Where Should UFAs go?
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:19 pm
I was listening to a podcast a couple of weeks ago and they turned a question we all hear often on its head. Usually we hear, "what free agents should Team X sign?" They turned it on its head to be "if you were Free Agent X, where would be the best team to sign with?" So with that in mind, I thought it would be fun to look ahead to this season's free agent class and ask, "who SHOULD they sign with?"
I should note here that since RFAs aren't in full control of their own destiny, they aren't going to be considered here. This is going to be an article completely about Unrestricted Free Agents... and boy, are there a lot of good ones (twenty blue or purple potentials). I'll present them in alphabetical order by last name. Remember I'm accounting for which teams have the cap wherewithal to fit these guys in too... teams with no cap will have a hard time offering these guys what they're worth and so are mostly excluded.
PG ERNIE ACUNA (PHOENIX SUNS)
Acuna is the youngest of the top-tier unrestricted free agents, but is also one of the most raw. He would be best served trying to get a big-money deal out of a team that is young and has young talent already collected to grow with him. Acuna's best options to both get paid and to get on a promising young team would probably be the Timberwolves (to pair him with Luka) or the Hawks (who don't need him to be a scoring threat - which he's not).
SF GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (WASHINGTON WIZARDS)
At the other end of the spectrum from Acuna, Giannis is the oldest difference-maker on the market, though his age means teams will be reluctant to commit money to him long-term. Giannis is best-suited going to a win-now team that could use a boost in versatility. He would be an excellent fit on the Rockets provided he agrees to terms on a contract before the Rockets' in-house Free Agents do. If he can't find a way to make it work there, he would probably be best-served returning to where his career started with the Lakers and team up with some other high-priced stars.
JOFFREY BARATHEON (MILWAUKEE BUCKS)
The Raptors and Bucks will both surely make max-offer bids to Joffrey. But I should think that Joffrey would spurn the Raptors for trading him away and in a truly backstabbing fashion, Joffrey would look to get out of the gauntlet that is the East and move to the Western conference. And who better for him to sign with to produce maximum salt than Nick Malone, who also abandoned the Eastern Conference during re-alignment? The Pelicans have two great big men for him to feed the ball to, and with three stars and mostly veteran minimum role-players around them, the three stars can all get plenty of shots. If he doesn't wind up with the Pelicans, the other option would be to drop into Phoenix and demand that G_Messi start spending that enormous stockpile of points to train up other players to work with him there.
RAMSAY BOLTON (PHOENIX SUNS)
If there's even a slight chance that Joffrey Baratheon is coming to the Suns, Bolton will... um... bolt. He's put up empty numbers on bad teams for many seasons, and the best way for him continue to do that would be to take a big offer from the Knicks and go there to ply his trade because they're not likely to have anyone else ready to step up until he's well past his prime. If he doesn't wind up in New York, he might instead choose to jump to Golden State, where he'll be able to torment the Suns (and Joffrey) three or four times a year, and where there will be absolutely no pressure to compete (though I can see him ordering one of Grimaldi's hands be chopped off because Grim likes to shoot too much for Ramsay's liking).
ALVIN BRISENO (LOS ANGELES LAKERS)
This guy is finally hitting the open market after years of indentured servitude. The ideal landing spot for Briseno would be a team looking for a big man to put them over the top. That sounds an awful lot like the Raptors, who will have a couple of excellent wings in RJ Barrett and Bjorn Ironside already in place and will be looking for a big man that can give them interior production. If he doesn't wind up going to the Raptors, I would think he would seriously consider the Magic (who probably don't quite have a max spot, but will have a significant percentage of a max), who could put him next to Boban for a potent one-two punch inside.
JAYLEN BROWN (PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS)
Jaylen needs to find an owner who is willing to pay for his rather unique skill set - and to me that screams the Washington Wizards, who have three max slots to play with so they can go in on win-now pieces and also knowing that xist has always had a tendency to gravitate toward unique skill sets. If he doesn't wind up landing with Washington, he will probably find there's no place like home and stick with the Blazers. That may not be the most exciting outcome, but it's probably among the best options for Jaylen.
CHEICK DIALLO (MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES)
Cheick has had a breakout season in Minnesota and you can bet he wants to be paid. The ideal landing spot for Cheick has to be the Bucks. They will have an opening at PF with Thomas Knecht entering free agency and we all know that Doug has a soft spot for former Bucks, so bringing Chieck back "home" (never mind he was there for just one season) would be fitting. If he doesn't go back to Milwaukee, he probably has a good chance of landing with the Wizards, a team that has run with enormous lineups of 6-9 across the board in the past, which fits Cheick to a "T."
AARON DONALD (CHARLOTTE BOBCATS)
Donald has hit 30, but remains a scoring and shot-blocking force. His best bet would be to find a win-now team and I think he would probably be wise to head to the Lakers - especially if Giannis decides to go there. He'll be hailed as a hero for replacing the departing Briseno and as a bonus, once Tray inevitably goes absentee, he won't even have to produce at the level he produced last year to keep pulling a paycheck! If he doesn't wind up in La La Land, his second choice would probably be to land up a little farther north in California in Golden State, where he and Van Grimaldi can swap complaints about how long it's taking the youngsters on the Warriors to learn how to compete.
JEFFREY DUREN (DENVER NUGGETS)
The easy answer for Duren when he hits free agency is going to be to take the supermax the Nuggets will offer him and keep chasing titles while plunging the Nuggets deeper and deeper into the tax abyss. Of course, the last time Duren was a Free Agent, the easy answer was to take the supermax from the Kings and he didn't do that either, so it wouldn't be a shock to see Duren go somewhere that's ready to start a rebuild in earnest. To my mind, that would be taking his talents to Utah (still in the rocky mountains) or possibly Atlanta (who could make a quick jump with Duren at point but would engender a lot of ill will across the league)... or he could really turn the league on its head and go to possibly the only place that would make the league saltier than staying in Denver... he could go the Kevin Love route and try to return Phoenix to glory.
HARLAND ELLINGER (GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS)
Ellinger's current contract number means he's eligible for the biggest payday on this list, which combined with his age may scare teams off. To my mind, this makes him the perfect candidate to join up with other aging stars Giannis and Aaron Donald in Los Angeles (since Ellinger experienced a lot of success with Donald in the past, this seems like a natural fit - it's already been shown they can work together). The other possible destination that would intrigue Ellinger might be the Bucks - if Joffrey does make a heel turn, the Bucks will have enough cap space to make Ellinger a very nice offer, and they're young enough that as he ages, he can turn the scoring load over to the young Bucks. And of course, assuming they are willing to break the bank, the Hawks might be in play to get him back, considering they traded him away over luxury tax concerns, not over talent concerns.
FRANK GARDEN (HOUSTON ROCKETS)
Garden has really bloomed during his past three seasons in Houston (pun slightly intended) and you know the Rockets would love to keep him. It's a known fit, he's seen some success, and I could see him being happy enough to stay. But if he does move on, I have to think that he'd probably settle for something less than a max and could very well wind up in Toronto as the "second star" who takes what's left of the Toronto cap space after a bigger star (Alvin Briseno, maybe?) gets the full max. He's a bit less of an ideal fit at the other teams that will have enough money to afford his services.
DESEAN HAWKINS (ORLANDO MAGIC)
After playing for Orlando on a one-year MLE deal, you have to think Hawkins will be looking for a big payday this summer, though I think teams will probably lowball him knowing that he accepted a modest payday this season. If he's looking for a team that will let him get paid while still having a reasonable amount of talent around him, the Cavaliers might be the place for him to land - he can't get a max there, but he can nearly double his current salary there. He might also want to consider going to the valley of the sun in Phoenix, particularly if the Suns sign a mega-star like Jeffrey Duren. If, however, he's more interested in winning than getting paid and is willing to take the MLE again... well, he probably ends up in Denver, Brooklyn, or Philly.
ERIK HAYNES (SACRAMENTO KINGS)
In the summer when Jeffrey Duren returns to the free agent table, one has to wonder if Tani will be sweating out Erik Haynes' decision. He has to be somewhat reassured that when he was an RFA, Haynes re-signed with no muss, no fuss. Haynes is going to be the biggest Free Agent fish out there and will have no shortage of offers. Given the Kings' success, I think his best move is probably to stay; if he does move, the team I think he would probably be most likely to join is the Wizards - again, they have a fascination with big men and Haynes is one of the biggest and best and could trust that with two more max slots, they'll be able to land some sort of backcourt help.
