We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
Do you think the super max-rule is turning out to be a bad rule? Players are getting so overpaid, but not deserving it like what’s happening now to John Wall and Chris Paul? — Greg Dizon
Formally known as the Designated Veteran Extension, the super-max is a good rule for the players, who will likely fight to keep it in the next collective bargaining agreement. It rewards loyalty and achievement, enabling players who have 7-9 years of experience with their original team to qualify for a contract at 35% of the cap, a privilege normally reserved for players with 10 or more years of service. Certain criteria such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or all-NBA appearances must also be met.
However, having a player eligible for a super-max can put a team in a bind, which is happening to the Hornets this summer with Kemba Walker, who is now eligible to earn about $221.3MM over five years instead of the standard max-level deal of $189.7MM. That’s a huge investment in one player, and as Wall showed in Washington, it can devastate a team if something goes wrong. Paul wasn’t eligible for a super-max because the Clippers traded him, but he still got a nice deal in Houston.
Can Golden State and Boston afford max-level players if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and Al Horford leave? How do you think Ricky Rubio fits on the Lakers? — Bloody knuckle show, via Twitter
The Warriors won’t have cap room unless they lose both Durant and Klay Thompson, and it wouldn’t be nearly enough to offer a max deal. With Aron Baynes off the books now that he has been traded to Phoenix, the Celtics can create up to $34MM in space. That’s enough to compete for the top free agents, but they would need to renounce Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris to get there. Point guard seems to be the primary focus for the Lakers heading into free agency. Rubio might be cheaper than some other options, but he’s not a shooter, which is the mistake L.A. made last summer. They need to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis with players who can space the floor.
Which contender is the best fit for Carmelo Anthony and why? — Leonard Carollo
It may be time to accept that there is no best fit for Anthony anymore. The Rockets seemed like a good spot for him last year because of the chance to play with two excellent passers in Paul, one of his best friends, and James Harden. However, he lasted just 10 games. Anthony was also disappointing in his season with the Thunder and put up good numbers on bad teams for much of his time with the Knicks. The Lakers may sign him because of his relationship with LeBron, but Anthony is probably past the point where he can help anyone.
hearing whispers of melo to china 20M year
Any read from NC media/fans on Kemba? I don’t believe Jordan/kupchak offer him max. Will he stay for less?
I am a Melo fan but unfortunately for him, he has no place in this fast paced, two way playing, pass first NBA.
The good thing about the super max is it should help spread the best players around instead of having them gather on super teams.
The bad thing is that it forces smart teams to trade their best players because it really never pays to give that much of your cap to a single player but there is always some team that will benefit with an overpay and usually a few dumb ones too.
The supermax does not work for its stated purpose. Players are not incentivized by it.
Problem is that it is designed for players at their prime or most likely at the beginning of their decline, which makes the contracts & players look real bad, the bigger contracts with the bigger money should be given after the 3-4 year rookie contract, when players are about to enter their prime, that is when you pay them the highest, after 10 years in the league their contracts should be getting lower not higher.
Carmelo absolutely has a place in the NBA. There ate plenty of players that are good scores but lousy defenders. He no longer deserves staying minutes tho. but coming off the bench with the sole purpose of scoring and trying to shoot your way out of a deficit or trying to maintain one with regulars on the bench are his game time. if you have a good defensive team then you can hide him. I think he would be an interesting player on the Raptors if Kawhi stayed, coming off the bench behind him. on the floor with other players that can defend can minimize his defensive weakness. if he chomes in with Kawhi on three bench for 8-10 minute he could probably give you 6-10 points in stretches. he’s still a threat on the floor.
They are already RFA at that point so the team can match, no reason to offer them even more money as they are basically stuck.