It’s official: Jason Maxiell isn’t interested in Detroit’s three-year, $15 million offer. From A. Sherrod Blakely:
Jason Maxiell’s agent confirmed that his client will not sign a contract extension with the Detroit Pistons by the Oct. 31 deadline. That means the 6-foot-7 forward will become a restricted free agent next summer.
“(The team has) expressed that he is a major contributor to their success,” Maxiell’s agent, Richard Katz, said in a telephone interview on Friday. “What we differ about on, is what that is worth.”
[…] “He loves it in Detroit, and is very comfortable,” Katz said. “We’ll just have to see how all this plays out.”
[…] Maxiell refuses to let all the contract talk be a distraction.
“I’m not really thinking about (contracts),” he said. “I’m just going to play this thing out, and go from there.”
Who’s Maxiell’s competition next summer? Here’s a list of some potential big men free agents, more or less ordered by whom I think will receive the most interest around the league:
First-tier:
Carlos Boozer (player option)
Shawn Marion (unrestricted)
Lamar Odom (unrestricted)
Rasheed Wallace (unrestricted)
Mehmet Okur (early-termination option)
Second-tier:
David Lee (restricted)
Charlie Villanueva (restricted)
Al Harrington (player option)
Anderson Varejao (player option)
Drew Gooden (unrestricted)
Hakim Warrick (restricted)
Chris Wilcox (unrestricted)
Leon Powe (restricted)
Third-tier:
Etan Thomas (player option)
Kwame Brown (player option)
Glen Davis (restricted)
Zaza Pachulia (unrestricted)
Joe Smith (unrestricted)
Sean May (restricted)
Where does Maxiell rank? Well, he definitely doesn’t crack that first tier of All-Stars, but with a strong season, he could position himself near the top of the second group. (Don’t get too hung up on the order of players — I was more concerned about tiers than whether a guy belongs two spots higher.)
I think Detroit’s offer is fair, and considering Max has never proven himself as a full-time starter, I don’t think there’s much risk in another team throwing the full mid-level at him. That said, there’s nothing wrong holding out for another guaranteed year or two.
Regardless of whether Maxiell agreed to an extension now or later, his salary for this season is set in stone so it’s not like he’s leaving money on the table, he’s just taking the risk that he stays healthy.
Regardless of whether Maxiell agreed to an extension now or later, his salary for this season is set in stone so it’s not like he’s leaving money on the table,>>
That may not be true even if not injured
1. Gordon was not injured and wound up having to settle for the QO, which for Maziell is about $2.8 million for next year. There is a long list of free agents next year so who knows if Maxiell will even get an offer that his agent wants especially if Amir continues to improve. There is no doubt in my mind that if Amir continues to show improvement especially in keeping his fouls low and improving his outside shooting even more than he could wind up seeing 30+ minutes by the all-star break.
2. Season ticket sales in the NBA are way doewn this year and as we know the NBA front office just layed off about 10% of it staff. I think FA offers next year especially with the large crop of FAs are going to be not so fat. There is a good chance that Maxiell will not get a $5 million a year offer next year because of that.
3. As far as I know the $5 million offer would have kicked in this year and not next year, that is why he had to sign it by Oct 31st. So he is already down over $3 million on this year alone.
4. For comparable players to Maxiell look at Rony Turiaf and Carl Landry. There new contracts are about $5 million a year.
So bottomline is, even though he may not get injured he may very well leave millions on the table.
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So as I had posted previously it looks like Maxiell is history after this year unless Joe D. changes his policy of not matching on Pistons RFAs. As far as I know Joe D. has never matched on a Pistons RFA and with the Sheeds possibly leaving as a FA or retiring and the glut of big men coming on the market I think that this will be Maxiell’s last year as Pistons player.
$5 million a year was more than a fair offer for him.
I think that Maxiell and his agent are really upset that Amir jumped him in the rotation though he may not have signed even if he was starting.
I researched this further and it looks like the $5 million offer would not kick in until next year regardless because Maxiell is still under his rookie contract.
So the $5 million would not start until next year.
