons, for the reason listed above.


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[NOLa.]

7/22/2016 Thunder Sign PF Draymond Green for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Hawks)

I'll start by saying it's obvious that Green should have been maxed. His potentials and skillset is too great to not give a big contract, but there's some flaws in Green that I feel made Wig not supermax his star player. The biggest issue to me is that Dray still has yet to average 30+mpg due to a high tendency to foul, so when the most perfect glue guy you can have in this league can't play starter minutes, you are losing value each minute he's off the court because of foul trouble. Another small issue is his age. Already 26 years old and lots of potential left has some wondering if Draymond will ever reach his ceiling.

All in all, Green is still one of the most unique players in the game and of course he has the purple color for his potentials.

WINNER: Wig, because....

LOSER: whoever he ends up trading Green to for a super sized return for a 29 year old green.


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[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Clippers Sign SF Kent Bazemore for $63,480,000 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Knicks)
7/25/2016 Bobcats Sign C John Henson for $46,892,032 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Knicks)

Going to group these two together since they were matched together. The Knicks and InnerGI had an array of directions to choose from with these two players and the contracts they were given.

Let's start with Bazemore. Starting at $13,800,000 and 10% increases after, I believe the color of potential influenced this bid more so than production. Baze has room to grow and possesses a unique skill for a small wing with his defensive rebounding. The contract isn't good, but it's not bad, and considering it's RFA the Knicks should take it in stride.

The Henson deal, however, is a little hard to stomach. Charlotte and GM Darth definitely overbidded here to force the Knicks to make an uncomfortable decision (i.e. make teams pay for their players). Henson is a good player, but I wonder if he is in the Knicks long-term plan. It's possible Inner strongly feels bringing the squad back that won the division with an extra year of development will pay off in the playoffs.

WINNER: Knicks may have overpaid a little for Henson, but together they spent $23,000,000-ish for two possible starters.

LOSER: Any other team in the Atlantic that thought they might have a shot at the division. And Charlotte, they missed out on a much needed piece.


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[NOLa.]

7/22/2016 Bulls Sign C Andre Drummond for $95,636,968 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Nuggets)


I don't like to kick a team while they are down, because it was obvious GM thesyndicate was not a fan of this deal. Bulls played the RFA game and came out unscathed. Andre Drummond and his production is not max-worthy. He's a great rebounder and good defender, but it stops there. Drummond cannot create scoring opportunities and will not be an offensive threat, and an average of 5 ppg and 9 rpg does not impress. It's very possible you can get the same production and good defense in UFA for a minimum deal. Drummonds athleticism is elite, but what's the point in having high jump if you can't get shots off from inside?

The Nuggets were the #1 seed in the West, so maybe like the Knicks, thesyndicate felt it was needed to bring the team back together for a run at the Finals no matter the price.

WINNER: Bulls you got lucky.

LOSER: Nuggets I hope this works out well


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[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Bulls Sign C Jared Sullinger for $18,000,000 over 3 years. (Incumbent: 76ers)


Jared Sullinger may have been paid more than most of the league would value him at, and the S&T from the 76ers is telling me that balls did not value Sullinger at this price. Maybe the Bulls threw out more than others value Sullinger, but in RFA this is what you have to do: overpay for a young player you would otherwise have no shot at. Sullings strength comes in the form of rebounding the ball.

While not particularly strong for a PF with a 50 strength rating, he does make up for in quickness. He has a healthy rebound rate and can convert from inside, but the biggest issue I have is his tendency to foul. The Bulls are in need of frontcourt pieces, so we will see how this experiment works.

WINNER: Bulls for not giving up much of anything for a young big.

LOSER: 76ers, it's hard to get pieces in return for a mid-level player in RFA.



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[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Warriors Sign PG Patrick Beverley for $50,379,030 over 4 years. (Incumbent: Bulls)


This team again? Jesus.