J.R. JOHNSON (WASHINGTON WIZARDS)
J.R. has been the exception that proves the rule when it comes to xists's love of big men. Johnson has been in Washington for three seasons now running the point and I think he'd probably only be tempted to leave for a situation where he had more competent scorers around him since he's more of a pass-first guy. If the Wizards are able to get some other high-caliber free agents to come in, he seems comfortable there, xist seems comfortable with him, so he'll probably stay. But if xist can't talk other free agents into coming, the Hawks might be a place he'd consider - they've needed a point guard since trading away Ellinger and do have scoring at most other positions so he won't be called upon to score and can pad his assist totals. He might also consider moving to Golden State if they can't re-sign Ellinger where expectations should be low, salary should be high, and he can comfortably ply his trade and pad his bank account out of the limelight.
THOMAS KNECHT (MILWAUKEE BUCKS)
Knecht has been underpaid in Milwaukee since coming over from the Suns, but he can't blame that on the Bucks - that was a function of his RFA deal with the Suns. I suspect, though, that at 29 years old, and with this being his last chance for a big contract, that's what he wants - show me the money - rather than worrying about winning. I could see him making a jump to the West and going to the Jazz, who are going to have to pay somebody. If he doesn't jump to the Jazz and the Bucks don't make him a respectable offer, I could also see him making a move to Minnesota to fill the gap Diallo would leave if he went somewhere else in Free Agency. If he doesn't get max offers, though, he could very well chase a big payday in Houston where he has a chance to win, too.
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS (TORONTO RAPTORS)
The Raptors have a love affair with Kristaps, but is it a max-money love affair? At just 26, he's among the youngest free agents in the class. This would make him a high-priority target for a number of teams and if the Raptors are chasing bigger, more established names, KP might just decide he doesn't feel the love and wants to make a money grab. If it's money he wants, the proper jump is probably to the Lakers or the Jazz; however, if max offers aren't forthcoming, I think the perfect way for KP to put a knife in the back of Soundwave would be to go take a fractional max from Chad and the Bobcats. I got your salt right here.
JAMES O'CONNOR (DETROIT PISTONS)
Detroit can go over the cap to bring him back, he's been successful with deep playoff runs, and the Pistons have shown a great proclivity to be loyal to their players. His first choice should probably be to re-sign. If something goes sour with Pistsons management, though, I could see him jumping ship to go to chase a bigger payday with a team like the Pelicans or Jazz, either of whom would have plenty of minutes to give him at the SF spot.
TUA TAGOVAILOA (ATLANTA HAWKS)
Atlanta's been giving Tua playing time since they traded for him, but both in San Antonio and in Atlanta he's never really popped for "star" type numbers. I think he'd probably be happiest joining up with Pauly P and the Pacers, who have a legendary ability to get help small forwards translate talent into monster stats, even if the Pacers won't have quite a full max to offer - it'll be close enough. The other route he could go to inflate his stats would be to jump to a team like the Knicks or the Jazz where he'll be the sole scoring attraction. Or he could stay in Atlanta if they're willing to (over)pay him, but that's much less exciting than considering the other options.
DAMION WILLIAMS (NEW ORLEANS PELICANS)
Damion is hitting the prime of his career and as the only real option in the Pellies' back court is posting ridiculous scoring numbers. But he's been stuck on bad to mediocre teams most of his career and I rather think he'd like to try winning for a change. With that in mind, I could totally see him making a beeline for Orlando in the off-season; he could replace DeSean Hawkins on a team that's already on track to win the division for a second year in a row and in a division where the other teams have the potential to get substantial work done on their rebuilds, but aren't - you know - actually rebuilt yet. Staying in New Orleans, with a slick-passing Jokic and especially if a bigger name signs first wouldn't be a bad option for him either.
JUDD WILLIAMS (BOSTON CELTICS)
Like nearly every other 6-9 power forward on this list, you have to put the Wizards near the top of Judd's wish list, because he knows he could be a lifer there. The Celtics with their Bird Rights are obviously in play, too - but bear in mind they just exited luxury tax purgatory and to throw themselves deep into the tax again so soon would be a bit reckless. But I knind of feel like Indiana moved off of Judd Williams because they felt they had to get something for him rather than lose him in free agency and would welcome him back in a blink if he would take a bit of a discount. So don't discount Indiana swooping in and signing him back if he doesn't get max offers.
