Tag Archive for 'Corey Maggette'

The free agent market gets smaller

Published by Matt Watson on July 9, 2008 in From the news and Rumors. 144 Comments

Today is the first day that free agents can officially sign contracts. Not surprisingly, there were a slew of commitments made in the last 24-48 hours, including a bunch made by players the Pistons were believed to be targeting. Let’s recap:

  • Elton Brand goes to Philly (five years, $82 million). The Pistons never had a chance at him, but his arrival to the 76ers will definitely affect them come next year. This won’t make the Sixers into instant favorites like the Kevin Garnett deal did for the Celtics, but at the very least it does make them a threat to get home court advantage in the East. And let’s be blunt: if the Sixers had a healthy Brand in the playoffs last year, would the Pistons have still won in six? I’m not so sure.

    All of a sudden, the Atlantic Division — with the defending champs in Boston, Jermaine O’Neal joining Chris Bosh in Toronto, Brand joining an already feisty squad in Philly and Mike D’Antoni running the show in New York — looks like one of the most competitive in the entire league. (I’m not saying it’s one of the best — that’s probably still the Southwest Division — but top to bottom it should be damn competitive.)

  • Corey Maggette to the Warriors (five years, $50 million). Let’s see: accept the MLE and a reduced role on a contender, or take the money and play a leading role for the Warriors. It’s an easy call, and one most of us would have made, as well, were we in his shoes. I really, really would have liked to see Maggette sign with the Pistons, but guys with his skills deserve to be paid. This deal just makes more sense.
  • Mickael Pietrus to the Magic (four years, $24 million). He’s getting a shade under the MLE, which the Pistons probably never considered giving him. Strictly in terms of talent this makes sense for the Magic (their backcourt was a joke last year), but my gut says Orlando overpaid.
  • James Jones to the Heat? (five years, $20-ish million) Last I heard it’s just an offer, but Jones was born and raised in Miami and spent four years at the University of Miami. The last three years are conditional so the Heat can have flexibility come 2010 (read: re-sign Dwyane Wade), so it’s possible Jones might still be convinced to sign elsewhere if someone guarantees the entire contract.

There are still some of guys left, but it’s mostly the second-tier guys that aren’t anyone’s first, second or third option. That’s not always a bad thing — I was blindsided by Jarvis Hayes’ arrival last summer, and even though Hayes was out of the rotation by the end of the year, I actually thought he exceeded expectations.

That said, we knew from the get-go this summer that the biggest change wouldn’t happen through free agency. If (or when) it happens, it’ll be in the form of a trade. According to “Boobie” Dumars, though, nothing is brewing at the moment. From (as usual) A. Sherrod Blakely:

“I can tell you that there is nothing imminent and there have only been conversations,” Dumars said. “But nothing imminent in terms of a deal or close to a deal.”

One of the reasons for that might have been the base-year compensation limitations on Billups’ contract, which was signed last summer.

Players who re-sign with their respective teams, have a trade value that’s equal to half of their actual salary in the first year of the deal. Those restrictions will be lifted Wednesday.

[…] “I like to act decisively whenever I’m trying to get something done,” Dumars said. “But I’m well aware that there has to be another team that’s willing, and there has to be a good deal for both teams. Those two things will slow you down in doing a deal.

“What you have to do is be patient. What you can’t do is run out and make a knee-jerk deal just to prove a point. You have to be smart about stuff like this and you have to know that it’s a deal that you know is going to help your team get better.”

ASB makes an interesting point regarding Billups’ contract that I think most fans (myself included) forgot about. Now that there are no more restrictions and the first batch of free agents have signed, don’t be surprised to see the rumor mill churn out fresh material in the coming days.

Can the Pistons sign Corey Maggette?

Published by Matt Watson on July 7, 2008 in Rumors. 105 Comments

Remember those crazy “Baron Davis to Detroit?!” rumors from last month? They fizzled out the moment Davis opted out of his final year with the Warriors, but as luck would have it, his decision to hit the open market just might help facilitate a different big-ticket move for the Pistons.

By returning to his Los Angeles roots to play in Kobe’s shadow for the Clippers (and with Elton Brand almost certainly re-upping with a monster deal of his own), Corey Maggette has become the odd-man-out in Clipper-land. But as A. Sherrod Blakely points out, there aren’t exactly a lot of teams with money under the cap, meaning Maggette may have to settle for the mid-level exception

And while the Pistons have been reluctant to use it all on one player this summer, they may if it means landing Maggette.

The NBA champion Boston Celtics also have been hesitant to commit their full mid-level exception to one player, even one of their own free agents, James Posey.

Boston also has inquired about Maggette and have reportedly offered their full mid-level exception.

Maggette, who opted out of the final year of a contract that would have paid him $7 million this season, appears to at least be receptive to the idea.

“If you want to win, you have to make sacrifices,” Maggette told the Boston Globe.

(I’m going to skip over a lengthy explanation of why the Pistons should want Maggette, but the short version is that he’s a 28-year-old slasher who loves contact, gets to the line about 10 times a game, has pretty good range, rebounds well for his position and is an underrated defender. Debate his merits in the comments if you like, but for me it’s an open and shut case.)

First, some math. Accepting the mid-level exception would be a pay cut, but not as much as you might think. It’s true that the MLE has been set for $5.8 million this year, but it also includes 8% raises each season. If he signed a five-year deal, the total value of his contract would be just over $34 million. He’d make almost $7.9 million in the final year, and he’d average $6.8 million over the life of the deal. Obviously he was hoping for a raise (aren’t we all?), but if that can’t happen, a lateral move to a contender is still a solid career move.

Now, before Pistons fans get too excited, realize that both the Celtics and Spurs are dangling the MLE at him, and even if the Pistons decide to follow suit, it’ll be awfully difficult to persuade him that Detroit is closer to a title than Boston or San Antonio. (If anything, I’d argue that the three teams are all so close it’s a wash.)

So what other factors might factor into his decision? For one, playing time. He can play either the two or the three, but as rosters are currently constructed, only the Spurs can afford to offer him a starting job (and that’s only because Manu Ginobili is content being the world’s best sixth man). I’d understand if the Celtics wanted a contingency play for Ray Allen, but I can’t imagine Danny Ainge has the guts to bite the bullet and deal Allen before the start of the season.

As for the Pistons, Maggette would be blocked by Rip Hamilton and/or Tayshaun Prince, though his arrival would in turn allow Joe Dumars to fashion a trade around Rip or Tay without demanding a starting-caliber swingman in return. If Maggette can be convinced that — some how, some way — a starting job would be his come November, perhaps he’ll bite. (Or in a perfect world, maybe he’s content coming off the bench. He did it sporadically in L.A., though I attribute that mostly to the Clippers’ mismanagement than anything else.)

Last but not least, here’s another interesting tidbit (dug up by PistonsForum.com member armygirl) Maggette has family ties to Michigan through his wife, Milagro “Mili” Martinez Maggette, who’s originally from Imlay City, MI, which, as luck would have it, is a mere 40 miles north of Auburn Hills. All things being equal, wouldn’t allowing his wife to move close to family (assuming, you know, she still has family there) be a nice bonus? Of course it would.

Mind you, the Pistons haven’t officially joined this race, and even if they do, there are plenty of hurdles. But in my eyes, this is a guy definitely worth pursuing. Cross your fingers.