Therefore if he winds up signing the QO of $2.8 million for next year he could leave $2.2 million on the table for 2009-10 by not signing the extension for $5 million a year
I think Maxiell’s contract offer would be matched when an offer is made.
It’s clear that he’s a specialty option, and not a go to option. Amir’s jumping over him into the starting rotation is not a punishment so much as it is a cement for his position on the team.
He will always be the 6th man, this is not Conference USA where a 6′9 Kenyon Martin dominated the conference at the center position and was the #1 overall pick. At 6′7, Maxiell is a novelty piece for a contending team. Maxey’s going to make his money in this next contract because by the end of the contract his athleticism will begin to slip.
The main problem is, does Maxey re-sign in Detroit and continue to play like the Maxey we know and love? Or does he re-sign in Detroit and become fat and happy (I’m looking at you Malik Rose, another lunch pail type undersized PF) and not bring it to the court night in and night out.
Malik Rose’s dropoff probably had more to do with age and joining the Knicks than anything. The problem with undersized lunch-pail types is that they do not age well, but that is not relevant to Maxiell’s case.
$5 million was not an unfair offer, but it is an offer that will be there for him barring a devastating injury. It wouldn’t be out of the question for a team to throw an offer slightly above the MLE in his direction. He would start on at least 15 teams in this league.
Also, someone offered YOU one million more than Kwame Brown, would you feel respected?
Here is McCosky’s take on the situation. I actually agree with him on this one.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Chris McCosky: Pistons: Analysis
Maxiell’s agent taking big risk with client’s contract
AUBURN HILLS — You understand the theory behind what Richard Katz is doing.
Katz, agent for Pistons forward Jason Maxiell, apparently will not accept the Pistons’ three-year, $15 million extension offer to his client. If an extension is not signed by Oct 31, Maxiell will become a restricted free agent next summer. Katz knows the Pistons will be able to match any offer from any other NBA team next summer, but he is rolling the dice on Maxiell improving his leverage with a big season.
It’s an agent’s job to get the biggest and best contract he can for his client and Katz apparently has decided he can do better than $5 million per year.
Understandable, but unlikely.
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Katz presumably believes Maxiell deserves a contract akin to a full mid-level exception. He watched back-up center DeSagana Diop sign with Dallas for five years and $31 million (a full mid-level) this past summer. So, presumably, he’s hoping to get his client something closer to $6 million per season.
You are a poker player with $5 million in your hand. Are you going to risk that to another full NBA season with a new coach and potentially a lesser role for a gain of just another million dollars?
Risky, especially when you look at all the variables.
Let’s start with the economic climate in the NBA right now. This is a rich league, no question, but it is feeling the effects of this rotten economy just like every other industry. The league recently laid off nine percent of its domestic work force. Season ticket renewals and sales are down all across the league. Owners in markets big and small are feeling a serious pinch right now.
So for Maxiell, a role player, albeit a productive and important one, to think teams are going to line up to pay him a starter’s salary is a bit delusional. Ask Bulls guard Ben Gordon. He turned down a $50 million offer and couldn’t get anybody else to offer anything close to that — other than a team in Greece.
Listen, regardless of what a Mark Cuban might pay to a backup player in Dallas, or what Toronto’s Bryan Colangelo might have overpaid to land reserve Jason Kapono, or what Miami overpaid for reserve James Jones, the mid-level exception was intended to be used for starters, not reserves.
And with teams tightening their purse strings more and more, even teams like Dallas, you best believe those mid-level exception deals will be doled out much more judiciously in the future. That’s the economic landscape Maxiell will be facing next summer.
Now let’s talk about Maxiell’s role this season. Without question he is a mainstay in the Pistons’ rotation. The ferocity with which he plays is unmatched on this team and he is somebody opposing defenses have to pay attention to in the low post, another rare commodity here.
But he is still an undersized power forward. He still at times is a liability defensively and on the boards, especially against bigger forwards. He still at times becomes a black hole on offense — the ball goes in and never comes back out. And the coaching staff still has to be ultra careful about his minutes.