I should note here that since RFAs aren't in full control of their own destiny, they aren't going to be considered here. This is going to be an article completely about Unrestricted Free Agents... and boy, are there a lot of good ones (twenty blue or purple potentials). I'll present them in alphabetical order by last name. Remember I'm accounting for which teams have the cap wherewithal to fit these guys in too... teams with no cap will have a hard time offering these guys what they're worth and so are mostly excluded.
PG ERNIE ACUNA (PHOENIX SUNS)
Acuna is the youngest of the top-tier unrestricted free agents, but is also one of the most raw. He would be best served trying to get a big-money deal out of a team that is young and has young talent already collected to grow with him. Acuna's best options to both get paid and to get on a promising young team would probably be the Timberwolves (to pair him with Luka) or the Hawks (who don't need him to be a scoring threat - which he's not).
SF GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (WASHINGTON WIZARDS)
At the other end of the spectrum from Acuna, Giannis is the oldest difference-maker on the market, though his age means teams will be reluctant to commit money to him long-term. Giannis is best-suited going to a win-now team that could use a boost in versatility. He would be an excellent fit on the Rockets provided he agrees to terms on a contract before the Rockets' in-house Free Agents do. If he can't find a way to make it work there, he would probably be best-served returning to where his career started with the Lakers and team up with some other high-priced stars.
JOFFREY BARATHEON (MILWAUKEE BUCKS)
The Raptors and Bucks will both surely make max-offer bids to Joffrey. But I should think that Joffrey would spurn the Raptors for trading him away and in a truly backstabbing fashion, Joffrey would look to get out of the gauntlet that is the East and move to the Western conference. And who better for him to sign with to produce maximum salt than Nick Malone, who also abandoned the Eastern Conference during re-alignment? The Pelicans have two great big men for him to feed the ball to, and with three stars and mostly veteran minimum role-players around them, the three stars can all get plenty of shots. If he doesn't wind up with the Pelicans, the other option would be to drop into Phoenix and demand that G_Messi start spending that enormous stockpile of points to train up other players to work with him there.
RAMSAY BOLTON (PHOENIX SUNS)
If there's even a slight chance that Joffrey Baratheon is coming to the Suns, Bolton will... um... bolt. He's put up empty numbers on bad teams for many seasons, and the best way for him continue to do that would be to take a big offer from the Knicks and go there to ply his trade because they're not likely to have anyone else ready to step up until he's well past his prime. If he doesn't wind up in New York, he might instead choose to jump to Golden State, where he'll be able to torment the Suns (and Joffrey) three or four times a year, and where there will be absolutely no pressure to compete (though I can see him ordering one of Grimaldi's hands be chopped off because Grim likes to shoot too much for Ramsay's liking).
ALVIN BRISENO (LOS ANGELES LAKERS)
This guy is finally hitting the open market after years of indentured servitude. The ideal landing spot for Briseno would be a team looking for a big man to put them over the top. That sounds an awful lot like the Raptors, who will have a couple of excellent wings in RJ Barrett and Bjorn Ironside already in place and will be looking for a big man that can give them interior production. If he doesn't wind up going to the Raptors, I would think he would seriously consider the Magic (who probably don't quite have a max spot, but will have a significant percentage of a max), who could put him next to Boban for a potent one-two punch inside.
JAYLEN BROWN (PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS)
Jaylen needs to find an owner who is willing to pay for his rather unique skill set - and to me that screams the Washington Wizards, who have three max slots to play with so they can go in on win-now pieces and also knowing that xist has always had a tendency to gravitate toward unique skill sets. If he doesn't wind up landing with Washington, he will probably find there's no place like home and stick with the Blazers. That may not be the most exciting outcome, but it's probably among the best options for Jaylen.
CHEICK DIALLO (MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES)
Cheick has had a breakout season in Minnesota and you can bet he wants to be paid. The ideal landing spot for Cheick has to be the Bucks. They will have an opening at PF with Thomas Knecht entering free agency and we all know that Doug has a soft spot for former Bucks, so bringing Chieck back "home" (never mind he was there for just one season) would be fitting. If he doesn't go back to Milwaukee, he probably has a good chance of landing with the Wizards, a team that has run with enormous lineups of 6-9 across the board in the past, which fits Cheick to a "T."
