Richard Jefferson Opts out!?

[Bankshot]

Very poor decision by Richard Jefferson. I wonder who is giving him this advice.

Maybe he felt guilty about how much money he made last year?

LOL

I can't wait to see how this one shakes out.

[Drucci]

Shocking decision... I hope for Jefferson that he has agreed verbally to a long-term deal elsewhere because otherwise he leaves a lot of money on the table and will never get it back since he dropped his value this season.

However, I have to give him credit for choosing a chance at a better situaton over the money. He was unhappy with San Antonio this season, was in good terms with the staff and the players but simply didn't fit in the system. He could have said "whatever, I will stick on my contract and get these big bucks even if I don't fit here" but instead he went away from A LOT of money to try to find a team where he will fit. Kudos to him, I hope his choice will be rewarded.

I simply don't know any other NBA player who would have left 15$ million on the table because he didn't fit in. You may say it's a dumb decision but I like it.

[JudsonMerrill]

I guess if there are, what, 8 teams with big cap space and the room to sign 11 or 12 huge contracts...?

We know of 8 those contracts are going to James, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Johnson, Boozer, Lee, and Gay. If you assume Pierce and Nowitzki stay put, that still leaves lots of money on the table for someone to overpay (and over too many years) Salmons and Jefferson.

There's just a ton of demand out there. Two-years worth, basically. And next summer is a complete unknown. No wonder everybody who can opt out, is. (Except for Yao. And even that's sort of surprising. Missing one leg or not, wouldn't the Knicks love to overpay him when they miss out on everyone else?)

[CelticSooner]

Spurs fans are ecstatic with the news. I don't blame them one bit. lol

[bobdelt]

This puts the Spurs $5 Million under the cap. They are screwed unless they sign and trade or dump a contract. Otherwise, they have no may to add on (outside of the MLE) and lose a max.

How does that screw them? This saved the owners $25 million dollars. 15 mil to his contract, 10 in the luxury tax).

Ask ownership if theyre screwed. If he opted in, he would have been untradable. So yeah....not screwed.


Maybe he's going to the "dream team"

[twinbree]

Pierce and Dirk are the only opt outs so far that have made any sense to me. I hope Jefferson knows what he's doing. And I hope the Spurs put that flexibility to good use.

[the_Bird]

This puts the Spurs $5 Million under the cap. They are screwed unless they sign and trade or dump a contract. Otherwise, they have no may to add on (outside of the MLE) and lose a max.

How does that screw them? This saved the owners $25 million dollars. 15 mil to his contract, 10 in the luxury tax).

Ask ownership if theyre screwed. If he opted in, he would have been untradable. So yeah....not screwed.


Maybe he's going to the "dream team"

Yeah, I don't think the owners are mad, but it does seem like they're a little hosed when it comes to adding free agents now, since it looks like they're under the cap by less than the MLE amount.  Seems like teams that are under the cap by an amount less than the MLE, ought to still be able to sign guys up to the MLE amount.  

Do like the idea of a 'Sheed-for-Dice trade; seems like San Antonio could get ~8M under the cap pretty easily, which isn't going to get them a max-level guy but would put them at a huge advantage when it comes to signing the Tier II-kinds of players (Haywood, Mike Miller, etc).  

[BballTim]

Wow.

The only reason he does this is because his agent thinks he can get a multi-year deal to recoup the lost salary.

Agents must expect wild overspending the next few weeks because Jefferson's stock is not high.

   Frankly I expect wild overspending as well.

[PosImpos]

Maybe he's looking to get signed for cheap by one of the teams that gets loaded with free agent talent.  For one of those teams with a vacancy on the wing he could be an attractive pickup for 4-5 million a year, and if he signs a 4 year deal that he'll still recoup the money he walked away from.

Definitely the only way his opting out makes sense is if he wants to find a better situation for himself.  Monetarily it makes very little sense.

[the_Bird]

He was quoted, I think in the Kelly Dwyer article, that he's looking for 4/$40, in his mind basically a three-year, $25M extension.

He ain't gonna get it.

[birdwatcher]

Maybe it was the Spur's system, but he choked pretty hard there. Can't tell if his confidence will come back--or his shot! Hope he's no where near Boston July 8.

[JSD]

This screws San Antonio too. They're now $5 Million under the cap!

I wonder if they want to get even further under the cap?

Would they consider trading McDyess for Sheed?

I was thinking McDyess and Parker to NY for Wilson Chandler and the ability to sign a max. New York wants Parker and what better time to part ways?

Been hearing about Parker possibly going elsewhere. Only via a trade, correct? He has no option to exercise to become a FA, does he?

Here it is too:

Chris Paul notwithstanding, the wild card in the point-guard market remains Tony Parker. One source said the Spurs are “hellbent on moving him,” but that will take time to play out. The Knicks are the most likely destination for Parker, but they need to address their top priority – LeBron – before they go down that road. CBSSports.com

via hoopshype.com

[GranTur]

http://airalamo.com/2010/05/28/spurs-report-card-richard-jefferson/

Him opting out is good for both the Spurs and RJ.

Seriously...that was a painful relationship. He doesn't care about money he probably just wants to get the hell out of the Spurs/defensive system.

[wdleehi]

Did he get a new agent since he signed the last contract?  Because this is a financially stupid move. 


His value is MLE at this point.  And it will take three years to cover what he gave up for one year.  And with a possible lockout, a 4 year deal.

[celticsclay]

This puts the Spurs $5 Million under the cap. They are screwed unless they sign and trade or dump a contract. Otherwise, they have no may to add on (outside of the MLE) and lose a max.

How does that screw them? This saved the owners $25 million dollars. 15 mil to his contract, 10 in the luxury tax).

Ask ownership if theyre screwed. If he opted in, he would have been untradable. So yeah....not screwed.


Maybe he's going to the "dream team"

Yeah, I don't think the owners are mad, but it does seem like they're a little hosed when it comes to adding free agents now, since it looks like they're under the cap by less than the MLE amount.  Seems like teams that are under the cap by an amount less than the MLE, ought to still be able to sign guys up to the MLE amount.  

Do like the idea of a 'Sheed-for-Dice trade; seems like San Antonio could get ~8M under the cap pretty easily, which isn't going to get them a max-level guy but would put them at a huge advantage when it comes to signing the Tier II-kinds of players (Haywood, Mike Miller, etc).  

Why do you guys want Dice so bad? He should probably be retiring is well and is not worth the mid level salary.