The lone decline of the RFA class, and in bow's typical fashion, even though it was out of his hands, still took up to near the deadline. Most GMs will see the contract and Beverley's age and feel this is a bad deal, but I think it's good. Looking at the Warriors right now, they have Gobert, Rudy Gay and Patrick Beverley, plus will supermax DeAndre. The defense on this team already is off the charts. Gay is the only capable scorer of this bunch which is a cause for concern, but the all-defense build never looks pretty. When you want to win a player in RFA you have to overpay, and the player fits a build. Bulls get a small taste of their own Drummond medicine, but decide it's not worth the investment to keep Bev.

WINNER: Warriors

LOSER: Bulls. You can't win them all, but you were close.


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[Inner_GI]

You can claim 5 points toward the 2016-17 media cap.

No clue what #5 was, maybe it's these five points I'm giving you?

[ballsohard]

7/25/2016 Bulls Sign C Jared Sullinger for $18,000,000 over 3 years. (Incumbent: 76ers)


Jared Sullinger may have been paid more than most of the league would value him at, and the S&T from the 76ers is telling me that balls did not value Sullinger at this price. Maybe the Bulls threw out more than others value Sullinger, but in RFA this is what you have to do: overpay for a young player you would otherwise have no shot at. Sullings strength comes in the form of rebounding the ball.

While not particularly strong for a PF with a 50 strength rating, he does make up for in quickness. He has a healthy rebound rate and can convert from inside, but the biggest issue I have is his tendency to foul. The Bulls are in need of frontcourt pieces, so we will see how this experiment works.

WINNER: Bulls for not giving up much of anything for a young big.

LOSER: 76ers, it's hard to get pieces in return for a mid-level player in RFA.



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http://pbsl.ijbl.net/players/player183.htm

[NOLa.]

7/25/2016 Bulls Sign C Jared Sullinger for $18,000,000 over 3 years. (Incumbent: 76ers)


Jared Sullinger may have been paid more than most of the league would value him at, and the S&T from the 76ers is telling me that balls did not value Sullinger at this price. Maybe the Bulls threw out more than others value Sullinger, but in RFA this is what you have to do: overpay for a young player you would otherwise have no shot at. Sullings strength comes in the form of rebounding the ball.

While not particularly strong for a PF with a 50 strength rating, he does make up for in quickness. He has a healthy rebound rate and can convert from inside, but the biggest issue I have is his tendency to foul. The Bulls are in need of frontcourt pieces, so we will see how this experiment works.

WINNER: Bulls for not giving up much of anything for a young big.

LOSER: 76ers, it's hard to get pieces in return for a mid-level player in RFA.



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http://pbsl.ijbl.net/players/player183.htm

Yeah should be revised to both teams being the Loser. Still got nothing back and TC takes aim at a once-6er.


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[ballsohard]

7/25/2016 Bulls Sign C Jared Sullinger for $18,000,000 over 3 years. (Incumbent: 76ers)


Jared Sullinger may have been paid more than most of the league would value him at, and the S&T from the 76ers is telling me that balls did not value Sullinger at this price. Maybe the Bulls threw out more than others value Sullinger, but in RFA this is what you have to do: overpay for a young player you would otherwise have no shot at. Sullings strength comes in the form of rebounding the ball.

While not particularly strong for a PF with a 50 strength rating, he does make up for in quickness. He has a healthy rebound rate and can convert from inside, but the biggest issue I have is his tendency to foul. The Bulls are in need of frontcourt pieces, so we will see how this experiment works.

WINNER: Bulls for not giving up much of anything for a young big.

LOSER: 76ers, it's hard to get pieces in return for a mid-level player in RFA.



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http://pbsl.ijbl.net/players/player183.htm

Yeah should be revised to both teams being the Loser. Still got nothing back and TC takes aim at a once-6er.


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Speaking of being a loser

[NOLa.]

Speaking of being a loser

Cut so deep