GAMETHREAD: Orlando Magic @ Utah Jazz

[TreyMachine 395]

Even including cap holds, there will be at least 10 teams that can offer max/near max salaries in 2015, including the Lakers, Mavericks, Pistons, Grizzlies, Knicks, Hawks, Spurs, and Trailblazers. The link below lists projected cap space by team. Harris and O'Quinn might not be first options, but some team will pay them big money after missing out on Butler/Leonard.

 

http://www.spotrac.c...acker/nba/2015/

 

What many teams are now realizing is that paying guys NOW means not paying guys later. Thus, if you want to sign Harris to the max, then that's fine, but you want be able to pay a guy in 2016 a max deal. Last time I checked, this is a league of super stars, but unless you have a fully developed team, you're not going to win a championship.

 

I am indeed under the presumption that Harris would rather win than get paid to be on a dead-end team. Unfortunately for us, the Knicks are his homestate and have recently come under Phil Jackson, who we all know has a very good basketball mind. Harris will get paid max money by someone - whether it is the Knicks or not. I could see him signing an offer sheet with the knicks for 14 million. Then again, Gordon Haywood got paid max money... so.... -_-

 

Here's an interesting question: Is Harris worth max money NOW, knowing that the cap will rise (let's just say 10%) in the next year or so? Wouldn't that mean it's equivalent to $14 mil under the new CBA? Or would that go into effect with the FA this year?