The Pistons believe the point of diminishing returns on Maxiell is about 22 to 25 minutes per game. Because he plays so hard and expends so much energy, his efficiency starts to wane noticeably when his minutes increase into the upper-20s.
Maxiell’s role will be no less important to the Pistons this season, but it could well be shorter. Amir Johnson is going to start. Maxiell essentially is his backup, but he will split those minutes with Kwame Brown based on matchups. If the Pistons are playing a bigger team, Brown will play more minutes. Maxiell will get his run typically against smaller athletic teams.
Given the scope of the role he is expected to play, given that his career averages are a modest 6 points and 3.7 rebounds, $5 million a year seems like a generous offer, one Maxiell might hope will still be on the table next July.
But please understand, I am not trying to paint a picture of contentiousness between the Pistons and Maxiell. The negotiations, from what I could gather, have been polite and professional. Maxiell stayed out of it, which is why such a hard line has been drawn, I suspect. But here’s the plain truth — the Pistons hold Maxiell in high regard and they have every expectation of signing him long-term, be it before the end of this month or next summer.
Maxiell has also said he doesn’t plan on playing anywhere but here. He’s comfortable here. He fits perfectly with this team’s DNA.
So, yes, it seems silly to risk a whole season for the potential gain of $1 million more per year, especially when the end result is that the Pistons can, and probably will, match any but the most ridiculous offer next summer.
The Pistons are still in a win-win situation. Maxiell was going to play hard every night anyway; that is his nature. But if being in a contract year motivates him to even greater achievement and he plays and produces in a more expanded role and the team wins, the Pistons will have no problem paying that extra $1 million or so per year to re-sign him.
If that constitutes the end-game for Katz and his client, God bless him. It just seems like a lot of risk for a relatively modest reward.
You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.
Also, someone offered YOU one million more than Kwame Brown, would you feel respected?>>>
I’d feel darn rich!!! LOL
Know anyone willing to offer me $5 million.
Heck I would settle for $2 million but not a penny less.
kevin s.,
To some, Kwame Brown was the best free agent signing the Pistons have had.
Unless of course we had signed Kendrick Perkins or some other no name center
Well, the upside is that Maxiell, playing for a contract, will be that much hungrier. (Insert infant-consuming reference)
McCosky is missing the point by saying this is just about another million. The offer was 3 years, $15 million with a team option for a fourth. If Detroit offered four/20 guaranteed, would Max have signed? Or five/25? Most guys who establish themselves during their rookie contract don’t settle for three-year deals. I wouldn’t be surprised if Max insists on a four or five year deal.
(Also, for future reference, let’s not copy and paste entire articles — a few ‘graphs and a link will do.)
No problem on the posting part of an article.
Rony Turiaf who is now in his 4th year and whose skill leve is very comparable to Maxiell just signed a 3 year deal with GS with Turiaf having an option for the 4th year.
His contract is for $17 million for the 4 years if Turiaf exercises his option in the fourth year.
Sasha Vujacic who will be starting his fifth year this coming season signed a $15 million 3 year contract with the Lakers last July.
So it does appear that bench players are getting 3 year contracts with some also having an option for the 4th year.
Hey guys, hope everyone had a great summer…
Sounds like it’s completely about the money…but maybe it’s about years, too? If the Pistons offered him a little sweetener, like a 4th year, or at least an option, would Max take it?
Or might he be fishing for some Euroleague team to overpay? Hell, I’d play in Barca or Athens if I could lol…
I know 2010 is the big buffet, but 20 ‘9 ain’t no joke. Maxiell can test the waters, but doing so invites Dumars to do the same. Should we find a better option, we’ll take it. If anything, Maxiell has done a favor to the Pistons by doing what he is. We have the right of first refusal here. Before we refuse a damn thing, there are some sexy names on that list to think about.
The worst that can happen- we don’t match a Maxiell offer. I don’t feel the need to defend my respect for Maxiell, but should he go I trust Dumar’s judgement on the roster that he has built.