AARON DONALD (CHARLOTTE BOBCATS)
Donald has hit 30, but remains a scoring and shot-blocking force. His best bet would be to find a win-now team and I think he would probably be wise to head to the Lakers - especially if Giannis decides to go there. He'll be hailed as a hero for replacing the departing Briseno and as a bonus, once Tray inevitably goes absentee, he won't even have to produce at the level he produced last year to keep pulling a paycheck! If he doesn't wind up in La La Land, his second choice would probably be to land up a little farther north in California in Golden State, where he and Van Grimaldi can swap complaints about how long it's taking the youngsters on the Warriors to learn how to compete.
JEFFREY DUREN (DENVER NUGGETS)
The easy answer for Duren when he hits free agency is going to be to take the supermax the Nuggets will offer him and keep chasing titles while plunging the Nuggets deeper and deeper into the tax abyss. Of course, the last time Duren was a Free Agent, the easy answer was to take the supermax from the Kings and he didn't do that either, so it wouldn't be a shock to see Duren go somewhere that's ready to start a rebuild in earnest. To my mind, that would be taking his talents to Utah (still in the rocky mountains) or possibly Atlanta (who could make a quick jump with Duren at point but would engender a lot of ill will across the league)... or he could really turn the league on its head and go to possibly the only place that would make the league saltier than staying in Denver... he could go the Kevin Love route and try to return Phoenix to glory.
HARLAND ELLINGER (GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS)
Ellinger's current contract number means he's eligible for the biggest payday on this list, which combined with his age may scare teams off. To my mind, this makes him the perfect candidate to join up with other aging stars Giannis and Aaron Donald in Los Angeles (since Ellinger experienced a lot of success with Donald in the past, this seems like a natural fit - it's already been shown they can work together). The other possible destination that would intrigue Ellinger might be the Bucks - if Joffrey does make a heel turn, the Bucks will have enough cap space to make Ellinger a very nice offer, and they're young enough that as he ages, he can turn the scoring load over to the young Bucks. And of course, assuming they are willing to break the bank, the Hawks might be in play to get him back, considering they traded him away over luxury tax concerns, not over talent concerns.
FRANK GARDEN (HOUSTON ROCKETS)
Garden has really bloomed during his past three seasons in Houston (pun slightly intended) and you know the Rockets would love to keep him. It's a known fit, he's seen some success, and I could see him being happy enough to stay. But if he does move on, I have to think that he'd probably settle for something less than a max and could very well wind up in Toronto as the "second star" who takes what's left of the Toronto cap space after a bigger star (Alvin Briseno, maybe?) gets the full max. He's a bit less of an ideal fit at the other teams that will have enough money to afford his services.
DESEAN HAWKINS (ORLANDO MAGIC)
After playing for Orlando on a one-year MLE deal, you have to think Hawkins will be looking for a big payday this summer, though I think teams will probably lowball him knowing that he accepted a modest payday this season. If he's looking for a team that will let him get paid while still having a reasonable amount of talent around him, the Cavaliers might be the place for him to land - he can't get a max there, but he can nearly double his current salary there. He might also want to consider going to the valley of the sun in Phoenix, particularly if the Suns sign a mega-star like Jeffrey Duren. If, however, he's more interested in winning than getting paid and is willing to take the MLE again... well, he probably ends up in Denver, Brooklyn, or Philly.
ERIK HAYNES (SACRAMENTO KINGS)
In the summer when Jeffrey Duren returns to the free agent table, one has to wonder if Tani will be sweating out Erik Haynes' decision. He has to be somewhat reassured that when he was an RFA, Haynes re-signed with no muss, no fuss. Haynes is going to be the biggest Free Agent fish out there and will have no shortage of offers. Given the Kings' success, I think his best move is probably to stay; if he does move, the team I think he would probably be most likely to join is the Wizards - again, they have a fascination with big men and Haynes is one of the biggest and best and could trust that with two more max slots, they'll be able to land some sort of backcourt help.
