Spurs would become championship favorite with LaMarcus Aldridge; Cavaliers primed for Finals return
From the time they lucked into Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs have
always tried to be a step faster and tad more shrewd in finding an
advantage and making sure none of his career has gone to waste. The
Spurs were among the first teams to find superstars from overseas late
in the draft, discovered the value in rest and minute-limits to prolong
the effectiveness of careers and adapted to a league-wide embrace of
analytics and three-pointers to develop a beautiful brand of basketball.
They have won five championships during an incredible 18-year run and
are prepared to make the next adjustment in order to continue winning
even after Duncan: beating the rest of a league flush with
pocket-burning cash in free agency.
LaMarcus Aldridge is the most talented player available in the open market this summer
— LeBron James isn’t going anywhere — and the Spurs spent the first day
of an insane free agent recruiting period laying the groundwork for his
arrival. They signed Kawhi Leonard, the future franchise cornerstone
discovered at the 15th overall pick in 2011, to a maximum contract worth
roughly $90 million over five years. They signed Danny Green, a former
castoff whom they converted into a defensive-minded three-point shooter,
to a four-year, $45-million deal that was less than what he could’ve
commanded elsewhere. And finally, they cleared up enough salary cap
space to pay Aldridge a maximum contract by dealing away Tiago Splitter
in a salary dump.
The Spurs won’t be able to fully complete a successful summer unless
they are able to attract Aldridge, who is being pursued by a handful of
other teams. But master conductor James has to be sitting back feeling
secure about the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers after owner Dan
Gilbert agreed to shell out nearly a $250 million to bring back
three-time all-star power forward Kevin Love, his trusted and relentless
rebounding backup in Tristan Thompson along with perimeter defensive
specialist Iman Shumpert.
Love had an uneven first season playing
alongside James, struggling to develop chemistry and a comfortable,
defined role, and didn’t even survive the postseason after sustaining a
separated shoulder. Those struggles led to endless speculation that Love
wasn’t long for Cleveland, despite his consistent declarations of his
commitment to the organization. A reported scheduled meeting with the
Los Angeles Lakers added steam to his rumored departure. But in a
first-person letter published on Derek Jeter’s Website, The Player’s Tribune, Love announced that he was going back to Cleveland and cited missing the NBA Finals as his motivation to return.
“We’re all on the same page and we’re all in,” Love said. “We have unfinished business and now it’s time to get back to work.”
Kevin Love, left, re-signed with Cleveland, inking a five-year deal. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
Love’s return wasn’t very surprising but his decision to commit to a
five-year deal worth about $110 million caught some off guard since he
could’ve potentially made more accepting a shorter deal with an early
termination option. With the NBA set to receive a $24 billion windfall
beginning next summer, Love would’ve been able to receive considerably
more money by waiting another year or two to strike a long-term deal.
But Love has had two of his past four seasons disrupted by injury and
his new deal ends his status as a rental – and ensures that the
Cavaliers will have something to show for surrendering former No. 1
overall pick Andrew Wiggins last summer to get Love from Minnesota.
James
has yet to come terms but the Cavaliers are seeking to build a
powerhouse that will reign over the Eastern Conference for a while. They
already have the makings of tried and tested super team and are
peddling Brendan Haywood’s non-guaranteed $10.5 million contract to add
another talented piece.
Thompson,
who took advantage of Love’s injury and helped the Cavaliers reach the
Finals as a starter, cashed in with a contract worth $80 million over
five years. Thompson wasn’t the only role player to agree to a contract
that generally reserved for rising star.
The Milwaukee Bucks
retained swingman Khris Middleton with a five-year deal worth $70
million. DeMarre Carroll, the Atlanta Hawks’ lone non-all-star starter
last season, decided to leave for Toronto on a four-year, $60 million
pact (four perspective, Sacramento Kings all-star DeMarcus Cousins
signed a similar deal as Carroll, considered a maximum extension, just
two years ago).
That might explain why restricted free agent
Draymond Green cut off talks with the champion Golden State Warriors
after negotiations stalled. The two sides eventually picked up
conversations again later on Wednesday and the Warriors locked up their
emotional leader with a five-year, $85 million deal that allows them to
maintain the core of a team that won 67 games last season. A former
second-round pick, Green has now become the team’s highest-paid player,
ahead of league MVP Stephen Curry and all-star shooting guard Klay
Thompson.
On a wild day the proved that there might have never
been a better time to be a free agent, several eye-popping deals were
signed and easily rationalized in perspective of a salary cap that makes
some eight-figure deals more palatable.
Aldridge would have to
settle for a four-year deal worth roughly $80 million to continue his
career in San Antonio. Portland has already offered Aldridge a $108
million deal to stay, so he would be making a significant sacrifice in
the name of championship glory.
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly
failed to convince Aldridge that he should continue his future in
purple and gold. The Los Angeles Times reported that Aldridge and Bryant
“didn’t quite gel.” Phoenix and Houston made impressive pitches and
Aldridge’s representation used its Twitter account to shoot rumors of
his plans, stating that he “has not made any decisions yet.” But
considering what the Spurs have already proven that they can do through
excellent management and forward thinking, Aldridge would have to feel
confident in has chances that the reward will come in wins and rings in
San Antonio.
2/7/2015
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