All that aside, I will always, ALWAYS be a Maxiell fan, no matter what jersey he wears next season. I will, however, keep my future children away from the screen when he plays…
Yeah, this seems like it was about years, not the couple million difference on the qo in year 1. Seems like a big risk for maxiell - injury risk for a chance at another guaranteed year, maybe? Pretty negatively skewed distribution if you ask me. Easy for his agent - he’s diversified across his client base. But maxiell is pretty long his own acls. And agree with you as usual mp - this is actually sort of helpful to us since we have first right of refusal - much as I love maxiell.
I guess it’s just hard for me to imagine 1) him playing at such a high level that we really regret him not being under contract for 3 and 5mm and 2) someone throwing so much money at him after that happens that we can’t match (if it’s worth it).
Well I think Leon Powe, David Lee and Chris Wilcox would be better options than Maxiel.
pass on Leon Powe, he flops too much.
pass on Chris Wilcox, I’m not down with the knee socks. Plus, he’s a former overrated ACC “star”.
David Lee? c’mon Cody, just tell us your real name Isiah
Maxiell is one dumb mother**. $15 millions is very fair to his type of player.
OMFG! Trade HB!
There’s no one on that second tier I would take over Maxiell. Wilcox, probably, if he was more consistent, but no one else.
Powe grades out as like the 30th best projected PER in the league or something right? While I know that’s not the be all end all, I’m inclined to say he’s an upgrade… But it’s a moot point b/c I can’t imagine us signing a celtic rfa to an attractive deal that ainge doesn’t match…wilcox is actually a feasible substitute…
I know this has nothing to do with J-Max, but watching the Lions game has got me asking:
When the heck did Ron Artest become the secret championship ingredient? Was it his average performance on some awful Sacramento teams? Last I remember, Ron Artest is a team-killing cancer. What happened to that, huh?
Hmm.. God forbid the Pistons actually sign a legit sized PF that can actually rebound and still be effective in extended minutes such as Wilcox, Powe and David Lee instead of sticking with a 6′5” PF that cant rebound or play big minutes without tiring.
Amir is the answer at PF.
By next year he will be graded out as a top tier PF and still only 22
Maxiell can’t rebound?
I learned all I needed to learn about Maxiell last postseason when he matched up 1 on 1 against Dwight Howard after the Magic thought they’d get Sheed and Dyess in foul trouble by dumping it down low to their 1 trick pony.
I wouldn’t take any of those 3 over Maxiell, because we know what Maxiell can do on a consistent basis. He may get overmatched when manning up on bigger post players, but really how many post players in the league can Maxiell not stay with?
McCosky is lazy about making his point. He assigns a fixed sum to Maxiell’s potential gains, but declines to similarly assess the risk.
Powe is undersized, too. He’s 6′8″.
Lee is only 6′9″. Also, Maxiell is a much better defender than Powe, Lee, or Wilcox. PER doesn’t really capture that.
I’m not convinced he is a much better defender than powe. And PER does capture rebounding and blocked shots, which most of us would consider defense (though clearly does not cover post d).
I think in some ways the best thing on maxiell’s resume is how he played howard. Like it or not, we’re going to have to get through superman every year…he was brilliant in that series.
We all love the baby eater - but I do think most gms take lee, wilcox, and powe over him (esp powe)…
Forty
I agree with you but I also think people are forgetting how Max played during the Orlando series. I wouldnt say he was brilliant at all, he had 2 good games and then dissapeared for the rest of playoffs. And Max is a terrible defensive rebounder, there is no justification for a PF having multiple games without acquring a single rebound in 20+ minutes of action. Powe, Lee and Wilcox are all legit sized PF because they have height (6′8 is a bit on the short side but combined with muscle mass Powe can hang with anyone in the game something that Max cannot do).
Lee and Wilcox are starting caliber players and Powe like Max is a 6th man type except Powe is bigger, atleast as good a defender as Max if not better, and a better rebounder. If Dumars finds himself in a position where he can acquire Wilcox, Lee or Powe then letting Maxiel go is the best choice.
Hello, Jason I meeting you in the summer in the moblie station. I just want to write keep the faith and play the game. and have funny because I like to see you smile. your friend Janet