J.R. JOHNSON (WASHINGTON WIZARDS)
J.R. has been the exception that proves the rule when it comes to xists's love of big men. Johnson has been in Washington for three seasons now running the point and I think he'd probably only be tempted to leave for a situation where he had more competent scorers around him since he's more of a pass-first guy. If the Wizards are able to get some other high-caliber free agents to come in, he seems comfortable there, xist seems comfortable with him, so he'll probably stay. But if xist can't talk other free agents into coming, the Hawks might be a place he'd consider - they've needed a point guard since trading away Ellinger and do have scoring at most other positions so he won't be called upon to score and can pad his assist totals. He might also consider moving to Golden State if they can't re-sign Ellinger where expectations should be low, salary should be high, and he can comfortably ply his trade and pad his bank account out of the limelight.
THOMAS KNECHT (MILWAUKEE BUCKS)
Knecht has been underpaid in Milwaukee since coming over from the Suns, but he can't blame that on the Bucks - that was a function of his RFA deal with the Suns. I suspect, though, that at 29 years old, and with this being his last chance for a big contract, that's what he wants - show me the money - rather than worrying about winning. I could see him making a jump to the West and going to the Jazz, who are going to have to pay somebody. If he doesn't jump to the Jazz and the Bucks don't make him a respectable offer, I could also see him making a move to Minnesota to fill the gap Diallo would leave if he went somewhere else in Free Agency. If he doesn't get max offers, though, he could very well chase a big payday in Houston where he has a chance to win, too.
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS (TORONTO RAPTORS)
The Raptors have a love affair with Kristaps, but is it a max-money love affair? At just 26, he's among the youngest free agents in the class. This would make him a high-priority target for a number of teams and if the Raptors are chasing bigger, more established names, KP might just decide he doesn't feel the love and wants to make a money grab. If it's money he wants, the proper jump is probably to the Lakers or the Jazz; however, if max offers aren't forthcoming, I think the perfect way for KP to put a knife in the back of Soundwave would be to go take a fractional max from Chad and the Bobcats. I got your salt right here.
JAMES O'CONNOR (DETROIT PISTONS)
Detroit can go over the cap to bring him back, he's been successful with deep playoff runs, and the Pistons have shown a great proclivity to be loyal to their players. His first choice should probably be to re-sign. If something goes sour with Pistsons management, though, I could see him jumping ship to go to chase a bigger payday with a team like the Pelicans or Jazz, either of whom would have plenty of minutes to give him at the SF spot.
TUA TAGOVAILOA (ATLANTA HAWKS)
Atlanta's been giving Tua playing time since they traded for him, but both in San Antonio and in Atlanta he's never really popped for "star" type numbers. I think he'd probably be happiest joining up with Pauly P and the Pacers, who have a legendary ability to get help small forwards translate talent into monster stats, even if the Pacers won't have quite a full max to offer - it'll be close enough. The other route he could go to inflate his stats would be to jump to a team like the Knicks or the Jazz where he'll be the sole scoring attraction. Or he could stay in Atlanta if they're willing to (over)pay him, but that's much less exciting than considering the other options.
DAMION WILLIAMS (NEW ORLEANS PELICANS)
Damion is hitting the prime of his career and as the only real option in the Pellies' back court is posting ridiculous scoring numbers. But he's been stuck on bad to mediocre teams most of his career and I rather think he'd like to try winning for a change. With that in mind, I could totally see him making a beeline for Orlando in the off-season; he could replace DeSean Hawkins on a team that's already on track to win the division for a second year in a row and in a division where the other teams have the potential to get substantial work done on their rebuilds, but aren't - you know - actually rebuilt yet. Staying in New Orleans, with a slick-passing Jokic and especially if a bigger name signs first wouldn't be a bad option for him either.
JUDD WILLIAMS (BOSTON CELTICS)
Like nearly every other 6-9 power forward on this list, you have to put the Wizards near the top of Judd's wish list, because he knows he could be a lifer there. The Celtics with their Bird Rights are obviously in play, too - but bear in mind they just exited luxury tax purgatory and to throw themselves deep into the tax again so soon would be a bit reckless. But I knind of feel like Indiana moved off of Judd Williams because they felt they had to get something for him rather than lose him in free agency and would welcome him back in a blink if he would take a bit of a discount. So don't discount Indiana swooping in and signing him back if he doesn't get max offers.