Although Millsap is a restricted free agent, meaning the Jazz can match any offer, the Blazers are...

Although Millsap is a restricted free agent, meaning the Jazz can match any offer, the Blazers are preparing what one source called a "toxic" offer designed to exterminate interest from other teams.

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If Millsap signs an offer sheet accepting the Blazers' deal, Utah will have seven days to match the offer. The Jazz is already facing the luxury tax next season with a team salary of more than $73 million. Their finances, and prospects of competing with a lucrative offer to Millsap, took a hit last week when Carlos Boozer ($12.6 million), Mehmet Okur ($9 million) and Kyle Korver ($5.1 million) all exercised options to stay in Utah.

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…pressure for Utah to move Boozer fairly quickly.

StR noobs: More oxygen, less THC please.

by otis29 on Jul 9, 2009 10:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They can match any offer if they chose to. They would just have to dump Boozer before the deadline to avoid a luxery tax hit for the year. But waiting allows them to see what they are going to have to work with and how much salary they must shed. If they traded Boozer now, they would almost have to match any offer—no matter how rediculous—to avoid having no starting PF. Personally, I don’t see Portland making a “toxic” offer though. They have smarter management than that.

"Shut up and Coach!"
Vfettke

by SavageBeast on Jul 9, 2009 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think part of what makes the offer "toxic" is that it really screws over the Jazz if they match

because he’ll get most of the money in the first year, and it lowers every year after, like Nocioni’s. That’ll really hurt the Jazz to match it.

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by vfettke on Jul 9, 2009 11:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Deadline dealings....

Although the tax threshold penalty is paid out at the end of the season, it encompasses all monies paid out during the season. Keeping Boozer, even half the season is going to burden the Jazz heavily with tax threshold penalty dollars. Plus, if the Jazz are winning how do you trade one of your best players at mid-season and not have your fan base go crazy? I see Boozer getting dealt asap and the Kings are one of the few teams that can step in and help.

"Or, as Randy Jackson would say: Not feelin’ it, dawg."
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by jjham15 on Jul 9, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The deadline I was referring to was not the trade deadline, but the dealine to trade him and still stay under the tax (which I was too lazy to calculate.) I think they have already decided to trade him, I just think it would be dangerous to do so without knowing for sure they could lock up Milsap. Unless they get a deal that frees up most of Boozers salary or a piece they really need. As a Jazz fan (second after the Kings) I just don’t see the Jazz risking losing both of their PFs. But now ESPN is rumoring a Boozer to ChiTown trade so who knows.

"Shut up and Coach!"
Vfettke

by SavageBeast on Jul 9, 2009 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Toxic is kind of a relative term here.

Obviously Utah is going to have to move someone if they want to keep Milsap. By my math I have Portland at roughly 50 mill in salary for this season, 1.6 mill of that figure is salary holds for two players sitting in Europe from previous drafts. If Portland renounces the rights of the Koponen and Freeland that still leaves a starting salary of approximately 9 million for Milsap. I just don’t see that figure being “toxic”. I don’t think Milsap is worth a 5 yr/ 45-50 million dollar contract but I think Utah does and will match. Now if Portland wants to waive Blake and/or Outlaw they might be able to open up some serious cash but is Milsap really worth waiving 2 former first round picks stashed in Europe, your starting point guard and or your best bench scorer?

"Or, as Randy Jackson would say: Not feelin’ it, dawg."
-bench-blob- posting virgin.

by jjham15 on Jul 9, 2009 1:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Rumor out here is that they will match anything up to $10m per year

But that could just be posturing.

"Shut up and Coach!"
Vfettke

by SavageBeast on Jul 9, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No one can give him 10 mill a year except Utah.

"Or, as Randy Jackson would say: Not feelin’ it, dawg."
-bench-blob- posting virgin.

by jjham15 on Jul 9, 2009 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe the toxicity of the offer will come from clauses.

Does anyone recall a couple summers ago in the NFL the Vikings and Seahawks got into a war where they were signing the other teams free agents (notably Steve Hutchison), to contracts where if a certain player played more than 2 games in a city in a given season than the contract increased in value? I could see a scenario where the toxic offer employed by the Blazers is such that Millsap gets X amount if he plays less than 10 Games in the state of Utah in the season, and if he plays more than that amount the salary doubles. That offer would make matching a very difficult proposition for the Jazz.

Come to think of it, why don’t more teams do that? (Aside from alienating the other franchises, and the fact it’s probably prohibited in the CBA on some level). Still it seems like something that Portland would do.

by propane on Jul 9, 2009 10:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs